eBay Errors

So, like many brides, when Mr. Sam and I got married, we registered for fine china.  I registered for a brand and pattern of china that has been around for 100+ years.  But, like many brides, I didn't end up receiving a full set of china, since the fine china I registered for was and is expensive (think $150 for a dinner plate).

Now, five years later I have discovered that since my china has been around for so long, I can find it on eBay for prices that are much more favorable.  So, what do I do, I get excited and start bidding on my china.  Three soup bowls for $30, that sounds like a bargain, bid away.  $10 for an egg cup, deal!

Guess what, I am not an eBay expert and I've realized that I've skipped over a very important part of eBay bidding process . . . and that is actually reading the item description.  Because, as you may have guessed, I now have three soup bowls, but all three have chips on the rim.  And my egg cup has a crack.  Luckily, I've only spent $40 on this experiment.  But, its certainly a wasted $40 because really, I can't do much with chipped and cracked fine china.  

So, what have I learned.  I need to make sure I click through and actually read the description, because based on my two purchases, both sellers fully disclosed that the items I was purchasing had flaws.  But, since I had bid before I read, that information wasn't particularly helpful.  Additionally, a very low price likely indicates a flaw.  How did I win the auction for three soup bowls at $30, no one else wanted them because of the rim chips.  

At present, I am watching six dinner plates (no flaws) and the auction price is up to $305.  I don't expect to bid on the plates since it outside my budget but six perfect plates would be a deal since at retail cost they would run $900.

How about you, have you had success on eBay?