Amazon for new stuff, ebay for used stuff.

With Ebay you either bid on items, mostly from individual sellers. Some are new, some are used, or you buy from someone that has an established "store". Amazon you're buying new items, some come from the Amazon warehouse and some are set up to ship from a second party. Completely different business models.

I only resort to Ebay if it's the only source, although I've sold quite a bit via Ebay which is painless.

quote:

Originally posted by ryan81986:
Amazon for new stuff, ebay for used stuff.

^^ this

I wish I was not so dependent on Amazon but the single interface/system for purchasing is very good.

Comparison shopping is the key.

Since moving into another house last Fall, I have been buying battery-powered lawn tools (Powerworks and Greenworks) and power tools (DeWalt) and their accessories. I have used Amazon, eBay, Walmart (online), Lowes (online), Home Depot (online), Ace Hardware (online), Tractor Supply (online). I just hit all of them when I am looking to buy something in particular.

If you're really interested in price comparison, you should look at Temu. Chinese stuff but so is all the stuff on Amazon, you just skip the markup.

I imagine they're funding some sort of illegal operation like shipping humans or contraband along with the cheap goods.

I trust Amazon a million times more than Ebay.

Ebay is for hard to find, old or used things

My last Ebay purchase was for shaving razor refills. I wanted the old style before the company was sold and the product was "improved".

I found the listing of the product I wanted and purchased. A few days later an Amazon package showed up with the new designed razors. The seller just ordered the new razors from their Prime account but left the old photos on Ebay listing.

Amazon is more straightforward to use, but so much of it is Chinese crap that I've found myself using Amazon less and less. Even when it's "good quality" Chinese crap it's still Chinese crap, and I have a thing about not sending money to the enemy of my country.

eBay can be a crapshoot, but there are things you can do. Check the location of the seller (if nothing else, overseas sellers will usually come with higher shipping costs), and especially check the ratings of the seller. eBay can be a source of decent, though usually not great, prices on used or even new items that are no longer in production. I've bought a fair amount of photographic gear and milsurp stuff from various eBay sellers, with no problems. I don't think I've every tried to sell anything there, so I can't offer anything on that.

quote:

Amazon is more straightforward to use, but so much of it is Chinese crap that I've found myself using Amazon less and less. Even when it's "good quality" Chinese crap it's still Chinese crap, and I have a thing about not sending money to the enemy of my country.

I found that approximately a year ago, Amazon became less straightforward to use as they apparently changed their search algorithm. It used to be when you input exact manufacturer and model # that was the first search returned. Now, it's might not even be on the first page of search returns as they've implemented some sort of fuzzy logic for 1 or 2 purposes:
1. assume their customer doesn't know what they're searching for
2. push the knock-off Chinese crap

For example, the annual lawnmower spark plug purchase has become a pain in the ass. It's old enough that the manufacturer has changed model # twice, and when I search Amazon for the newest model # it won't be the first response. I end up having to carefully read several search results before being able to order a name brand spark plug that is the correct model. More than once, I've had to return it despite being careful.

Curious, I did a quick google.

Ebay sales peaked in 2018 and are declining.
In the same time period Amazon sales doubled.

In Dollars... Amazon sales are about 16 times that of Ebay.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
[QUOTE]Amazon became less straightforward to use as they apparently changed their search algorithm. It used to be when you input exact manufacturer and model # that was the first search returned. Now, it's might not even be on the first page of search returns as they've implemented some sort of fuzzy logic for 1 or 2 purposes:

This ^^^ annoys the heck out of me...
Another thing, if an item is not found using Amazon's own search function you can google the item and sometimes Google will return the answer with a link to buy it... At AMAZON!
I've done this more then once.

I do really love the order history at Amazon, especially for reordering an exact item.

I prefer Amazon. Have not used ebay in 10 years.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:

When you were selling on Ebay, how did it work for you ?

I worked fine for me, used mostly Paypal as the payment method

I never sold a ton of stuff but various things over the years. I always had good luck selling things like iPhones after I upgraded and got the old one unlocked. Only issue I ever really had was one buyer who tried scamming me that a Bose Wave radio that I tested, cleaned and verified was working perfectly and packed up extremely securely arrived "not working". I told them to refer to the user manual AND to pound sand and they never tried anything after that.

eBay sucks as a seller. All the cards are stacked in favor of the buyer. Amazon is nothing more than an online Walmart now.


RMD

I've been burned as a seller on ebay but I still buy used or hard to find things from them
It can be a pita to return things on ebay though. Amazon is a thousand times better for returns.

I’ve bought a lot of older holsters, gun parts etc on EBay, every day stuff I go with Amazon. I do research the seller on both, at least read reviews if it matters before I purchase anything off either. I won’t buy anything that ships from out of the US on EBay. I’ve had very good luck sticking to my system

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
No eBay for me. I think they're only using PayPal as payment now.

Nope. You can pay via CC. The payment is made to eBay, eBay handles forwarding it to the seller. So the seller's not getting your CC info.

You can still pay via PayPal if you prefer.

I use both eBay and Amazon, but, neither any more than necessary.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
If you're really interested in price comparison, you should look at Temu. Chinese stuff but so is all the stuff on Amazon, you just skip the markup.

I imagine they're funding some sort of illegal operation like shipping humans or contraband along with the cheap goods.

Supposedly the TEMU app is a back door way for the Chinese to gather personal info.

I don't think they are very comparable. I will use Ebay for small market stuff, as some sellers go there who can't access Amazon. There is a lot less accountability on Ebay.

And Ebay is useful for buying second-hand items, of course.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
If you're really interested in price comparison, you should look at Temu. Chinese stuff but so is all the stuff on Amazon, you just skip the markup.

I imagine they're funding some sort of illegal operation like shipping humans or contraband along with the cheap goods.

Supposedly the TEMU app is a back door way for the Chinese to gather personal info.

As opposed to Amazon collecting your personal information and then selling it to China.

I use both often.

Check prices on both. Unless it is something I am having trouble finding I only buy from eBay sellers of 99% ratings and only buy shipped directly from Amazon.

I expect there may be a problem when I buy something out of those rules.