I have been reading a lot in here about people buying everything aircraft at e-bay I stayed away from them because there is no way to know what condition anything is in? I would like to know your experiences buying from e-bay maybe I should consider them.

I don't know, Maybe I have been lucky. I have purchased several items on ebay and (knock on wood) have always been pleased with the results. Some things I don't buy. RX's for example.

I have spent over $100,000 on ebay. Sold a ton too. You have too be carefull. Look at the pictures, if you have questions, ask them, make them send pictures they can't easily fake, like putting something near a part and sending the pic. Make sure the guy has a lot of feed back. Don't buy without pictures, don't buy without the seller having a lot of good feedback, and ask a lot of questions.

I have only been burned once and it was a no feedback guy with no pictures. Be carefull.

You're usually safe when the seller has a high rating number and a near 100% positive rating with it. I bought almost everything for my rc cars off ebay cause it was always cheaper, and their are some very good vendors that specialize in rc stuff. I bought my 6ex off ebay, and it was BNIB just like he said. I don't buy much airplane stuff off there because my airplane LHS has just as good prices w/o shipping, and I get it today. Just do your research a little into the product, like the el cheapo batteries, and the sellers feedback and u should be ok.

There are good and bad sellers doing business through ebay.

I've never bought any used RC stuff from ebay sellers. I have bought a few new things.

I got a NIB OS 70 Surpass I (old but never used) and Futaba 6XAS (it was still a current model at the time) from a guy who also ran a small Kit making operation. Everything was exactly as he described it, I got a good price, and was very happy with the deal.

I got an ASP ngine from a seller in New York who I think might have been an actual hobby shop that used ebay to have a bigger potential customer base. It was a NIB engine and the total (to the door) price was right.

I bought NiMh receiver packs from one of the many sellers. It was four packs for just over the single pack price at Hangtimes (NoBS Batteries) or Radical RC. One pack had a dead cell, one cycled about 60% of capacity, one seems good, the last one is still in the drawer. I may or may not ever try to use it. No more batteries for me from ebay sellers.

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Check the "feedback" on sellers. Don't just look at the percentage, read the actual comments. If the deal seems "too good," it is probably bad. Do not expect any kind of customer sevice from a seller. Most used items are sold "as is" so there is probably no recourse if you get junk.

Be careful with ebay.... Some stuff is a deal and other stuff is a scam. I found some stuff cheaper at my Local Hobby Store. Some is the same price. Some is cheaper. However you can take stuff back to your local hobbyshop for warranty.

I do alot of shopping on ebay but i also visit the local hobby shop to see the price difference. If it's a couple of bucks i buy form LHS ... if more i buy on ebay.

Hope this helps

Only used Ebay once and it was my fault but I lost out. I bought a new carb from a shop/seller and I ordered the wrong part number, seller did everything correct. I had a five day return on the carb but couldn't get the seller to reply to my email. I ended up writing a note and sending it back asking if I could buy the bigger more costly carb, never heard back, never got a refund on my pay pal. Never used ebay again. I have used a number of shops I have found online though and had good luck with them.

I've had good luck on ebay but anyone can get stung. Even at a local shop so its really dependant on your level of knowledge and whether or not enough information is available to you to make a decision.

Consider this; you purchase a new engine and 6 months later you realize you'd rather do something else. Instead of buying a different engine first you decide to sell the one you bought on impulse earlier so you'll have more funds to apply to the engine you now wish to get.

You list it on ebay even stating why you want to sell it in the description. Should folks trust you or not? Were you forthcoming on all information they need to make a decision as to whether or not they should buy it from you?

Some sellers are pros and others are folks just like you and me.

Regards,

Clay

Hi
ebay is ok but you do have to be careful. Lots of good advice so far. especially the picture stuff. If it has good clear pics with multiple veiws it a plus, also READ the description VERY carefully. Occasionally the pic won't match the description. If that happens just pass it by don't waste time. I got burnt once becaust the pic of a kit did n't show that it looked complete. All I got was a box of balsa scraps.

I've bought a couple of engines there among other items. Was careful and got what I wanted and cheap. One bid I lost out on was for a couple of K&B 61 reverse crankshafts. I contacted the winner and he sold me one for same as he paid. He only needed one so I bought the other.

I am an ebay fiend I have a couple accounts, investigate your seller before you bid, use the ebay tools provided, every single buyer has the chance to tell the world what they think of the seller..

2 things that are important..One, investigate what you will be charged for shipping, some sellers charge simple cost to them for a product or even less, then they mark up shipping by 200% and call it handling.

Next thing, check on your product everywhere before you bid, A LOT of sellers are drop shippers that sell for a larger company and make money by charging more then you would pay by just buying from the company in the first place.

