Ebay : so why would anyone sell there?

[jls886]

You seem to be very against selling on ebay, so it likely just isn't for you. And if you're only going to sell a handful of things, it might be more time and energy than it is worth.

I have been selling on ebay since 2006 and things have definitely changed, but honestly nothing has really had much of an impact on me. I have been a powerseller and a top-rated seller for a few years, and I've had around 2,000 sales transactions. I have had only a handful of problems over the years, and really only 2 instances that I can think of where I ended up out some money that I shouldn't have been. As a seller, you can set up 'buyer requirements' and block buyers from bidding on your items if they have too many unpaid item strikes, no paypal account, live in a country you don't sell to, etc. In just the last 60 days I have had 45 buyers automatically blocked from bidding just from my strict buyer requirements. Do I lose a few sales? Probably. But I also save myself what I imagine would be quite a few headaches. For the most part, people are honest, and the money that I have made over the years far outweighs the two instances where I (wrongly) did lose money.

And even though ebay says you can't leave negative feedback as a postive, people do (myself included). And I have been able to see a bad buyer even though they had all positives, the comments told a different story.

 

[jls886]

I am in complete agreement with you - I used to sell full-time (for many, many years) and no longer do it at ALL. What you wrote, plus how out of hand the fees have got, well, I just finally have had enough (I quit when they started charging me a fee on shipping - I charge actual shipping so either I had to charge a handling fee or take a loss. Nope.).

Yes, the fees on shipping stink...but I don't blame them for them. There were sellers that would list an item for $0.99 with $200 shipping - charging final value fees on shipping or setting shipping maximums (which I don't find fair since shipping can vary so much) are the only ways they could deal with those sellers.

 

[bpesch]

This is not how it works.

1. A buyer cannot get a refund for an item not returned to the seller.

Totally untrue. Buyers can and do get refunds without returning items. It happens all the time because sellers don't follow the procedures correctly to get the buyer to return for a refund.

A seller absolutely can not leave anything but positive feedback for buyers. If you leave anything less than positive in the postive feedback section you can get a policy violation from Ebay and that's not good.

Selling on Ebay in this day and age is not for the faint of heart. It takes nerves of steel and LOTS of patience!

 

[ajh88]

There's bad apples, but probably a 100 more good apples to make up for it. Although dealing with ebay's policies and stuff is a whole other matter and headache.

Agree totally. Why would anyone sell anything anywhere? If you sell to a dishonest person, they will always be trying to get something for nothing, no matter if it is on ebay, at a yard sale, through Amazon, or on Craig's list, or any other venue where one might sell goods. I've transacted thousands of times on ebay as both a buyer and a seller - the good, honest members FAR outnumber the scam artists - in my estimation at least 100 to 1, if not more like 200 to 1.

It only takes that 1 "bad" member to leave a sour taste, but you do what you can and move on.

 

[Gorechick]

Nope. Not according to ebay rules and policies.

Leaving negative feedback with positive rating gets a warning from ebay!

this above from ebay site. You can't leave any negative comments on the positive + choice.

I was just relaying what I saw. Gal had positives but peeps posted that she did not pay.

 

[Ametista]

I have an ebay store and have been selling (and buying) since 2001. I sell about 30K a year, so its a pretty serious thing for me. What I hate is that they do side with the buyer too much, us sellers often have to refund money just to avoid bad feedback even when we did nothing wrong. I have also had a TON of lost packages to Canada, not insurable but Ebay pressures you into selling to Canada. Guess who loses all the money? Yup, the seller. So anyway I am done with Ebay after this year, its not even worth it since Paypal started filing with the IRS (now that 10 bucks you made on a sale becomes 6 bucks after the IRS takes their chunk. LOL. It was barely worth it before the IRS got involved!)

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I'm a pretty high-volume Ebay seller, and I've had this exact scenario happen more times than I can count in the past year. The item is properly described, the scamming buyer then claims that it wasn't as described, refuses to return it when we offer to take it back as a courtesy, and files a claim with Ebay. Ebay then refunds they buyer themselves but does not hold it against the seller. Oh, and the buyer can STILL leave a negative, as that happened to us once in this exact scenario. They got a full-on freebie but they left a neg

When I contacted Ebay about this, they said that they "watch" these buyers, and that doing the scenario above counts as an incident against the buyer's account. I've yet to see any buyers who have done this to us go NARU though, so I don't know if Ebay really watches them for a pattern of scamming. Some of them try the same scam over and over if their "feedback left for others" is any indication.

