Wonderful whacky world of eBay shopping
Readers who have been with us from WAY, WAY back will remember I took a foray into the wonderful, whacky world of eBay shopping when I was expecting my family the first time around, just before the visa was initially denied. That is going on for two years ago now, I just realised. In the old days we had a paper called the Trading Post. It came out every Thursday, I think. How times have changed!
Wardrobe
Having recently moved house to somewhere with limited inbuilt storage I have been eBay shopping again. So far I have bought four desks for the kids, a wardrobe for the boys and a tallboy for the girls. I was looking for a tallboy for the boys, but the girls want white beds so we decided to shop for a tallboy for them instead and recycle the tallboy they are currently using to the boys as it matches their bunks better!
Why four desks? One each? No, not really: the bedrooms are big, but not THAT big! It was me not being a proficient eBay shopper! I keep missing out on things, so I entered bids on four desks at once and lo and behold I won all four of the auctions!
Do I like shopping on eBay? No, not really, but necessity is the mother of invention so they say and really, given the circumstances, we don’t have a choice. We want to get rid of the loans we have as fast as we can, so buying brand new is not an option if we want to do that. Besides, when we do buy our own place things like free-standing wardrobes will probably not be required: even if we could afford to buy new, what would be the point? As I said to Mr O if we look after the items, hopefully we can sell them on eBay when the time comes and get our money back! One can hope! I used to work with a young lady who used to sell her designer clothes from last season on eBay to help fund her designer purchases in the new season! 
I just can’t get this auction winning happening. I hear tips such as bid odd amounts etc, but I can’t see such a strategy actually helping if someone has already entered a much higher bid and it is auto-beating anything I bid! I get so frustrated when it says “You have been outbid” when I only just entered a damn bid! I’ve decided the only way to go is to decide the maximum I am prepared to pay for something, bit that and consider it a “set and forget” scenario! If I miss the win, so be it. Another auction will be there waiting soon enough!
Then there is the problem of actually being around to bid as the auctions close. I am after a couple of beds tonight and the auction finishes at 11:30pm. Do I REALLY want to be up at 11:30pm? NO! Or the auctions finish about 3pm on a Saturday and the chances of my being home at that time on a weekend are slim, very slim.
Driving to work I hear seminars being advertised on the radio: how to become a millionnaire on eBay. Not for me, thanks! I find just getting the stuff I am getting stressful enough!
Then there is the whole organising to collect thing. Now, one of the desk sellers gave me THREE different mobile numbers. The first two were typos. I sent text messages and got one response advising, “I know nothing about a desk”. Great. Finally she gave me the right number! With soccer training twice a week and matches on Sundays, organising collections if I need muscle power (i.e. Mr O) is difficult.
Most things we have been able to fit in the Sorento but we have to collect the wardrobe (above) for the boys: it will not fit and I had to dismantle a desk top on the last collection trip. Just as well I remembered how to reassemble!
Generally, people have a child, buy ONE set of bedroom furniture, a few years later buy a desk. Have a second child, buy another lot. With us it is like having quadruplets – everything has to be in fours (beds) or twos (wardrobes).
I wish there was a way to win an auction for a winning Tatts ticket!
Do you venture into the world of eBay? What have you bought? Where you happy with your purchase? Do you have any tips for winning the auctions?
I don’t do online shopping or auctions myself, partly because of that hassle factor involving deliveries, returns if they’re not up to scratch, and so forth. My brother once bought a $50 piano on NZ’s ‘Trade Me’, I think more on the ‘because I can’ basis, though ostensibly it was so his kids could learn music. When he and his family moved house, it was disposed of – free to a good home…
A piano for $50? That IS a bargain!
I think I will be avoiding all pianos! Do you not have eBay in NZ yet?
I’ve never bought anything on e-bay so no tips from me. Best of luck.
Neither had I until all this saga was upon me! It was not by choice, but by necessity, I assure you!
Although eBay may not like to hear that. 
I don’t buy on eBay, but there’s a Serbian auction website, and I bought a couple of books there (not same as desks, I know, but the principle is the same). This website has a built-in *agent* and it works like this: there’s already a minimum price set by the seller, say, 5$, and you enter 7$ as the highest price you’re willing to pay, but the *agent* puts 5$, some other buyer puts 5.5, your agent puts 6, and so on — the *agent* will always use the minimal price, and will only increase it if someone outbids you, and only up to the amount you entered. Is there such a thing on eBay? Judging from someone outbidding you the moment you enter your offer, there is. Sorry if this was a completely unnecessary explanation.
Anyway, when buying on auction sites, I do what you mentioned as the healthy thing: I enter the highest amount I’m willing to pay, and if I win, great, if not, oh, well. Someone was willing to pay more than me, so I suppose it ended fair for everyone involved — and I didn’t have to be online at the time the auction ends, since the *agent* was doing the bidding for me.
Sounds just like eBay, I’d say your Serbian site has implemented a very similar system to eBay! On one tallboy I thought I’ll just go a little higher – but in the end it went for $222 yet I got a whole wardrobe fore $111.50. I skipped that tallboy!
I have bought and sold a fair bit on Ebay and have got some fabulous bargains.. When I moved to this house I had practically nothing and most of the things in the house are from ebay and I’ve been very pleased with everything.
I collect 1st edition and rare books too and used to buy and sell some quite successfully.. I’ve only had one bad experience and that was quickly sorted out by ebay…
The odd amount of money does help.. and if I REALLY want something I have 2 separate windows open so I can watch on one and be ready with bids on the other !
Good – I don’t feel so bad now!
Two windows open – no, I haven’t got to that point yet, but it is a thought…..
After last night, I think I am done for a while. We might get one more wardrobe if I see one I like, but for the moment I think we are OK….. I think…… maybe a coffee table…………..
Haha…
Only buy small mailable items, its too much like hard work. But I did sell books in the past and made enough money for a trip to India!
We got Mr O shaving powder as a mailable item! It came from the USA.
The biggest collection I had to organise was the bunks I bought almost two years ago. I had to hire a ute and drive for MILES and then put it all together when I got home!
Now at least I have Mr O to help!
That was funny, bidding on 4 desks and winning all of them, what are the odds? I think I only bought once on ebay and also found it a bit strange that I was always out-bidded the minute I put my bid in…I think I´m not too good at ebay either, so no chance of becoming an ebay millionaire!
I don’t think I could be bothered buying all the stuff to sell! I understand how the out bidding works, just can be frustrating when you wonder what exactly the other person put in as a maximum. Like the beds I got last night: I entered $80 as my maximum, yet got them for $52. A real bargain, but they are a long way away in the country, so I think people were not willing to drive that far: I was lucky. I’ve been wanting to get the girls new beds since they arrived as the ones they are in were an emergency solution only. I have to get mattresses now, but that isn’t a problem there are a few mattress sales on at the moment.