Buying From Ebay

[ceilidhgirl]

hi everyone

was just wondering if any of you had bought a tank (or any other equipment) form ebay.

if so how did you find it when you got it/them?

really want to start keeping a tank asap, but am not sure whether to buy new or used.

my budget for a tank would be about £100. am looking for a two or three foot tank.

any advice much appreciated.

love ales xx

 

[monkeyman]

You MIGHT be better looking in your local ads for free or classifieds? I use eBay myself with no problems, but if you go local, u can go and look at the tank & maybe haggle a bit more?? Just a thought! Good luck anyway!

 

[Bloo]

There are definitely some bargains to be had - but don't assume everything second hand (or even new for that matter) is cheaper on eBay.
Do your research very well. Make sure the seller has exemplary feedback.

When buying a tank - do so from someone locally - it's not worth the cost of a courier to post a glass tank. Besides, cracks and breaks are more likely to occur in such transport.
When picking it up, carefully check (as much as possible) the conditions of the silicone seals. Even if they look fine, it by no means means it necessarily is.
Don't be afraid to check equipment before handing over your money.

I've been burnt very badly once and lost a lot of money - that was years ago and I've learnt from that. Ebay now also have various protection measures in place that makes things a bit safer.

Since then I'm an eBay pro

 

[DirtyHarry]

Just pay close attention to the description and sellers feedback and you'll be fine.

 

[BettaUK]

Hi ceilidhgirl,

I buy and sell on a regular basis via ebay, and so far have not had any problems either way

As bloozoo2 said, just keep an eye on the sellers feedback! Although, if they are new to ebay the won't have any feedback yet

Search through lots of Titles i.e. : Tropical Fish, Aquarium, Glass Tank, Fishtank etc.. as you will often find ads that havent shown up on a previous search.

You can also search your area by using the Poscode Search in Advanced Search Area!

If in doubt.. don't bid or ask the seller plenty of questions..


HTH

Lawrence

 

[Ivan Sloshed]

Hi ales i also buy and sell on eBay just like others have said check there feedback the less negative feedback the better, But i must say that some of the quality is not so good i have bought a syphon tube wich fell apart after a couple of times a breeding box that fry escape from but i diid get a pump thats still working and a nice background for the tank, i made a misstake when i started my fish tank and bought plants off eBay only to find them dieing on me, so i replaced them with silk ones then i joined the forum, realised i was not feeding the plants fertalizer now i buy from Andy at http/www.aquaticplants.eu.com/index.html i sent him a email of the size of my tank and he sent me details of a starter pack with over a hundred plants now the tank looks better and cleaner i also buy from http/www.aquatics-online.net/default.asp both provide a first class service and best of all you can email them for advice
Ivan

 

[martypants16]

I bought a small tank on ebay for 20 quid, brand new............i would say go for it..

 

[SirMinion]

We've bought two tanks via eBay and both were exactly as described.
Martha lives in one of them at the moment!

We've also bought other stuff via eBay and have had no problems.

 

[BettaUK]

Funnily enough have just had someone round to collect a tank that they purchased off me via eBay, and have another one being collected this evening!

 

[SamUK]

definately search within your area for tanks but you can get some really good deals!

i got a 80G for £40.00 and my fluval duo deep 55G for £100 within a few days.


equipment is pretty cheap on there aswell.

300watt heaters for i think it s was £9.00 i paid and i saw the same ones for loads more in the shops.

with equipment i jus look at the buy it nows tho cos they tend to be the shops.

