Many people have been curious about my purse purchase from eBay. There’s no better way to find the answers to your questions by doing your own research. To find out what’s the average price people are paying for similar items, I suggest a search for the item on the completed listings.
Meanwhile I want to share with everyone my experience with a seller on eBay. There was one particular listing for a similar bag at around £700 (S$1608) that was in brand new condition and someone had already bidded on it. I wrote to the seller to enquire about combined shipping. The next day, the listing was gone. I was told by a friend who used to sell on eBay that some sellers are willing to close the deal outside of eBAY because that way they don’t have to pay eBay commission, so I thought this might be it. The bag was sold. Someone got it at a steal.
Several days later, I did another search and found a listing that was exactly the same, under a different seller’s name (both were power sellers with many many stars and ratings). Again I wrote to the seller and this time, he was willing to communicate with me. In the first email he wanted to close the deal immediately but I had some questions regarding the material of the purse. He answered me and even offered to send pictures of other purses available. He claimed that he had previous buyers from Singapore and that he is looking for an agent to sell the pre-owned purses. I wondered where he got his large stock from (since these are expensive purses we are talking about) but instead of answering my question regarding its origin and authenticity, he kept pushing me to close the deal and asked if I was still interested. When I repeated my question again, his response was “I guess you’re not interested anymore. Thank you for your time”. I never found out where he got his products from and if they were authentic.
Sounds like a scammer to me.
Unfortunately I’m not able to provide the seller’s listed name because on both occasions, they were different and once the listings are removed, they are nowhere to be found, even on my watchlist.
So buyers please beware. When something sounds too good to be true, it just might be. You want to follow a particular seller for a while before you commit to buying. It is best to communicate with him/her to find out where the product is from, why the seller is selling it and ask for additional pictures if you like, so you get an idea if the person is sincere or if it’s all just a fraud. Aside from the seller’s ratings, check their other items on sale and completed listings to see if they were legitimate sales.
Good luck!
34 responses so far ↓
meiz // November 24, 2009 at 1:34 am |
hi joanne!am i the 1st to comment? haha
just for kicks. but i like ur blog, esp
ur writings…haf a great week!
meiz // November 24, 2009 at 1:59 am |
oh yes!can i pls unbashfully request for a post?
About Tanning..I mean, I dunch know if u’re tanned or fair, cos photo lightings r deceiving but i like ur skin tone in ur pics. If u don’t mind, any tips on how to get a nice skin like yours or precautions etc? hee..sorrie if it’s too much to ask for. :B
tiffanyblues // November 24, 2009 at 2:02 am |
hi joanne, thanks for the insightful post! i recently won an ebay bid for an item for a price that is WAY below what it is being offered for by other sellers, but for the past 3 weeks the seller has been ignoring my emails about intl shipping! ): she’s still active on ebay so i’m really not sure why she’s ignoring my emails, especially since she’s had hundreds of positive feedback. any advice? should i call her or should i just forget about the item and let the matter rest? ):
Vivian // November 24, 2009 at 2:11 am |
hmm…in my opinion, i personally feel buying online, esp buying frm someone in places esp lk ebay, theres actually some risk involve….one hv to hv some “courage” to purchase them too. =/
Lesley // November 24, 2009 at 2:17 am |
I’m new to eBay so I really do appreciate the heads up! Thanks so much!
ching // November 24, 2009 at 2:51 am |
Hi, joanne. Is it usually if they wanted us to transfer by western union or moneygram it will be a scam?
Shirley Moran // November 24, 2009 at 7:22 am |
Hi Joanne,
It’s very sweet and noble of you to share your invaluable tips and hints on e-Bay trading.
Oh yes, one has to be cautious and alert about on-line purchasing as sadly, there are lots of swindles around.
I only purchase after doing some research. Good luck everyone.
Ann // November 24, 2009 at 8:45 am |
Hey Joanne
I am quite sceptical abt some e-bay sellers. I bidded for one Chanel bag listed as ‘New’ (without doing any checks initially) from Seller A. Later I realise that the very same bag was sold to the same seller A 2 mths back as ‘Used/pre-owned’. When I emailed seller ‘A’ to question on the actual item condition (apparently its been only used 3 times or so he claimed, so considered as ‘New’), he offered me a slightly lower price that what I had bidded to seal the deal outside ebay but by then, I had some doubts abt it & decided to forgo it.
