Ebay vs Amazon

AquaticAustin

AquaticAustin

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Sep 29, 2011
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So I just thought I would share my online shopping experience through these two major shopping sights.

First let me start by saying im very ticked at ebay, dont get me wrong I sell (snails) through them but buying from them has been terrible. The first time it was my fault for buying something "too good to be true" I bought a 1tb western digital external HD for like $30 from a seller that had thousands of perfect reviews, well it was a scam and ebay took the page down a day or so later but they never contacted the 100+ people who had bought it... me being one of them. When I called them to ask why the page wasnt there anymore the guy (ebay support) told me because it was a scam and if I hadnt sent the money yet not to pay for the item.... REALLY? They didnt contact me in any way to tell me this and I lost $30. (yes with paypal "protection" you can try to get the money back but you have to pay to ship the item back to them... in hong kong). So after that I didnt buy for a long time through ebay. Then I ordered some plants from there (same seller is on amazon and aquabid but I didnt know) and the plants came in great so I re-gained some confidence. So recently I bought a game from a seller that had a few good reviews and no bad ones for a pretty normal price, only like $5 below the next lowest, check back in a couple days and the item is no longer listed-removed again by ebay for suspected fraud and again NO WORD from them about this! Luckily this time I had time to cancel the payment but only because I looked with no help from ebay at all. I wont use ebay again im just over it, the competition (amazon) is far superior and safer.

Now onto amazon: this was where I first shopped online and was nervous at first because of the seemingly low prices, but turned out it was legit lol this site is safe, has good prices, and great communication. I get an email and a text (by my choice) for every item I orders progress including shipping day and delivery day. In addition you can get amazon prime which acts as a super-netflix and gives you free 2 day shipping on tons of stuff. I have never been scammed on amazon and am always notified of any changes like the item I had in my cart is no longer available from that seller at that price because it sold etc...

My conclusion is I am forever done shopping ebay and will just stick to a safer site
 
Let me also add that I have been shopping online for quite a while, since 08 so this review isnt just over a few months
 
thanks for sharing, i personally love both sites, but haven't done a lot of shopping on either site. Amazon, I've had nothing but great experiences there except for when i bought something from a third party. They had mostly good reviews but some bad ones. I happen to order something that was on back order for many weeks, but it wasn't indicated on the website. The third party was Orzo and I won't order from them again.

all my ebay experiences have been pretty good. I can't think of any bad ones. In fact, I just ordered some co2 diffusers and we'll see how that goes.
 
I've been shopping on ebay since 99 and have had no bad experiences. Like you said if it sounds to good to be true it probably is even on ebay. I can't say anything on amazon never shoped there. If you see something for like 90% off stay away from it.

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The last item I tried to buy was like $5 off lol

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My problem is they identify a problem and dont tell the people involved

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I also have used both sites for many years. I am very picky about what sellers I buy from on ebay. I also read the recent reviews. I personally haven't had an issue at all with either site.
 
When I was 6 years old my mommy promised me a fountain for good behavior. Needless to say we ordered from ebay and received the fountain 3 weeks late with NO packaging, styrofoam, or sealant. It was in over 300+ pieces. Never ordered from them again.

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I've been buying and selling on ebay since 2006 with over 250 transactions. My bad experiences were very few and far between (maybe 2 or 3 out of the 250). Ebay policy has changed to the point where the buyer will win any dispute probably 90% of the time.

With ebay, you're dealing with private sellers and the quality of service will differ between each individual. That's just the risk you knowingly take when dealing with the site. In return, you have a platform in which you can find a large array of items not easily found from a retailer (and sometimes at great bargain prices). It's basically a glorified classifieds site.
 
I buy my fish equipment and electronics from Amazon as they tend to always have better prices and free shipping. Plus it only takes a day or two to get delivered to me. I use Ebay to buy plants, inverts, or sell my items. Always check their feedback and location as oversea sellers usually have cheap (breakable)/fake items or fragile, unless the seller tells you how he/she is going to ship it. I don't buy from sellers that have under 98% as it just makes me worry too much. Never had a bad transaction from either website and been using them for 5+ years.
 
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