S

[bara-no-kitte]

I am " old school" ebay  seller & Buyer (2003). at that time, I would list a item on Ebay and it would sell, I would be notified by ebay who the buyer was.  I would place the item in an enevelope (collectable stamps),address it, place a stamp on the envelope and  take to the post office and mail it. I would wait for a feedback frome the buyer , to know that the buyer received it.  Does  ebay  now  follow the same procedure  without costing money. if so can you tell me how , I am 91 years old and attempting to sell my collection of stamps of the last 50 years. approxatley near 1,000 items. Please help me !

[stainlessenginecovers]

At minumum, you need to know that:

1.) Ebay charges a selling fee of approx 13% of the selling price

2.) Shipping with 'just a stamp' means you have no tracking number and therefore no proof that the buyer recieved the item-which means they can open a 'Not Recieved' and you would have to 100% refund them

3.) You will need to provide a checking account number as that is how you will be paid

4.) some 'new' sellers (haven't sold in 90 days) will have HOLDS placed on that money for up to 30 days

5.) You will need to provide Picture ID and Social Security Number as sales over $600 in a year requires it (it's 'hit/miss' what IRS is requiring, but some states require it as well as eBay)

You might be better off taking to a local stamp/coin dealer and just selling all as one lot??

[wastingtime101 · Accepted solution]

Sure, you can still operate in the same way, however you need to be aware that without tracking, if the buyer files an "item not received" claim you will be forced to refund since there's no tracking to confirm delivery. If the buyer leaves feedback saying they got it, that will not count if they file a formal non-receipt claim. Many stamp sellers operate very successfully without tracking. Reports of fraud exist, but they are minimal.

If you have the ability to print a label at home, you may want to consider using eBay Standard Envelope for shipping. Basically, you pack the same by putting your stamps in an envelope, but you print a label that gets affixed to the envelope and drop the envelopes in your post office's metered mail slot. It's not traditional tracking like a package would receive, but the envelopes are scanned by sorting machinery along the way so it can protect you from claims - and it comes with insurance. If you're interested in learning more about that service let me know.

Hardly any buyers leave feedback these days, so don't surprised if you see feedback from only 1 out of every 10 buyers. Feedback lost a lot of its meaning compared to eBay's early days.

Hope that helps @bara-no-kitte and don't hesitate to come back with more questions.

[12345jamesstamps]

You don't need tracking to sell anything. 

Just a standard envelope with a stamp on it would be fine.

Have to make sure envelope is not thick and bendable. Need a thin layer of something in envelope....think like how a "greeting card & envelope" looks and follow those guidelines.

A bigger envelope would require extra postage.

This is what most stamp sellers do.

Something expensive should be certified(USA)...or registered(International).

[inhawaii]

Let's not forget about managed payments.

[luckythewinner]

---

@bara-no-kitte wrote:

Does  ebay  now  follow the same procedure  without costing money.

---

It has always cost money to sell on eBay. That aside, eBay has changed substantially since 2003.

You will be required to sign up for Managed Payments and provide a social security number and bank account in order to receive your buyer's payment.

The funds may be held for 30 days to ensure the buyer has received it.

If your shipping method does not provide delivery confirmation, any buyer who files and "item not received' dispute will win automatically and the money to refund will be taken from your bank account.

If your buyer files an "Item Not As Described" dispute, the buyer will generally win the dispute and the money to refund will be taken from your bank account.

[12345jamesstamps]

Selling fee of stamps is 9.5 % domestic buyers and an additional 1.65% if a foreign credit card is used.

I didn't lose an item last year using USPS..."knock on wood". And items without tracking can get cross country in 4-5 days top. Tracking can take weeks.

Buyer who 91 years old can get a free debit card with a bank routing number for free no minimum deposit....US Bank.

I only sent a social security number...no picture ID.

[wastingtime101]

I'm going to repeat the essential advice provided by several sellers on this discussion @bara-no-kitte about how the payments and identity verification process has changed since you last sold.

Here are a few links you can review:

Getting started:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-started-selling

Registering as a seller, confirming your identity, bank and social security:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/registering-seller?id=4792

Selling limits:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-limits?id=4107

Payment holds for new sellers:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/payments-hold?id=4816

Selling fees:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822

General payments info:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold?id=4814

[itsjustasprain]

---

@luckythewinner wrote:
If your shipping method does not provide delivery confirmation, any buyer who files and "item not received' dispute will win automatically and the money to refund will be taken from your bank account.

 True although if you ship with Ebay Standard Envelope shipping then you can be reimbursed by Ebay for that refund up to $20. (You have to refund the buyer up front but you can then file a claim with Ebay.)

---

@luckythewinner wrote:
If your buyer files an "Item Not As Described" dispute, the buyer will generally win the dispute and the money to refund will be taken from your bank account.

---

That is also true although you are entitled to ask for the item to be returned before a refund must be given if you want the item back first. You will need to pay for the return shipping label.

[wastingtime101]

---

@12345jamesstamps wrote:

Selling fee of stamps is 9.5 % domestic buyers

---

That's for Basic, Premium, Anchor, and Enterprise Store subscribers @12345jamesstamps . For Starter Store subscribers, and sellers without a store it's 13.25% as Stainless mentioned above.

For the original poster, I don't imagine a store subscription will come in to play as they get re-acquainted with selling and work to build up their selling limits.

[12345jamesstamps]

Wonder why so many sellers cry eBay fees are high...

Good to know.

[buyselljack2016]

Something expensive should be certified

[12345jamesstamps]

And never ever put your "age" in anything if you sell something. People will take advantage of that.

[bara-no-kitte]

In your second paragraph , first sentence, about printing a lable &using ebay Standard  envelope

I have already purchased a large supply of envelopes from staples,  sizes that would meet my need and okd by ebay.   does this mean my envelopes aready purchased  they would not be good. and  what is the cost of printing the labels?

[1786davycrockett]

@bara-no-kitte 

There is no charge to print the eBay Standard Envelope shipping label, which can be taped to any #6 or #10 envelope.

And the eBay Standard Envelope can NOT be used for individual postage stamps valued at $20.00, or a combination package of postage stamps valued at over $50.00.

Good luck.