I have searched high and low for an "ebay" forum, but have not found anything that is all inclusive. I have found certain items that have been recommended (rims, tires, spring, etc.) but I have yet to find a forum in which everone posts their responses to general purchases made on Ebay.

I think it would be a good idea to post pics or links of individually purchased items and include your experience with the buyer and the product too!

If I get flamed for creating this post because Ebay parts are cheap or fake whatev...but I would just like the opinions of the people that have actual experience with Ebay purchases, regardless of the product, so that all "auction shoppers" may be able to avoid an otherwise sticky situation.

I am pretty much a newb and would like some help.
Thanks in advance.

Joe

 

lets just say.... u get what u pay for =)....

 

Its almost all chance. I got my skunk2 exhaust off ebay, and its awesome I love it. Now I bought an L7 off ebay and it died. I had a friend of a friend who owns their own stereo shop try to warranty it for me, kicker said it was a fake L7. All in all, theres chances that you may get crap, but even after that I still have faith in ebay. Sometimes ebay is the only place you can find certain things and they almost always have the best price.

 

Dkfung88 the only reason I ask is b/c a pro shop down the street has tein s-tech for close to $200 before tax and I can find them on Ebay for $150 shipped. If it is the same product then...?

 

hmm... i wouldnt be able to tell u if they are or not... but if they are genuine s tech springs then go for it... otherwise it'd just be like asking for trouble if anything happened to them while ur driving..

 

Fake Teins.Read this from Teins own website.

http://www.tein.com/counterfeit/index.html

 

if you are careful there are some deals on ebay

 

Theres lots of places to get s-techs. Maybe not 150, but definitely less than 200. Sponsored sale section would be a good place to start.

As for ebay. I've only bought one thing off there for parts and that was an injen CAI for my tc. Wasn't a bad purchase. I paid what most would have paid for that at the time.

Everything for the xb has been purchased either from other SL members or off the sponsored sale section.

 

That pretty much sums it up. You have to know the value (including shipping and taxes) of items regardless if they are on eBay, online or brick-and-mortar stores. Just because it is on eBay doesn't mean the lowest price. Read the reviews of the seller. For new items, I usually limit my purchases from sellers with good reviews and many sales (typically eBay "stores"). For used items or low volume sellers, it's more of a chance whether the item is genuine, correctly described, or will be a problem free transaction.

If you find a lower price online, you can always take it to the local shop and see if they will match it. Probably not an eBay listing though. Maybe the local shop would charge a higher price but give a discount on the install or a future purchase.

For example, I bought the Rosta cruise control online and thought I'd install it myself. I ended up taking it to a local shop for the install. If I'd bought directly from the shop, it would've been about $50 cheaper overall and warrantied.

 

I agree with a lot of what has already been said. You do get what you pay for, and you also can get both a great deal and a horrible third-rate product on eBay.

If you are looking for a specific product with a specific model number from a specific manufacturer, you can usually be safe in searching for and buying that product from a reputable seller. Likewise, if you are looking for a generic product (such as LED lights), you can find a good deal.

But, I have trouble with the knockoffs. My red "Scion" oil cap that I bought for $5 was really pink! You do get what you pay for!

 

i agree, its always a gamble. if you buy from reputable sellers its usually a little less of a gamble. i always check their feedback comments that people have left before i even consider buying. i got some headlights for 150 shipped and i love them. i also got my stechs from a good reputable seller for 160 shipped and they were authentic s techs. just to your research before you commit to buying something, and if its the least bit shady, dont do it!

 

Red anodized always turns pink. I had some lugs that did that. hahaha

I only buy stuff on ebay that is not available like those chrome VVT-i badges. Why can they not be had here???

 

Anyone know about the VRD fogs on Ebay? The ones by Vertex Drift...? They're only 175 vs the VRDs 300.

 

I guess I have some questions about some specific parts has anyone seen the carbon fiber pillars that are offered? I went to the factory and they are $160 for the set of 6 from superior dash. I found a set of 8 from a seller that seems good (feedback 99.7% positive). He says they have a urethane coat and all but I am still apprehensive. Sale price for aftermarket set of 8= $80 shipped.

 

somebody earlier said they only buy from sellers who have a store and tons of positive feedback. i tend to look for the opposite. I look for a seller with less then 500 transactions and above 97% positive (usually the negatives come from people who didnt understand the auction.) Once you get into huge bulk sellers, the customer service drops off. If you ask questions or have a problem with the item when it gets to your house, its extremely difficult to get a reply to your messages.

