Amazon vs. EBay

[ohiofarmer 3,265]

     I am working on a bunch of tractors that just need similar things like fuel shutoff valves, carb kits or carbs, ignition switches and things like that. You get to looking around and it seems prices are a lot higher and there are minimum orders for free freight at amazon.  A buddy of mine has Prime, but he has to pay quite a bit for it.

  So anyway, I went to EBay and you find high prices sometimes, but most of the time i can do a lot better with them -- at least on what i recently ordered.  I can wait a few days for things I want, and besides that, with free shipping from many vendors, i can order as soon as I need things instead of stacking orders. I also found Stens switches which I trust more than some unbranded stuff from amazon

Another thing is that the Amazon guy made many billions extra because of the virus, and ebay seems like a smaller venue. I could be way off so tell me what you think

[rjg854 11,351]

I use E-bay quite a lot more than Amazon, mostly because of the free shipping aspect.  Don't be afraid to question the sellers as they are quite responsive.  Another thing I like more.  I even think most prices are better.  You can tract your orders from E-bay and not so much from Amazon.  These are just a few of my experiences with E-bay.

[953 nut 55,095]

I have bought and sold on  and find that a lot of sellers are people like myself who are selling excess stuff and willing to accept offers if they are reasonable. I always search "Price Plus Shipping, Lowest First" and have found the prices are all over the place. I have bought a few things from eBay sellers that were shipped from Amazon.

[WHNJ701 4,165]

I am not jumping in on this one.  They are both evil companies.  Ebay you can find more hobby/tractor stuff.  I gotta feeling that's eventually phasing out as sellers leave ebay.  

The offer thing on eBay is a joke to screw the seller even more.  There is nothing more annoying than someone offering you a dollar less on a 5 dollar item, quit being so cheap!

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

My personal experiences are that I "usually" get the items in ordered on time if not before from eBay and with Amazon I'm lucky to get them 2-6 weeks after the said delivery date with the same excuses from different sellers there this spring "covid" so now I will do my damnedest not to help Bizos earn another nickel as he pays his own employees barely above minimum wage, like @953 nut says most of the sellers on eBay are just like us again my opinions and experiences, sometimes you may have to play with the Devil if its the "only" place that has what you are looking for.

[71_Bronco 1,072]

I dont have prime (dont order from them enough), so I typically shop Ebay. I usually find that the prices are the same or less on ebay, and typically have free shipping.

 

My dad and I were talking about this same topic just recently lol

[ebinmaine 67,308]

Seems the consensus at this point anyway is leaning a little towards eBay and that's what I do as well. 

As mentioned above  Bezos kind of irritates me with his money hoarding apparent behavior. 

 

Because I try to keep all the most common stuff along with nuts and bolts right in my own stock I buy things in a package quantity anywhere between 10 and 50 or even more so that gives me a decent leverage on the fleabay or amazon for free shipping. 

 

I've definitely had better overall experience, better customer service, and faster shipping times on eBay. 

[pacer 3,168]

Another ebay user here - for most things. Sometimes I'll just google an item and find a better deal that way. And, yeah Amazon sometimes is the better choice. I probably buy some 80-90% of my 'stuff' off the web, with maybe 70% of that ebay. Another thing I'm not real pleased with in purchasing household items is ---- wally world, but to shop otherwise I have to add some 15mi thru traffic to shop different, where wally is right off I-20 9miles from me.

 

3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

I have bought and sold on 

One thing that I seem to be finding more and more is complaints of ebays increasing sellers cost ... are you finding that to be?

[ohiofarmer 3,265]

Thanks for your responses. It is good to get feedback from some experts.

I am not crazy about ordering online as i want to keep my little stores around. We had a big little store in Arcanum that kept a decent inventory of things for tradesmen, some garden supplies, and the thing that really stood out was a decent supply of bin inventory by the pound including deck screws.  Plumbers could buy Delta Faucets. The amount of tradesmen living in this area made a difference in what the store, started by two brothers would keep in stock what was needed by the trades and also the public.

 They had a tire guy who put the tire guys in the county seat to shame. They had a Toro dealership who kept me in parts if I really needed something . BTW, many hardware stores in this area sold Wheel Horse tractors, but that is gone as well

 One example is the inline fuse that takes an ATC unit. Arcanum Hardware bought in bulk and kept them in little plastic bags with a price sticker. The guys who bought out the store have fancy bubble packs that cost three times as much. Sure there is better inventory control, but they sell fewer items. I just bought ten for $11.00 on fleabay for the Horses. i just looked up a blister pack one at oReilles for 3.69

If you can remember the old style hardware store that had everything, you can understand what I mean.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by ohiofarmer

[lynnmor 7,302]

Always chose none of the above if possible.  The "free" shipping is usually a joke because the shipping is included in the price.  Ebay is now taking a cut of the shipping cost which pushes up prices.  There are times that I can figure out the seller on both of the sites in question and then deal directly with the seller, there are examples right here in our vendor section.  Always search a bit more using a description, part or model numbers before buying.

