Genealogy Chat

I have just been on E Bay looking at the genealogy auction items. Becareful I have just seen the Vital Records Index Latest Edition going for £72. This can be purchased from the LDS site for £22.95. Jackie

Hi, how do you find the LDS site to purchase items? Christine

Here is the link http://www.lds.org.uk/acatalog/LDS_Online_Catalogue_British_Isles_111.html Jackie

The LDS site is in the Links on this site then go into Software FAmily history. You can buy it from there and the number is 08 700 10 20 51 British Isles Vital Records Index 2 Edition cost £22 95 and the British 1881census is £29 95 inc p+p Mary

I've also seen the Vital Records Index Latest Edition going for £70 + in last few months, I was following the bids and when they went past £25 I thought hang on it doesnt cost that to buy it in the first place, someones making a killing somewhere! I often thought about emailing the bidders and letting them know they can get it cheaper direct from the LDS, but didnt want to cause any trouble. I hate to seen people getting ripped off.

Well, you know what they say about fools and their money. Seriously, I would never buy anything on E-bay without checking the new price first! If people know enough about genealogy to know what the VRI is, then surely it isn't beyond them to track down genealogy suppliers' websites?

I am selling mine as I couldnt find any of my names on it. I have started it at a tenner as I have only looked at a few of the cds.

Well I must say when I saw the figure £72. I'm very tempted to sell my copy as I must say it has been very dissapointing. I have found no details of my rellies on it at all. I don't think anyone is being ripped of though as it is really down too the individual to check the price out. Jackie

When i first started this hobby, my hubby thought he was being helpful and bidded on e-bay for the 1881 census(new) Not knowing we could buy it from LDS he put in top bid of £45. After he'd put in this bid, some kind soul mailed him to tell him of the LDS site and how he could buy it. Needless to say he wasn't outbid and he ended up paying £45 for it. Just wish he'd been mailed sooner..............expensive mistake Shelli

A CD of the British Surname Atlas sold on ebay recently for £21.05 (plus £1 p/p). It's available from TWR computing for £14.95 (free postage) http://www.twrcomputing.freeserve(.)co(.)uk/software(.)htm I've been tracking the genealogy CDs on ebay for a few weeks on the look-out for a bargain. However, I've hardly seen anything worth buying being sold for less than the price the suppliers charge. It seems some people on ebay are buying in CDs and selling them to unsuspecting newbies. A couple of weeks ago, it was flooded with a copies of the 1851 census for four counties, which is available from LDS for about a fiver. People were paying £20 or £30!! What a shame ebay is being used like this! I've bought some CDs new (because they were cheaper) and, having used them, want to sell them to raise some money to buy new ones. I'd like to think people could find something they need at less than the 'new' price, but I'm a bit reluctant to use ebay now because it seems to be getting a bad reputation for its genealogy CDs. Sue

If you want to sell things on ebay but don't want to rip people off, you can put a 'Buy It Now' icon on your ad. This way it is possible to get the price you want for the item without buyers paying over the odds for it. If the item isn't bought in this way, then it is still auctioned in the same way. (As far as I understand it!)

On the subject of should we email the bidder to inform them that the new price is much cheaper. I did that to two people and wouldn't bother again, One didn't reply and the other was abusive. Margaret

Good idea, Cathy! I'll try it next time to see how it works. The only disadvantage is that the listing fee is slightly higher and I'm still a bit confused about what happens if somebody starts the auction off at a lower price...looks like it's just like a normal auction! Hopefully, the more people are aware that these products can be bought new from online suppliers, the less people will get ripped off. Then they will have a choice whether to buy new or possibly pick up a secondhand product at a lower price. Sue

Hi all, just like you I bid on the ebay site and went quite high until someone emailed me telling me the lds was cheaper.I was lucky but I had already bid on it for the nbi. and got it but what a surprise when it came it was a copy, Not realising that I could have done something about it I kept it. It's not very good and this week someone on the Gfh site said that the police are getting involved with the selling of copied and overpriced discs on the ebay site.About time to Jill

On ebay, you have the option of a normal auction or a buy it now only. With that, it only takes one person to hit the button and it is sold, there is no bidding at all.

There's another option too. You can choose a 'buy it now' option in an auction-style listing.....that's the one I think I will go for!

Susan Buy it now in the auction listing means you get to set the price that you would be willing to take straight away for the item. If the first person to come along decides they'd rather bid in an auction then buy it now disappears and it continues like a normal auction. when I'm re-selling items (although I've yet to do it with genealogy cds) I always put into the information the price I originally paid for it - that way no-one is going to bid over the odds yet you will still get a fair amount of your outlay back. Zoe