All that said, I've become pretty astute at preventing problem buyers like these. They are pretty predictable in that they often tend to email before purchasing with a LOT of strange questions. When they do that, I block them before they can even purchase. It saves a lot of headaches...not a foolproof method, but it has cut down on the number of scammers we deal with.

I am new to eBay. When I read this about the buyer asking a lot of questions before making the purchase it worried me because I had a lady doing that, but someone else bought it before she did.

Also, just today I had an item that sold a minute after placing it on eBay, but the person has not paid for it through PayPal. I'm not mailing it until I am paid. How does this work? What should I do? How can I see if he has done this?

Sorry for the questions, but I'm new to all of this and I am flying by the seat of my pants. I am only putting nice items on there and I don't want to lose money here. eta Never mind, I found that.

Where do I go on ebay to change my settings so that people who do this can't bid on my items? I just looked through and I didn't see a place.

 

[jls886]

I am new to eBay. When I read this about the buyer asking a lot of questions before making the purchase it worried me because I had a lady doing that, but someone else bought it before she did.

Also, just today I had an item that sold a minute after placing it on eBay, but the person has not paid for it through PayPal. I'm not mailing it until I am paid. How does this work? What should I do? How can I see if he has done this before?

Also, where can I see my feedback? Sorry for the questions, but I'm new to all of this and I am flying by the seat of my pants. I am only putting nice items on there and I don't want to lose money here.

A couple of things to note, since you're new to selling.

1) Set buyer requirements up. Go to Account > Site Preferences > Buyer Requirements. I have mine set as strict as possible. I'm sure I miss a few sales this way, but I also miss some really sketchy buyers.

2) When you're listing an item and you offer a Buy it Now price, you can require that the buyer pay immediately before the item is actually sold. There is a check-box near where you enter your paypal email address that says something like 'Require immediate payment when buyer uses buy it now'. Check that box. This way a buyer can't use the buy it now and then just never pay.

You can see your feedback next to your username. For example, mine is jls886 (1320) meaning I have 1320 positive feedbacks.

And don't get worried about questions in general, but worry about strange questions. Some buyers just ask a lot of questions and while it is kind of annoying, it is ok. You can see the buyer's feedback and if they have no feedback and are asking weird questions, you might want to block them from bidding (you can specify a list of blocked buyers who are not allowed to ever bid on your items until you remove their name from the list). However, if the buyer has quite a few positive feedbacks, maybe they are just wanting to make absolutely sure about an item before they commit and buy.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

A couple of things to note, since you're new to selling.

1) Set buyer requirements up. Go to Account > Site Preferences > Buyer Requirements. I have mine set as strict as possible. I'm sure I miss a few sales this way, but I also miss some really sketchy buyers.

2) When you're listing an item and you offer a Buy it Now price, you can require that the buyer pay immediately before the item is actually sold. There is a check-box near where you enter your paypal email address that says something like 'Require immediate payment when buyer uses buy it now'. Check that box. This way a buyer can't use the buy it now and then just never pay.

You can see your feedback next to your username. For example, mine is jls886 (1320) meaning I have 1320 positive feedbacks.

And don't get worried about questions in general, but worry about strange questions. Some buyers just ask a lot of questions and while it is kind of annoying, it is ok. You can see the buyer's feedback and if they have no feedback and are asking weird questions, you might want to block them from bidding (you can specify a list of blocked buyers who are not allowed to ever bid on your items until you remove their name from the list). However, if the buyer has quite a few positive feedbacks, maybe they are just wanting to make absolutely sure about an item before they commit and buy.

Ok, thank you so much! I will try to fix those settings now. All I have sold was buy it now items. I'm not sure about the item from today. It sold right after it was listed, and the person has not paid through PayPal. This was about 3:00 this afternoon. I don't really know what to do about that. Should I wait to try to contact them tomorrow? Maybe he changed his mind.

 

[jls886]

Ok, thank you so much! I will try to fix those settings now. All I have sold was buy it now items. I'm not sure about the item from today. It sold right after it was listed, and the person has not paid through PayPal. This was about 3:00 this afternoon. I don't really know what to do about that. Should I wait to try to contact them tomorrow? Maybe he changed his mind.

Don't stress too much, some people just don't pay instantly for whatever reason. Personally, I don't worry too much until 3-4 days go by with no contact and no payment. Look at their feedback...if they have none then you may want to contact them but if they have good feedback they will likely pay but maybe just in a couple of days.

You'll get the hang of this

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Don't stress too much, some people just don't pay instantly for whatever reason. Personally, I don't worry too much until 3-4 days go by with no contact and no payment. Look at their feedback...if they have none then you may want to contact them but if they have good feedback they will likely pay but maybe just in a couple of days.

