Do people really buy new ereaders off Ebay?

[Cordanim]

I purchased my wife's and mine on eBay so yes they do

Reasons were faster shipping (Amazon was saying 6-8 weeks on their site) and I can use PayPal. Since I have an eBay store (selling sports cards) I have a constant influx of PayPal, so it was easier.

I do think I paid about $20 more on each Kindle, though, but for me it was worth it.

Kev

[mr ploppy]

Maybe they don't want them to read Amazon books on so they don't want Amazon to know they have a Kindle?

It isn't cheap to sell on Ebay, so it is obvious that prices are going to be higher there than they are elsewhere.

[carpetmojo]

All auctioneers (on-line and in the real world) try to maintain security, and prevent people / concerns / etc.. bidding on goods they have entered into the auction. i.e. "bidding up" the price on their own goods.
Which sometimes results in some very strange results, in all sorts of auctions.

However, having extensive knowledge of the field, most will admit it is well nigh impossible to completely stop the practice.

( Or, indeed, the practice of a group "ringing" goods they want, and auctioning them afterwards between themselves. )

So the price you keep "out-bidding" may not be made by a genuine bidder, just as the one item you see may not be the only one, or the experts who you think aren't interested in a lot, may very well be...........

"Caveat emptor" , I believe, should be your rule...........

[graycyn]

While I would not likely buy a new product off eBay and especially for a higher price, I can see it happening. For one thing, as pointed out, if said reader is not available outside the US, but someone is located outside the US and wants one, paying a slightly higher price might be workable for them.

Further, there are such things as gift cards and eBay bucks coupons (there recently was a Groupon deal as well), so who knows if those bidding or buying the listed readers are actually paying the full bid price stated? I bought a book the other day for a total of .58 cents shipped, because of having eBay bucks to use.

[CallOfCth'reader]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

3) Some like the idea of an auction and it doesn't ocurr to them that you could end up paying more at an auction then you would open market.

A friend of mine used to sell CDs and DVDs on Ebay a few years ago, purchased straight from Play. He listed the items at a slightly higher start price than Play sold the goods for, then added P&P on top (Play sent him the items P&P free). He always used to sell the items for at least £1 over the Play price, and when the auction ended he would order the item from the Play website so that he could send it off to the 'winner'.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Psobilities avantman:

1) Did not understand that what he bought was an older model;
2) Does not understand that new models have more advanced technology;
3) Understands that what he bought is an older model but has a distaste for all "new fangled" things and the older model is older therefore not "new fangled".

In my father-in-law's case, I suspect it was a bit of 1 and 2, which is frustrating, because I'd told him to talk to me before he bought anything. The really frustrating thing is that I now get the job of trying to get maps that will fit on it, whereas if he'd done as I suggested, that wouldn't be a problem, since he could add a memory card.

[Asawi]

I buy new (or factory refurbished) stuff on eBay all the time. Not Kindles, but then I don't buy Kindles anywhere else either...

Why? The three main reasons: Non-US credit card payment (PayPal), international shipping options and availability of factory refurbs..

I do however do lots of price research and I'm often amazed at the prices US buyers pay for things they can easily get online elsewhere. Someone mentioned auction frenzy and I'm sure that's true because I often see auctions ending up above buy-it-now prices from other sellers.

[sabredog]

I have.

Four in fact. Two PRS-300's and two Jet Book Lite's. I have not had an issue with any of them.

[PG4003]

I looked at Ebay for an M-Edge eLuminator light. The only ones were from a person selling them for $29.99 and you can get them from M-Edge for $19.99. I sent him a message and told him that, and he answered he sold a lot of them for $29.99 and people will pay it so why not?

[sufue]

I too am astounded (and since I sell casually on eBay, happy also ) at the prices people will sometimes pay for things on eBay that are available "commercially" elsewhere for less. I can only attribute it to one or all of the ideas mentioned by others: auction fever, not being willing to take the time to do a bit of price research, not knowing about shopping bots like Pricegrabber, geo restrictions, "hidden" discounts, etc. etc.

With that said, I have also bought a couple of e-readers from eBay, but NOT for more than I could have gotten them for elsewhere. If you watch carefully and patiently - and it takes effort that not everyone may enjoy or have time for - you can find good deals in amongst the over-priced ones. In my case, both e-readers were "Buy It Now" deals that were listed at a low price that I jumped on right away. And then going through eBates and getting the eBay Bucks took another few dollars off the price too - not much more but WTH...

And one other place that eBay shines, for me at least, IS in older technology, when sometimes I may NOT want the newer technology. I bought two XP laptops on eBay before finally giving in and buying a new Windows 7 one from a bricks and mortar store, and thus was able to skip the whole "Vista" disaster. And, since I am not a fan of touch screens, I could imagine going to eBay for another PRS-300 if mine were to break or get lost or stolen, rather than buying a PRS-350.

Anyway, just my thoughts...