 

i got my s-techs off ebay for $160 shipped and was very happy with them.
you do have to be carfully as there are some fake s-tecks on ebay
here is how you can tell
http://www.tein.com/counterfeit/index.html

like some others have said sometimes ebay is the only place i can find what im looking for at a price i can live with.
ftuff that i can get from the dealer i but from autorized toyota dealers on ebay, other stuff is kind of hit and miss, the biggest advice i can give is only pay with paypay and to varified paypal members, only buy from ebay members that have great feedback (above 99.0) score. its posible, ive seen sellers with over 6000 sales and still have no negitives
and know alot about what you are buying so that you know what you sould be getting.
know your legal rights with paypal.
you have a time limet for filing a complaint and for raising to to a claim, i got screwed only once buy a guy that kept coming up with valid excuses, i was tring to give hime a cance but he streached it out just long enough so i couldn't file a claim.

 

Customer service might drop, but better chance of getting a part accurately described. I ordered an intake from an eBay store and customer service was poop, but at least I eventually got exactly what I'd ordered. I'd be concerned about a smaller operation offering neither customer service nor accurate product descriptions. A store with many transactions has probably been doing something right to stay in business.

 

yeah. thats true. but, if they send you the wrong item, its a total pain to get them to write you back and and try to resolve the issue.

 

you do get what you pay for, if you do TONS of research, you will be rewarded on eBay.

Id recommend doing tons of research on an item you might want , maybe a generic intake or such, find the dimensions from the official one and then fund out the dimensions from the generic one. I know it may sound stupid, but do TONS of research. Some Items are good, I got a replica Megan 4-1 Header from eBay, compared it with the real one side by side, and looks exactly the same, same diameter, same everything, only thing is that its not carb legal and it sounds better- No leaks too and the welding was great. Srry if I bought a generic item but hey it works as good, I was a lucky one in getting an item like that.

Also if your buying from eBay, find someone with a Feedback rating > 98.5% with a seller for more than 2 years. They usually have great customer service, and I found my Tein S-Techs for $135 + $25 shipping (I sware on my car) through a "BEST OFFER BID" which if you can find, dont bid too low.

 

Same old thing, research, etc.

Personally I look not just at the seller rating but what the negative comments are about. If it's just slow shipping or poor communication, I'll probably still buy. If people got broken or the wrong product, I'd pass on that seller. I usually know the exact product I want, so it's just a search for model number and finding a decent seller.

My personal eBay experience has been 90% positive. I've ordered two sets of MB Quart mids from two different sellers, two JL 8w7's from two different sellers, a JL 300/4 amp, and the Redline Tuning hood dampers.

On the JL stuff, JL does not warranty ANYTHING bought online unless it is through Crutchfield. The sellers I bought from DID offer to refund any items that arrived damaged. I don't believe they would take it back if it came in working and broke later. Some sellers only have JL AS IS, so if it comes in broke you can't even return it, complete BS if you're spending hundereds of dollars on an item. Be careful who you buy from and make sure they at least have a return policy for JL. Also, the amp policy differs from the subs for some reason. Everything I ordered came in unopened and undamaged.

On the MB Quarts, one set was flawless, the other set came in damaged where the rubber surround had became seperated from the speaker basket. The box had also been opened before as the seals were broken on the box edge. It did take about a month to get an RMA, ship it back and get a replacement set. Customer service was not good, either from not being able to talk to anyone or being told replacements were out of stock and they were waiting on another shipment. I did finally get a replacement in an unopened box that works good. I did have to pay for return shipping but not for the new set to be sent out.

If you have an xB and need hood dampers, go with the Redline Tuning ones. The eBay Godspeed ones are crap and there are reports of them damaging the hood, not the case at all with Redline. Cheaper then the Tein's and look better since they come in black (regular) or brushed stainless (elite) and not the odd colored green only fit for an RS3.

I used Buy It Now for everything but the amp, which I guess I got lucky on for about $40 below the Buy it Now price. I just don't have the patience to lose multiple bids and then not find anything for a decent price. Also, I hate the autobid feature, it really makes it he who has the most money wins and doesn't reward persistance or paying attention to auctions. Nothing more annoying then putting in 10 bids only to always be told the autobid from another person is higher, "JUST TELL ME WHAT THEY BID AS MAX", if it's too high I just wouldn't have wasted my time bidding in the first place.