You'll get the hang of this

Ok, that makes me feel better. This was on a very expensive cell phone that I sold cheap because the glass was cracked. The phone works great and I listed all of that information and I showed different pictures of it showing the defect. I just wondered if he may have jumped the gun when he saw the price so low. I guess I will know in a day or so. Until then, I will not mail it.

Thank you for your help!!

 

[nunzia]

can you post here the link for leaving negative feedback for buyer? i'm on the site (not leaving feedback) but seeing options and there is only this>>>>>>

Rate this transaction
Positive
Report this buyer
I'll leave Feedback later

LOL WHAT joke. are they serious? so your choice as a seller is positive, report buyer, snort, and what???? rofl

NO you cannot leave neg feedback on buyer..but you CAN comment on bad feedback left for you.

 

[luvmy3]

Ok, that makes me feel better. This was on a very expensive cell phone that I sold cheap because the glass was cracked. The phone works great and I listed all of that information and I showed different pictures of it showing the defect. I just wondered if he may have jumped the gun when he saw the price so low. I guess I will know in a day or so. Until then, I will not mail it.

Thank you for your help!!

Don't mail it until the payment clears! I won an auction and the seller shipped the item before I even paid, I got the item before my payment cleared.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Don't mail it until the payment clears! I won an auction and the seller shipped the item before I even paid, I got the item before my payment cleared.

Wow! Was that before you paid pay pal? By cleared do you mean was credited to your pay pal or showing as a credit on pay pal. I wondered how this worked because right now I am sitting there with credits, but the funds are not available to me for a few more days. I guess because I am a new seller. I have mailed the items once a credit to my pay pal hits even though the funds are not available. It's OK to do that, right? Or, am I risking something I am unaware of?

 

[ellone]

I have an ebay store and have been selling (and buying) since 2001. I sell about 30K a year, so its a pretty serious thing for me. What I hate is that they do side with the buyer too much, us sellers often have to refund money just to avoid bad feedback even when we did nothing wrong. I have also had a TON of lost packages to Canada, not insurable but Ebay pressures you into selling to Canada. Guess who loses all the money? Yup, the seller.

The packages probably were not lost. The shipping estimate that ebay gives international buyers is off. They don't give any time for customs delays. I don't know how you responded when the buyer's contacted you about the packages. I find that first class to Canada can take a month to get there with customs delays.

And you can insure Canadian packages. Priority you can insure via ebay's shipcover. And first class you can insure with Upic or Shipcover. Of course, there's always self-insuring. Basically adding a little extra into handling and putting it away yourself until you have to pay out.

And with the new higher rates, first class parcels into Canada now have tracking. Soon there will be other countries with tracking as well.

 

[jls886]

Wow! Was that before you paid pay pal? By cleared do you mean was credited to your pay pal or showing as a credit on pay pal. I wondered how this worked because right now I am sitting there with credits, but the funds are not available to me for a few more days. I guess because I am a new seller. I have mailed the items once a credit to my pay pal hits even though the funds are not available. It's OK to do that, right? Or, am I risking something I am unaware of?

Yes, never send the item until the payment clears. If you're printing your shipping labels through ebay (which I recommend just because it makes everything easy) it will even give a little warning that the payment hasn't been received so don't print a label. You may have a hold on the funds if you are brand new to paypal, which is different. You also may have a hold on the funds via paypal because the buyer's payment is suspicious for some reason (happened to me with someone from Russia) in which case, DO NOT MAIL the item. You should have emails from Paypal telling you any of this, and if you have any questions about your payments, call them, they are helpful. One other possibility is that the buyer paid with an eCheck, which takes 5-7 days to clear. Credit card payments usually go through right away and that is what I normally get, but lately I've had a few eChecks so I just wait to send the item until I get the email that the check cleared.

Also feel free to PM me with any questions. I am selling on ebay right now as my full time job until I start law school this fall, so I am spending a lot of time on the computer and don't mind answering your questions.

 

[ellone]

Wow! Was that before you paid pay pal? By cleared do you mean was credited to your pay pal or showing as a credit on pay pal. I wondered how this worked because right now I am sitting there with credits, but the funds are not available to me for a few more days. I guess because I am a new seller. I have mailed the items once a credit to my pay pal hits even though the funds are not available. It's OK to do that, right? Or, am I risking something I am unaware of?

