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eBay vs Alibaba?

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    MetalPhil started this thread.
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    eBay vs Alibaba?

    Which do you prefer for scrap trading purposes, and why? And is there another medium for scrap like these two?



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    How do you use eBay for scrapping? How do you use Alibaba for scrapping. I have used eBay for selling items for better than scrap value and buying. I can't remember using Alibaba for anything.

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    I wouldn't trust Alibaba with a 10 foot pole unless you really don't care if the ChiComs know everything about you through that website. Just my opinion...

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    You can find a lot on alibaba you can't on Ebay due to restrictions.

    I don't buy or sell with Alibaba tho. Ebay gets me the customers I want..US residents. I don't do the whole "World wide" thing. To much risk an the reward just isn't worth it for all the hoops an red tape one must deal with depending on the country. Hell I don't do resales either anymore these days with either company. I may use EBay now an then to buy something but far rarer for me to sell on there.

    Did enough dealing with ebay before I got into scrapping/ewaste. No desire to go back to it.

    For the reasons I put an the others posted before me. If I HAD to choose one, it would be Ebay hands down.

    Good luck, don't get burned.

    Sirscrapalot - I bet ordering a corona at a bar now is going to be awkward.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sirscrapalot View Post
    You can find a lot on alibaba you can't on Ebay due to restrictions.

    I don't buy or sell with Alibaba tho. Ebay gets me the customers I want..US residents. I don't do the whole "World wide" thing. To much risk an the reward just isn't worth it for all the hoops an red tape one must deal with depending on the country. Hell I don't do resales either anymore these days with either company. I may use EBay now an then to buy something but far rarer for me to sell on there.

    Did enough dealing with ebay before I got into scrapping/ewaste. No desire to go back to it.

    For the reasons I put an the others posted before me. If I HAD to choose one, it would be Ebay hands down.

    Good luck, don't get burned.

    Sirscrapalot - I bet ordering a corona at a bar now is going to be awkward.
    Great suggestion! Thank you.

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    Just an opinion, but Alibaba seems more for the purpose of facilitating global trade of Chinese manufactured goods

    Interesting stories on Jack Ma as of late. Alibbaba has made him very wealthy and he's been doing some philanthropic work to help with the Covid-19 pandemic by freeing up supplies of masks & testing kits and then donating them to other nations. Some question his motives but they may be no more suspect than the Bill & Melinda Gates helping with epidemics in poorer nations.

    Maybe it's just a rich guy trying to do the right thing and help folks out.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sirscrapalot View Post
    Ebay gets me the customers I want..US residents. I don't do the whole "World wide" thing. To much risk an the reward just isn't worth it for all the hoops an red tape one must deal with depending on the country.
    Using the Global Shipping Program there's no hoops to jump through and much less risk. All the seller has to do is get their item safely to the GSP shipping center in Erlanger, KY. Any shipping related problems after the package leaves Erlanger and it's the GSP's (Pitney Bowes) problem. Out of hundreds of international shipments I've had 3-4 items reported to me by the buyer as having gotten lost or damaged. I inform them who is liable and tell them to contact GSP via eBay. Never here another word. In addition, the buyer can not leave the seller bad (negative) feedback if it's related to shipping.

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    I prefer e-bay over Alibaba. My friend was a victim of an unethical online buying. E-bay is more legitimate. Thankfully no bad experience so far.


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