Experience with buying brand name cribs from eBay?

[akc]

Hi all -

I'm an avid eBay shopper (got many a bargain for my daughter), but have always been a bit gun shy when it came to big furniture. I'm having our second and saw a crib I like on eBay. It's a brand name that is coming from an individual family who claims that their child never used it. It's a great deal b/c it includes a Colgate mattress and the total is about $400 under what I could buy the set for (it's a top Italian manufacturer - though it's 2 years old, the model of the crib is still available new from the manufacturer) Caveat - this doesn't include shipping but even with that, it's still a big savings. We're looking to save for this time around - hadn't planned on getting 2 cribs, but our DD will only be 20 months, and I don't think we want to put her in a big girl bed that quickly.

Can anyone share their experience buying cribs, especially from an individual, on eBay? Should I trust the "never used" or just assume it's not safe (of course, pictures show it to be in excellent condition). I need your advice - thanks!

Alexa

[angusmom]

I havent bought furniture on eBay, but I would just say be very careful because furniture is difficult to sell mail order for even the most experienced retailers. For a private individual to sell a crib and pack it properly to ship it is very iffy. Furniture is very easily damaged in shipping and it could get ugly if the crib arrives and you don't like the condition and have to fight with them. If not packed properly, it could be scratched from the parts rubbing together, get nicked, cracked, split, or worse.

Make sure they are providing you with all of the original hardware and the original manufacturer's instructions. Have them detail every single defect/scratch in the item so when it arrives you will know what could be new damage and what was existing. And be sure to know the shipping charges up front. Cribs are usually over maximum size for UPS and FedEx ground shipping. Which means if the carrier is even nice enough to accept the package, there could be an additional $50-75 surcharge on top of the Oversized Category 2 shipping fees.

Then of course there's the regular stuff you probably already know about eBay. Check the seller's feedback record, make sure you can pay on credit card so you can dispute the charge if there is a problem, etc etc.

To check and make sure the crib meets current safety standards, you can check for recalls at cpsc.gov. Get the actual manufacturer's name and model number from the seller and you can call the original manufacturer too.

Have fun! I had a very, very bad experience on eBay in Jul/August (over a $13 item I bought) and am very soured on it right now. But I hope to put it behing me and use eBay again eventually!

[skygoddess]

Hi,
I purchased a new Childesigns crib for my DD on Ebay and was very pleased with the transaction. I can't remember the seller's ID off the top of my head, but he sold only nursery furniture and had several hundred positive feedbacks. We've been so pleased with it we also bought a second crib from the seller for our new baby due next month. There might be more risk inherent with buying from an individual seller, but probably not any more so than buying any used item on Ebay. I would make sure the seller has lots of positive feedback and no negative feedback, and also verify that they will offer insurance on shipping. You may also want to request they send additional photos to show the condition of the crib. If they don't seem cooperative, I would hesitate to bid since they may be difficult to work with if there any problems.
Hope this helps,
Nancy

[kpozzi1]

I recently purchased a four piece crib set on Ebay from a company called IEPVisions. I was wary about the purchase but they had almost 9,000 reviews and 98% of them had positive feedback. I am still awaiting delivery on my items (problems with FedEx not IEP) so I can not comment on my own furniture but I went to visit a friend this weekend that ordered her furniture from the same company and I really, really liked hers. It was all wood and appeared to be really good quality. Like other posts, I think you take your chances when you buy off Ebay but I've never had a bad experience yet. It may be more difficult buying from an individual than a company but I've never had problems with either. Just review their feedback and make sure that you pay with a credit card. Good luck!

[houseof3boys]

I think it is fine as long as you do your homework. I bought our dining room table (a 1950's Heywood Wakefield) and chairs off of ebay. I could have bought it locally but never found the chair design that I liked. I emailed other people on their feedback list and felt pretty comfy. I know the big scam is a seller have people post or they themselves post transactions and feedback but the feedback didn't seem fake. I also check out the feedback of the people that are giving the feedback and see what kinds of things they buy. It is like spying almost but I think you can tell a lot and tell if they are falsifying a rating.

I also bought our Pali crib NIB off of ebay and saved a good bit even with $75 shipping cost. I would find out what their process is to return if it is damaged.