0% feedback after lengthy absence
I haven't bought or sold anything on Ebay in at least 10 years. I have a few things I want to list but since it's been so long my feedback reset to 0%, although it does show in parentheses the number of transactions done in the past before I went on hiatus. I'm worried that no one will look at or buy anything because of the absence of feedback. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
35 comments
fashunu4eeuh
·3 years agoWelcome back!!
janet9988
·3 years agoBuy something.
johnrj1226
·3 years agoBefore you start listing read and understand the current selling policies as "the old gray mare ain't what she used to be" a decade or more ago.
Start with this link and all the embedded links
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling/start-selling-ebay?id=4081&st=3&pos=1&query=Start%20selling%20on%20eBay&intent=Start%20selling&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1041
luckythewinner
·3 years agoIMHO stop worrying and sell some items. Every new seller on eBay starts the same way.
mam98031
·3 years agoAlthough they shouldn't. Learning the basic rules is important which is evident by some of the threads we see here. New sellers or sellers returning after a long time away making simple and costly mistakes because they didn't learn the basics.
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoFor some reason, ebay does not accept Bank of America.
We Canadians have problems with our Tangerine Bank, which is an arm of one of the six largest banks in Canada. The problem seems to be with the bank not with eBay.
And the account must be a CHECKING account.
Ebay adds a commission to the shipping fee too so you will probably need to learn how to use calculated shipping
We also get a discount (5% to53%) on most shipping label purchases. I assume that USPS and private couriers also have these discounts?
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoI do get a price break when I ship through Ebay shipping. I also linked my Ebay shipping to my paypal account. The paypal is linked to a credit card that gives me cash back. So everytime I print, I get 2% back as a cash bonus. The best part is the ebay does NOT get their grubby hands on my seller funds. This is perfectly legal.
allthingsmoody
OP3 years agoWe also get a discount (5% to53%) on most shipping label purchases. I assume that USPS and private couriers also have these discounts?
In my previous Ebay life I got a discount if I purchased and printed my own label from the USPS website, but not if I purchased at the Post Office. I also got free tracking but had to pay extra at the PO. I think the PO stopped charging for tracking, but I am not 100% certain on that.
No idea what if any discounts I can get from USPS currently.
BTW how do you add a quote from someone else's post/comment to your own? I just copied and pasted but I like how it's bolded on yours.
mam98031
·3 years agoAll sites that offer shipping labels on the internet have the same prices for what is now called Ground Advantage and Media Mail. USPS does not allow negotiations on these rates, so everyone has the Commercial rates which is a nice little savings over full retail.
The faster methods of shipment, USPS does allow for negotiations on for large sites like Ebay but in the last couple of years I've seen their Priority mail rate to be the same as other similar sites. No additional discounts. Not sure what is up with that.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoMedia Mail costs the same through eBay as what you'd pay at the PO counter. No discount.
eBay's rates for Priority Mail are lower than the published Commercial rates for some weight/Zone combinations (IIRC, Zones 1 - 4 up to 5 or 10 pounds).
mam98031
·3 years agoThat is interesting. I didn't know that. On their website they show a Commercial rate, however it isn't one I've every had the pleasure to take advantage of.
Media Mail®
From $3.92 at the Post Office
From $2.59 for Commercial Pricing
https://www.usps.com/business/prices.htm
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoThat's a bulk rate. If you look through Notice 123, you'll see that there are still "Parcel Select" rates for bulk shipping, too. But we don't have access to those rates.
http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf
mam98031
·3 years agoI simply went by what it said and it says Commercial pricing @nobody*s_perfect and @slippinjimmy . What you two have stated makes sense, thank you.
slippinjimmy
·3 years agoTo get the $2.59 price you have to be bulk shipping with full presort, since eBay doesn't ship anything they can't get those rates. There are minimums as well for each presort bag so if you can only do a partial presort you would pay a higher rate the $2.59 but still lower than the counter rate.
There are also presort rates for other services plus Zone-drop pricing is available from USPS but you really need volume to get those. That volume of actual packages must be shipped together, eBay sells lots of labels but since they don't actually ship they don't qualify for anything other than Commercial Base with a modest additional discount that they can keep rather than passing along.
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoI agree with the other posters especially Reallynicestamps advice. When you sign into managed payments, ebay will require your social security number, a valid ID and a bank account to send your money after they remove their cut and the sales taxes that buyer paid. Ebay will automatically send the sales tax to the buyer's home state. As of right now, nearly all 50 states charge sales tax on internet sales. Make sure that your name on the account, your social security number and the bank account names match. You can't be Bill Jones on one and William Jones on another. If ebay does not accept your bank account, you will need a new bank account. For some reason, ebay does not accept Bank of America.
Check out the current shipping rates. Note that there are surcharges for the longer packages. Make sure that you have a good postal scale and measuring tape. Ebay adds a commission to the shipping fee too so you will probably need to learn how to use calculated shipping or just add a buck or so to all of your flat rate shipping. Remember, you need to recover the shipping fee somehow either by adding the handling charge or listing the shipping fee a bit higher or start the item higher.
