July 21, 2008

Comments (90)

  • Just bought a couch, dresser, and dining room table with chairs off of craigslist :)

  • Depends on what it is…

  • I don’t buy much of the internet.

  • I haven’t bought anything from Craigslist, but I love Ebay.  Especially for work clothes (i.e., suits) when you’re in a size you don’t plan on staying! 

  • Yup.

  • @Twist2daRav3n - Hah, I just sold a chair…

  • I very rarely shop on ebay. I’m an Amazon whore.

  • I got a phone off of eBay because I had lost mine, but I don’t think I’ll get anything else unless I need it. Sometimes I get into buying-unnecessary-things mode.

  • been doing it for years

  • Craig’s list: Yes. I have a chance to inspect the item, on-spot. My reception of the item is guarenteed as I’m also paying for it on-spot. Being able to meet the seller really checks against abuse.

    Ebay: Yes, but a bit less so. I buy my textbooks through ebay (half.com). Although the price is hyper-competitive, there are a lot of irresponsible fucks out there. There is the issues of late shipments, poor quality, and out-right scams. I usually order my books a month early for compensating flexibility.

    Ebay has been nice enough to insure their buyers. Money-wise, this is nice. But textbooks for class is a time-sensitive issue.

  • I’ve bought stuff off of Ebay before, but I don’t do it much anymore. I am not sure about Craigslist – I’ve already had one bad experience on there before. If I were going to buy something from someone, I would arrange to meet them in a very public place.

  • I have never done it.

  • Amazon FTW.

  • I’m ok for the most part with ebay.  I do research into the seller before I bid.

    Craigslist . . . forget it.  I don’t trust it at all.

  • I’ve purchased a few things on eBay and have not had a bad experience. I’ve never tried craigslist, though.

  • I’m a big craigslister all the way!  I buy almost everything off of craigslist.  I DON’T buy off of Ebay, too many fees and no way to see it before you buy it… 

  • Craigslist. Deal in CASH and deal in PERSON. E-Bay sucks.

  • Craig’s list is just a city thing so doesn’t apply to country folks.

     Ebay can be a good place for some things but more and more I found that people sold the item really cheap but charged so much for shipping it took away the bargain status. This is a very uncool way for them to make money off the buyer because if you have a problem with the thing and you send it back you can’t really get your money back since the price you paid them was masked as shipping and handling. Anyway having been stung a couple of times with this it soured me on EBay a bit.

     So my advice now is check out the shipping price not just the selling price!

  • Haven’t yet but I don’t see a problem with it

  • I’ve bought several things off of EBay and have only been burned once.  Seems fine to me.

  • I’ve never used craigslist, but ebay rocks

  • yup, been buying – and selling – things on ebay for years.  I think I’m a pretty saavy shopper….and I’ve been good about making sure not to get swindled, knowing my rights, and getting good deals. :)

    I’ve also sold/bought stuff on craigslist. The only issue with them is the possibility of major flakers.  The upside is selling without the fees and not having to ship the stuff.

  • I have never personally used those sites, but I would feel comfortable buying there sometime.

  • Yup..Always do (mostly eBay) BUT I always use PayPal…for security reasons.

  • @sloggy - What irritates me is when an ebay seller loads up on the shipping price as a means of circumventing comission. A 1 cent poster with shipping cost of $15 should raise some flags?!

  • @happydeviant - Craigslist. Deal in CASH and deal in PERSON. E-Bay sucks.

    Each of Craigslist, Ebay, and Amazon occupies niche roles. If one’s need is specific (to a book title, brand and item), it takes a sort of blind luck to find it locally avaliable on Craigslist.

    Ebay offers specific items at bargin prices not easily avaliable on craigslist or amazon.

  • I trust both but I’m also very cautious. I’ve bought a car, table and chairs, a lamp, and a sim card to a phone from craigslist. I had to drive 2 hours to buy the car. Blah. That was no fun.

    The most expensive thing I’ve bought off ebay was $50. I don’t know how much more expensive I’d get. But I haven’t had any problems yet.

  • @huginn - Yeah that’s exactly what I mean!  It is amazingly easy to not notice that till after you buy and have a problem. It sure doesn’t encourage return shopping to that seller though.

  • oh yeah!!! i just bought a new house and completely furnished it w/ ebay and craigslist!!  i have saved literally thousands of dollars!!!   they are soooooo awesome. i love them both!

  • not only have i bought things from craigslist, i have also sold things from there. 

    not only has craigslist been useful in the states, it has also been a great resource abroad.

