On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:12:19 -0400, samjperez@hotmail.com ("Sam
Perez") wrote:
>
>This is a guy that has a "like new black bumper" I am not a ebay-er so I am
>quite inexperienced as to how it work. My question to those out there that
>have used ebay before does this look like a good deal? I appreciate the
>help.
>
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33640&item=2419784247
There's a couple of things to know.
First, this looks like a pretty good deal to me. Still, call your
dealer and see what a replacement bumper would cost. Also take into
consideration the cost of painting, which wouldn't have to be done on
one that is already painted. (It's obviously going to be more than
the price of this used one, but I still like to have the comparison.)
If the buy it now price of $195 + $45 shipping is still reasonable to
you, go for it.
Otherwise, if you're going to bid the normal way... The first thing
you should do is find out what the reserve price is. Most sellers
will tell you if you send them e-mail and ask. This way you know what
kind of price range you'll have to be bidding in. The next thing
(this is probably the most important) is DO NOT BID RIGHT AWAY. You
should not do any bidding on the item until just before the item is
about to close. If you bid before, you'll end up in a "bid war" with
the other bidders and drive the price higher than it would be
otherwise. By waiting until there's only a minute or two left (I
frequently bid just a few seconds before the auction closes), you
reduce the odds that anyone else who wants to bid on the item is
sitting there to outbid you.
Feedback is also a good thing. I generally try to stay clear of
anyone who has any negative feedback, but a couple are probably OK as
everyone has a bad day now and then. It looks like this guy has had a
couple of issues, but still probably ok.
As far as payment goes, NEVER, EVER, EVER pay with cash/check/money
orders unless the person you're buying from has a spotless feedback
record. Use a service like Paypal, where you have some recourse if
the seller doesn't ship the item, ships the wrong item, ships a
damaged item, etc. etc.
-Bill
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Feb 06 2004 - 11:46:29 EST