Buying equipment on FleaBay

[RogerDat]

I see where some folks post mention of "good deal" on such and such they picked up on well known auction site. I understand where some things only drop in price to a certain point then hold value. A working set of used dies or used press in good condition is only going to be certain amount less expensive than new.

However I find the auction set up to be insane, prices make little if any sense much of the time. I have a list of things that I would like to buy on my computer. No addiction (yet) so looking at what is in the gun safe informs what I might purchase. What needs the most regular feeding informs what is highest priority.

Lee dies and presses used sometimes sell for a within a couple of bucks of what they are new on Titan, heck I just saw a 3 die set go for $1 more than Titan. Couple of RCBS dies I could buy on Midway new for the same price as the used ones being sold. See the same with other die sets, or presses. $98 starting bid for a press that goes new for $114.

So is there some secret handshake or special way to hold the mouse? Or does this boil down to repeatedly putting in a Bid at a reasonable price and hoping that one stays low so you win below that point to get a "deal"? Having to wait for each item auction to close before trying again so you don't get stuck with duplicate item? Seems pretty inefficient, each auction lasts a week one could easily try a whole lot of times without having the winning bid and have to wait each time for days before being able to try again.

Anyone have any suggestions or am I correct in figuring this is a waste of time unless one is looking for some odd out of production item.

[knifemaker]

If you find a item on EBay that you need, figure out what you feel is a fair price for that item based on new or used and availability and bid that price. If some idiot outbids you with a unreasonable price, let it go and not get into a bidding war. Also check the sellers rating, because some will screw you in a heartbeat, and make sure there is plenty of pictures for you to judge the condition of the item. I have gotten some good deals on EBay, and have also seen many deals that I would not touch with a ten foot pole.

[airsmithy]

You have to be willing to spend time waiting and watching. Yes, I see some things go for above normal retail from time to time. But, I also find some deals. If you have time to wait, and time to watch, you can pick up a deal. If you have to have something in a set time frame, it may not be your best bet.

[jcren]

Not what you asked, and not a vendor, but I found that natchezss.com was usually cheaper than eBay+shipping in Lee stuff. Their website is a PITA, but call or ask for a catalog and you won't be disappointed. I still use them to decide if "x" is a good buy.

[bangerjim]

Auctions are bad in my opinion. Always have been. All it takes is ONE other person to want something a little more than you do and the bidding can go absolutely crazy. I used to sell a lot of stuff on evilbay and had stuff take off like a rocket, going 2x to 3x the new value during the last 30 seconds!! Like I said , it only takes one other! It is GREAT for the seller.

I used to go to live auctions a lot back in the midwest and just hated getting into a bidding war against other people. But at least with a live auction, you can see who you are bidding aginst and watch thier body language. Most people have tells.

Evilbay has turned into an electronic sniping software bidding war. You have to have sniping software to bid on stuff unless you are on-line all the time. Or if you are rich, put huge proxy bids in for something you really REALLY want. The evilbay system will increase your bid beyond any other bid as long as you maximum is there. Not a very smart way to buy things!

Or you can luck out and find something you want that nobody else (in the entire world!!!!!!) has seen on the site!

I now buy everything NEW at local stores.

But have fun on those on-line auction places.

bnager

[dikman]

I gave up bidding on items ages ago. I soon noticed that people get carried away with an auction and often end up bidding over and above an item's value. Most of my purchases use the "buy now" option, where it's available - much simpler and no messing around waiting for an auction to finish.

As bj said, it's great for the seller, usually not so great for the buyer.

[dragon813gt]

It seems that people never get caught up in Auction Fever when I have an item to sell. Was hoping to make lots of money w/ a used Star. Sadly one for "parts" sold for $15 more than my working one. It's hit or miss on both ends. If you're bidding set a max bid and stick to it. I prefer to buy new so I don't buy tools off eBay.

[6bg6ga]

I've gotten some die sets off ebay. They were as advertised and work fine. One has to pay attention to the current retail prices when bidding on something of interest.

[RogerDat]

I've gotten some die sets off ebay. They were as advertised and work fine. One has to pay attention to the current retail prices when bidding on something of interest.

I guess so! This showed up in the ribbon under what I was looking at as what other people were watching. RCBS 3 die set for 9mm with "Buy it Now" for $73 and change. Midway has it for $52.99 and frankly the picture from the auction looks like it was lifted from the midway site. Zoom in and it is the exact same image as far as I can tell. That seems like a really sketchy to me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RCBS-Carbide...3D251819182495

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/757...ProductFinding

Bought supplies from Natchez and they seemed ok, prices on equipment were a surprise, don't beat Titan by much so I would tend to go to the site sponsor unless the price difference was greater for what I was ordering. On a large purchase or many items purchase it is worth considering. Does set the "reference retail" price for comparing to auction. Yes the web site is poor to pathetic both to use and to promote sales. I purchased supplies more than once and did not even notice the equipment.