Btw, seller A is also a power seller/buyer!
tracy // November 24, 2009 at 11:34 am |
hey…i am a frequent ebay purchaser.you are right..sometimes, some of these sellers can be real pushy..beware of http://www.ioffer.com sellers..some of them take photos from ebay n post these items as theirs.once they get e $$$,they refused to ship items out.
AtelierGal // November 24, 2009 at 11:43 am |
I’m wary of buying things online too esp. at Ebay & sellers that are not like those of Amazon. I do read testimonials to make sure its safe buying from them.
For example I was looking for a pouch for my new mobile. There were 2 potentials sellers but too many disappointing remarks like “paid but never receive item” etc
I managed to find my pouch at a store the next day, though its couple of dollars more expensive but at least I know I won’t be scammed. It’s sometimes better to pay more than never receive the good at all, right?
marq // November 24, 2009 at 11:44 am |
there’s a lot of scammers out there who wanna make money out of ppl who don’t do proper research n checking. we gotta always be careful when dealing online..
Jade Lim // November 24, 2009 at 12:15 pm |
Not only the buyers should be caution about the ebay sales but also the sellers. I’ve put up my digicam for sale on ebay and fell into a scam! There’s this ang mo who wrote that he’s interested in my camera and that he wanted to pay me USD220 via paypal. A scam paypal email was sent mentioning that the payment has been made. I sensed smething not quite right and the lucky thing is that I managed to retrieve my item from SingPost before it got shipped to the scammer. But the postage fee was forfeited. A lesson learnt.
Jeron // November 24, 2009 at 2:33 pm |
Hihi….eBay is a gd place to shop and can’t imagine can find real gd deals there. I’ve found gd & cheaper stuff as compared to buying in Spore.
But of course must do ‘home work’ & not deal with those sellers whom u feel uncomfortable and sense something is not right.
Kelvin // November 24, 2009 at 4:10 pm |
sad to hear that you can’t even trust power sellers…
thanks for sharing!
Kelvin // November 24, 2009 at 4:49 pm |
hi Joanne, did you try Amazon?
LingDi // November 24, 2009 at 7:13 pm |
Hey=) It’s definitely a risk to buy online.. I just started the habit of buying things online and thanks for the reminder! Got to be careful next time.
Btw, may I know what camera are you using? I’m hunting for good cameras.. =)
Elise // November 24, 2009 at 9:35 pm |
Thank you so much for ur advice, i try to bid one of this bag from a power seller up to 2k over but was outbid . After 2 days the item was up again by e same seller I wonder who.
In fact I try to ask one of the seller to close e deal at lower price she is willing to do it outside eBay by selling me at USD 2.2k so what do u think???
fiona // November 25, 2009 at 9:51 am |
thank you for educating me on cyber buying on ebay. well, few yrs back i was so call cheated by a lady in singapore blog spot. She claim that she had send out my f21 dresses but i didn’t recieve it even though i waited for 1 week.
It got my anxious so i email out to her and her fellow other spree buyers and yes surprised she said she mailed out and guess what? some of her spree buyers didn’t even recieve their package. -_- lesson learnt so from there onwards i began to order everything myself from merchant. haha.
Strangers tend to cheat on strangers. So as for me i will search as much informations on that seller.
Felle // November 25, 2009 at 9:25 pm |
Ebay is indeed not a bad place to score great deals. I myself have bought 2 Chanel bags from Ebay before. Both of which were certified to be authentic by the Chanel boutique I frequent. I am in total agreement that research is important. My interaction with the sales assistants at the boutique helps me understand more about the leather quality and characteristics of the bags. There’re numerous blogs and websites online that give out such information too. Mypoupette even offers online authentication service. The beauty of ebay is that, buyers are protected ie. if the seller claims that the item is authentic on the listing, and it was found not to be the case, the buyer has every right to take the matter up with ebay.
joannepeh // November 26, 2009 at 9:11 pm |
Hi Felle,
Where do u get it certified? The Chanel boutique here in TAKA says they don’t do it.
