[suziequeue]

I wonder if it's worth having some sort of feedback list about eBay egg sellers on here - same as with the abattoirs - where people can post their experiences.

[Beewyched]

I wonder if it's worth having some sort of feedback list about eBay egg sellers on here - same as with the abattoirs - where people can post their experiences.

Now that could be a good idea 
 
We've had both good & bad experiences with ebay eggs - we do prefer to collect them where we can & some of the rare breed folks do refuse to post eggs too, so it can be difficult trying to keep gene diversity in some breeds.  When we were up in Scotland, we had someone prepared to travel up from the Isle of White for a particular strain we had, but as we were a bout to move we'd already sold the chicks locally & cheaper than we paid for the eggs   

[Bodger]

You might have situations where good egg sellers from E-bay are slated by folks who haven't got a clue about how to incubate an egg, so probably best not too.

[suziequeue]

Oh - yes - I was thinking along the lines of what's been posted on here about eggs being bought is good faith as one type and then not turning out to be the expected breed.


I hadn't thought about hatch rates and stuff. Yeah - that would be a problem. Maybe the list could be about anything other than hatch rates

[robbiegrant]

I wouldn't do it again...

I am amazed that people still buy eggs off ebay.

[jaykay]

I think that those of us who are used to, and good at, incubating eggs, can tell a reasonable hatch from unreasonable, and know when what we've bought is good quality or not.

I expect about a 50% hatch from eggs that have come through the post. Sometimes it is the only way to get the eggs you're looking for. I've had excellent quality and hatches from eBay eggs.

A 13% hatch is poor, as is three unmatched chicks. The eggs I got this time were also very small, mostly pullets eggs by the look of them, and pullets eggs are for eating not hatching.

[Padge]

I'm currently looking for blue millefleur pekin and can't find them even on fleabay....unless a mixed batch...which I don't want......and i'm with you Jaykay  50% through the post i'm not unhappy with   but would hasten to add have had superb results as well.....

[hughesy]

You might have situations where good egg sellers from E-bay are slated by folks who haven't got a clue about how to incubate an egg, so probably best not too.

That's the problem. When people screw it up they always blame the eggs or the person who sold them.

[jaykay]

But sometimes it is the eggs. Some of us know enough not to 'screw it up'.

[hughesy]

Yes. But I know that the eggs I sell are good and that I pack them well and they are as fresh as possible when I send them out. Sadly I can't select my customers on the basis of their hatching experience or knowledge of incubation. I would if I could.

[harefarm]

I had some eggs from hughsey and they were excellent. Out of 24 eggs 20 hatched. I have bought eggs via ebay aswell most of them with reasonable hatches but one lot I had was 6 white silkie bantams and none of them even started, which could have been the Silkies not performing properly but more likely the fact they used a courier - posted on the Wednesday and arrived on the Monday, full of bubbles. I know it wasn't the incubator as I had a reasonable fertility from the other eggs at least until a 10 minute power cut 2 days before hatch which caused problems with the incubators. I lost half the chicken chicks and a gosling at that point all due to hatch on the Thursday (power cut was on the Tuesday).

I have just received some more eggs off of ebay - 12 buff sussex of which it looks like 11 are fertile and 6 French Black Marans of which I think they are all fertile. They came through the post. But I also went to collect 18 eggs from someone again via ebay and 16 are fertile - Light Sussex, Jersey Giants and a few Gold Laced Orpington (she didn't have enough Light Sussex so made it up with Orpingtons which I was looking at anyway).

[HelenVF]

I have bought eggs on Ebay before and had a decent hatch rate.  I think if a seller has got a positive feedback rating, and the eggs don't hatch, it's just one of those things.  I do think you just have to take the chance.  There are obviously the people who just scam people but I imagine their feedback would be rubbish, or they would have very little feedback.

Helen

[Cluckinggoodpoultry]

I used to buy loads of eggs from ebay, have been very disappointed with the results the past couple of years, there are a couple of people I have purchased from that I would go back to with good packaging and excellent fertility results. But I purchased some eggs of one seller, great feedback, excellent breed standard birds, nice person. 0% fertility, she sent me more eggs which was fabulous, go out 2 from 6 which I thought hey at least I have two, looked a bit strange when hatched as I have the bantam version of the breed so know what they look like. Have 2 what are supposed to be large fowl partridge wyandottes and they have straight combs one is partridge colour the other is barred, they are also very plump and not very tall  . Think they will be free ranging with all the rescues.


I sell quite a few on ebay as well and have had good feedback and fertility through the post has been really good to including eggs sent to the EU.


There are a quite a few sellers on there using pictures of other people's birds and google images and some that just want to make a fast buck. Suppose it's the same in every area but it's a shame.


 The same can be said of some of the buyers though trying to get freebies, a friend of mine who checks fertility and sells loads on ebay had someone purchase 24 eggs from her, 12 of each breed. They wrote to her 10 days after they had supposed to have hatched and said they were all infertile except 1 what was she going to do about it as her kids were devastated. My friend contacted everyone else she had sent eggs to around the same time period and all had good fertility. Have heard of loads of this happening and it's a shame.

[Victorian Farmer]

well i try and meet folk half way i put 2 cocks in each pen but the last 2 months the fertility is bad so i sell the eggs as eating eggs take you re chance .Some one  wonted a incubate full so i said give me 15 pound and take all the eggs from the pens . The other problem is a drum sorter for the post they can go round and round for hour es .Next day post not worth the bother but yes i still buy eggs very safe from the sales .I do get eggs from e bay only eggs in Scotland and next day .I pay big money for some stock the 3 cocks i bought for £150 are no use .my fault

[ScribbleUk]

We both buy and sell eggs via Ebay.  I studiously keep a record of who we buy from and keep a record of eggs that appear infertile, have developed but don't hatch, and successful hatching's.  A couple of times I have bought different breeds from the same breeder and had either consistently poor results or good results from the same breeder.  Keeping a records means I can get in contact with good ones again if I need eggs in the future, and avoid the bad ones regardless of the breeds, price or claims they make in their listings. 

I think you can get a feel for the 'professionalism' of the seller by their listing.  A good write up - not a cut'n'paste from Wikipedia or the same text for every breed they sell indicates their genuine interest in their flock.  Also particularly cheap eggs or cheap postage indicate they don't value their product - just a quick buck. 

We haven't really had any problems with people we've sold to in general - but we're pretty clear in our listings under what conditions we sell the eggs and the results they can reasonably expect from posted eggs. 

I'm not sure if the feedback system adds much value to eggs sales on ebay.  Leaving a negative feedback for a seller can be easily countered with a claim of poor incubation techniques.  A rogue seller with a lot of negative feedback will simply register a new account to sell under. 

Face to face sales are definitely the best, but ebay is a convenient way of introducing new stock or breeds.  I bet when Tim Berners-Lee invented the web, he never though it would be used to sell eggs on!