# Is it only me?



## RMMseven (Oct 22, 2004)

Am I the only one that likes eBay (well.. for the most part)?
Yes some of the stuff on there slot-wise is just dumb and occasionally dis-honest. But I can find some of the vintage stuff and even some of the odd new stuff. When I sell I have never been able to predict what something is really worth, sometimes it's sells for a lot higher than I ever imagined and other times something I think is really cool and rare goes for not much at all but at least I feel I'm getting a fair market value. It helps me connect with other slot-heads around the world. I know the fees are pretty high but where else can I go. I'd love to sell things on enthusiast websites like this but my experience is that I get 150 to 400% more on eBay.
So in summary I don't think its the greatest slot thing in the world but overall I have to admit I like it.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I like Ebay for buying, but hate it for selling, at least my personal customs anyway. The couple of times I listed one of my creations, I had no watchers, bids, nada. I ended up cancelling the last listing because my stomach was in knots just because I didn't think I'd ever even get someone to watch it. 

For my stuff, I prefer knowing who I'm selling to, for warranty reasons mostly. It's just easier for someone here to let me know if there's a problem than some stranger from the bay.

I used to surf through all the slot listings, and then keep it up to date by just scoping out the new listings daily. Being broke 95% of the time has made cruising the slot listings a waste of time though.


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## gomanvongo (Jun 12, 2010)

RMMseven said:


> I'd love to sell things on enthusiast websites like this but my experience is that I get 150 to 400% more on eBay.
> So in summary I don't think its the greatest slot thing in the world but overall I have to admit I like it.


It all depends on your outlook I guess - for me, since I'm not into slotcars to try to make money, but rather for personal enjoyment, I'd rather trade with other enthusiasts to get stuff I want, or sell something to a great person here on HT for a price based on what i paid, rather than "book value"- i've received some rarities that could probably be "bayed" from the folks 'round here, but those are some of the ones in my collection i'm most proud of, mostly because they were traded to me by folks with their heads in the same place as mine - who just wanted to share their toys. I've seen many other fun childhood based activities (comics & sportscards f'r instance) turned into investment opportunities, and had all the fun sucked out of them for the average folks - I'd prefer to see slots stay toys for the most part, and continue to drive the heck out of 'em!

john


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

Like Joe said, as a buyer, great. Not so much as a seller.

I have been selling for 12 years under slotsrus67, 2 more years before that. I think I have 2 negatives, both from "0" feedback people, in that time. And ebay just stripped away my "great seller" rating because 20 out of 23 listings shipped in under a day ??? Yep, 3 listings I mailed out 2 days after being paid for. No Negatives, all positive feedback .4.9 or 5.0 in all catagories. 

Not that I care about the title, but without it you pay higher percentages back to them. needless to say I sold one item since then.

And my brother just got royally ripped off, he sold a pool cleaner to a "0" feedbacker in Florida, they claim it didn't work, complained to paypal, paypal yanked his money back, customer sent pool cleaner back without the motor and smashed bits in the box. THATS FAIR.

I'm sure ebay will slowly start to feel it when people start backing out, or maybe they already have and thats why the rules are changing and become oh so strict for sellers.

If ebay closed it doors tomorrow, maybe the old style hobbyshops would pop up around town again, and hitting slot shows would be a must again.


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

Yes it is just you RMM7.... no not really  ... just kidding. :thumbsup:

I think the "talking-up factor" regarding ebay's popularity comes and goes in waves, like the hobby itself (almost seasonal). I think as we approach the cooler months (slot season) you'll see the ebay buzz will come back just like all the shows and racing series come back. I'm not an ebayer myself, I only use it as a reference tool, but all times of the year I still see lots of guys watching for deals and actually buying/selling stuff just like you. Most chat nights many of the participants also have a window open and are trolling ebay for goodies. The economy factors in too. Along with seasonal factors there are buyer's and seller's market periods that can also have an effect. I think overall it's as popular as ever though. Love it or not personally, there is no other entity that brings together as many buyers and sellers of slot car stuff under the same roof.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Treasures and trash*

Basically I see E-bay as virtual conveyor belt. 

You can see a never ending supply of flotsam and jettsom being pumped on at a fairly regular rate. Interested parties line up and stand at the mouth of the belt. Much akin to our mothers generation; where angered up housewives await the basement white sale at Macy's, except that it's electronic; so the hapless security guard who unlocks the door doesnt get trampled to death. 

