Buying on EBAY ??

dungeon.master · Post by **dungeon.master** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 11:06 pm

Hi !

Being a fan of DM and CSB for long time, I have pleasure to discover such great sites like dmweb.free.fr or this one.

I'm now interrested in buying the several versions of the 5 games (DM, CSB, DM II, Theron Quest and Nexus), in the way to increase the common database and share with all fans, so I'm searching on the web.
I found many offers on EBAY, but I'm a little affraid of using credit card !

Is someone using EBAY ?
How do you pay ?
Are they *&!*à**cky guys ?
Are the games received in good or bad state (due to use or shipping)?

Please tell me

Thank you

dungeon.master

Unlucky_Mule · Post by **Unlucky_Mule** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 12:01 am

I have had all good experience with eBay. I think it is great.

For payments, you have to agree with the seller on a method. There are money orders and COD of course. For credit card, there are several online payment services (e.g. PayPal, which is now integrated into eBay's system). Payment services charge a small fee, but to the seller only, so you don't have be concerned as a buyer. I find the online payment quick and easy, and safe.

As for the condition of the product, it is good to ask questions of the seller. Pictures -- usually included in the listing -- will tell you a lot. And proper packaging will protect shipments (most sellers do a great job at this from my experience).

For protection to you, they have the feedback system (works fairly well), buyer's insurance (crappy, but at least something), and dispute resolution services. I have not had any problems yet to date.

You can read a lot more about this and other stuff in the help secitons on eBay. They are very informative.

Be careful, eBay can be addictive...

UM

Post by **cowsmanaut** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 3:25 am

From what I know, Gambit purchased a large number of the many versions from Ebay. In fact he has several version of each game. So I would imagine it's a good way to do it.

Post by **Gambit37** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 12:08 pm

Yes, my entire DM collection was bought using eBay.

Generally, it's easy to get DM, CSB, Therons Quest and DM2 (and all the versions of each). Nexus is harder to come by, but they are out there. I actually got mine from a retro games dealer in the USA (can't remember the URL).

It's also possible to get hold of rarer items if you're lucky -- you just need to keep looking on a regular basis. I managed to get the first edition Atari ST DM (only 1000 were made), in excellent condition. I've also just recently got the Japanese Sega CD version of DM2, and a DM2 promotional t-shirt!

The stuff that you won't be able to get hold of easily is the Fm-Towns, X68000 and PC98 versions of DM and CSB. I've found this stuff on the Japanese Yahoo auctions regularly, but have yet to find someone who can deal in English and who will ship internationally....

Post by **Gambit37** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 12:19 pm

Regarding buying on eBay, here's a few tips:

1) Don't deal with anyone with a poor feedback rating. Lots of red comments are a bad sign! However, if someone has say a rating of 100 and only one or 2 negatives, they are usually OK -- just make sure you read the negatives to find out what happened.

2) Make sure you're aware of postage costs before bidding, especially if you're bidding internationally. If they are not listed, ask for a quote beforehand.

3) Don't be tempted to bid on items that don't have photographs, UNLESS the seller can guarantee that they'll give you a refund if you're not happy. Check their feedback records and their terms if unsure.

4) Don't be afraid to ask! Many people don't put enough detail in their descriptions because they are trying to make a quick sale. If there's something you need to know, ask the seller first. In my experience, most people are helpful. But don't leave the questions until the last few days -- ask early! For the 1st edition Atari ST version I bought, the seller had used a picture of the NORMAL version nicked from a games site. If I hadn't asked, I'd never have known!

5) If you're careful, you shouldn't be ripped off. Out of 184 transactions, I've had problems 5 times. My feedback record is 100% positive.

6) Check the auctions regularly for new items -- I check at least twice a week to be sure I don't miss anything interesting.

7) Set limits. No matter how much you want something, set realistic spending limits for what you can afford, and don't go above them. eBay makes it easy to do this -- you just put your maximum in up front and keep bidding for you until you reach the maximum. But it's easy to carried away....! The rare 1st edition Atari St version cost me $75 USD -- I just didn't want to let it get away -- even though I had set my original limit at $50, I kept topping it up!

8) Read between the lines when viewing descriptions, especially if an item is described as RARE. People use this as way of generating more interest and it's generally never true. I've seen DM2 listed as RARE well over one hundred times -- if it's so rare, why are there so many on eBay? Converesly, you may find that the genuinely rare items aren't described as such, so keep your eyes peeled. Just use your common sense. You'll be at an advantage because you (hopefully) know about the stuff you're looking for so you're unlikely to be fooled by this.

9) Have fun! It's great to get stuff through the post, especially when it's something you've wanted for a long time....

PicturesInTheDark · Post by **PicturesInTheDark** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 4:56 pm

Never tried eBay so far, but after that description I might give it a go some time. Thanks, Gambit!

Regards, PitD

dungeon.master · Post by **dungeon.master** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 10:22 pm

Hi Gambit37 !

Thanks for the great help

and the tricks

I'm happy to he heard about your positive experience and about the possibilities to find easily much of the versions, even the rarest.

I recently said to ChristopheF (DM and CSB Encyclopedia) about the DM Atari ST version 1.3 (French), that i get on original disk.

Do you have it ?

Where can I find the list of the different versions of the 5 games ?

Thanks

Bye

dungeon.master

PicturesInTheDark · Post by **PicturesInTheDark** » Mon Aug 18, 2003 11:20 am

What list are you talking about? You can download DM classic, CSBwin, DMII from the encyclopedia and RTC at http://ragingmole.com/RTC/.

Regards, PitD

Post by **ChristopheF** » Mon Aug 18, 2003 7:22 pm

I am far from having all the versions on my site. I have at least one for each platform, but I know lots are missing. Here are the versions I know for sure:
DM
ST: 1.0 EN, 1.1 EN, 1.2 EN, 1.3 FR
Amiga: 1.0 EN, 2.0 EN, 2.0 FR, 2.1 EN, 2.2 EN, 3.6 Multilanguage (FR GE EN)

CSB
ST: 2.0 EN
Amiga (game disk): 2.0 EN, 3.1 MultiLanguage (FR GE EN), 3.3 Multilanguage (FR GE EN), 3.5 Multilanguage (FR GE EN)
Amiga (utility disk): French, German, English Release 1 2 and 3

If you know other versions, please report them here so that we may compile a complete list of all the various versions that were ever released (at least on ST and Amiga).

Unlucky_Mule · Post by **Unlucky_Mule** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 1:41 am

Does anyone who worked for FTL ever help you guys out with this stuff?

UM

PicturesInTheDark · Post by **PicturesInTheDark** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 12:17 pm

I don't think so. This is still not legal -strictly speaking- and probably only being accepted so far because no commercial use is made of it. The rights still remain with FTL and it is unlikely they will allow access to the versions unless the software is ever released as free.

Regards, PitD

dungeon.master · Post by **dungeon.master** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 10:01 pm

Hi Christophe !

Thanks for the infos: that's what i'm searching.

There are ENglish, FRench, GErman versions of DM and CSB
What about italian or spanish or other languages ?

For DM II, Theron Quest and DM Nexus it seems to exists also Japanese versions ?

Hard to find !!
I'm looking on e-bay for more news.

bye

dungeon.master