Ebay Users: i have questions!!

[ReptileLove18]

im looking into buying a cage off of ebay but i have never used ebay before and i have some questions. i have tried contacting them but cant as i havent made a profile yet and they dont have a phone customer service help line.

my questions are:

is it all bidding? as in do you bid on an item and whoever bids highest gets it? or do you pay the listed price like amazon?

can you pay using a credit card or only using paypal?

do you have to pay to be a member of ebay to buy things only?

anyone who can help answer these questions and is willing to share their experiences with ebay, thank you! i dont shop online very much at all and have zero experience with this site in particular..

 

[maxttu]

I've used eBay in the past. If they have a "buy now" option then there's no bidding. Simply pay the posted price. If you don't see that option then it's highest bidder wins.

Some sellers will take credit card, but I believe most accept Paypal.

 

[ReptileLove18]

thanks for the reply Max!

the item im looking at has the buy now option so thats great!

when i looked at accepted payment it had paypal and underneath paypal a bunch of different credit cards so thats why i was confused about accepted payment types. i dont want to make an account just to find out i cant order it!

 

[little leaf]

I sell A LOT on ebay, I only take paypal - but as maxx said, some take other pmt there is no charge to join, but BE SURE TO CHECK THE SELLERS REPUTATION , if it is low 90's, read why, also his #'s in blue on his feedback- if he has low feed back #'s, and low rep/ score- be careful - also, if you use paypal, and he tries to "screw you" - paypal will freeze his account until YOU release it - you must file a report, but they will do right by you - but it is the safest way to pay if you ask me , there are some really good deals on there

 

[TiffanyMariexo]

I'm a frequent ebay user and its great in my eyes

 

[ReptileLove18]

thanks for all the info guys this really helps!!

now how does paypal work? another thing i have never used and have no idea how to use.. thanks for taking the time to reply and help me out everyone

 

[pssh]

Join paypal, add and verify a credit card or link it to a bank account, and there you go. You cal also pay through paypal without having an account (when you check out there is a button or link that says something like "dont have an account? Pay with a credit card") ebay is free, and if the seller tries to screw you over, you can go through ebay to get your money back (including shipping sometimes!) Make sure to keep all the proof and evidence just in case (reciepts, emails, PMs, tracking numbers, etc.) you can read about it on ebay. Paypal also has a dispute center for issues to goods, so its protection from both if you get both.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Advice: Don't buy from people outside of your country. I do US only. Some countries don't have laws making you able to sue them if they don't send you the won item. Which makes me sad, because A LOT of beast items come from Hong Kong.

 

[patrickfraser]

I've been using ebay for years, both buying and selling.
No problem setting up either paypal or ebay accounts years ago, so I imagine it's even easier now.
Make sure to check their feedback.