[-dustin]

so the 26th marks the 3rd year my g/f and i have been together. i know what she wants and it's really the only thing i want to get for her, but there are 2 problems.

1) retail is close to $200, which at the time, neither of us can afford...we generally like to save our money for Christmas.

2) the closest retailer is a 4hr drive away.

ebay has many ________ NIB, for a fraction of the normal cost. i had planned on getting this for her since she first mentioned it way back in May.

ladies, would it be cheap of me to buy it off eBay?

guys, would you buy your s/o something off eBay?

--edit--

oh, and i'm already working on the Christmas gift, so i can't really push this back.

 

[Andy_B]

If its NIB why not....

I just bought my Sisters wedding gift from ebay... a new digi camera... saved myself 200$

Money is Money

 

[partsbara]

i don t think it really matters... like it or not, you can save $$$ on e bay sometimes...

depends what it is tho'.... i mean as a gift...

 

[Capt. Jack Sparrow]

I don't think you would be considered "cheap" for buying it off of Ebay. If it's new and in new condition (and not stolen), you're just being smart for buying it off of Ebay. Good luck, and congrats on being together for so long!

 

[sanjuro]

I will buy from ebay vendors. I bought a digital scale for about a 1/3 less for retail. It was brand new and works great.

 

[Slugman]

You're not being cheap... You're being resourceful

 

[mcA896]

tell us what it is. and dont tell her where you got it.

 

[OGRipper]

She doesn't need to know where you got it and she shouldn't care, as long as it's not stolen. Maybe you are worried about her feeling bad if she thinks you paid full price, or yourself feeling guilty unless you tell her it was less? You can always tell her later, at the right time, that it wasn't exactly full price.

Think of it this way: If she knew you wanted some bike part, and the only way she could get it for you was through e-bay, and it was totally legit and exactly what you wanted, would YOU care?

 

[-dustin]

argh. i'm questioning the authenticity. damn scammers have to weird me out.

on a better note, her Christmas gift is going to be a custom RELoad.

 

[skinny mike]

if you feel cheap about buying something for less than retail or she makes you feel cheap when you buy something for less than retail, that means she cares more about how much something is worth than what it really is. if its legit go with wherever you can find the best deal on it since it is your money and its not worth it to go broke because of a gift.

 

[binary visions]

There's no reason to not buy it on eBay except for all of the normal reasons you'd not buy something on eBay - doubts about authenticity, doubts about buyer reliability, etc.

That said, I would not advertise the fact that you bought it on eBay - simply because eBay has some negative connotations as being cheap/crappy, even though you can get quality goods. However, if your girlfriend is polite, she should not be asking where you bought it anyway.

If it's jewelry, be extra cautious. The seller may be good and the jewelry might still be crap. I don't like to buy jewelry without having seen it in person first.

 

[-dustin]

if you feel cheap about buying something for less than retail or she makes you feel cheap when you buy something for less than retail, that means she cares more about how much something is worth than what it really is. if its legit go with wherever you can find the best deal on it since it is your money and its not worth it to go broke because of a gift.

it's not that i feel cheap...i don't know what it is. it satisfies me buying from a store with real people helping me. does that make sense?

 

[mcA896]

no. now tell us what it is that you're buying

 

[hooples3]

No its not cheap to get something off of ebay.. as long as its the same item you are looking to buy and not a replica or something.... for instance you can find Coach bags cheap on ebay... it dioesnt mean they are real.. id rather buy from the store and make sure it is

 

[johnbryanpeters]

it's not that i feel cheap...i don't know what it is. it satisfies me buying from a store with real people helping me. does that make sense?

So toss a coin. You asked a question, got answers, now make a decision and live with it.

 

[narlus]

there are plenty of legit retailers who use eBay as an alternate way to sell stuff. it's not just aunt erma emptying out her attic.

 

[-dustin]

So toss a coin. You asked a question, got answers, now make a decision and live with it.

i did. kinda weird that mostly guys answered.

 

[sunny]

i did. kinda weird that mostly guys answered.

It doesn't matter where you get it. If ebay has it, get it on ebay.

And BTW, it's really thoughtful of you to do everything you can to get this item she wants when you really can't afford it. Must be love.

 

[-dustin]

no. now tell us what it is that you're buying

well, i haven't gotten her anything yet, and i've switched ideas. i've wanted to get her a particular Coach wallet that they haven't made for a while. g/f found the matching purse at Nordstrom about 5 months ago on sale for like 50% off, and surprisingly, i actually liked it (we had looked at them before, but the price was too much). so now, the wallet's on eBay. i hate the wallet she's using now. far from functional, and it annoys me every time she busts it out. gonna go to Nordstrom's today, and the Coach store just to see if it's sitting hidden somewhere on sale for cheap ($225 is a little outrageous, in my books)). if not, i'll persue eBay.

 

[BigMike]

all this for a wallet?

And who the hell spends $200+ on a wallet?!

I was hoping it was somthing from the special "adult" section of Ebay

 

[Radarr]

Ahhh, the expensive purse/wallet game. Be sure, if you want a real one, don't buy it from Ebay. 95% of them, you just can't be sure, no matter how many times they write "Genuine" or "Authentic" in their ad. Same thing goes for designer clothes. I learned that the hard way after I bought my girlfriend a pair of jeans (Nordstorms had them for $180, I got them for $70). They weren't "genuine" like the ad had told me.

Not only that, but if your girlfriend manages to break it, tear it, or in any other way destroy the purse, Nordstorms will take it back and replace it.

People spend/want $200 purses becuase there are $200 purses.

 

[-dustin]

damn, nothing at Nordstrom's, Dillards, or the Coach store. i wish stuff like this wasn't so seasonal.

regarding eBay, is it legal to put "authentic" in the ad if it's not actually legit?

 

[-dustin]

i am a badass. i am the ultimate gift giver.

 

[dexter]

i have bought lots of designer wallets off ebay before for myself and all have been real. ebay is only a crap shoot if you dont read everything perfectly. also highlight the whole article and look for any print that might show up