 

[TammyLiz]

Be very cautious. I bought two tanks off of ebay that were close enough for me to travel and pick up. One was fine and its sitting here in my living room (a few more scratches than I would have liked, though). The other one was a nightmare. I paid for it with paypal immediately and emailed the seller. He emailed back with a phone number so I could call and get directions to pick it up but I spent a frustrating weekend trying to call him and email him again. The next week he sent another email saying "oh sorry that was a wrong number" and gave me the "correct" number and said I could come pick it up "anytime this week". I never heard from him again and without an address there was no way I could pick the item up. I don't know if the second number was right or not but nobody ever answered. I filed a complaint with paypal but only got a partial refund from them after a month because the guy had already removed the money from his account and the ebay protection policy only covers up to a certain amount. Anyway, BEWARE, because you might lose money. This guy even had a 100% rating that was like 40 something. The spot in my house where the tank was supposed to go is still empty

EDIT: Since I'm in the US I don't know if the protection policy in the UK is the same. You should check it.

 

[BettaUK]

Be very cautious. I bought two tanks off of ebay that were close enough for me to travel and pick up. One was fine and its sitting here in my living room (a few more scratches than I would have liked, though). The other one was a nightmare. I paid for it with paypal immediately and emailed the seller. He emailed back with a phone number so I could call and get directions to pick it up but I spent a frustrating weekend trying to call him and email him again. The next week he sent another email saying "oh sorry that was a wrong number" and gave me the "correct" number and said I could come pick it up "anytime this week". I never heard from him again and without an address there was no way I could pick the item up. I don't know if the second number was right or not but nobody ever answered. I filed a complaint with paypal but only got a partial refund from them after a month because the guy had already removed the money from his account and the ebay protection policy only covers up to a certain amount. Anyway, BEWARE, because you might lose money. This guy even had a 100% rating that was like 40 something. The spot in my house where the tank was supposed to go is still empty

EDIT: Since I'm in the US I don't know if the protection policy in the UK is the same. You should check it.

Hi, Can I ask why you paid via Paypal? Sorry for your loss, but in general anyone who was collecting their purchase i.e. an aquarium would pay cash on collection. You should have been able to get his address from ebay.. otherwise he is breaking ebay policy!

I am also presuming you have checked that he is no longer listed on ebay?

Ebay policy in general is the same everywhere..

 

[TammyLiz]

Hi, Can I ask why you paid via Paypal? Sorry for your loss, but in general anyone who was collecting their purchase i.e. an aquarium would pay cash on collection. You should have been able to get his address from ebay.. otherwise he is breaking ebay policy!

I am also presuming you have checked that he is no longer listed on ebay?

Ebay policy in general is the same everywhere..

I guess I paid with paypal because thats the way I've always done it and I felt like it was secure.
The guy is still listed on ebay but has not had activity since the auction and has possibly moved since he stated in the auction that he would be moving out of state. It would be great if I could still get the tank. It was exactly what I wanted and I got a great deal on it. Doubt it'll happen, though. I can't believe he can live with himself. He sounded like an average guy just getting rid of something he didn't maintain anymore.

 

[BettaUK]

Hi, Can I ask why you paid via Paypal? Sorry for your loss, but in general anyone who was collecting their purchase i.e. an aquarium would pay cash on collection. You should have been able to get his address from ebay.. otherwise he is breaking ebay policy!

I am also presuming you have checked that he is no longer listed on ebay?

Ebay policy in general is the same everywhere..

I guess I paid with paypal because thats the way I've always done it and I felt like it was secure.
The guy is still listed on ebay but has not had activity since the auction and has possibly moved since he stated in the auction that he would be moving out of state. It would be great if I could still get the tank. It was exactly what I wanted and I got a great deal on it. Doubt it'll happen, though. I can't believe he can live with himself. He sounded like an average guy just getting rid of something he didn't maintain anymore.

I'm getting quite good at dealing with dodgy ebayers, send me a pm with his user name and the item number and I will see what I can do! Not promising anything but a know a couple of people who work for ebay.

Best Regards

Lawrence
Lawrence

 

[XxTbaggerxX]

If you have any friends or neighbors in your area that you know that has a fish tank that they dont want then you can try to haggle with them and try to let them sell it to you. As for me I just got mine at wal-mart.