It sounds like they are holding the funds because you are a new seller, correct? Then yes, you ship when you get those credits. I think the holding period is 20 days or when you get positive feedback for the item or when the tracking shows delivered. Whichever happens first.
If you wait until the holding period ends, then you will not be getting great feedback from your buyers because they see nothing on their end that you as the seller have a holding period. Too many low scores on shipping and ebay will ban you from selling.

If it's an echeck, then no you don't send until you get a message that the echeck clears.

 

[luvmy3]

Wow! Was that before you paid pay pal? By cleared do you mean was credited to your pay pal or showing as a credit on pay pal. I wondered how this worked because right now I am sitting there with credits, but the funds are not available to me for a few more days. I guess because I am a new seller. I have mailed the items once a credit to my pay pal hits even though the funds are not available. It's OK to do that, right? Or, am I risking something I am unaware of?

I paid by paypal with my bank account and that takes a few days to clear through my bank. If you have existing funds in paypal or if you pay by CC via paypal there isn't a waiting for payment to clear period.

I have sold a few things and my funds weren't available to me right away, but they were cleared (by any method above). I needed to provide shipping info before paypal would release the cleared funds to me. As long as the payment clears you'll be okay to mail the item out. Paypal just holds those funds to make sure you send the item. I have no idea if they do that for everyone or for new sellers or for people like me who are occasional sellers.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

This is not how it works.

1. A buyer cannot get a refund for an item not returned to the seller.

2. You can't stop a buyer from leaving you negative feedback, but sellers can leave buyers feedback. They just can't leave negative feedback. You can still state in the feedback what happened.

Actually, a buyer CAN get a refund without returning said item. Happened to me.

I bought a Boy Scout 2010 National Jamboree limited edition pocket knife. It came in a very nice, decorated wooden display box. Sold at the event for $100 but DS got to the store too late and didn't get one. I stalked eBay for almost a year until the prices came down (they were selling for up to $250!). I finally won one at $130.

The idiot seller mailed it via USPS and "packaged" it by wrapping a thin sheet of cardboard... CEREAL box thin... around the wooden case. No bubble wrap. No newspapers. No inside a larger cardboard box. Just a thin sheet of cardboard and brown paper. Well, of COURSE the diligent handling by USPS... the beautiful box was smashed. He never even folded or secured the knife so it popped out of it's indented "space" inside the box and was banging back and forth inside so the point of the knife chewed up the one inside panel. I was livid. Who the hell mails something that way?!?!

I immediately emailed the seller and sent pictures of the mess and told him I wanted to return it and I wanted my money back. I needed to know where to send it back (his return address name was different from the name he used on his email signature). He started dancing around the issue, wouldn't respond, told me to send him an invoice. I don't sell on eBay and had no idea how to do that and told him so. Asked him if he could walk me through it.... and no response. After close to two weeks of this, I finally had to submit a complaint through eBay. He never did give me a direct answer on where to send the knife and broken box (I still have it) and eBay refunded me in full.

I'm sure he thought/thinks I'm a deadbeat buyer but, boy howdy, do I know he's a deadbeat seller!!

 

[ellone]

Actually, a buyer CAN get a refund without returning said item. Happened to me.

I bought a Boy Scout 2010 National Jamboree limited edition pocket knife. It came in a very nice, decorated wooden display box. Sold at the event for $100 but DS got to the store too late and didn't get one. I stalked eBay for almost a year until the prices came down (they were selling for up to $250!). I finally won one at $130.

The idiot seller mailed it via USPS and "packaged" it by wrapping a thin sheet of cardboard... CEREAL box thin... around the wooden case. No bubble wrap. No newspapers. No inside a larger cardboard box. Just a thin sheet of cardboard and brown paper. Well, of COURSE the diligent handling by USPS... the beautiful box was smashed. He never even folded or secured the knife so it popped out of it's indented "space" inside the box and was banging back and forth inside so the point of the knife chewed up the one inside panel. I was livid. Who the hell mails something that way?!?!

I immediately emailed the seller and sent pictures of the mess and told him I wanted to return it and I wanted my money back. I needed to know where to send it back (his return address name was different from the name he used on his email signature). He started dancing around the issue, wouldn't respond, told me to send him an invoice. I don't sell on eBay and had no idea how to do that and told him so. Asked him if he could walk me through it.... and no response. After close to two weeks of this, I finally had to submit a complaint through eBay. He never did give me a direct answer on where to send the knife and broken box (I still have it) and eBay refunded me in full.

I'm sure he thought/thinks I'm a deadbeat buyer but, boy howdy, do I know he's a deadbeat seller!!

Ebay may have refunded you out of their own pocket. They do that sometimes.

I've also had an instance where ebay paid for shipping the item back to the seller.