Let me just start out by saying that Ebay is a great website that executes an amazing concept. Allowing anyone, anywhere to sell anything they have to people all over the world while also allowing people to find virtually anything they are looking for, is truly amazing.
However, there are downsides to purchasing through Ebay and there is definitely something to be said for purchasing network equipment or anything really from a vendor that you trust and have a great relationship with.
What Are the Downsides?
I am in no way saying that you should never buy IT gear from Ebay. I am merely stating that Ebay should be one of the many resources that you keep in your sourcing arsenal. In fact, many secondary market resellers use Ebay as a resource to find accurate market pricing and sell their products. The problem is, that you can never really be 100% sure if the ebay seller you are buying from is reputable or not before you make a purchase.
The sad truth is that for every reputable secondary market reseller selling on Ebay, there is a, shall we say, not so stellar seller. Some of these dubious sellers are outright scammers and some of them are inventory ghosters. Either way, I can assure you that taking a chance on either will not be pleasant.
In fact, Ebay is the number one place where you will encounter inventory ghosting. Which is most likely due to the fact that there is no way a seller can prove that they actually own the equipment that they are selling. It is this loophole that allows these types of sellers to advertise equipment that do not have in stock, aka Ghost another resellers inventory, which alters the true value of the unit and effects the secondary IT market, and not in a good way!
What can you do?
As I previously stated, Ebay should be one of the many resources that you use when you are sourcing your servers, routers, switches and firewalls. This cache of resources should also include a secondary market reseller whom you have an established relationship with or at the very least comes highly recomended. This way you can use ebay as more of a market pricing tool to help you to ascertain an appropriate figure to expect from your reseller when you request a quote
What if you have no other option?
We have all come across an elusive item that is difficult to source. It is with these items, that you will find you have no other options than to purchase directly from an Ebay seller. Keeping in mind that there is always a risk when buying through Ebay, there are a few things that you can do, before you purchase, to minimize your chances of being scammed.
- Always check the seller’s feedback
- Try to contact the seller and directly ask if the item is in stock
- Request serial numbers
- Make sure you receive a legitimate tracking number
- Pay with paypal to protect yourself if the seller is a scammer
Doing a little research on a seller is never a bad idea and any of the aforementioned request will not be out of the ordinary or an inconvenience to a reputable reseller. If the seller refuses any of the requests or gives you a difficult time for asking, you should seriously reconsider purchasing from them.
The Bottom Line
Ebay is a great is a great resource when all of the when everyone plays fair. Unfortunately there will always be someone looking to cheat the system to make a quick buck. As a buyer, the best way you can utilize Ebay is as a tool for pricing research to educate yourself on the current value of the networking equipment you are looking to purchase. Setting up appropriate expectations of the quote prices you will receive from your secondary market reseller. When all else fails, and Ebay is your resource for a particular item, doing your homework on a seller will greatly reduce your chances of an unsatisfactory Ebay experience.
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