  • I’ve had bad experiences with E-bay.   I ordered something once and got something different.  I contacted the seller and Ebay with the issue and it never got resolved.  I ended up paying big bucks for something I didn’t want and didn’t need.

    But I’m still comfortable with it.

  • Not really I’ve had bad experiences with it, but then again I’ve only bought a couple things I guess it could have just been bad luck

  • I feel comfortable on craigslist…I have the option of going and seeing the item before I purchase it.  :D

    Ebay….definitely depends on the seller and their rating.

  • I have to admit something… i am… an.. EBAY VIRGIN!

    That was akward… i will now go sit in a corner and cry… okay i won’t because i am way to cool for that but whatever.

  • Yes, I do.

  • HA! I found my mom’s current car on Craigslist!

    Thanks Jim!

  • I prefer shopping off amazon.

  • I do not trust online shopping from sites like these for the simple reason that it is easy to get swindled out of your money or be shown one poduct and sent something completely different. I used ebay once and had an okay experience. Suffice it to say that the product in the picture was not the same as what I was sent. Basically I was assured that I was being sent an authentic bedouin face veil made from certain fabrics and decorations and when I recieved it, it was nothing more than a mass produced rip off. I was none too happy.

  • There was actually a period of time where I would complulsively buy random things from ebay. Ebay I’ve always had pleasant transactions with. But, craigslist doesnt hold its user to any policies and removes itself from all liability when people steal your money electronically, or murder you when you come to pick up a boat.

  • I’ve been buying things off of eBay for years now. I have only had a couple of bad experiences, but when I compare that to the many bad experiences I’ve had with retail stores in physical locations, it’s a small comparison. I started selling items on eBay as well when I was 13. There are some scammers out there, but I feel that eBay does a pretty good job at policing the listings for fraud.

    As far as Craigslist goes, I have never purchased anything off of it, but I do enjoy reading the listings and browsing around.

  • I love eBay. Never had a bad experience with it. I usually use it when I’m trying to find a a good deal for something.

  • Ebay yes. Craiglist, i’ve never really done it but i’m a bit nervous about it 

  • I buy and sell on craigslist, I occasionally buy an ebay

  • “Do you have feel comfortable…”?

  • yep :D

  • No but, I have set up a Craigslist account hoping one day I can sell some of my old stuff.  Is anyone interested buying some of my old college books or a 256 mega bite memory for your computer?  If you do, please message me. :D

  • Not really. I’ve bought a pair of shoes off of ebay, but that’s it.

  • craigslist and amazon…I don’t do well with ebay.

  • i don’t like buying things; i like shopping…

    as such, ebay is great for inspiration for diy projects, and craigslist is good if you need a cheap crappy couch or something.

  • I lost close to $400 on eBay last year to sellers who took my money and didn’t send anything in return.  

  • Sometimes, depends what it is.

  • I’ve done craigslist and ebay.  Never had a problem so far

  • everything is tracked when you go purchase something… so why not do it “incognito” online!

  • I bought something off craiglist before, and I like the idea that you can deal with the person face to face. plus no shipping cost! lol

  • I never have been on Craigslist. But Ebay, well, I did feel comfortable with, until I found out a former gf’s brother goes dumpster diving, and then sells his finds on ebay!  :) lol

    I only have bought something once, on Ebay.  A very hard to find, record single.

  • There’s always a certain amount of risk involved but I feel pretty comfortable. More so with e-bay.

  • yes. but, some of the people on those websites are somewhat testy… so make sure you use PayPal.

  • I’m not too sure I would trust Craigslist, but i but stuff off ebay all the time

  • i only buy people’s souls.  everything else is a crapshoot. 

  • sometimes but ive heard of some bad scams on ebay and such so i dont really like to order stuff offline unless it’s like barnes and noble or amazon

  • I feel more comfortable buying stuff on Ebay than I do on Craigslist, because you don’t have to go to the creeper’s house to pick up your stuff.

  • I find it more confortable buying off of craigslist. And a lot easier. Mainly because it’s basically first come, first serve, and most prefer locally. ebay, pretty much takes too long. Both in buying, selling and recieving. Plus it’s mostly cheaper to buy from craigslist, than it is to pay for shipping and handling, plus extra cost to cover auction listing pricess and closer fees.

  • Yep, I buy and sell on ebay. My dad’s business is on craig’s list

  • Of course I have feel comfortable buying stuff off eBay! I have feel very comfortable buying stuff off eBay!