Joanne
Felle // November 28, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Hmm, Ive brought one of my flaps to the one at NgeeAnn City too. And another one to the Sydney boutique. I always pull this one on them- tell them that u wanna replace the chain on yr bag. They’ll bring the bag into their back room and examine the bag. They wld refuse service if the bag is found to be fake. Once they’ve brought the bag out, ask them how much it’d cost to replace the chain. I always tell them that i’ll reconsider, on the premise that it’s too costly to replace. If your chain is in tip-top condition, obviously it wouldnt work. but u can try asking them to quote you on a “spa” treatment (used to maintain the softness of lambskin). I havent tried this one, but I’m quite sure they’ll examine the bag as well.
Felle // November 28, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Anyway, ive got a feeling that ur bag is authentic. Cos most sales assistant will tell u that it’s fake, if u try walking into any luxury boutiques with a fake =X
Felle // November 25, 2009 at 9:29 pm |
Another thing to add is, I always set up a paypal account for payment of ebay purchases. I made it a point to link the account to my credit card. This is becos, most credit card companies are efficient with solving disputes when it comes to purchases. Therefore, even if ebay is slow with settling payment disputes, I can get the credit card company to reverse the payment on grounds of authenticity.
Another tip is to check the selling history before jumping into the deal. Make sure that the seller has plenty of selling experience with luxury goods (high-value items), and good feedbacks with such goods.
Sheryl // November 26, 2009 at 1:53 pm |
CC // November 26, 2009 at 7:04 pm |
sorry but whats the difference between power seller and er normal seller i guess?
( i don’t purchase from ebay haha thats why i just wanna know the difference)
snow // November 27, 2009 at 1:49 pm |
yap muz b careful when doing on line purchases.
mango // November 27, 2009 at 8:14 pm |
Hi, 2day then i had the chance to really sit down and watch yr hands in mine, yr acting is as good as b4 or even better?
chris // November 29, 2009 at 8:54 pm |
Some times it is easy to spot a scam -it is in the BOLD print.
Read the questions at the bottom of this page
(all one line)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-I9-UNLOCKED-TOUCH-SCREEN-CELL-PHONE-AT-T-Sciphone_W0QQitemZ220510267543QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_15?hash=item33576fa897
peiqin // December 3, 2009 at 1:21 pm |
besides ebay, there is this website that also sell second-hand purses/bags which I have done my purchase from there and am satisfied;
http://www.bagsg.blogspot.com.
flea scout // December 3, 2009 at 6:04 pm |
how do you know if a blog is a scam?
anyway check out this blog which sells guys stuff at really low prices agnes B homme and more.
fleabuddy.blogspot.com
disney // December 5, 2009 at 2:49 pm |
If he is a power seller, the chances of him being a scam is much lower. Unless those products are from china to begin with. I think Ebay regulate and have some controls for branded products.
You have to deal thru ebay though.
Quite interested in some bags like LV or those one has to pay a few thousands for cos online shopping has many designs and prices more competitive than in stores.
Also you can rent new collections/arrivals for designer bag rentals online. I’m just going gaga over it.
http://www.bagsnoenough.com.sg/
Please share where to buy bags from if you or your friends have any tips
Don Tan // December 6, 2009 at 1:28 pm |
Not just in EBAY. I have similar encounter recently when i m looking for a blackberry Bold 9000.. Contacted several
“supplier” & “Sellers” all have no trustworthy website + email yet demand me to order in bulk + make payment via Western Union or Money gram. Yet promise to within 24 hours…after much qns… disappear.
peiqin // December 7, 2009 at 10:33 am |
Well, it is not the blog which is a scam, is whether the person is a scam or not. Anyway that website (http://www.bagsg.blogspot.com) that i mentioned, it consists of numerous sellers, it is not just the blog owner himself/herself only. Anybody can get to post their items there for sale.
As long as whoever sell you the product, has the proof of authencity shown and given to you.
A proof says it all, isn’t it so? =)
Shernel // December 9, 2009 at 8:28 pm |
Hi Joanne Jie-Jie!
It’s so sweet and kind of you to tell everyone to be cautious. You’re such a good person! Loves!
Cheers & Loves,
Shernel