I realise that Copago but that particular item is available by mail order on the internet, with no charge for P&P. By ordering from a proper company you can save more than £1 and you won't risk getting a fake.

Ahh gotcha. Amazes me how many people don't do a bit of research either - I saw one thing at auction for for $15+ and it was available in quite a few eBay shops for less than $2 and that's within the same site ... I imagine even less search beyond eBay.

I've just won a job lot of lego for my little boy, with cars, helicopters and lego people. I got a bargain as lego costs a fortune.
I've been browsing for nintendo ds games for my eldest for christmas, most of them could be bought cheaper at Amazon or in the shops, why buy them second hand when you can buy new cheaper

I personally don't know alot about ebaying. But yes alot of people use waiting till the last few mins to bid as there strategy. I dont understand it completely....guess they think they have a better chance that way.other than tipping other bidders off that they are bidding against them....

During a lull in my quite uneventful life (I travelled a lot) I was what is known as a 'Power Seller' on EBay for a while: these are the sellers that sell a great deal of goods, or a few items for a great deal of money. So, if I can help anybody then please let me know. Too many questions on here to answer but one thing I would mention is, beware of 'shill' bidding. This is frequently what drives the price up. Also, you are far better off buying second hand goods. Items advertised as brand new are invariably seconds. Never - buy TVs, Hi-Fi, anything electronic unless they are from a private seller and used or you are prepared receive and obvious second (obvious when you see it and the packaging). Frequently these quite expensive electrical items come with faults (graded stock etc) and less than 70% of buyers receive what they expected first time around, ie, an item that works properly. Beware of postage scams: DSR (distance selling regulations) are quite strict in the UK and probably the same in other countries, so never pay any postage on a return. Always pay for purchases through PayPal, this is the only protection for an EBay buyer, they will claw your money back in the event of non delivery or wrongly described item; in severe instances they will freeze the sellers account. Never pay by cheque or a postal order and, of course, never send cash.
Most sellers on EBay are honest enough and one can have fun. Just remember to check a sellers feedback thoroughly and read the remarks made. If you have made a purchase it is easy to find the sellers contact details, phone etc.
I've gone on a bit, but I have witnessed some grissly practices on EBay (which was why I left it). To anybody bidding, good luck and if I can help just let me know.

By the way, for those who wondered, the word processor eventually turned up and was exactly what my elderly gentleman wanted, the identical model to his old broken one. It is immaculate and worked immediately so he was delighed. It cost the seller more in postage than he charged by several pounds.

I've just purchased for myself a Johnny Depp calendar; a nice way to start the new year when it arrives

Oh dear. I ordered a necklace from China on 3rd November and as it didn't arrive I submitted a dispute procedure with PayPal and the man refunded in full. This morning the necklace arrived so I need to pay him again.

I've just had fun and games and wonder if buying clothing is such a good idea. You can't always see exactly what things are in small photos, and whatever size they say (especially if only L M or S) there's a good chance they'll be at least a size too big or small as my two items were each. They were so cheap I didn't mind but I wouldn't have got those sizes if I'd had a chance to try them on.
The first one which was even bigger was also refunded when one of the staff at the post office apparently decided it looked better on him than me. It was supposed to be at the sorting office but had been sorted elsewhere when I arrived...

Well, me and Mum have also being using Ebay to sell "clutter" too. I had quite a collection of the Robertson Jam's Golliwog ( ) Pin badges, all in good condition. So instead of selling them singularly, we put them on Ebay as sets. And we earned quite a bi, the exciting part is when "snipers" bid for your item at the last seconds! Good fun

I don't think I would buy anything but a T shirt on ebay, or any other mail order system. Sizes are just too unreliable.
If you have a catalogue from a store you like, and where you know what sizes you are, it's not too bad, but I've sent way too much clothing back over the years - een if it fits, you can't really tell if it looks good until you've tried it on...

I got a lot of my kids' clothes off eBay. I don't bother with the fancy brand names (silly to pay nearly as much on eBay as a regular store ), so I got really good deals. I only buy them in 'lots' so out of a big box of clothes I'm bound to get some that fit. I've gotten some awfully nice things that way. A bit of junk, too, but it still ends up being really inexpensive.

That said, I wouldn't buy clothes for myself, for the reasons others have stated. I don't change sizes as frequently as my kids do.

