Is Ebay good for selling computers?

[smallnshort247]

Hey all,

So I'm thinking of selling my MacBook Pro. I've sold some expensive headphones on Craigslist before, so I understand the methods I'd need to take with them. On Ebay however, I wasn't so sure. Does Ebay charge the seller a fee? How secure are the transactions. And how does the return policy work if they aren't happy with their purchase. I'm starting to lean more towards craigslist just because of all the scary variables that could take place with Ebay, but it would be nice to sit back and relax while people bid on my computer. Thanks for the help guys.

Also, feel free to post any of your previous experiences either good or bad with both craigslist or ebay.

 

[Spink10]

I see many people post that eBay almost always sides with the buyer - many sellers have left because eBay has allow fraud to take place. eBay takes a cut and Paypal takes a cut. Google something like - "Does eBay side with the buyer or seller?" - very interesting stuff.

 

[Cliff3]

My only objection to Ebay comes with the transaction costs. They take somewhere between 9 and 10 percent of the sale price, and Paypal charges a 3% transaction fee. I can accept the Paypal fee as it's consistent with what Visa/MC charge regular merchants for credit card transactions. In my opinion the 9+ percent Ebay fee is excessive. On the other hand, I feel I have gotten top dollar for what I've sold on Ebay.

I have not had any problems with fraudulent buyers, although one guy pushed it on an Airport Express I sold that I ended up accepting for a refund of the purchase price. I don't think the same unit came back as the one I sold, and that's when I started keeping a photographic record of the serial numbers of the items for auction. I publish very clear photos of the item for sale and I am very forthcoming when answering questions.

 

[Hellhammer]

Craigslist is the most secure (as long as it's face to face in public) and easiest option, plus it can be a lot faster too. eBay is the safe choice as someone will buy it if the price isn't ridiculous, but the fees cut the income and sometimes you may face a fraudulent buyer/seller.

I always recommend CL first and then eBay if nobody is interested in your area, although I have no experience with either of the services (but I've gathered quite a lot here in the forums).

 

[smallnshort247]

Thank you all so much for all your feedback. It's sounding like Craigslist is the best option as long as it happens in public.

 

[lstmysock11]

Going thru that now with Ebay and my macbook pro 13 I just sold. It made it to the buyer and they freaked out because it had a zag skin around the keyboard and that was not mentioned in the description. They also claimed the trackpad did not work right, mean while the machine is basicly new from July and hardly used.


Needless to say they forced me to give a refund and now I am waiting on the buyer to hopefully ship it back tomarrow! If I do get the same machine back I will be using graigslist and cash only.

 

[Satnam1989]

Going thru that now with Ebay and my macbook pro 13 I just sold. It made it to the buyer and they freaked out because it had a zag skin around the keyboard and that was not mentioned in the description. They also claimed the trackpad did not work right, mean while the machine is basicly new from July and hardly used.


Needless to say they forced me to give a refund and now I am waiting on the buyer to hopefully ship it back tomarrow! If I do get the same machine back I will be using graigslist and cash only.

you gave refund before receiving the laptop back? thats not how ebay works....you give refund once the item has been received back/is back in the sellers hands.....If you did what u jus described...I feel sorry for ya if the buyer now decides not to ship it back.....

 

[lstmysock11]

The buyer opened up a complaint with ebay and the only way to end it was to automaticly issue a refund. After calling ebay they sent the buyer a shipping label so he can ship it out tomarrow with out having to pay, they also said he has never done anything that would be considering scaming before. I had asked if he ever put any complaints in before and they said he did not.

I was asking 900 dollors for it and it does have a 640 gig hard drive from OWC and 8 gigs of memory also from OWC. Still under warrenty just purchased in July.

 

[maflynn]

If I can sell my computer on Craigslist or [shameless plug] the MacRumor's Marketplace over eBay then I'll do that. I've been lucky in that I've not been burned by someone scamming me, but I have paid through the nose on fees.

A cash only face to face transaction is the best which is why I like Craiglist, MR's Marketplace provides a measure of safety since there are histories to those who frequent the marketplace

 

[lstmysock11]

Your right even if I do get the computer back it is not going back on ebay again. Ebay is just not too friendly people selling, considering if someone gets even buyers remorse they can return a item even if you have no returns selected by saying Something was not as described or some sort of defect.

 

[JTravers]

It seems harder to sell high dollar items on Craigslist vs on eBay. Of course, you have to be more wary of scams on eBay. I'm trying to sell my barely used 13" MBA right now, and I'm facing the same dilemma.

I'd post of cl first and, if it doesn't sell, post on eBay a couple weeks later.

 

[praetorx]

Hey all,

So I'm thinking of selling my MacBook Pro. I've sold some expensive headphones on Craigslist before, so I understand the methods I'd need to take with them. On Ebay however, I wasn't so sure. Does Ebay charge the seller a fee? How secure are the transactions. And how does the return policy work if they aren't happy with their purchase. I'm starting to lean more towards craigslist just because of all the scary variables that could take place with Ebay, but it would be nice to sit back and relax while people bid on my computer. Thanks for the help guys.

Also, feel free to post any of your previous experiences either good or bad with both craigslist or ebay.

Avoid using eBay like the pest especially for selling high value items. I sold my high-end 2010 MBP last year for $2000 and was charged $200 in fees (half went to eBay, half to PayPal).

 

[djpuma]

I just sold my 2010 17" MBP on ebay.
I actually listed it on CL and ebay (why not CL is free)

Ebay & Paypal will side with the buyer but they also protect the seller.
I shipped mine exactly how paypal says and had no issues.

I am always worried that the buyer will say the laptop never arrived and of course he'll get his money back and I'll lose money and laptop.

As long as you ship it the way paypal says you'll be fine.

The bad part is the fees. My laptop sold for about 1700 and I paid about 150 in ebay/paypal fees.
You might want to figure out what you want for your computer and list it for that price in ebay (or auction) and try to sell a little lower on CL.
I will say you will sell it for more on ebay vs craigslist.