Shopping for small things on eBay resulted in some big savings

19 years ago

I've recently discovered a lot of items like printer cartridges/toner, electric toothbrush heads, stationary and many other small items on eBay for far lower prices than anywhere else. Perhaps everyone has been buying them this way for years, but it was a new discovery for me and it's going to save me a good amount of money in the future.

Of course it's still good for bigger items too, I've picked up some excellent bargains over the past couple of weeks.

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Comments (7)

jannie
19 years ago
I had an old Papermate ballpoint pen I really liked. I bought refills very cheap, like 20 for a dollar on Ebay.
quiltglo
19 years ago
I'm always amazed at what I can find. I haven't thought about small stuff, because shipping to Alaska can add up. We don't have the outlet stores, so I frequently buy new winter gear for my kids, which is less expensive even with shipping, than buying it locally. It may be last year's colors, but pink is pretty much still pink.

Gloria
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Update! I got home tonight and found email from the seller saying she would refund me all of the money. She has asked that I ship the bedskirt to the next buyer (she is re-listing) and she will reimburse me for the cost to ship. I told her I would be happy to ship to another buyer and thanked her for finding a fair way to resolve the issue. The money was back in my account within minutes. I expect she will reimburse my shipping costs. All correspondence was within the eBay system so it is trackable. Lisa, as for the suggestion to ask for details, I hear ya, but that is a rabbit hole. I mean, where does it end? The dishes I got ripped off on were listed as "New." It never occurred to me that they were new but seconds. Yes, I should have asked, but it just didn't even cross my mind. I'd like to think that if someone says 18" in a listing, I don't have to ask if it is indeed 18". Roselvr, I did not wash the bedskirt, just ironed it. The Dish Witch would have accused me of having washed and shrunk it! Nicole, I am glad your PayPal experience was positive. In my case with the dishes, PayPal was not willing to refund me the return shipping costs. I would have been out $25 and even then the seller was threatening to notify the police that I was scamming her. I don't think she actually would have had a leg to stand on, but I just wanted it over with. Red, if I order something that shows up defective, I will often call the company and have them pick up the tab for return shipping. It's only fair. I am glad your sconce situation worked out. I do use my dishes from the Witch! And they were a lot cheaper than they would have been from Replacements. Yaya, I have a PayPal account. I have always used a credit card that I have registered with Paypal. Is a "buyer credit account" something different, something with more protection? Thanks everyone for the advice and commiseration. I'll let you know in a week if I get the shipping money refunded. I am optimistic that I will. The bedskirt is already re-listed. Stay tuned! :-)
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Just wanted to add that where I suspect there was a scam (in fact I might even call it fraud) is in regard to Greyhound and insurance. He insurred each chair for $300 and from the sound of it, was assuming I'd make a claim through Greyhound and get reimbursed for the cost of the chair plus have one functional chair. He did not bet on my taking it to a antique furniture restoration store (which I might not have except that I needed to get my dining room chair fixed) and that person telling me that he saw these types of things all the time in insurance claims and said and put in writing that it was clearly not shipping related damage. When I spoke to Paypal they said this is the type of information they look for when handling a dispute. Now my other issue is if I send it back do I insure it (it's my understanding that Greyhound will insure for $300 for no additional cost). There is a page where the cost of the item is declared. For the damaged chair, I want to declare a cost of $0 since I want to prevent him from filing a Greyhound claim on return. FOr the other chair DH and I were discussing 1/2 the cost I paid--about $100.
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If you add it to your "watch" list, you will be able to see the time left for the listing. It really is small in size, isn't it?. Why didn't I think of that?? (Because I have the KT, and I'm spoiled.) Yes, it's awfully small, and faded, I'm sure. It would be nice to have, but for not very much money. I have some similar memorabilia of his. I have no idea what "lg" means. Certainly not "large." LOL I found it because I have a standing search request on eBay for any items that contain the word Luckstone, and also one for "Alice Campbell," my grandmother (his wife) and also an opera singer. A different Alice Campbell was a novelist from around the time time period, so unfortunately I get notifications whenever her books are listed on eBay. But no big deal. I bought another picture of my grandfather on eBay--not his most flattering, but an interesting photo. I also found a listing that claimed to be selling a photo of Harry Luckstone, but it wasn't him. I wrote to the seller, who ignored me. ;-)
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Susan, glad I could be of help. In the description of the classes I teach, I make mention of the material I cover and the things I don't....taking digital photos being one of those things. If they don't have a digital camera I suggest they take regular pictures and have them developed on a CD. I also suggest you have a list of computer skills a student must have before enrolling for your class. It has made my life a lot easier by screening the students beforehand. I do tell my students to use the software that comes with the camera to download the photos and I ask them to create a MY EBAY PHOTOS folder in MY PICTURES and save all of their pics in that folder, being sure to give them descriptive names rather than the generic #'s. I simply insert my photos by Browsing to the folder they're saved in and inserting from there. I can do several at a time quite easily this way. I don't use the Self Hosting option.
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steve_o
19 years ago
Watch the shipping costs, though. Some sellers have ridiculous shipping and handling charges in an attempt to pick up some extra profit. Make sure your purchase still is a deal after you amortize the cost of shipping over what you buy.
bry84
Original Author
19 years ago
The shipping can be steep. Sometimes more than the item. But generally it's reasonable and for small items within the country it's hardly significant.

Further still, don't be reluctant to pay more for shipping than the item costs, sometimes it still works out a good deal.

A while back I paid Â£1.70 for a pair of levis which are like new and hardly worn. I also paid Â£5 to post them. Still, a new pair of levis cost about Â£45, sometimes more.
Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
19 years ago
I just bought some tape cartridges for my new (to me) Brother P-Touch labeler.

They retail anywhere from about $20 to $30 a piece, and I was able to get them 6 for $49.50, and that even included shipping.

I also bought some video games (some new and some used) very reasonable, even with the shipping. Kids don't care if they are new...they just want something new 'to them', or variety.

Sue
sheriz6
19 years ago
I buy vacuum bags on eBay. The type I need are hard to find and the price is terrific, even with shipping. I also buy books, collectibles, Legos and a bunch of other things. If you're careful, there are definitely bargains to be had!
lkplatow
19 years ago
You can get magazine subscriptions VERY cheaply on ebay. I recently got 4 years of Country Home (usually $19.97/yr) for $8.99. You can buy new subscriptions or renew your current ones. I have been doing this for about a year and the subscriptions never fail to come. Almost any magazine you could want is available. I will never subscribe or renew at the regular price again!

Shopping for small things on eBay resulted in some big savings

Comments (7)

jannie

quiltglo

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bry84
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Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana

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Shopping for small things on eBay resulted in some big savings

Comments (7)

jannie

quiltglo

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steve_o

bry84Original Author

Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana

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lkplatow

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