Craigslist vs. Ebay

hexvectors · Post by **hexvectors** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 9:26 pm

What is your opinion on buying off either.

I prefer craigslist for a couple reasons:
local
see/play synth before buying
cheaper (usually)

I have bought only a couple synths off ebay. One showed up on my doorstep broken.

I have also had more luck finding decent ones on craigslist:
Moog Source
SCI Pro-One
Yamaha CS-15
Korg Mono/Poly
Korg Poly 800
EML Electrocomp 101 (hopefully getting today)

All the above mentioned synths were sold to me for a significant amount less than going prices on ebay. I know it's harder to find stuff on craigslist, depending on a lot of factors, but I think the patience pays off.

OriginalJambo · Post by **OriginalJambo** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 9:41 pm

Sound on Sound classified, Gumtree and Adtrader are where I found most of my deals.

Post by **space6oy** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 10:20 pm

unless you live in a major city you have an incredibly lower chance of finding anything good on craigslist.

i hate ebay and paypal's seller fees though.
ebay should be paying paypal for their simplification of transactions and making their money off of advertisements.

Post by **wiss** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 10:42 pm

Paypal is owned by Ebay.

The only problem I have had on craigslist is showing up to some jackkass place and then having him change the price. I have has this happened 3 times.

Z · Post by Z » Thu Nov 22, 2007 10:48 pm

Ebay acquired Paypal in 2002.

I have found pretty good deals on both eBay and Craigslist. I do like Craiglist since it is for local sales. I'm in Dallas, so there's a pretty decent used gear market. When I was in LA back in May, I emailed several Craigslist sellers, but recieved few replies. I have also found it easier to "haggle" and "deal" with local sellers. It's also nice to be able to wrap up a transation within a day or so without having to wait days for an auction to end.

The best thing about eBay is being able to browse the whole plantet's sellers' goods. Also, sellers are more likely to list larger, big-ticket items on eBay since they'll have a broader audience of buyer, therefore getting the most they can get for an item. I also like to find auctions that have mispelled titles, resulting in fewer hits from seaches. If you can communicate with the seller beore he ships to make sure the item is properly packaged, that will help termendously.

As an eBay seller (furniture), it does suck to pay thier selling fees and then Paypal fees, but compared to the money I spend in local advertising, eBay creates the most sales for my store. Shipping is a pain in the a*s and many times a deal breaker.

Z

Post by **space6oy** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 10:53 pm

didn't even know ebay owns paypal. even more reason there shouldn't be a percentage taken on transactions received.

i_watch_stars · Post by **i_watch_stars** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 11:22 pm

I have actually found craigslist to be a bit pricier, in terms of what people are asking for, than ebay. Ebay is self-contained, so it stabilizes the market price of an item. At least in the Seattle area, craigslist people seem to be oblivious of the market price.

This can of course be a good thing if they are underestimating the market price. For example, I saw a creamface Matrix 1000 for 100$ on craigslist a while ago. I guess it is just farther down the extreme, toward the "garage sale" end of the market.

Entropy Farmer · Post by **Entropy Farmer** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 4:57 am

Yeah, craigslist has much more variance. The norm seems to be above ebay averages around here, though.

xpander · Post by **xpander** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 9:47 am

i prefer craigslist, but they are both local businesses to me, eBay HQ is about 5 miles from me, and i remember craigslist when it was more of a bay area event list. i believe eBay bought a 25% stake in craigslist, btw, reminiscent of when eBay failed with BidPay and then just bought the competition (the once noble 'we make money on the float' PayPal). my, remember when PayPal actually gave you money to open an account? the golden era...

that said, check out my bitchin Mono/Poly, i found it on craigslist a few days ago. the Radias above it is also craigslist, the PolyEvolver is eBay.

otto · Post by **otto** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 6:23 pm

I prefer ebay because it basically has what you want when you want it. I can go weeks without seeing a real synth on the local craigslist. When I do people generally think their item if worth the highest amount garnered in an ebay auction. Some people try to sell their 90's digital rompler junk for far more than its value anywhere. That said, everyone once in a while good deals come along. I got a poly-800 for $50. Could buy a D-20, w/mixer for $75 if I wanted it. Saw a working arp omni + keyboard amp for $100 but it was taken when I called. I mean craigslist is worth looking at for deals but they are few and far between.

hexvectors · Post by **hexvectors** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:39 am

I guess I must just be lucky.

My poly 800 was only $40

The other stuff were decent prices (on average $100-300 less than eBay), not steals, except maybe the mono/poly in mint condition for $375.

micahjonhughes · Post by **micahjonhughes** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:48 am

I've gotten several good deals from CraigsList but also buy a lot from ebay. Craigslist is a real gamble, anything that is good is gone immediately. You've got to watch it and act fast.

Johnny Lenin · Post by **Johnny Lenin** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 7:40 pm

I've found that prices tend to be higher on Craigslist than eBay -- at least in NYC -- even when you factor in shipping. On the other hand, it depends on what you're shopping for. Combo organ prices are ridiculously inflated on eBay these days, with Voxes and Farfisas in pretty sorry state going for $500+. On the other hand, there's a Jaguar that's still at about $230 as I type this. I find Craigslist pretty good for those "I found this organ that's been in the attic since my garage band broke up in 1968 when I went to college" deals.

Box · Post by **Box** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 4:04 am

space6oy wrote:unless you live in a major city you have an incredibly lower chance of finding anything good on craigslist.

I second that.... Gah, I hate living in a synth-deadzone..

xpander · Post by **xpander** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:34 am

Johnny Lenin wrote:I've found that prices tend to be higher on Craigslist than eBay ...

every synth i've ever bought from craigslist i've bargained down from asking price with the exception of my Juno 2: it was dirt cheap and like new, including it's Roland hard case.