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0 pointsMBCook13y ago0 comments

I sold my iPhone 4 on Gazelle. I know I could have got more through Craigslist or eBay, but it wasn't worth my time.

With eBay I have to photograph it, write it up, list it, answer ridiculous questions about shipping it to the 3rd world and take payment in the form of casino chips mailed to me in a few months. Then I have to deal with the buyer, ship it, and the whole time I have to be worried about scammers. All the time I'm competing against companies that are listing 50 iPhones a day because that's their fulltime job and my account hasn't been used in 4 years. I wouldn't buy from me in that circumstance.

With Craigslist, things are a bit worse. Not only do you get occasional scammer emails, but I have to meet the person to physically sell the item. I've had people stand me up numerous times, be continually able to schedule, etc. And when I do meet up with someone, they could give me fake money, or just steal the item, or refuse to buy it meaning I have to go through the whole thing again.

With Gazelle I got a perfectly fair bid. I hit accept and in a day or two a box showed up on my door. Put the phone in it, dropped it off at a UPS store, and in a few days I got my Amazon gift card. No weird fraudsters, and I spent a total of about 10 minutes of my time. In return I got a price I was quite happy with, an easy experience, and I was able to use the money to help support my Amazon habit.

Worst case scenario, Gazelle could have said no and shipped the phone back to me. I wouldn't be out any money (unlike if I paid for eBay shipping), and I could have sold it on Craigslist.

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3 comments · 1 top-level

DanBlake13y ago· 2 in thread

If you were willing to take $250 less for saving 5 minutes time, by all means. Most of your complaints are made up though (casino chips, third world, etc.. )

I dont use craigslist, so I cant answer to that. I find the eBay process mostly fine, with the exception of not being able to specify who can bid/buy. If they did that it would be a way more reliable experience.

MBCookOP13y ago

It was two years old and it wasn't in great condition. I priced it out and I think it cost me about $50 or so, which was worth it for the total lack of hassle.

The complaints for eBay etc. are exaggerated, but they are a problem. The last few times I listed things on eBay it didn't matter that I set the item to only be sold in the US, only paid through PayPal, etc. I got messages from people offering to buy it if I would just ship it out of the country and accept a money order. Then there are the messages offering to buy it if I contact them directly and cancel the auction so they can save the fee. You see that kind of stuff now and then on Craigslist too.

The amount of time and hassle I saved was worth far more than $50. If it had been $250, I would have certainly gone with Craigslist.

brigade13y ago

Unless you're a regular eBay seller, selling one phone on eBay is going to eat up a lot more than 5 minutes of your time. And that's the whole point - eBay is terrible for selling newish electronics unless you're a frequent eBay seller like yourself. To the point that people will willingly accept $200 less (eBay fees!) to avoid it.

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