Buying Products On Ebay?

[Naringlo]

Hello all!

I was thinking of saving money and buying products such as filters, decor, lights etc. on eBay. I'm talking about products that are made in China, or not, that are not from recognised brands.

Anyway, I hope you understand what I mean.

Does anyone have any bad or good experiences with this?

I probably won't but I was curious about it just in case something broke and I didn't have enough money to replace it.

Thanks for your time!

 

[mike455555]

i got my co2 defuser, drop checker and 1 way valves from ebay, as well as plants and fish, not had a problem yet

 

[Naringlo]

That's good to know, thank you!
Were they branded Co2 products e.g. Tropica or were they just unbranded?

 

[khial]

I think your best bet with ebay is just to check the sellers feedback see what (if any) bad feedback has been left, always a good indicator of what/who your buying from

 

[CezzaXV]

I got two thermometers from China and one of them says a different temperature than the other. I'm not sure which one is right.

I buy a fair amount of stuff from China on eBay, both fish and non-fish related. I wouldn't buy any electrical goods from them though as I've had bad experiences in the past with them just not lasting that long at all, and I especially wouldn't risk it with items that are supposed to go in or around water. For cheap little things though you can't really go wrong. Most Chinese sellers rely on their feedback so are usually quite quick to rectify any problems.

I think the rule is you get what you pay for. For small, cheap items it's fine but I wouldn't risk going for somewhat lesser quality stuff with expensive or electrical items.

 

[Naringlo]

Thanks for the replies, they've been very helpful!

 

[coolie]

The temptation on eBay is to choose by price, because eBay can SORT by price. I tell you, there's some real rubbish out there.
My gravel cleaner was £1.75 delivered, a UK seller can't even send something that wide for 2 quid. But the thickness of the hose walls was like a crisp packet. I went back to sucking on a hose. China has a bad reputation for quality and double bad reputation for quality control. OK - far worse is paying more and it's still crud. So it's not JUST price. Do your research, feedback, ask questions. The co2 diffuser I got from India after asking lots of questions was good. Use a lot of common sense, and if you are frugal with money, take a look at the cost of replacing your item over and over or throwing it in the bin because it doesn't work.

 

[Royston]

I've bought loads of big brands off eBay for a fraction of the price of my lfs with no problems