    Heh. Sorry Dan, but that typo’s too hilarious. No offense meant. <3

    For serious, though, I usually buy stuff on eBay when it’s cheaper than finding it somewhere else. For instance, all retail music instrument stores seem to be out of tremolo springs until sometime in August. Moreover, a pack of them usually runs $5 or so. I found some on eBay in two minutes and paid $4 with shipping.

    I also bought a used Stratocaster that was in great shape except for a small blemish on the back, for $200. It works like a dream, and a new one would have been $400 or so.

    I agree with huginn that sometime the shipping costs can be outrageous, so it’s important to keep the total cost in mind when weighing your decision to buy something at a store or at eBay. But as long as you do, and buy from sellers with ratings in the high 90s, you don’t really have much to worry about.

    Except for really clever fraud scams!

    Hah hah hah hah hah haaaaaa!

  • in the past week i’ve bought 2 things for my new place off of craigslist, and even have another tab open right now at an item in particular i’m interested in! i heart craigslist.

  • I’ll never feel comfortable buying anything off the Internet.

  • I’ve been ripped of on Ebay before, so I hesitate to shop there. I did try again and actually got the item in question.

    I tried to get an accordion off craigslist, and the seller flaked, but since we could never seem to meet up, I lost nothing, and she, well, I dunno, but it isn’t my problem, and that’s all that matters.

    As for selling things, I did unload my entire My Little Pony collection on Ebay, which is awesome, and I am trying to sell a used mini-frig on craigslist, but that doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere so far.

    I’m going to try selling on Etsy, too.

    I’ve never had an issue with regular retailers online, though. I just bought two nice pairs of shoes a little while back, not cheap ones either, and they showed up and I am completely satisfied, even though I didn’t get to try them on.

  • I would if I had a credit card, but mother and father haven’t given me plastic just yettt.

  • Check out my post from last week, I paid 40.00 for an Ikea bed frame that I’m completely in love with.

    I think it’s probably a generational thing though. Most people I know my age, have used craigs list.

  • I don’t trust the stuff on eBay, only because I know that the brand name products that look authentic are more than likely fake. And these things look INCREDIBLY real.

  • ebay and amazon most definately.

  • As long as it is nothing too expensive, I am surprisingly comfortable using eBay. Also, this may be a stupid question, but why is the “B” in eBay capitalized?

  • I’ve never bought or sold stuff, but I did find my current job on craigslist, and it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. =)

  • I’ve never heard of Craigslist.
    I usually use Amazon. But I’ve used ebay before

  • I love Ebay.  Love love love.

  • eBay eats my life and far too much of my money. Thankfully I’ve never gotten ripped off.

    Seen a couple of shady characters on Craigslist though. But once we get a house next year and need cheap-ass furniture, I’m sure I’ll be back.

  • I have been buying (and sometimes selling) things on ebay since 1998. All good transactions but one which was settled and I received a refund.

  • I’m never that completely comfortable with buying things online really!

  • Absolutely yes on Craigslist.  I have bought my last 2 cars on Craigslist.  They both ran great for what I paid for them.

    I have bought off ebay but only out of necessity. The shipping is usually higher then I would normally pay but if it is a very hard to find thing I have. But i Have known LOTS of ppl to get ripped off from users on Ebay.

  • I never have, so I couldn’t honestly say…hmm….

  • I’m not a fan of ebay just b/c I don’t like the auction part of it, but craigslist is awesome.  Before moving abroad we sold our car on craigslist, it took maybe 2 days to settle the whole thing.  Now as we’re starting to research places to live once we move back, we’re looking at the listings there to get an idea of what’s available where for what price ranges.  Craigslist is fabulous.  =P

  • I got my new place on Craigslist, first thing I ever got there too. I’ve bought a few things on Ebay with varying degrees of success.

  • eBay, yes, Craigslist, no. I know someone who posted himself on Craigslist I guess as a personal ad, and, well. It’s associated with him, so I don’t feel comfortable with it. Eh.

  • I’m comfortable being careful in making purchases at eBay.  I wouldn’t use Craig’s List.

  • I love both Craigslist and Ebay. Don’t know what I would do without them :)

  • i only buy books online. One time my friend tried to buy a laptop off craigslist: as soon as he went to meet up his buyer, two guys with guns ran towards him and robbed him of $2000. 

  • http://www.giftsfunny.com

  • never really tried it so i have no clue

  • I’ve never used either. I’ve shopped for import CDs but that’s it. I’m not too big on online shopping.

  • I’ve bought a few things online, but I’m in mortal fear of being scammed and having my identity stolen.

    And I would be more enraged if I got ripped off online than offline. For some reason.

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