Selling electronics is getting harder and harder everyday.
Summary: virginia1quality expressed frustration over scams affecting electronics sellers on eBay, particularly involving freight forwarders and fraudulent returns, which they see as systemic issues affecting their small business. mam98031 acknowledged the problem's longevity but noted that many sellers continue despite challenges. annadryl and kensgiftshop echoed the view that selling high-risk items carries inherent risks, not unique to eBay, while susanb1872 shared that they avoid selling electronics due to high risk. industrial_sales_nw_ohio recounted a personal scamming experience involving a freight forwarder, reinforcing the discussion's concerns about selling electronics online.
Electronics sellers on eBay are dealing with a growing scam problem, and freight forwarders make it even worse.
A buyer can claim an expensive device is defective, provide a vague description and a photo that proves almost nothing, and sellers can still be forced to accept the return. In some cases the buyer is using a brand-new account and shipping through a freight forwarder, yet the seller is still expected to somehow prove what happened after delivery.
Then if something goes wrong, you often have to lose the case first, appeal it, provide more documentation, sign additional forms, and jump through hoops just to get reimbursed. Meanwhile eBay can end up paying both sides—all while collecting transaction fees from sellers on every sale.
For high-value electronics, the current process puts way too much risk on legitimate sellers and gives questionable buyers far too much leverage. If you sell electronics on eBay, share your experience below. This is already a widespread problem, and the more sellers document these scams publicly, the harder it is for eBay to keep pretending the current system is working.
industrial_sales_nw_ohio
·3 weeks agoThe ONLY time I got scammed by a buyer was selling electronics. I was selling a expensive video card for my son I shipped to a freight forwarder in Delaware. Didn't know it was a freight forwarder. Delaware is also a red flag.
susanb1872
·3 weeks ago · EditedHere is my experience with selling electronics online---I don't. Personally, I find it is above my risk tolerance and I prefer to sell these types of items locally.
kensgiftshop
·3 weeks agoIts been a problem for years and there are plenty post about it and nothing has changed.
annadryl
·3 weeks agoYou're selling some of the highest risk items with the highest risk name brands, some of them "as-is" which is also the high... you get the point.
Your items are expensive, you need to determine how much you can risk. You're selling to strangers online, it's not a risk that only happens on ebay. My comfort price-point is much lower, but that's me.
virginia1quality
OP3 weeks agoI understand my business is higher risk but with this discussion I'm mostly focusing on how some of that risk is actually platform inflicted.
mam98031
·3 weeks agoHow is it "platform" AKA Ebay inflicted?
Ebay can't get in the middle of a He Said / She said situation. They never have.
annadryl
·3 weeks agoIt's ANY platform. Popular name brand items can be flipped overnight anywhere in the world. Scammers don't want merch they have to sit on a while, they go for the easy stuff. They also go for the "no returns" sellers when they know that doesn't mean anything.
It's not just an ebay thing, it's a hot commodity on the internet. You are doing this yourself! I do wish you luck~
mam98031
·3 weeks agoThese are all issues that sellers have dealt with for many years. It may be a newer issue for you, but not for other sellers with more history in this category. You just have to do the best you can to protect yourself. Since there are so many active sellers in this category, the vast majority of their transactions are likely fine or they wouldn't continue to sell here as they couldn't make money.
virginia1quality
OP3 weeks agoI'm sorry but just because sellers have dealt with the problems for "many years" doesn't make the problem less problematic. Doing what's best for me to protect myself is making a post and starting a discussion that clearly gets disregarded because of the longevity of the issue. just seems illogical. thanks
mam98031
·3 weeks agoAnd lucky for all of us I DID NOT say that. Please don't misrepresent what I've said. I get it you are trying to work through some issues, you presented them as electronic sellers having some newer issues. My comment was meant the way I said it, that this is something sellers have dealt with for many years. That does NOT dismiss the problem, it is ONLY meant to say it is an old problem, still not resolved. But with that said, many sellers have found a way to still make money and remain selling on Ebay. I hope the same for you.