eBay is a treasure trove of stuff from both commercial and private providers. Although essentially set up as an online auction, you can buy the vast majority of the items on offer for a fixed price. Ideal, but buy carefully.
The big advantage of eBay compared to its local equivalent marketplace, it enjoys buyer protection on the former site. In short: if you are intentionally or unintentionally disadvantaged by a selling party, there is a good chance that you will get your money back in one way or another. In addition, sellers would do well to abide by eBay’s rules. If they don’t, buyers’ ratings will drop quickly, and they also run the risk of being quickly removed from the platform. Marktplaats has many more scammers, so you bear the full risk yourself. Fortunately, it usually goes well there too, but you have to be much more careful. Finally, another advantage of eBay is that you can order worldwide, or, for example, only within the EU if you want to avoid annoying customs clearance costs and VAT. In short: eBay isn’t that crazy after all!
Browser or app
You can use eBay simply via the browser, or – just a bit nicer – via an app. The app comes into its own, especially on the larger screen of a tablet and appears to be very user-friendly. In this article we use the app as a basis, but of course you will also find all the options mentioned on the site. Once logged into the app, you’ll see your most recent searches. You can search via the search field at the top. And a first tip: after a search you will see items that meet the search. Often there are many. If you see something interesting, tap or click on an offer. This will therefore be added to your last viewed items. Tap the back button and see if there’s anything else you like. Eventually you will have a ‘short list’ with things you can choose from for the final purchase.
Region
You can sort by region on eBay. That is not unwise, because if you order outside the EU you will sooner or later run into additional costs. Think of customs clearance costs and the damned VAT. Unfortunately, Customs regularly does not distinguish between the private sale of second-hand goods and the commercial sale of new goods. While there is understanding for new items for levies, that understanding is of course not for ‘recycle-like’ items from private individuals. But hey, it is the way it is. Fortunately, we as EU citizens live in an ecosystem of countries between which there is free movement of people and goods. By choosing the European Union as a region in eBay now, you don’t have to worry about unexpected costs when ordering abroad. You make that selection by clicking the button at the top right in the app Filter to tap. Then choose under Object location in front of European Union and you’re safe from unexpected costs.
Buying within the EU prevents exciting customs surprises.
Until very recently, eBay only offered the option EU and United Kingdom. This has led to various problems for EU buyers since Brexit. First, it was hit-and-miss in terms of VAT and administrative customs fees. It often went well, but too often those costs were charged. And that was sour if your ordered part was only a few Euros, and you received an amount of – just to name a few – € 25 in extra costs. After discussing this with eBay, it was promised that the UK would – rightly – be removed from the EU option. And that has now happened, so that the European Union category is no longer ‘polluted’ by English providers. If you absolutely want to order something in England, you can still do that by simply clicking below Object location in front of Worldwide to choose.
Buy now
If you are not someone who has the patience for auctions, you can also select direct sales. To do this, tap again at the top Filter and then under Purchase form on Buy now. A direct buy also immediately prevents disappointment, because most auctions are outbid by sniper software in the last second. You can install it on your PC as an ‘auction hunter’, after which you set a maximum bid in the software. That offer will only be made at the very last minute. The chances are quite high that if you set your bid in the sniper program at a few Euros more than what seems to be bid, the object is yours. A bit bland, but that’s how it is these days. Sniper software is worth a separate article, and let’s leave it alone for now.
Sort order
If you want, you can also sort the list of found items in a different order. By default, Best Match is chosen, which – logically – usually works best in practice. But if you want to sort by price, for example, you can. At the top right of the app, above the search results, tap To sort and then choose (for example) Lowest price + shipping and you will see the cheapest options listed at the top. That does not always mean that this is exactly what you are looking for! So be extra careful with this sorting order.
Pay
You can pay on eBay via credit card or paypal. If you regularly buy on eBay, then PayPal is actually the best solution. No credit card fees, no hassle. You can set up PayPal so that the money is immediately debited from your regular bank account, which prevents you from ordering too much stuff without actually having the pecunias for it. PayPal also offers some extra protection regarding online purchases, which is always nice. In short: it’s worth considering creating a PayPal account if you don’t already have one.
shopping cart
To actually order something, you can use a shopping cart in which you collect various purchases. This works especially well for purchases from one and the same retailer, especially if it also offers the option of collecting multiple items in one package at a lower shipping cost. If you have filled a shopping cart with items from different sellers, you have to pay for the parts separately. No drama, because even in that case the shopping cart provides a clear overview and a total amount. Can you possibly remove some items if it gets a bit too much.
Handling
With a tap on Go to checkout in your shopping cart you conclude a legally binding purchase. below Pay with In the overview screen you choose the desired payment method, for example the aforementioned PayPal. Log in with the user data for that and wait a while. Finally, tap the button Confirm and pay and then it is waiting for the postman or courier.
It is good practice to pay for purchased goods immediately. If you don’t, you run the risk of being marked as an unreliable buyer after a while. And that makes making new purchases a lot more difficult or impossible. In short: butter with the fish.
Categories
Apart from the very specific search for something, eBay also offers the possibility to browse categories and sub-categories from the Home screen. To do that, tap Categories and pick something you like. The advantage of this method is that you will encounter all kinds of unexpected things that you may be interested in. Can also be a disadvantage of course, because you continue to buy that way. In short: eBay is clearly less suitable for shopping addicts and anyone who is less able to control themselves. Because on this auction site you will find just about everything that mankind has ever produced in tradable goods.
China
Finally, an important warning. Until the beginning of July this year, as a private individual you could often shop in China without any worries. This is especially useful for electronic components and modules, for example, but certainly also for hobbyists who are busy with things like beads and other creative things. After all, the prices are extremely low because you often order directly from the wholesaler or factory there. Brussels has been an eyesore for some time now. Because – they argue – it pushes European manufacturers out of the market. We would like to comment on where exactly we can find those European manufacturers of resistors, standard ICs, microcontrollers and more in 2021. Nevertheless, a hefty levy on all packages from China came into effect on 1 July. Which means if you buy a set of – let’s stick with that as an example – resistors of a few Eurocents, you suddenly have to pay €12 extra in taxes. Not nice indeed. In short: avoid ordering from China to avoid misery. Fortunately, we see that the problem is already reasonably circumvented by European department stores full of Chinese stuff. You can still score them cheaply, but then shipped from within the EU.
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