Reply With QuoteAmazon first stop everytime. eBay, seldom even search there.
The returns reasons you stated being the primary reason
I have bought 2 items this week via ebay and I'm a bit annoyed to find I could have saved nearly £10. We have Amazon Prime hence many items are free delivery. I must be an impulsive halfwit because I keep making the mistake of not checking the Amazon price before hitting buy-it-now on ebay. It must be some sort of cognitive dissonance wherein I can not seem to accept that Amazon also sell specialist items, and, you can easily return unlike ebay where returns can be a big arse ache, also many items have short warranty.
So I say always check both outlets before clicking and committing.
Last edited by Harry Smith; 2nd September 2021 at 10:30.
Amazon first stop everytime. eBay, seldom even search there.
The returns reasons you stated being the primary reason
Ebay full of crooks and thieves, with Amazon you have a chance of it turning up on time and if there is an issue it will get resolved without hassle, someone at work ordered something on Ebay and it turned up from Amazon in Amazon packing.
I price check between them, but eBay is frequently cheaper than Amazon for the things I'm after, just with slower delivery. Depends very much on what you're buying.
Never had a problem with eBay returns or refunds. They've always been quick to resolve either direct with the seller, or with the claims procedures.
Trouble is that, although Amazon returns might be easier than eBay, they are also selling more and more cheap and (some) poorly made stuff from China.
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For Amazon purchases, check the price with https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/
You can also check https://pricespy.co.uk/ and https://www.pricerunner.com/ to make sure you aren't paying more than you need to.
Last edited by hogthrob; 2nd September 2021 at 11:38.
+1 I usually find things cheaper on eBay but if I want it quickly I use prime. As for returns I find eBay less hassle and quicker to get the refund once it's all resolved.Originally Posted by hughtrimble
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Because that's not true of eBay?
People go to eBay for the cheapest but go to Amazon for quality generally.
Also quite a few back riders are listing Amazon items on eBay, how it works is you order an item, the seller receives your details from eBay, then orders your item from Amazon Prime and enters your postal address so AMZ ships directly to you, seller holds no stock and just acts as a middle man chipping profit off cheap AMZ products..
Thats what is so good about AMZ though and made Uncle Jeff 100's of Billions, most products are sold by individuals using Amazon as the engine (FBA), if a product is crap then reviews and complaints will normally make the item obsolete after a short time leaving the seller with lots of unwanted stock and a major loss, this process then encourages sellers to improve their products to make it profitable.
Most people do not have a clue how AMZ works and often believe lots of crap written in the press.
Drop shipping is the term. I thought it was around long before Amazon moved away from just books? Indeed eBay sellers used to do it, ordering direct from a manufacturer for delivery to their buyers etc. It's a very very hard business to be in now though, given the hyper availability of pricing information in e.g. comparison sites and automated pricing algorithms.
Its not drop shipping when your selling someone else's item that is for sale on another platform, drop shipping is selling a product from a supplier and having that supplier ship to the customer.
Horses for courses as far as Im concerned, if you need something current and mainstream Amazon is easier. If its more niche eg older cycle parts, then Ebay all day. I buy oil from Opie Oils. They sell off their own website ( with bike owners -15% discount) Amazon and lastly Ebay where they have a E bay store.
Amazon is allways cheapest until you factor in a £3.50 pp on an eleven quid bottle of oil.
Ebay is free postage and shipped from Opie Oils so ends up being 20% less than Opie Direct or the big A.
Steve
That's still drop shipping - it's a seller holding no stock and ordering from another seller to deliver to their customer.
We'll have to disagree then as its not drop shipping in the traditional sense, its more retail arbitrage.
Interesting, not heard of that before, so I'll do some reading. Cheers!
Essentially its finding cheap deals and scalping off some profit or re-selling by over charging customers who cant be bothered to research to find the same product much cheaper elsewhere.
If you had the time and inclination you can make a lot of money sat at your computer taking advantage of idiots!!
Did you not spot the word "also" in my post?
Looking at my purchase history eBay better aligned to the needs of a forum member. :)
eBay
a military watch, watch straps, a watch box and a service case.
Aftershave in bulk.
Two vintage posters, one film and one travel.
A cigar cutter.
A vintage shaving case.
An antique metronome.
Engine oil.
A letter box (because finding the right size anywhere else was impossible).
Amazon
I ordered far more. A real mixed bag of books (the biggest portion, but I'm trying to buy more of my books from local shops) , DVDs, household items, garden tools, soaps and cosmetics, supplements, and even two cheap watches.
Last edited by gerrudd; 2nd September 2021 at 15:58.
Yes it’s arbing- same as betting and laying odds on bookies at different prices. You pocket the difference
Always check the makers website when buying new. I was told Amazon charges for use of site, of course, and so maker had to increase price.
As an Amazon seller you have lots of fees to consider, after these costs you have the landed item cost plus VAT, most in general will be doing very well to get 30% profit from an item they sell, most will be in the 15-25% range, on top of that you have to pay your personal tax so from a product costing £20 you will be very lucky to take £5.00.
The upside to all these fees is of course tapping into Amazons MASSIVE customer base, there isn't another business on the planet that comes close in that respect, especially in the western countries.
I have Prime and Ebay Plus. Have Prime ($59pa) because I get the tv/movies on a bunch of Amazon sites using a smartdns. Got Ebay plus ($49pa) because they gave me a voucher of the same value, with which I promptly bought some wine. Also, I get at least one voucher of $5 every month. Prefer to buy from Amazon because I trust their customer service more.
Never heard of eBay plus, don’t think we have it in UK.
The exact same items are sold I. Both platforms
Do not be fooled that your free prime delivery is actually cheaper
Many times it isn’t
If speed is your thing maybe prime, but eBay frequently cheaper
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We buy quite a few things as a family and also use Prime for viewing. However I think if you pay amazon delivery charges it equals things out. It is annoying to have goods arrive in amazon package when bought off ebay for more than you would have paid direct.
The biggest advantage with Prime is the speed of delivery, I sometimes feel guilty buying small value goods but it’s worth it to me in time and convenience if the alternative is to drive into town, pay for parking and taking a hour out of my day, with the demise of so many specialist shops ( eg Maplins) and the reduced range in others, there are quite a few things that are so much more easily found online. If the price of this is a little bit extra then it’s a price I’m happy to pay.
Cheers..
Jase
High street is dying and nothing is going to stop it, best thing for bricks and mortar businesses is to get their products online ASAP and gradually move across to a full online shop.
The likes of Amazon are the main factor but dont forget the greedy councils and landlords upping their rents and rates.
Amazon is often more expensive. eBay is reasonable, but often other retailers are cheaper. I buy a lot of vinyl and HMV were always a few quid cheaper, in store and I got it then and there. In fact be on one album the staff commented they were £10 less than Amazon, and the LPs were been bought to sell on Amazon (secondary sellers) and /or eBay.
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I have been buy a fair few car audio bits recently and this was my main search areas. But I found a better way; one which has yielded better prices, after-sales service and supporting independent businesses. I just got on Google shopping. It has trumped both; although Prime for speed and returns is still king. Always worth a look on Google though.
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