A Few Ebay Purchases

For the duration of lockdown, with very few shops open to purchase things that I have needed, I've largely stuck to ordering things on eBay, when the need has arisen. I rarely shop on Amazon, as I feel they have such a monopoly online and as an ex-eBay seller myself, I like to support small eBay sellers as much as possible, and sometimes big ones too.

I've bought some wonderful things on the site in the past. Clothes and shoes that I love and have worn and worn, wonderful fabrics (although not recently) that you just couldn't easily get anywhere else, craft supplies that I can't be bothered to hunt around shops for, garden items, books or vinyl that I've been looking for, household and other items too numerous to mention here. More essentially, I managed to buy masks and gloves on eBay before Lockdown, which have proved crucial on recent shopping trips.

Not every single eBay experience is a good one. Sometimes I get it very wrong and don't read the listing properly, sometimes sellers get it wrong by not providing full descriptions of their listings and sometimes I just take a punt only to find it's not what I thought when it arrives, but on the whole I like using the platform and will continue to do so. Overall, I'm very grateful that sellers have continued to sell and post out items throughout the lockdown, so this post is really to say a big thank you to them.

In the last week, for example, I have bought quite a few things on eBay, ranging from cotton tape for making aprons, black fabric paint (which I had run out of and need for craft projects), some low heeled sandals for wearing this summer and wax for oiling the chair that I'm re-upholstering. Only one item cost more than £10 and most were around the £5 mark, so I'm now awaiting the arrival of these items, and it always feels like Christmas or a birthday when the packages start arriving.

I constantly have a watch list ongoing on the site and check it daily to see if there is anything that I really want to bid on or buy. Sometimes I bid up to a certain amount and if someone outbids me, so be it. Oftentimes, however, I don't bid at all, which just proves to me that I didn't really want the item in the first place. I am currently watching 60 or 70 different items on my watch list, some being different offers for the same item, as I like to shop around the site and get a good deal.

I also like to use eBay as a research tool. If there's something I am looking to buy or I am just curious about, I will often go onto the site and do a search. I love seeing what people sell on there. It's like a great online second hand (and first hand) shop. I love it and it's so convenient having things delivered to your door without having to go out looking for them.

I keep meaning to list a few things myself, in order to earn some money from them, rather than just donate them, but I rarely bother, as the effort just seems too much these days.

I know there are now many more platforms on which to buy and sell i.e. Facebook, Depop, Amazon, Etsy,etc. etc., but eBay is still my marketplace of choice for most things and the thrill of the auction is still exciting if you get what you want for the price you want to pay.

Do you ever buy on eBay?