I got ripped one time. Bought a couple of small engines said to be in excellent condition. They were junkers. I fixed them up without spending any money. Put them on ebaY and got three times my money back. I gave the seller positive feedback. [8D]

I buy stuff all the time most of it has been good and as the seller described it, its really buyer beware if it looks better than it should there is probably something wrong with it.

the thing that blows me away is when there is a item that sells for double the retail price, someone didn't do there research, all you need to do is check prices at www.towerhobbies.com , horizon hobbies, or any of the on line retailers to reference the items actual cost so you don't over bid on a item.

my last purchase was a Hangar-9 corsair I saved 50$ + the 8.5% tax ( 25$) I would have had to pay, it was listed new in box when I opened it, the canopy was cracked which cost me 7$ otherwise it was perfect.

its really about being smart about your purchases and bidding.

I used my visa for paypal. That way if something is not what it was advertised for you can contact visa. I haven't had to do that but a friend bought some motorcycle wheels that ended up being bent and visa reversed the charge and reimbursed him for the bent wheels.

I buy a lot of stuff on e-bay, have been for about 3 years now. I've never had a serious problem. But I did have a guy who didn't ship my item for about two weeks, when I filed a complaint with pay pal, he got his act together. I would definitely recommend to use pay pal. And don't bid if they don't accept pay pal.
All of the advice in previous posts is good, and here are some other things I do:
I only buy from sellers with at least 50 feedbacks and 100% postitive, I make sure I know the new cost of what I am buying and will not buy anything on e-bay for more than 75% of the new cost, including shipping. I also pay attention to every detail of the listing before I bid, especially all pictures. I don't buy from sellers when it is obvious from the grammar in their product descriptions that English is not their primary lanquage. Call me predjudice if you want, but its worked for me so far. And lastly, I try to buy from sellers I have had past success with.
For example, Hobbe-mart is a seller that I like to buy planes and parts from because they have a very good reputation, give very accurate descriptions, and are quick to resolve any problems that might occur. When you buy from individuals with few feed backs or less than 100% positive, you are taking a little more risk, so pay attention.[8D]

Buying from E-bay is like getting a box of chocolates... you never know what you're going to get. There are tons of horror stories about Pay-Pal... but that's another topic to be placed in another forum.

I try to stick with the on-line dealers or my LHS. JMHO

Just stay away from E-Bay! Eventually you will get had-bad!

I've bought a bunch of stuff and been "had-bad" once or twice, but overall, I am way ahead. Accept the fact that you are taking a risk, minimize them by applying the principles explained in the previous posts and you will save some money. But accept the fact that eventually, you will get burned.

I bought a TT PRO-46 that was listed as being from an estate sale, so the the seller had never run it, but said it spun freely and had good compression. He didn't really know the engine, which should have told me to avoid that auction. Well, the crank was bent. It took me a few hours to straighten it and now I have a nice engine that cost a few dollars, but it could have been a total write-off.

Buy smart!

Jack

We're somewhere around 400 transactions on Ebay, most of them buying. I have been "had" once and PayPal promptly returned my money. I have had one questionable buy that the seller may or may not have been aware of. I won't buy without pictures and I ask a lot of questions. If I ask someone a question and he demonstrates a bad attitude in his answer, I don't buy. One guy last week listed $20.00 shipping to ship a 1 pound package USPS. I asked him if that was a misprint and he told me in no uncertain terms that if I didn't like it to shop somewhere else. I shopped somewhere else. I have been happy with Ebay, but it is always a gamble and you must realize that going in. I will be burned in the futureit's just a question of when and how badly.

I've bought lots of things on ebay.. So I've been asked about it...

Single biggest advice I give.

Approach buying on ebay like being at an auction, or gambling. Never bid/gamble what you can't afford to loose.

You never know what you're going to get is really worth it. You never know if you're even going to get what you purchase. So.. like I said. Don't bid/gamble what you can't afford to loose.

I've been burnt a couple times, but for the most part the sellers have been good.

Ebay has been great for me. I've bought nearly 20 kits there. But I know what the junk is. And I know what the good stuff is.

I have over 150 transactions on e-bay buying and selling 100% feedback. Never had a bad deal. I did receive an engine that had a hole in the muffler covered over with J B weld. But the seller and I came to an agreement and so I would say good deal. If I have any doubts I will ask the seller if its ok to talk on the phone, send more pictures, or for a physical address. If they don't comply I don't buy. period. If something has you hesitant then check it out, and always be hesitant.

Never Never reply to any offer outside of e-bay if you are bidding on a item or watching it. I cannot even conceive how these Scammers can get your e-mail address and send you a letter via e-mail Went something like this

Hello I am so and so the owner of the radio you are bidding on via E-bay, I, unfortunately, was called out of town on business and am forced to close the auction early as I will not be around to ship it. Please fill out the following and send it back to me and I will return another e-mail to the highest bidder. Then there was a form that They wanted me to fill out with my personal Info. turned it into e-bay.

A good idea is to set up a e-mail account exclusively for e-bay. and do not use it for nothing else.

Tell me you've never bought anything from Sears, K-Mart, Walmart, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, whatever,
and not had something go wrong. Even the United States Postal Sevice screws up. ( Don't ask me how I know!)
The odds aren't any worse. And, you do have recourses through e-bay and PayPal, to get the problem corrected.

NOTHING is guarenteed.

NOTHING is guarenteed
Not true death and taxes

Careful online, recession brings out the scammers.