E-BAY
 

I have not been able to find a very large selection of planes, motors, and accessories on E-Bay.
Where have all the items go? another web site? Seems to be nothing on E-Bay but junk.

RE: E-BAY
 

You may already know this, but;
go through Toys and Hobbies, and then under RC to Air. You will then be shown a list of over 8000 items for sale under RC Air.

I then filter using the built in filters using Vehicle Type (Airplane), Product (Vehicle Kit), Power Source (Gas), Condition (New in Box). This filter will give you about 100 or so "Kits" shown in EBAY

Lew

RE: E-BAY
 

Thanks Lew for the info. I'll take a look at the site.
Dave

RE: E-BAY
 

Also check teh online shops, such as tower, Great Hobbies, etc. There have been a few posts of people getting screwed though e-bay..

Chances are, you'll ge the same deal, but have warranties, and guarantees, etc...

RE: E-BAY
 

I do agree. "Caveat Emptor".

I have been very fortunate in not having any problems in purchases made on Ebay. Make sure that you check the sellers profile for any negatives, and read the negatives to at least assure yourself.

My purchases on Ebay consisted of cameras, lenses, model kits (plastic), books, magazines, and of course RC equipment. Before you purchase, check the prices on the legitamate sellers on the net, and then know what the max price should be.

Lew

RE: E-BAY
 

I cant believe the price people pay on eBay. You can sometimes buy things new at the LHS for less.

RE: E-BAY
 

I was going to purchase a strobe for my camera, specfically a Canon 550EX. I can obtain the flast for $259.99 from mail order, yet the bidding was over $275, with time to spare. I stopped at $175.

Doesn't seem to be many informed people out there.

Lew

Still an Ebayer
 

I check Ebay, too, every once in awhile, and one thing that you have to remember is BUYER BEWARE. I have bought brand new ARFs that the pieces were from different boxes. Technically, yes, it was brand new, but you can see what I mean when I say buyer beware. Over all, 98% of my purchases have been great. I do wonder sometimes why someone would save $5 and buy from a complete stranger than to buy from a hobby shop. Also check what the shipping is before you bid - some charge $25 & up. Sometimes the shipping will eat up your savings.

RE: Still an Ebayer
 

I've had a lot of good dealings on Ebay, and when it comes to prices, you just have to know what you are looking at. Some sellers on Ebay do start their auctions pretty high, but most get that high from uninformed bidders. Even here on RCU, I see lots of overly-priced items. People sell at a price they think their item is worth, which sometimes includes some "sentimental" value.
Your best bet is to do some research before you bid and ask questions, too.

Jesse

RE: Still an Ebayer
 

The previous person has given the best advice. I am an avid ebay'r. As with anything, do your research before you purchase anything. If you do your reseach and only buy from people with a good rating, I doubt you'll have any problems. I purchased nearly everything off ebay, most of it I purchased from other people, but new items. I must say as a newbie R/C'r...be sure to do plenty of research..


The only "bad" purchase I have made was actually from here. I purchased some servo's for $30 from someone here and it turns out they were in a semi-serious crash. I deduced this by the hard scrapes in the side of two of them, and the screw that is only half-screwed in on one of the others. When purchasing servo's or the receiver, be sure to ask if it has been in a crash if buying used!!!

I've decided the best thing to do is to purchase some new standard servo's, that way I can be sure to minimize the failure risk as much as possible. I will be purchasing those off ebay too :)

RE: E-BAY
 

I use ebay quite a bit. You have to know what you are looking for, know what it is worth, and use a snipe program so you don't run the bid up against some bonehead that doesn't know what it is worth. If you put in the max you will pay for it just before the end, you may get it, you may not. I have bought a ton of stuff on there and don't pay more than 50% of what it is worth. I sometimes bid on stuff and when I get it, re-list it and make a few bucks to pay for another toy. I spent almost $5,000 on there one year when I was bored and needed something to do. It can be fun, but you have to be carefull, know the product, research the seller and watch your back so you don't get burned. The only bad deal I have done on there was I bought a heli from a bonehead with no feedback and no pictures and his description was not even close to what the heli was. It was supposed to be an excell heli, and I got a small box of parts in the mail. the heli was wrecked so hard that not one part on it was usable. Live and learn. Don't buy if you can't get pictures, and don't buy if he has no feedback, especially if it is a higher dollar item. If you are in doubt, ask for specific pictures that they have to go take. If they can't produce them, move on.

