eBay auction values vs online retailers

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- Vervain Speller
  
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posted
16 years ago

Thu, Jan 3, 2008 1:03 AM

After some observation it has become clear to me that eBay winning bid values on r/c hobby equipment don't seem to be particularly competitive with new values from online vendors. Savings are rarely more that 5-10% it seems, but the buyer has traded a slight savings for the security of dealing with a retailer and a new item.

Actually it seems that with some equipment it's often a 'new' for 'old' kind of value. i.e. an older radio system selling for nearly the same price as it's current lineage model brand new.

Is there something that I'm missing? Are there better 'deals' to be had elsewhere?

Wes

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- PCPhill
  
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posted
16 years ago

Thu, Jan 3, 2008 2:43 AM

It's really a crapshot. I've gotten some very good deals on ebay, but it's largely a matter of luck. As you said, many of the items go for near retail or even above. It is good if you're selling stuff! I've had the best luck creating searches for the type of items I'm interested in, checking them frequently, deciding how much I'm willing to pay, then going after it with a sniper site like

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. I lose a lot more than I win, but I keep out of bidding wars that way. Another big problem is the amount of RTF toys now mixed in with the "true" hobby items. Again, a good reason to use well crafted searches to weed out the junk.

PCPhill

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- Doug McLaren
  
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posted
16 years ago

Thu, Jan 3, 2008 2:49 AM

| Is there something that I'm missing?

No. Ebay is not the bargain paradise that they'd like you to believe.

| Are there better 'deals' to be had elsewhere?

Swap meets. Your local *.forsale groups, Craigslist, your local club's bulletin board (or forum). Did I mention swap meets? :)

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- Robert Reynolds
  
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posted
16 years ago

Thu, Jan 3, 2008 2:56 AM

Be sure to stay for the last hour of the swap meet. Some people mark everything way down just to get rid of stuff, and some even give things away. I picked up a NIB Big Stik 20 kit for 20 bucks a few years ago.

The big swap meet in Kansas City is coming up this month. I'll have to see if I can get back to town for it, now that I've moved away. That's a really good swap meet. The crowd is so thick when they first let everybody in that you can hardly move. (If you want to go, be advised that they moved it to the college expo center off of Front Street. It's no longer at the Shriners' Hall.)