At 25, eBay is a reminder of a bygone internet The company hit the quarter-century mark today September 3, 2020 https://www.engadget.com/ebay-turns-25-130021766.html eBay: Celebrating 25 Years
I don't worry much about fake product reviews, you get them on all of these sites. I have a bigger problem with fake products. Which I guess you also get on other sites. I guess I should have been more cautious when I saw the item was shipping from China. That said sometimes I still find better deals on eBay than Amazon. And Jeff Bezos is rich enough.
Also, isn't Amazon similar in age? It was just a book store in the '90s, but it did exist. Edit: According to Google Amazon is 26.
I registered at eBay in May of 1999, so I've experienced a thing or two dealing with them. First and foremost, I consider eBay to be a crapshoot. I view their customer service to be cumbersome at times, although I also believe that they try hard to do the right thing. The potential for disappointment is great, predicated mainly on the incredible variety of sellers that one can encounter... some dumb, some dishonest, some inefficient. But if I add it all up, in the 21 years I have bought things on eBay (I have never been a seller there), I understand the marketplace aspect, i.e. buyer beware, and I have received some awesome deals. This includes merchandise that is no longer available elsewhere. I confess that sometimes I wonder how the heck the seller has come across the product (did they hijack a truck or something?), but when all is said and done, I am glad that there is a place like eBay. I just need to be extera cautious, and do the research beforehand.
I am constantly buying from eBay. Here in Australia, the prices are usually cheap than Amazon and on the whole I find the customer support to be very good. Aside from the prices, I feel that eBay provides a much better search experience.
I have never bought anything on eBay and I never will. It just feels like a cheap market place and the website is horrible it looks so old fashioned. And I somehow don't trust the sellers.
I like the eBay website a lot, but that's just me. You can get a indication of how trustworthy a seller is, by looking at their feedback. Whenever I've had issues with an item I purchased, I've got a refund.
I really enjoy their auctions, although some sellers set the reserve so high that it defeats the purpose of an auction. I like the no reserve auctions. I also like the 'make an offer' feature, and have gotten some very good deals that way. I have learned to ask questions of sellers prior to purchasing an item, if something either isn't crystal clear or if I just want to be extra sure. I have from time to time run into inaccurate descriptions and had to get my money back because of that. I give eBay an A rating overall, and hope they have many more good years ahead of them.
I looked at it, then used it! Hard to pass up a $25 coupon. I don't log in there every day and may not have seen it by the expiration date. Again, great of you to post that info, Joseph.
Been a buyer on eBay for many years, never a seller. My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Sellers and merchandise of all stripes. Ability to negotiate with many sellers. Convenience of buying without leaving home. Personally, I've only had a handful of issues over the years, but when I did, eBay always resolved it satisfactorily.