[formariz 11,987]

Here is my opinion on the buying issue only taking sentiment about companies away..We are of course speaking of items that one can buy everywhere and not unique items such as antiques or collectibles you get from individual vendors on eBay. I have Prime since I use it a lot. Prices are mostly comparable to the same item on eBay once you add eBays shipping.Sometimes it is a few cents higher but just keep in mind that you get quicker shipping. A lot of sellers are affiliated with Amazon  and I find that the same item from the same seller directly is many times less at Amazon. The greatest advantage at Amazon, is that you don't need to look anywhere else for what ever you need. You will find it there 99% of the times. I also countless times bought stuff that actually arrived later the same day.They will deliver on Sunday. They have delivered to me at close to midnight many times. As far as returns go they are really easy. There are Amazon centers in some stores near me that you just walk up and return it there if you don't want to go through the hassle of the mail. They will pick it up also.You can track your package with Alexa if you are so inclined. Just ask her. You can order from her (it) and it can also immediately cancel your order.I understand that using Alexa is frowned upon by many but it is convenient and it works well . Just have it set up properly with all the safeguards in place which most people neglect to do.  Sure also the Prime option costs money. However if waiting for items more that one or two days irritates you then it works for you. It also gives you other things besides just quick shipments.

Edited December 7, 2020 by formariz

[71_Bronco 1,072]

21 minutes ago, formariz said:

I understand that using Alexa is frowned upon by many but it is convenient and it works well.

I've heard people like their Alexa and that's fine by me. However, I dont think I will ever own one. Wouldn't go well with my tinfoil hat 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

They have both cost me a lot of money!  But I can't remember any regrets!  The very few issues I had with eBay were very quickly resolved either by the seller or eBay.

I find the prices are usually close on new items and if so I usually go with Amazon.

Really, no complaints.  Though I do tend to spend a lot of time researching first.

[roadapples 6,983]

 I always go to eBay first. I have time to shop around and don't buy if it isn't a good deal. Agree that prices are going up but I have made some really good deals...

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

The thing that got me with a few shipments was it has arrived early at our main hubs whether USPS UPS FEDEX ect to set there until the expected delivery date, and my wife has Prime and I still get things faster from eBay than Amazon where she ordered a porch swing that got lost twice then showed up 3 months later out of the blue...way to go Amazon,  hasn't happened with eBay yet. Plus we aren't totally rural but definitely aren't a major metropolitan area so until there's an Amazon fulfillment center i don't think we will ever see same or next day delivery for us from them.

Edited December 7, 2020 by WVHillbilly520H

[bottjernat1 2,190]

Well I buy most of my small engine parts off eBay a lot of times I cant find stuff on amazon. I pay for prime but I don't use it very often. I tend to get better deals on eBay specially bulk stuff. Like fuel line, shut offs, and fuel filters. If the seller is fast and good I keep using them. Lately eBay has been quick with there service. I ordered a weed beater kit with fuel lines, pump bulbs, and filters. It said 5 to 7 business days i got the stuff in literally 3 days and they were not in my state of Indiana or right around me. I was super impressed!

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Prime has not been the same since CoVid.  I recently dropped it.  I used to order from https://www.jackssmallengines.com/ and was happy with their prices and shipping.

[ebinmaine 67,308]

2 hours ago, 71_Bronco said:

tinfoil hat

 

I keep a list in my phone for all the items that we need to bring camping and occasionally adjust it as necessary. 

One of the items that was on there for a long long time:

 

Heavy duty tin foil for hats so the aliens can't read the crazy _-_- in our heads...

 

I know some people have been known to use that stuff for cooking on occasion but why would I do that. 

[Handy Don 12,163]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

Heavy duty tin foil for hats so the aliens can't read the crazy _-_- in our heads...

I use a bit of duct tape to help it stay on my head.  Then I shampoo with WD-40 when I have to get it off.

[tom2p 2,394]

like many (most) on this board - I'm not a big fan of Bezos 

 

but I'm not just impressed - but almost in awe of the business he built 

 

the infrastructure he has in place is amazing 

 

the amusing / ironic thing :  a number of retailers already had a head start on this type of business or similar ... decades ago ... including Sears ... JC Penney ... 

 

Edited December 8, 2020 by tom2p

[tom2p 2,394]

4 hours ago, Handy Don said:

I use a bit of duct tape to help it stay on my head.  Then I shampoo with WD-40 when I have to get it off.

 

[953 nut 55,095]

9 hours ago, pacer said:

complaints of ebays increasing sellers cost ... are you finding that to be?

I'm not selling enough to worry about the small increase on fees.            Shipping fees are getting higher and considering the low rates that BIG BOX Stores enjoy it seem like I am subsidizing them. 

I must say I was impressed with  fees for selling my truck, just a one time $ 25.00 listing fee and no percentage of sale price.         sold it in a couple days.