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The Pros and Cons of eBay

I've only been a member of eBay since February 2007 but I've done enough buying and selling in that period of time to give an accurate opinion on the pros and cons of eBay. Here is my take on the wildly addicting website.

The Pros:
-The variety
The wide range of variety sold on eBay can't be beat by any other shopping website. Anything your looking for, chances are you'll find it on eBay. Even if you aren't sure what you're looking for, just type in a one or two word description in the search engine and you'll find an amazing range of choices.
-Cheap
If you've had your eye on a certain item at a store but the price has always stopped you from buying it, check out eBay and chances are, you'll find that exact same item for a whole lot cheaper. You might find items that are only a slight discount from the retail price but you can always count on paying less. Some items are also sold brand new but you still pay less.
-Easy and Convenient
Love shopping online but hate pulling out your credit card every single time? eBay works with a paying system called Paypal that stores numerous debit/credit cards and after that, that's it. You get to shop at the click of a button and have the option of choosing any of those payment options every time you shop. Shopping is easy and fun with a click of a button on eBay. I have never felt unsafe storing my credit card information because Paypal protects you against any unauthorized activities 100%.
-Sell old items
If you're like me and love to shop, chances are you have many items you don't wear anymore. Instead of giving them away or throwing them out, why not make a little pocket change. eBay is an easy way to sell your old stuff.

The Cons
-Think before you bid
Like a real auction, once you click on that "Place
Bid" or "Buy Now" button, you are binded by a contract to pay and there is no going back. I think many people think because your buying online, you can just add it to a "cart" like other websites, continue shopping and remove it if they change their mind. That is not how eBay works. There is no "cart" like other shopping sites where you are only commited to buy once you fill in all your information. If you do not pay, the seller will give you a negative feedback and you will have a black mark on your record. Have enough of these and nobody on eBay will want to deal with you.
A way of "bookmarking" an item is to check off the "Watch Item" button and it will appear in your eBay summary. This will also give you an idea of how high the bid is going and bid on the item when it is close to the end of the auction.
-Beware of who you deal with
Buying or selling, you must be aware of who you are dealing with. Read their feedback information carefully. In the beginning, I have sold an item before worth $150 but mistakenly did not buy a tracking number. I never dreamed that the buyer would claim that they never received my item. That buyer reported me and I was forced to return his money because I had no proof, even though I had my receipt from the USPS. I even faxed over the receipt and other information but I still lost my case. In the end I lost my money, and to rub salt in my wounds, I also lost out on the item I sold because I sent it out. This incident almost made me not want to continue with eBay but now I am just a lot more cautious about who I do business with. Lesson learned, be very careful and make sure to cover yourself.
-The anticipation
I love that I can find deals on eBay that I cannot find anywhere else but I can't stand the wait period after you bid on an item. Basically, even if you end up being the highest bidder, you still have to wait until the auction ends to officially buy the item.

Overall, I think eBay is an excellent website if you are a buyer because Paypal protects you if you have already payed for the item but do not receive the item. The drawback is it takes a while, about 30 days to get your refund because you have to file a claim. If your a seller, I do not recommend this site because there are a lot of shady buyers. And make sure you get a tracking number to prove you sent the package because they will try to pretend they never received the package!