So this year I did something I had not done before: I dived into the vast online bazaar that is eBay and did some buying and some selling. I thought I would share some of my thoughts on both experiences, because maybe this is something you’ve shied away from as well. Or maybe you’re a savvy eBay pro and you’ll have some tips for me… I’ll break it into two parts, so today’s post is on buying on eBay, and next week’s is on selling.
I should also provide some context, as I think that’s important in this case. I turned to eBay specifically to shop for Warmachine and Hordes models. So I was looking for specific items with a specific purpose. I imagine the buying experience could be completely different if you’re more… browsing.
I had done most of my online shopping, for years, on Amazon – and when I started Warmachine and Hordes, this was no exception (especially without a game store in town stocking anything for the game). However, I came to find that everything that seems to be on Amazon, pretty much, for the game is coming from third party sellers – and their “free shipping” is not so free when you live in Alaska. And our Amazon Prime didn’t apply either. So I would see a deal, and then see $10 shipping, and suddenly it’s no longer a deal.
I turned from there to online game stores, but then Privateer Press (who makes the game) announced that they no longer wanted online retailers undercutting brick and mortar stores by so much… so right after I started my Trollbloods army and had ordered some models, the price went up on everything else if I wanted to buy more. I had also turned to eBay when I started looking at the Trollbloods, so I kind of doubled-down on eBay at that point.
So in something close to the order I experienced things, here are some of my thoughts on buying on eBay…
Comparative Geeks 