What is the worst deal you've ever made on eBay?

Although I have no story like that to share about ebay I do want to say I think its all a big scam with the shipping there or something. Just recently I bid on a dirt bike and won (great) but had no idea what the shipping was going to cost. I figured if I bidded on an item here in Canada that shipping wouldnt be that much since where it was being sold was only a day away from me. I was really wrong. Your not allowed to do local pick up even if you live just down the street. Meaning even if I lived next door to the place that was selling it, it was still going to cost me about $400 to get it delievered. Ever since this I dont really see the point in buying on ebay because after shipping expenses you dont really profit or get a deal.

Thank You for asking scorpiobabes one more chance to vent. My handicapped brother-in-law came to live with us because he was no longer able to care for himself and I said I would stay home to be here for him, my husband still works. Anyway for all his life he has used what I call a truckers wallet, you know the kind with the chain. Well I looked everywhere to no avail, then BINGO there it was on E-Bay. I bid, I was happy. I also saw a few other little items that I thought appropriate for gifts, so I E-Mailed the seller asking what the S&H charges were for Canada. I asked twice and got no answer, time was about to run out and I didn't get an answer. Because my items only totalled 33.86 I thought well less than 40.00 can't be too bad so I bought the items. Then I went in to issue an invoice. Well let me tell you the seller was sure quick to issue an invoice because as fast as I could request the invoice it was already there. Here are the details items cost 33.86 the actual S&H charges were 8.05 and I was charged 55.00 for shipping and handling and I got 3 neg. feedbacks besides because I complained. Up to that point I had 100% feedback. I'm SSOOO Not impressed, but I'm done now. Thanks scorpiobabes. Take Care. OH and by the way my 76 year old brother-in-law was happier than a 2 year old, so guess I shouldn't be so upset, Right?

I haven't really had any bad deals when I was buying because I alwasy email the seller if the shipping isn't listed in the auction. If I don't hear back from the seller then I don't buy from them. I have underquoted shipping before for items that I was selling but that is my fault. I just didn't put the corect weight in. I bought a scale, off of eBay, and now I package everything, weigh it and then input the weight into TurboLister and it allows the buyer to see what the cost of shipping will be to ther zip code. For International shipping I always state in my auctions that they can email me with the postal code for a quote or we will figure it out after the auction ends. I am not one of those people who pad their shipping. I ship for what is actaully costs plus $.45 for confirmation. Really it is up to the buyer to ensure that they know and are okay with the shpping costs. By putting in a bid you are agreeing that youhave read all the terms and you agree to them. As a seller I find that it is best to weigh the items and if you weigh it unpacked be sure to add a couple of ounces to that weight to get a good estimate. I think that all seller should be required to clearly state the shipping charges in the auction. I always do.

I made some truly dreadful mistakes when I first stated with eBay. I saw a gorgeous gothic mirror and fell in love with it instantly. I bid, and bid again and finally won the mirror for way more than I should have paid, and eagerly awaited the delivery. It finally arrived after a couple of weeks of anticipation, and it was the most horrible thing I have ever seen. It looked nothing like the photograph on the auction site, but it was definitely the same mirror. It was battered and damaged, inadequately packaged and tarnished. No amount of restoration would ever be enough to make this a thing of beauty. I learnt my lesson the hard way, now I am very careful with my purchases.

i found a book i wanted for 50p kept getting outbid and in the ebd i got it, ............. for £13.50 arghhhhhh i couldn't undo it because i didn't know how hope this helps

Oh, I made HORRENDOUS mistakes regarding shipping, ESPECIALLY for overseas shipments! I'm not doing much with Ebay any more, though. I sell used books, and they're doing MUCH better on Amazon.

oh my god, LOL yeah be careful next time, and try not to forget to weigh your commodity. well lessons learned this time... good day

So many to count since I have been on eBay for since inception but the worst to date is selling one of my white fox coats that I paid $600 for and sold it for $200, never again

I charge actual shipping, so, I pack it , weigh it, measure it, then email the prospective buyer with the price. I put in the listing what I think the approximate price will be, then if they ask for any exact amount, I send that.

I personally haven't made any really bad deals, but yesterday I saw that someone was selling an empty plastic Wal-Mart shopping bag, and someone had placed a bit for $30. I was shocked as heck!

I would say not charging the right amount for postage. So I joined stamps.com and got a digital postage weight machine for nothing. It's only good up to 5 lbs., but most of the stuff I sell is under that, so it worked out fine for me. I am so careful about what I buy on ebay, I love a lot of what I see so I ask a lot of questions. The answers usually stop me from making a bad mistake.

LOL, Thanks for the laugh. I have made some under calculations in shipping too . But we learn by our mistakes. Thanks for the giggle.

I've had mistakes regarding postage before but usually it's to overseas destinations and i've either misweighed the item or by the item i've added protective packaging it's jumped into the next size bracket. I've found the easiest thing to do is to list the most expensive price for postage on my auctions - when it ends, if it's a real big difference in price i can always refund them the extra money. It's easier to refund then to ask people for more money because that rarely happens. Can't you have one of those postage caculators on your auctions if you live in the US? That way people can just work out their own postage without having to bother you regarding it. [Not sure on this - i've just seen it on a lot of auctions in the past]

Shipping has gotten me in the past as well. I learned from experience to be more careful and weigh everything, sometimes weigh it twice. If I have the right weight and measurements I just put the shipping calculator on the auction which allows the buyer to put in their information and gives them the right shipping amount. Good Luck with your future endeavors on EBay!