I recently have come across several instances where people paid more for an item at auction than they would have paid for the exact same item, from the exact same seller, at the seller's "Buy It Now" price.

Before bidding, people should at least check through the seller's complete listings to see if the same item is also listed at a "Buy It Now" price. It makes no sense to bid above that price in an auction.

funny listing hehe

Earlier this year, a close friend of mine had a set of expensive skis stolen. On the off-chance of finding them, he decided to check ebay listings for a couple of weeks, and sure enough they appeared for sale. He contacted the seller, who was a dealer and had bought them unknowingly from someone else, and was then able to trace the thief.
No doubt a fair amount of stolen property finds its way onto ebay, and I wonder if Police forces have any means to link their property theft records to ebay sales?
We've bought and sold various items successfully on ebay, and regard it as a useful facility in clearing unwanted property. I had an old Libyan Scout Association shirt, on which were sewn various UK and Libyan Scout badges. Having no further need for it, I decided, rather than throw it away, to sell it on ebay, and to my pleasant surprise received £75 for it. Last year I decided, after a long, bitterly cold winter walk in the Welsh mountains, that my mountaineering jacket had seen better days. As quality brand name mountain jackets can cost £200 - £300 I decided to try ebay, where there are always a number for sale. After being outbid several times, I managed to obtain an excellent 'North Face' jacket complete with inner detachable fleece for only £75 - which was brilliant. The credentials of the seller seemed excellent, and the jacket was a perfect fit!

Despite two messages to the Chinese gentleman asking him how I can pay him I am still waiting to hear.

Oh Copago that is hilarious! Hope he sells them before New Year.

I noticed that he is only a forty minute 'plane ride from here, I thought of inviting him over!

He sounds like a realy funny guy, could keep you two entertained! Guess he does not need time to get over the loss of his wife.

In the past several months, since I "discovered" e-bay, I have really dropped a bundle on tons of stuff--all kinds of things. My credit card balance really made an eye-popping leap. But I am really ecstatically happy about the things I have bought, and the prices are nothing short of fantastic.

I seem to get caught up in one category of items at a time. My latest obsession has been shoes, and I've bought more pairs of shoes in the past two months than I think I've bought in the entire past five years. And they are the most wonderful shoes! And the prices have been so astounding, I don't think I will ever buy shoes anywhere else again.

On e-bay I've been buying well-known brands, like Clarks, brand new in the box, for $14-$20 a pair (including shipping), and I've found these same shoes on regular vendor's Web sites selling for $60-$70 a pair. Last week I bought a pair of brand new (beautifully made, sublimely comfortable) Trotters brand slide-style sandals for $12.50 (including shipping) and found the same shoes selling for $76 at Zappos.com. My feet are happy, I'm delirious, and I now have a great shoe wardrobe, at a tiny fraction of what it would cost anywhere else.

Since I now have all the basic shoes I need, I've begun looking at clothing and I bought myself a beautiful, embroidered jog set (brand new, with the tags) I had originally seen on a shopping channel but, at the time, I didn't want to spend the $66 selling price. I bought it on e-bay for $15, including shipping.

I'm patient about wading, for hours at a time, through hundreds and hundreds of listings, until I can find what I want at a price I am willing to pay. I tend to ignore the items with ridiculous shipping charges ($18-$20 to mail a single pair of shoes), although I just bought two pairs of shoes for a combined total of $2.03 with a combined shipping charge of $15.50, simply because the $17.03 final tally, for two pairs of brand new shoes, currently selling elsewhere for $60-$65 a pair, was just too good to pass up.

I've been very careful about reading feedback for the seller before I bid, and I've had absolutely no problems at all. I've found the sellers to be very honest--they describe the items accurately, pack carefully, and ship quickly. When I did want a refund, from two sellers, I received it very promptly. And most of the sellers seem like very nice people--a few even include some candy, or a little gift with the item they send you.

I'm so sold on buying things this way I'm ready to purchase stock in e-bay. I'm also looking around my house for items I might sell.

So far I've been completely delighted with my e-bay experience. And, right now, I'm very happy that my excitement at discovering this shopping paradise has cooled down somewhat. My credit card needs the rest, so I can start paying down that balance.

I always take into consideration the postage/packing charge when deciding on my maximum bid.

Just viewed this eBay "listing".

I just discovered the 'e bay song' Hilarious!
Sound on!

That was brilliant it really made me smile