Never used gumtree before so I thought I'd check it out for some bike / bike related bits . My three minute consensus is I wont bother again , at least ebay is user friendly, IMO. Anybody here agree or should I persevere.
I've never used Gumtree, but have seen a lot of post on here about scams. I've had very few problems with eBay, just the odd non paying bidder.
Gumtree is good if you can go pick it up. It's often people that don't want to pay for eBay or have stolen it. You can make your mind up when you meet the seller. Never ever send money.
As Tom has said, if you are buying......................always go and collect in person and pay on collection. Never ever under any circumstances pay beforehand if you are using Gumtree...........................................a better than 50/50 chance it's a scam or rip off of some kind.
eBay has a bigger audience but last year on gumtree I picked up a nearly new boxed iMac and a good LG 32" TV for at least 25% less than the cheapest eBay prices. Advantage is the stuff is local, the seller is motivated and once you have seen the item and you're happy with it usually there is a deal to be done for cash.
I've sold excess gig tix on Gumtree a couple of times. Good that there's no fees but buyers are wary so can get a bit complicated.
I'v bought some bricks and a greenhouse from Gumtree. Both very local and for pennies ! I thought that was what it was invented for ?
It is what it was invented for. But like all good things, at some point the arssholes and rip off merchants get there grubby paws into it and turn it into a wild west free for all.
Got to be eBay for me, I can't quite figure Gumtree and getting it sent saves a lot of time. The eBay protection does help.
You have to look at Gumtree as being the equivalent o fthe old "free ads" columns in local papers. That said, it doesn't have to be local - I've driven miles to get a good Gumtree bargain, and one lady drove at least 100 miles to collect some children's bedroom furniture from me. Always cash on collection. You can get some good deals, and it can be a conveient way to offload some stuff - especially bulkier items. I have met some very nice people buying and selling, but recently I have seen some deterioration in the quality of clientele - I currently have a couple of cheap items up for sale (which will go to ebay next); I have had emails from people trying to reduce the price in advance of any visit. One guy has even asked me to take an item to a local pickup point (some sort of cheap courier service - not cheap for me to drive 5 miles there though!) because he is not local, and at the same time asked how I wished to be paid, and whether I would take £10 (rather than £20). I have not bothered to reply. When looking for stuff, it can also be worth trying preloved.co.uk