Anything that falls off the end of the belt gets shoveled back on intermixing with the Soup de Jour. 

BIN's are an opportunity to run along side the conveyor and cherry pick at their own risk. 

Like gulls following a following a ferry boat, sometimes you get bread and snacks ....and sometimes you get a cigarette butt. :tongue:


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## smokinHOs (May 30, 2006)

*Bill you nailed it!*

OMG, I just used OMG... but! Bill nailed it...

Ebay is awesome. Well not really. But I can't tell you how many "deals" on got on ebay. Granted I love to trade or buy from other guys in the hobby, and I have made some sweetheart deals for other people in the hobby and had my fair share of goodies too..

But the bay provides me with hours of endless searching and fun. Sometimes I buy stuff just because its odd or a good deal. Pullin the trigger on a hard to find car that is way under priced gives me that rush sometimes....

Now as a seller- the fees are ridiculous, but again how do you get something out in front of potentially 50, 100, or 1000 viewers? The bay that's how.

Just snagged three Rokars in the package.. steal I think. Pretty close to the original retail, maybe a bit less. Gotta luv it!

-marc and marcus


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## bobwoodly (Aug 25, 2008)

I like eBay. I like searching for bargains and like it when I get one (which is rare given the number of eyes on eBay). I like that your winnings come to your door, otherwise I'm driving all over trying to find stuff. 

I have had good luck selling so far. It is pretty simple but time consuming.


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## TUFFONE (Dec 21, 2004)

Ebay is not what it once was for selling, but it still does the job for me. I don't sell marginal or common items and usually at least double or triple my money after all fees and costs. If you are selling very common items or just have to get every last dollar on your sale, you may not be doing so well. The winter months are the only time that I sell. Summer months are for acquisition, buying at bargain prices in many cases. I will say that now that you can list and get pictures for free, the listings are pretty boring. Many of the same things over and over and over.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

I used to like buying on eBay, but paypal blocked me from buying because I wouldn't hook up a bank account for them to draw fees out of. So I haven't bought off eBay in over a year now. I've saved a ton of money, I sure miss it though. I bet they haven't missed me a bit.

Since then I've concentrated my buying here, and slot car sites.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

it is simply easy to get an additional bank account (in my case through my credit union and still fee free) to link the PayPal account to and transfer cash into or out of it as needed for my PayPal issues. there is no way they can gain access to my accounts that have savings or bill money in them. a little creative thinking outside the box beats the giants everytime.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

alpink said:


> it is simply easy to get an additional bank account (in my case through my credit union and still fee free) to link the PayPal account to and transfer cash into or out of it as needed for my PayPal issues. there is no way they can gain access to my accounts that have savings or bill money in them. a little creative thinking outside the box beats the giants everytime.


Rich,
As Al points out, open a seperate bank account which will be tied to Paypal and used for NOTHING else. Keep the minimum amount of cash in it to avoid paying a fee.

I have an account just for this purpose. If I receive money into my Paypal account, it is quickly transferred out to that bank account, and then quickly taken from there to my "main" account This leaves Paypal with access to a pretty barren account.

Play the game, just don't use their rules.

As to eBay, I use it to buy but haven't sold in years. As time has gone by, the fees, rules and general PITA workings of eBay for a seller just are not worth it to me.

Joe


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## JimW (Dec 14, 1998)

Yes I do like Joe does wih an "online" account. Best thing about buying on the bay is not using as much gas driving to as many fleas and what not, gas is ludicrous right now


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Yes, I used to do that. I may wind up having to do that again.
It's just not as convenient or as safe as a credit card.


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## Marko (Jul 11, 2002)

For me eBay works for both buying and selling. Selling something like a collectible is so much faster and easier then the "old days" of trade papers, shows or phone calls. You were always at the mercy of the slowness of the postal system if you wanted to buy an item in a periodical. Im not sure I like the way eBay is evolving into another online merchant to just buy stuff now. But, I suppose another site might come up to serve us electronic flea market fans. Just my two cents!!!


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

There is another site, but it doesn't get as much exposure so it doesn't have much in the slot dept. Ebid is more like the old Ebay. Lower fees, less restrictions, etc. You can use Paypal there, but sellers aren't forced to use it. If enough of us shopped and sold there, maybe it would get a little better. Some of the stuff listed though has been there for eons, list til sold deals. Marty sells on Ebid a lot. Maybe he'll fill us in on if things have improved. I admit it's been a while since I scoped out the listings.