RE: E-BAY
 

There are some E-bay stores that sell only RC parts and equipment. Generally, the prices are lower than LHS, and they are new. I have purchased a transmitter and severaly flite packs for well under the listed prices, and have found that those products were NIB and un used, in excellent condition.

Lew

RE: E-BAY
 

Just a note from a LHS owner. Don"t bring it to me to fit for free, and don't get mad at me if I tell you it's not AMA legal. And for gods sake don't brag about saving $10 under my price.
Dennis

RE: E-BAY
 

DADSTOYSBG,

The only reason I have been shopping at Ebay vs my LHS is that they are not carrying any kits other than ARF's. The stocked kits are not what I wish to build. They did not even have any Top Flite kits available. They had some other kits, but not in the scale (1/6) that I want to build. Generally, I purchase servos, radios, RC car parts, fuel, finishing products, and other materials needed to complete the airplane. The only reason that I purchased a radio and flite packs from E-bay is that my LHS did not have what I had needed. Generally, when I had requested products to be ordered at LHS, they have taken over 1 month to receive.

As a shop owner, you must realize that if I can purchase a 1/6th kit (fiberglass fus) for over 100 dollars less than you can sell the same kit, then I will attempt to purchase on E-bay, but still purchase products you sell at your prices.

RE: E-BAY
 

lbrande ,

You don't have to justify your reasons from buying to anyone;)

One of the main reasons LHS aren't doing well is because their own distributors compete with them and large mail order houses do more volume in a month then they do in a year (hence a better trade discount)

DadstoysBG,
Maybe you should consider a value added approach to marketing your wares... That way one somebody says they got something for 10.00 less you can tell them that no they didn't because I include xyz in my price!!!

RE: E-BAY
 

dad's toys is right! support your shop. or you will not have one. and about ebay; when I offer one of my planes for sale, my club members know it is a good flyer- or a turd. if it is a good flyer, they will buy it; if not they won't and I will have to ebay it.....:D food for thought...

RE: E-BAY
 

AMEN...AMEN..AMEN

Isn't that what your supposed to say at the end of a Prayer:D:D

in today's market with overnight shipping and on line ordering you can buy 2 or more of the same item and have at your front door next day.... for lees then some LHS price

And before you bring up the next time you need a little item argument... remmeber that no LHS can survive by only selling the little odds and ends no matter what the market up is...:D

Not bashing just getting tired of the support your LHS or else mentally.... Stores close all the time yet the average hobbists access to quality products at competitive prices has never been better or easier to obtain most cases its only a few mouse clicks away

RE: E-BAY
 

ebay is a four letter word around here

Ebay ( "E" bay, with a captial ) is too.

more tests...

eBay
ebAy
ebaY
eBAY
EbAy

RCU will have to update their code to make it respect case.

I didn't type it as you see above, rcu lowercased everything.

RE: E-BAY
 

i can say that i have for the most part been pretty lucky on ebay, there is a plane for sale on ebay right now that is breand new still in the box for sale but the box has been damaged but all parts are supposed to be there and i figure it like this if the plane is worth 300.00 to 350.00 dollars and i give half of that i am getting a good deal, figure if the plane is broken in some way then whatever i still have 200.00 dollars worth of motor and electronics in which i am still getting a heck of a deal so it is really just how you look at things and what you expect from the deal and remember " if is to good to be true then bid on somethinig else".

i usually figure it like this.... if it is for sale there is usually a reason.....

