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Lesson 3 - Lets buy something!

Now that you have your account lets buy something so we can see how it all works.  What should be the first thing we buy?  Easy, a digital camera so we can be ready to sell things after we have done this course!

I do sell digital cameras but that's not the main reason we're starting in this category - it's because this is where a lot of people get 'stung' by dubious business practices.

There are two main methods of finding an item.

Firstly (and this is the way 30% of people do it) -  Is by searching the categories, for a digital camera we go 
Home > Buy > Cameras & Accessories > Digital Cameras & Lenses > 6.0 to 6.9 Megapixels > Other 6.0 to 6.9 Brands

The other method (of which the other 70% of people use) is to simply type 'digital camera' into the search engine and up come the results.

So now we have found digital cameras for sale!  (In the advanced lessons I teach how to put this item up for sale.)

Why buy this one?  You should always get a camera with over 2 megapixels and a flash, this one has 6 megapixels and a flash so it will do the job just fine.

'But why should I buy your camera when I can buy a video camcorder  for $4.99?'

Very good question, and now I'm about to show you why nothing is free in this world.
The following screenshots are taken from ebay (5th April 2006, 3.25pm) and shows a very cheap video camcorder with 37 minutes left.

So why not buy that one for $5 and use that?  Well, lets take a closer look a the item description first -

The item from Hong Kong costs you an extra $60 for postage, so now the item is priced at $65.  Did you know it costs around $22 to send the item?

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

You are also required to pay insurance on this item of $20.99!  This makes a total of $85.99 - a bit differant from the $5 you thought you would be paying.

Did you know this tricks people all the time?  As a Powerseller I listen to people complain about this EVERY DAY and I do know of people who have sworn off ebay after being conned by this - REMEMBER, READ THE WHOLE DESCRIPTION BEFORE YOU BUY!

By the way, if you think that still is a bargain then read the fine print; the quality is not that great and you will have a hard time taking photos with this.  Reading the feedback of the seller also tells us that the quality is lousy.

Remember that if you still don't like it the description says you can send it back if you are not happy with it - so you get your $5 back after you pay $30 for the postage to send it back.  Why only $5?  You only get back the cost of the camera, not the postage (ebay rules).  

One final point, ebay charges the seller fees based on the final selling price; if you buy the camera for $5 then the Hong Kong seller pays around 70 cents in fees on the $5 - not the $86 that you paid.  If you bought it from me for $99 then I would pay about $4 in fees.
This has been pointed out to ebay management several times but they have decided to turn a blind eye to it.

Is this item legitimate?

Is the item really for sale?  What I mean is, is the item real or part of a fraud scheme?

When a scammer 'steals' someone's account what they will do is put items up for sale that they don't have.  The usual items are Laptops and iPods.
The scam is simple - you buy the goods because they are very cheap, you send the money but never receive the goods.  The scammer has your money and the ebay account holder has no idea on what is going on.

This scam is easy to spot.

The scammer wants the money to go to his account, not the ebay account holder.  The only way he can do this is to ask for the money to be sent via Western Union or Telegraphic transfer as both of these methods are untraceable.
So if the seller will only accept those methods of payment then it is probably fraud.

Note that when you receive a 'second chance offer' and that is the only payment method then it is fraud.

Please note that Western Union advise to only use their services when sending money to someone you know, not a stranger.

 

So, let's buy the camera.  Firstly we better click on the item so we know what we are buying.

Lets go through the options of buying the item and ask ourselves some questions first

	Does this item do what I want? (Takes photos)
	Does it come with all the accessories to make this work or do I need other items?  (batteries?)
	How long is the delivery time?
	Do I have a way of paying for this item?
	What is the postage cost? (An extra $9.70 to pay for an express overnight bag, so when I get it you'll have it 24 hours later- should be less than 10 days)
	What does all the fine print say?
	Is there a refund if I don't like it?
	What happens if it is damaged when I receive it?

 

Note that the example in the screen shots below is an item that was sold by me.

If the item is an auction then you put in the amount you wish to bid in, if the item is 'Buy it Now' then you simply push the BUY button and you have 'won' that item for the price shown.

If If When you bid on an item then you are putting in the MAXIMUM price that you wish to pay, if someone else bids more than your maximum then your bid will not go up over your maximum bid.

If you use the 'buy it now' button the item is all yours, if you bid in an auction then you need to wait until the auction finishes before you know whether you have won it or not.

Congratulations, you have won!

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