Auction site waste of time

[green thing]

Been trying to by second hand upvc door and windows
To replace my shed on the allotment.
been placing bid for 99p on lots of local items
almost all have had no bids on them and have been
Cancelled in the last few hours.

My last one was for a upvc door
Bid on it with 9 days to go 99p
The auction got to a few hours left then the bid
Was cancelled.

Complained to auction site they said it could be cancelled
If the description was wrongly worded.
It had the same description.

Only change was the start price from 99p to £150.00
The auction site also said the seller could cancel the bid if
the wrong start price had been selected.

I though an auction bid was legal and binding

Option are available to put in a reserve on
Or non auction buy it now.

Had another seller put a reserve on a window never got past
£5 bid he kept re listing and re listing for weeks and weeks I always
Had the highest bid
in the end he listed it for £150.00
No bids

I asked a question if he would consider a lower offer
On a buy it now he said no and would be taking it
To the tip next week if it didn't sell.

I could buy the window a new for a lot less than £150.00
It cost him over £400 supplied and fitted.

I happy to sell for 99p just to keep
It out from land fill and to see items reused.

[zazen999]

Try freecycle.

I am trying to buy something for the community garden and have given up, am now trying gumtree.

[WendyC]

I guess it is the auction site I am thinking of. They have changed the way selling fees are calculated. Now the percentage fee includes the postage. Hardly worth selling anything of relative low value now. Obviously doesn't apply if you were going to pick it up! How frustrating for you.

[green thing]

Use freecycle and freegle for most of the fencing and paving come from the reuse sites
Also just finished greenhouse base from re used bricks via freegle.
Went to pick up some concrete flags from freegle ad last week
Got there he wanted £2.00 each.

We used the re use sites wanted ads for the local primary school
Plot it was very successful.
Got a poly tunnel scaffolding boards flags shed and tools.

My kids school had a new hardwood green house
Donated with flag base by large a builders merchants .

Been looking on gumtree don't seem the get much stuff
local enough.

Load on auction site just keep having my bids cancelled

Not much point running an auction site if its not an auction.

Gumtree is owned by Ebay .

[zazen999]

The best way I find to get ebay deals is to rely on the bad spelling. I got a bargain shreddar a few weeks back.

[green thing]

It allows sellers to charge pick up fee now

[green thing]

Got an old stained glass door last year it was listed in toys category
Along with lego doors and windows .
99p

[Farmer_Gyles]

i've had some absolute bargains on ebay - only started buying from it last year - don't like it though - loads of dishonest people selling things on there

i've bought about 30 things on there in the last year - mostly ok - one item bought last month hasn't arrived, seller hasn't replied to emails, currently waiting for money back via paypal - i bought another item last week, seller isn't responding to emails about collection, although he added several more items today .....

it's pot luck really - and a real hassle trying to get money back when people don't supply - shame there isn't a viable alternative ......

[Olorin2001]

Been on eBay for 12 years, buying and selling, and have a feedback rating of 1600, yes there are a few ass---oles, but I have only had 7 bad experiences, eBay and PayPal do police the site quite well, it is in their interest to do so so any dodgy traders don't last long.
In the early years it was 95% auctions, today it is 90% buy it now sales. If there is something you want it's best to set up a search and wait for a bargin, my best one was an 8 x 8 aluminiium greenhouse, no glass for 99p.
Might I suggest that for doors and window you go to an installer who are normally happy for you to root through their skip, or if you offer to pay a little or donate to their charity they will give you a call when the sort of stuff your looking for becomes available.

[vikkib]

Been on eBay for 12 years, buying and selling, and have a feedback rating of 1600, yes there are a few ass---oles, but I have only had 7 bad experiences, eBay and PayPal do police the site quite well, it is in their interest to do so so any dodgy traders don't last long.
In the early years it was 95% auctions, today it is 90% buy it now sales. If there is something you want it's best to set up a search and wait for a bargin, my best one was an 8 x 8 aluminiium greenhouse, no glass for 99p.
Might I suggest that for doors and window you go to an installer who are normally happy for you to root through their skip, or if you offer to pay a little or donate to their charity they will give you a call when the sort of stuff your looking for becomes available.

It would definitely be worth giving a local glazier/glazing company a call.

I wouldn't bother with any of the big companies as they're less likely to be helpful but a local company would probably be happy to let you pick something up from a local job when they're installing new windows and doors.

[lottie dolly]

Pity you not near us,might be able to help for the fetching,

[Glutton4...]

I'm another eBay addict - love it, love it, love it! Great for getting rid of unwanted items and keeping them out of land-fill.

However, I was also going to suggest contacting a local window installation company - they'll probably be happy to let you have 'waste' as many folk can't be arrised to list it for auction, or aren't computer literate.

Good luck!

[Two_Sheds]

Hardly worth selling anything of relative low value now.

With the sneaky fees, and the sharp rise in P&P, and the inability to leave negative feedback for buyers, I hardly sell anything these days. It's just not worth the aggro.

I did say this to eB@y, but they don't care

[Mikey]

Who were you using for P&P TS, I've been using myhurmees (misspelt of course), as they have a local drop off point and seem quite reasonable unless the item is small in which case you can't beat RM.

I don't shift a lot of stuff, but I do a bit.

I think perhaps the problem lies in if someone is trying to sell an old window or door on eflay they are already predisposed to not wanting it to go for nothing. You would be far better off finding a local source of skipped goods, which would be happy for you to make space for them.

[Greenfingerpaula]

I use eb@y a lot, bought lost of my seeds off there, picking up a trellis raised bed for £4 later bargain