I guess dikman posts explains why when I check the selling prices I see such a wide spread in price for the same item. Essentially same press going for between $70 and $160 in as far as I can tell the same condition. I guess the folks that got it for 70 got the deal, the folks at 160 got... well not a deal and a bunch of bidders wasted their time.

Frankly I think one may well do better on used equipment posting in wanted to buy. Sure as sin and taxes there will be someone that has accumulated 3 of them, wants to sell one, probably so they can buy something else. Or maybe just to help a member out with something they don't use anymore. Either way seems like the prices are fair and the dealing direct. Can even dicker a bit sometimes.

[rogerstg]

I don't understand why anyone would think that ebay would be the cheapest place to buy everything. As always, and educated consumer will do the best. For my purposes, Ebay is a great place to buy things that are no longer made, or a component of something hard to find, like bicycle parts, gun barrels, etc. Lots of time the item is the least expensive, but there's no guaranty.

[garym1a2]

Many times they get the high prices cause they will sell and ship overseas.
when I had items to sell a few years ago the good money always came from Europe.

[imashooter2]

On the other hand, commodity type items can often be had very inexpensively by low balling an endless string of auctions until one comes home...

If you gotta have it now, go to a store. If it is something that you can wait on, eBay is not unattractive.

[CastingFool]

I used to buy a lot of stuff off eBay. The key to getting good deals is patience. Like someone else mentioned, pick a price you're comfortable with and if someone else overbids you, so be it. Let it go, something else will come up. Some times there is a demand for the item you want and everybody and their uncle bids on it. A week or so later, no one may be looking for the same item. Also, I look for items that are mislabeled. For example, I wanted a 10" Ridgid aluminum pipe wrench. I was searching for model 810, kept seeing them going for $20-$25 plus shipping. One day, I searched for 10" aluminum pipe wrench and found a listing with a pic of 2 Ridgids 810, and the listing described them as Ridgid 810. Got them both for $20 plus shipping, and they were in excellent shape for being used.

[HATCH]

its a toss of the coin.
Sometimes something may be listed on EBAY but they might have the name misspelled or leave off the model # or might even call it something other then what it really is.
When dealing with reloading equipment you will not really find any deals on EBAY.

Its like on Cast Boolits.
Deals come up "BUY IT NOW" and if you lucky to time it just right then you get the deal.

I will NOT pay more then new price on a item that is still in production.

[Gar]

About the only things I look for on eBay are older, discontinued items that aren't sold through retail outlets anymore. I've bought a lot of antique tools over the years through eBay but in the last 5 to 10 years eBay has been changing to mostly 'retail stores' without the storefront.

[ballistim]

I have saved searches by manufacturers and am notified if something from them is listed. Occasionally its a "buy it now" item at a great price & I pull the trigger, other times I put it on my watch list & am notified when auction is about to end & bid at the end if it's still reasonable, although usually I just shake my head and

[floydboy]

I agree with Castingfools thread. I used to buy quit a bit off ebay. 10 years ago there were a lot of auctions with a bunch of stuff in them. People selling off relatives reloading stuff in whole lots because they didn't know where to get rid of it I guess. I might pay $500.00 for 3-4 large boxes of stuff. I might value the whole lot at $1000. I'd keep what few items I wanted and relist the rest. Would keep me busy for a couple months but quit profitable and a person learns a lot getting to actually see some of all the reloading stuff out there you wouldn't normally see. Once in a blue moon you would get a pearl. One time there was a bunch of old reloading stuff for sale and the pics weren't very good. I ended up paying less than $300 for three large boxes of stuff. Got it home and one of the green presses was a RCBS A2 in very good condition. It now sits on my bench. It is very difficult to buy a small single $20 item at a real bargain on ebay. I haven't found a large lot I'd want in years. On the other hand it is a great place to find vintage out of production items like molds.

Happy hunting...Floyd

[texassako]

Ebay seems to go through phases for me. Bought a lot of figured and unusual wood from small sawmills 5-10 years back, then people caught on and prices went way up while the selling fees were going up and some sellers dropped out. Learned real quick to pay attention to feedback and shipping cost. Lots of padding going on in the back end with jacked up shipping prices to catch the unwary. I don't buy dies off ebay, except for a couple of hard to find ones, because I can't see the inside. The old, oddball, and discontinued seems to draw the least attention unless it is from a collector. A lot of buyers that would jump all over Lee, Lyman, or RCBS don't seem to notice old names like Bair, Pacific, or even Saeco. It is the reason my NIB Bair .25 Remington die set only cost $25.

[RobS]

I do look at eBay at times because some sellers products are new as well as at the same price or a touch less than other online retail companies. However the eBay seller doesn't over charge on shipping. As an example that I just ventured was with a Lee push through die where the eBay seller shipped for a reasonable flat rate of $6 and cost was less expensive than all other online retailers.

[str8wal]

Same as GunBroker, decide on a fair price and bid it. If you get outbid, move on.