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eBay is a great source for "stuff" but it's "buyer beware" - you need to keep your eyes open. I too have watched some SH camping kit getting on for close to the new price. It often happens with "proper" EHU's. Camperlands stock the real deal for £39.99, but I've seen several used going for more !!

There's also a lot of shops involved now. Searching on "Camping" just now, there's 40211 items listed. Select "Used" and it goes down to 2225. So pretty much 95% is new, and mostly offered by professional sellers, many of whom just see eBay as another outlet.

My last camping buy was a "used once" 2008 Orchy carpet from a private seller, for a good bit less than the new/old stock price, and a lot less than the 2009 version, which isn't fitted and has a weird colourway. So, we were well chuffed with it.

Where eBay can score I think is with stuff you just can't source normally. For example, we've been doing up and staging our old house. If you want a bakelite phone, for example, where else can you see a list of over a hundred old phones ?

But I agree, there's fewer and fewer genuine bargains to be had, and it's very VERY easy to get "caught up"

Ebay has its uses but I never buy without googling first and checking the price elsewhere.

Selling isn't what it used to be, postage winds me up, I always sell postage at cost plus 50p or 70p. People need to be very careful about postage costs especially parcels as couriers can be a lot cheaper.

I recently got a virtually new pushchair I'd been after for £40, rrp over £100. Local pick up

Quote: Originally posted by East36 on 09/6/2009

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I'm after one of these utility tent thingy's so am looking on there for one cheapish as we have spend a fortune on camping gear so far... and I think my oh might have a breakdown if I mention I want one of these as well !!

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I picked up a Relum Itaca 6 berth frame tent for peanuts on ebay, it's like new and is massive.

I always try to buy things locally so I can view and pay cash.

My biggest bugbear with ebay is postage ripoffs where the seller won't combine postage or the postage is overinflated.

When I started this thread I wasn't partcularly having a go at ebay, just that some folk really get carried away or don't know the value of what they are bidding for.

Just starting off the camping thing we've had to buy almost everything from scratch, and I have bought most of what we needed from ebay. I think there are some real bargains if you really search them out. For instance we wanted a coleman fold-up cooker and we also wanted a heater. I found a buy-it-now dealer offering the cooker and a coleman black cat heater together and brand new for £60 + £4.99pp. I think I've bagged a bargain.

But, some of you old hands might know different.

PS. The downside of this is the cost of postage........the upside (because we've ordered so much) is we've been invited to the Royal Mail/Parcelforce Christmas Party.

I sold some stuff on ebay recentley and was really annoyed with the increase in fees. Wont be bothering again! Anyway I agree with people getting carried away when bidding and sold one item for £10 more than I payed for it new! 

Must be the thrill of the auction!??

Quote: Originally posted by star1234 on 09/6/2009

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 I don't get why people try and sell thing's that are 2nd hand for more or less what they payed for it in the 1st place!

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It's true, somebody will always buy it - whatever it is.

Some years ago a friend of mine related, to me, a story of his Father who had a market bookstall. His Father was telling him that you can literally sell anything, my friend said 'surely not ANYTHING' To prove the point his Father walked over to the area where the stallholders threw their rubbish. After a moment or two he picked up a broken car ariel (just the telescopic bit with no fixing or workings). He placed the broken ariel at the front of his stall and wrote 10p on a piece of card and placed it with the ariel. They sold it that afternoon.

Quote: Originally posted by Sparhawk on 10/6/2009

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Ok I'm gloating a bit, but if you know what to do , and what to look for in an auction (Weird ending times , bad spellings etc) then you can still pick up some serious bargains.

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Quote: Originally posted by star1234 on 09/6/2009

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I know its up to the sellers and people clearly buy..... but I don't get why people try and sell thing's that are 2nd hand for more or less what they payed for it in the 1st place! I would like a new tent and quite fancy an Outwell Idaho xl but I am not going to pay £450 plus courier used when I can get brand new at the moment (albeit out of stock at mo) for £425 aside from all that Go outdoors were selling for £250 or something earlier in the season so how do I know these people didn't pruchase from there??

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Sorry, I have to pick you up on this - if you can't get it at the moment because its out of stock then you can't buy it for £425 - so if you want it you will need to pay for it.   Anyone can list a great price on something they have in stock.  so what if they bought it from Go Outdoors?... If someone had the foresight to buy from Go Outdoors and hold on until they were out of stock then more power to their elbow!  Why do you care where they bought from? or does it annoy you that they might be selling essentially a 2nd hand tent for more than they paid for it?

I often buy computer games at Xmas from play or Amazon and resell on Ebay for a profit - at the same time as people could still go to play or Amazon and buy them at the price I do!  All I do is open the packaging, take out the invoice and reseal it and post it on... money for old rope, its not my fault people can't be bothered to shop around.  2 years ago Fifa 08 PS2 was selling for £17.99 including postage at Play and I was selling for £27-30 on Ebay...

If you spot a bargain in a shop and know it will be in short supply later why not? I can't wait to pass a Decathlon and buy some tarps

Christine