Take good photos on a plain background. You can now add up to 24 photos.
Keep in mind that ebay will treat you as a new seller and may hold your funds from 14 to 30 days. It depends on the amount of the item sold and also what type of item it is. Ebay is just trying to make ebay safe.
Read the many helpful posts here.
Finally, you can always buy something cheap here and get at least 1 feedback so that it does not show 0% in the feedback. Sure it's from buying an item but half of the buyers here can't tell the difference between feedback earned as a buyer and earned as a seller. Don't hesitate to post a question if you have any issues or are not sure how to do something. Goodluck.
toomuchstuffagain35
·3 years agoFrom what I've read, it appears to be only BOA accounts held in Georgia that are having problems with ebay.
Many sellers use BOA with no issues.
allthingsmoody
OP3 years agoI just wanted to say I like your quotes, especially that first one! A few years ago the tourist shop my husband was working at was selling cheap sunglasses for $1.25. They just sat on the shelf growing mold. Then someone had the bright idea to raise the price to $10 and they sold like hotcakes. LOL go figure.
toomuchstuffagain35
·3 years agoYep. Perceived 'value'.
Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but always worth a shot = )
allthingsmoody
OP3 years agoThank you for this great wealth of information!
tobaccocardyahoo
·3 years agoFeedback is no longer as important as it was years ago.
The bigger adjustment will be the number of items which used to be good sellers which no one wants to buy any more.
And the items which used to bring good money and now bring peanuts.
I left Ebay in 2008 to sell on Amazon, was making more sales at higher prices than Ebay, Ebay is now higher than Amazon for many collectibles, and has more buyers.
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoDon't worry about feedback.
Do worry about getting paid.
Do you have a Managed Payments account set up?
Paypal is no longer an option for sellers.
To open your MP account you will need to give eBay the numbers for your checking account and your SSN.
A secondary form of ID may be requested. This is partly to confirm that you are not hijacking your own account.
When your customer pays, the payment will be Held against your performance for up to 30 days.
You can still buy Shipping Labels from the Held funds. This is a pretty good way to confirm that you have actually been paid.
When the Hold is released, MP will transfer funds to your checking account every Tuesday. Sorta like a weekly paycheque, but there are other options.
So get Managed Payments sorted first.
And don't use Auctions.
Fixed Price listings not only make up over 85% of transactions, but you can add Immediate Payment Required, so that the item remains visible and for sale until someone pays you.
allthingsmoody
OP3 years ago"Paypal is no longer an option for sellers." I'm confused. I keep reading this on various posts, forums, and blogs. But I bought an item yesterday and it had Paypal listed as an option for payment. (I didn't use it, I stay away from Paypal unless it's literally my only option after a major issue a couple of years ago)
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoPayPal is no longer a way for sellers to accept payments; they must use eBay's "Managed payments" system.
PayPal is still a way for buyers to send a payment. That's why it shows up at the top of every listing.
mam98031
·3 years agoBuyers are still able to use PayPal if they want. @allthingsmoody
fab_finds4u
·3 years ago0% only means you haven't received feedback in the last 12 months.
12345jamesstamps
·3 years agoPost very inexpensive items to sell first. Learn how eBay works now.
And usually you will not receive any funds you make until 30+ days...since you haven't sold anything lately.
mam98031
·3 years agoLots of buyers purchase from new or returning sellers. But this isn't your biggest challenge. Your biggest challenge is to try and catch up on all the changes to the site that affect selling, to include the Policies. You have lots of things to learn as they have changed over the years you were absent.
I do wish you good luck.
inhawaii
·3 years agoPut a little "disclaimer" on your listing.
"Although I currently have "0" feedback" because I haven't been on ebay for a while, I am a experienced seller with hundreds of positive feedbacks. Feel free to check my feedback."
Or something like that.
allthingsmoody
OP3 years agoExcellent idea, thank you!
luxgoods
·3 years agoCheck out my feedback? What Feedback? You Don't have any. Great Idea!
soh.maryl
·3 years agoPretty sure the OP knows he has no recent FB and also knows why.
But it was nice of you to point that out, I guess.
allthingsmoody
OP3 years agoI can see my old feedback, and @candd205 commented that they could see it as well. It's only showing as 0% because it's been over 12 months since I received my last feedback. At least that's my undertanding.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoAll you need is one feedback, so your score will go back to 100%. Perhaps buy something small from one of the big-time sellers who have their option set to leave feedback automatically when they are paid.
candd205
·3 years agoI see all your excellent feedback from more than a year ago, plus your name shows 281 positive feedbacks. Just dive in there. You are good to go. Even though it does show 0, we all started with 0 and worked our way up from there.
slippinjimmy
·3 years agoIt would exactly the same as an actual new seller (we were all one once) although potential buyers would see that you have been on eBay for a long time with 281 feedbacks.
The percentage number for feedback is calculated based on the past 12 months, as soon as you get ONE new feedback (buying or selling) the percentage will show 100%.
More important than any feedback number or rating is listing something that buyers want, at a competitive price. p\Plenty if not most buyers never look at a sellers feedback, they just search for an item and if they find it with a fair price they will buy it.