Not good enough :(

[Maelbrigda]

I buy online for convenience. I dont drive and live in a very rural area so online shopping is fantastic. I always look on ebid first and dont mind paying a few pence dearer for something I want. However I don't always find what i'm looking for and am forced to look elsewhere. There are a few seller who charge more than on the other side but all the good ones charge less. Postage is the price I pay for the convenience of having it delivered to my door. A few more buyers and sellers are needed - but hey! we're getting there

[kazeran]

I once posted on here suggesting that everyone get together and make sure that their prices were cheaper here than on ebay and I was given a real hard time?
Personally I think its the only way, we have to out ebay, ebay.
Charging more when you are paying less fees on a small, less popular site is corporate suicide.
Reminds me of the British Motorcycle industry in the mid 1960's. I remember........(fades back off to sleep mumbling).

[darklisruthven]

Kazeran, I agree with you. Sellers could work out what the fees on ebay are, which are massively higher than here, and discount their items here by that much. Even that move would make the site much more competitive.
Some of us here do, many do not sadly.

[ZenKarma]

Kazeran, I agree with you. Sellers could work out what the fees on ebay are, which are massively higher than here, and discount their items here by that much.

I agree, I really don't understand that mentality, in my opinion they're simply wasting their time.

I always research the prices on all my items to ensure they're price competitive with all three principal online selling markets and try wherever possible to pass on some of those fee savings to the buyer.

I've pretty much given up trying to sell books now as Royal Mails recent price hikes and the growing popularity of e-readers has effectively killed the online second hand book market. With Amazon sellers selling some popular books at as little as 1p, it's just not cost effective to sell them.

With local charity shops also being 'picky' about which books they want, I've had to take loads down to the local recycling centre which is such a shame. It breaks my heart to throw away such important resources but with the wide availability of internet resources, ebooks etc. people just don't value old books any more. They have to go as I'm clearing my house ready for a house move and I have no alternative.

No doubt in 20-30 years time these same paper books will become collectors items once again, but at the moment, very few people value or wants them anymore.

Great shame, such is progress.

[Mandart]

I have almost given up trying to buy things on eBid. Invariably the item I need is not listed or, like today, the listings are so abysmal that I give up and buy elsewhere.

My search for Orla Kiely today, brought up a few listings, almost all of which had NO gallery pics. Now, if this had been my first visit to the site, I have to say, it would have been my last.

Yes, we need more buyers; but we are desperately in need of good sellers with decent listings.

Back to the OP, it needs a more professional attitude by the seller if they really want to sell - twice just recently something I needed I have gone elsewhere for simply because of the poor listing on here - they just didn't instill any confidence of buying from the advertiser. I'm quite willing to pay a little more for something if I feel confident with the seller A lot of sellers need to seriously look at their listings and improve their game.

[kazeran]

Yup, I know what you mean. I sell old books, well 100 years or so old, and they have definetly taken a retail nosedive. The only things I can shift are the really rare historical items that have not been kindled yet and the flashy bindings. I think bindings are still pose worthy. Buy one and take it on holiday and show off at the poolside sort of thing.

[darklisruthven]

I am a book nut so I cant bring myself throw them away - I consider them too invaluable. Not all of us want to sit reading a kindle or suchlike.

By the by Kazeran, dont throw any books away relating to theatre/performing arts, devon history, legends/history/speculation on the Knights Templar, as I am always keeping an eye out for bargains on books of these subjects (some of my major interests), I cant afford high prices, but will always have a looksee and go for reasonable ones to add to my collections!

I love antique books too and collect them regardess of subject. Again, budget precludes me on a lot, but few things are so excellent as antique books. Back on 04 once I was in a charity shop and saw a really old book being thrown away by the volunteers, I asked to have a glance at it, and it turned out to be a first (french) edition of a Victor Hugo novel (Le Rhin) . I asked if I could buy it, they looked amazed, I asked the price, and they said £1, and why on earth did I want an old book like that....

well...

[ZenKarma]

A lot of sellers need to seriously look at their listings and improve their game.

I agree 100%.

Some of the listings here are some of the worst I've ever seen in my entire 12 + years of online auction buying/selling experience, and I've seen a lot of pretty poor auction listings.

Just this morning I saw an auction that -

1/ Did not include a description of the actual item being sold in the auction title;
2/ Did not include a photograph of the item being sold in the photograph;
3/ Had a tiny two sentence, two line description telling you what you'd receive right at the bottom of the auction listing after a load of irrelevant sales fluff and spin and even then it didn't describe in any detail the contents of what you'd actually receive.

Totally misleading, totally deceiving, entirely horrendous.

Unfortunately the low/no cost of listing here is going to attract those kind of listings.

If it doesn't cost you anything, why put any effort in is the sad state of affairs.

[ZenKarma]

I sell old books, well 100 years or so old, and they have definetly taken a retail nosedive.

I have a pretty old book here I've been wondering what to do with. I think it's early 1800's to 1850 but I'd need to check on that.

Would you mind if I pm'd you for some advice on it?

[darklisruthven]

The worst I saw was one "test auction do not bid"

wtf....