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It does sound a bit worrying to me as a possible future seller that some people are very dubious about buying on ebay, but understandable.  But then again, it can work both ways, when the time comes I am sure I will be just as nervous at handing over the unit after sale.  We did buy out TT via an ebay ad, but fortunately it was local, so had a chance to view the main unit before handing over any cash.  It is highly likely we will be selling our Chantilly, and I thought the obvious place these days would be ebay.  We are likely to use the auction facility rather than fixed price, simply because I am just as in the dark over the value of these things as some of the buyers, so if I can get anything above what I consider a reasonable lowest price reserve I will be happy!  I think it is the best place to sell if you want a large audience.

I am sure there are plenty of genuine sellers on there, but just like everywhere else, there will be the odd cowboy.

I was amazed at what price some peeps are prepared to pay for stuff on there tbh. Only yesterday I spotted an Isabella PORCH awning that had had a starting price of only 99p and when I looked it had four hours left to go and already had TWENTY bids with a humungously ridiculous amount of.......£555!!!!!!

Hmm.....methinks that maybe I ought to try and flog my old, (but only used 3 times), full Dorema one on there

As a buyer though, I'm always wary of buying anything from anybody with less than the full 100% positive feedback. My daughter's had trouble with one seller and has a dispute going on still.

On the other hand, I've had lots of family member buying BIG things, (even a car!), on there and not had any probs. Luck of the draw I s'pose.

i am about to give up on ebay.

One rapido exportmatic with full original awaning in good condition and i cant get a sniff. must be my location.

Worse ones have been selling for more.

im confused.

i suspect you are right however i am wanting a real caravn as i now have plenty of storage space.

Nothing wrong with the rapido, just quite difficult when you have 2 young kids to keep them in the car when setting up etc etc.

will give it  a try.

thanks

Hello.  There is  nothing wrong with E Bay, as long as you know what you are buying.   There is a feedback system that can be checked for any seller.  This is given as a percentage, so look at how many people have posted comments & what they say.  The comments left for both buyers &  sellers can be checked.  For high value items, a seller may reject offers from a new member who does not introduce themselves due to having a low feedback rating (if they have not  bought or sold anything).  Many users are private individuals, though there are also lots of businesses on there too. 

Most items sold will run as an auction, the highest bidder wins.  For highly sought after items some people will place their bid in the closing moments.  Other items may also be listed as "Buy it now".  These are fixed price sales, the sale ends when the item has an offer put on it.  Once you bid, you are committed to purchase, so it is essential that you go to see the item you are bidding on if it is something like a FC orTT.  Insist on seeing the owner put the thing up!  It is sometimes possible (but not reccomended by E Bay) to buy the item when you visit as a private sale outside of E Bay.  Some sellers will state that the item is advertised elsewhere, ie. local paper or Preloved etc.  The seller has the right to terminate the auction early in these circumstances.  Apart from that, it is no different to buying a second hand car from the small ads.  You will be asked to put in your maximum bid, but you may not pay this much, as if your bid is the winner, you will only pay a small ammount more than the last bidder (I can't remember what the smallest increment is, lets say 10p).  Set yourself a maximum price you are willing to pay, put your bid in & stick to it.  There will be other trailers that come up if you are out-bid.  Don't get into a daft bidding war with someone else just for the hell of it.

Ensure you see the item at the sellers house, not a motorway service area or car park.  Ask to see some proof that they are who they say they are, & ideally some proof they own it.  When you buy through E Bay you automatically get an invoice & a reciept.  Some sellers will accept cash or cheques, some only Pay Pal.  Pay Pal adds additional guarantees to the seller & buyer.  Not least that the seller has the money taken from their credit card or bank account the moment they commit to buy.  I have had problems as a buyer with Pay Pal, but never as a seller.  If you pay with credit card on Pay Pal, you obviously get your credit cards protection too.  Beware of E Bay though.  It is extremely addictive & great fun!

Hope this helps.

As with any second hand goods, you need to check this out with  the vendor.  As I said, ask to see reciepts & proof that they are who they say they are.  Make sure that names & adresses tie up with where the item is.  Look at the sellers feedback.  They cannot fiddle this on E bay.  Check to see they have not been selling lots of cheap items in small quantities to build this up.  If you are not sure, don't bid.  Pay with your credit card via Pay Pal for added security.  EBay can & do throw out members who don't follow the rules.

The Dandy Owners club keep a record of names & unit serial numbers, though this is voluntary.  Other clubs may have similar schemes to identify stolen units.

We bought/and sold our first trailer tent on Ebay, no problems.     I was lucky.

I was a little wiser and more cautious over the folding camper - but the seller said that we were welcome to inspect at any time.   OK we didn't go, but when we went to collect they insisted that we made sure we were happy before we handed over the money.     The seller had bought it, but wasn't happy towing, so was selling.  We were thrilled, and got a real bargain - which we love.

Yes there are bargains to be had, but there is also an awful lot of rubbish out there.   Or stuff that is a stupid price.   When we were after our FC, we had quite a few in Bid Watching, and the prices of some were beyond a joke.   Also the prices that some had reached and still showing "Reserve Not Met" was amazing.   You could have got a new one for less.