just my 2 cents

RE: E-BAY
 

I think ebay is great. I don't understand all the negative feelings people have about it. I've had almost 300 transactions (8 of which were rc related and 1 a vehicle) and have had no problems - 100% positive feedback.
There are only a few rules I follow:
1. I list on sunday at 5:00 - This is when it will end the following week. More people are home at this time than any other. I don't understand why people place an ad at 1:00am but I have seen it.
2. I know what the item is worth before I bid. I never pay more than 90% of what it is worth including shipping which brings me to no.3
3. I always know what shipping is before I bid. I can't understand why people whine about someone charging too much shipping - that's retarded.
4. If there is no actual photo, I don't bid.
5. I do a thorough feedback search. If a person has a few bad feedback comments and the vast majority are positive, I will check the person's feedback who left the bad feedback. Many times these people have a very poor feedback or are suspended. In these cases, I'm not too concerned about the seller's credibility.
6. I watch my items that I'm selling. If a deadbeat is the high bidder (evidenced by his feeedback), I block and cancel his bid.
7. If I ever make a mistake in my listing and it is brought to my attention by the winning bidder after he has inspected, I will always right the situation.
8. I always use a gallery picture. I think this is very effective.
9. I don't put a bunch of threatening warnings in my listing about what I'm going to do if someone doesn't pay. Again, that's retarded.
10. I never bid early. If there is only a few bids and it has been dormant for a while, the last thing I want to do is start a bidding contest. Many times the high bidder will have a 0 rating and doesn't have a clue about sniping.

That was more rules than I thought.

One thing to realize is that ebay really doesn't give a damn about you. They aren't in the dispute resolution buisness. Once they get their cut, they are happy.

RE: E-BAY
 

zetor,
I follow about the same rules you do. I've only sold a half dozen or so items there, but I've bought at least twice that many.

I think the biggest complaint is that the stuff on there often sells for much more than it's worth. (Which works out great for those selling.) When I first started hitting eBay, probably 7 or 8 years ago, there were a LOT of really good deals. I haven't seen a really good deal in the last 12 months. (But I don't go there nearly as often anymore either.)

Oh, I haven't gotten stiffed either.
Dennis-

RE: E-BAY
 

We had an LHS shut down around here because of "Internet buisnesses that can under price us and out sell us"

Well I am sorry that the store went out of buisness, I have a hard time not buying a model (or tools/ remote) from the Ebay, or any other such Internet store; they are so downright CHEAP, and they are most of the time good quality, or so I have seen from freinds who purchase models there. The guy who ran the plane section of our LHS was complaining to the rest of the guys at the field that people were so stingy with there money that pretty soon there wouldn't be any Hobby stores left soon.

I think that LHS owners need to think seriously about what they can do about moving to the internet, and find some way to be like the stores they are complaining about instead of saying "We just can't do it" and quit

No, of course this is NOT always the case, but with the three (I have seen three go out of buisness) stores that I have seen, this has seemed to be the case.

Btw, I have only rarely bought things from ebay. In fact what I did buy were some odd bits and pieces that I could not find at our LHS. I have bought all my models, remote system and various tools, glues and other odds and ends there.

RE: E-BAY
 

:D I use ebay all the time - I have bought cars on it, fish tanks and equipment, jewlry, and a couple of airplanes and equipment - like others said - know what to pay and what not to pay. sometimes if i see something cheap I buy it and then resell it to make a buck or two. Always make sure you get contact from the buyer before you pay. I always use paypal and if they dont use paypal I move on - that way im guarenteed all my money back except a admin fee. I have had to use this approach twice. One time half-ebay.com gave me all my money back and the next time they got my money back by sending the seller a warning and telling them they will cancel his username and he refunded my money using paypal the next day. Use the feedback - its a great way to check someones integrity.

RE: E-BAY
 

I bought an RTF kit off ebay from a hobby store with an ebay store to. Looked good ,price was right, and the seller was a member of fairtrade etc. What I got was an ARF plane stuffed in a box with a motor installed and a radio kit thats not fcc approved. The battery packs, charger, master screw prop and a few other things were switched out with battery holders , a cheap wood prop etc. And the plane was damaged by the guy improperly installing the servoes and such. Square trade etc. has gotten me no where. Ebay claims its looking into this and is going to take action about this guy because of selling a non fcc approved radio with a not for sale in the usa reciever. Well the guys still selling on ebay.

I have visions of my SPAD closing in on his rear with the engine at full rev, lol . Take a bite outta crime!

Sniper service?
 

I have a question for you eBay snipers. What do you use for your sniping? I did a Yahoo seach on "eBay snipe"and came up with tons of sniper services/programs. Are they all legit? Are some better than others? I hesitate to give out my eBay password without knowing something about them first.

Thanks!