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

I recently started selling on the bay again. Rarely do I sell slot items. Did once and will never again. The main reason is these things are collectibles and I never received my items back or my money thanks to me sending it out with tracking and the buyer saying item not as described. I offered all money back 3 times including the extra shipping fee, yet I was bent over by PAypal and never received my item. They refunded the entire amount and reduced my rating. 

I did sell some smaller non-collectible items with no issues so far. I have a credit card linked to Paypal only. I buy with my account and have started over with my Fiancee's selling and minimal buying account.


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

slotcarman12078 said:


> There is another site, but it doesn't get as much exposure so it doesn't have much in the slot dept. Ebid is more like the old Ebay. Lower fees, less restrictions, etc. You can use Paypal there, but sellers aren't forced to use it. If enough of us shopped and sold there, maybe it would get a little better. Some of the stuff listed though has been there for eons, list til sold deals. Marty sells on Ebid a lot. Maybe he'll fill us in on if things have improved. I admit it's been a while since I scoped out the listings.


Bob's Hobby Shop in Watervleit, Michigan switched to Ebid after Ebay screwed him over not properly filled Feedback by the buyers. He tried to fix it with Ebay, but they wouldn't listen.

As for myself I haven't bought anything from Ebay since they switched to the PayPal only policy. I don't see why I should have to get a paypal account to buy anything from Ebay. I know you can contact sellers and make other payment arrangements, but I'm not going to that effort. 

I never sold anything on Ebay, and with the dog and pony show the sellers have to go through it isn't worth it.

Randy.


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

Well, I was at Bob's Hobby Shop today and was talking to him and asked how he liked Ebid. He told me he was still on Ebay. I guess he got things worked out with them. Sorry for misleading anyone who was looking on Ebid for his auctions.

Randy.


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## travis1960 (Apr 25, 2004)

NTxSlotCars said:


> I used to like buying on eBay, but paypal blocked me from buying because I wouldn't hook up a bank account for them to draw fees out of.


This confuses me.....there are no fees for buying. Could you explain what you mean? 

:dude:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

What he means is Paypal wants a credit card or active checking account to draw from when making purchases. My checking has but a couple dollars in it. I usually sell here in S&S and have a balance in my paypal account. If I overdraw my paypal (be it an ebay purchase or a Paypal debit card purchase, paypal draws the balance from my checking. I have to be really careful with my spending... it would suck getting a 35.00 overdraft fee from my checking because I was .05 cents shy of the amount I needed to cover in my checking. If my paypal balance is 0.00, they automatically hit my checking account for the funds.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

They want you to use a PAYPAL credit card or attach a bank account to become "verified".
I've used an active credit card for my ebay purchases for years. For some reason, since
my amount purchased since opening my account over ten years ago has reached $10k, 
they require me to become "verified" to continue using Paypal. What is that all about?
I use a credit card for online purchases because I can dispute the charges in case of fraud.
This is out of Paypals control, over their heads, so they want you to attach a bank account
so they can decide if you need your money back or not. I don't trust them.
If they don't want me to continue buying using their services, I'll go somewhere else.
There's a whole world of commerce out there that paypal has nothing to do with.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

In the meantime, can someone get me these? I can pay you back...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/K-DASH-HO-S...261115809794?pt=Slot_Cars&hash=item3ccbb71002

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TYCO-HO-Slot-Car-BODIES-lot-6-/230868073935?pt=Slot_Cars&hash=item35c0cf3dcf

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TYCO-HO-Slo...230868077081?pt=Slot_Cars&hash=item35c0cf4a19

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TYCO-HO-Slot-Car-BODIES-lot-5-/330813677610?pt=Slot_Cars&hash=item4d0608202a


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## travis1960 (Apr 25, 2004)

Well, I have used PayPal over ten years and never had a problem. To each his own I guess.

:dude:


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## travis1960 (Apr 25, 2004)

Oh, and I always use a credit card, never money from checking. You have the option.

:dude:


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## travis1960 (Apr 25, 2004)

Alright, I was curious about this, so I went looking for the answer...and found it. You have the government lawmakers to thank.

From the PayPal site:

_ "As a payment service provider, by law we are required to validate relevant information about you before we can grant you higher sending (spending) and withdrawal capabilities. It's a similar requirement to opening a bank account or applying for a credit card account. Therefore, by law, we are not able to allow you to make further payments or withdrawals via your PayPal account until you've completed the process (verification)."_

They have to do it by law.

:dude:


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