eBay

birdsnshells · ‎09-10-2012

It seems like whenever I list an electronics/computer item over $100, I get people using Buy It Now who have 0 feedback...some with unconfirmed Paypal addresses, and/or living overseas (even though I have in the listing to only ship to the USA). I'm sure most of these are scammers and trying to figure out how to protect myself better.

This one person just bought two of my cameras (two of the same one for some reason). They only have (2) feedback and one of them is from two days ago. The Paypal address is confirmed, but I'm still nervous to ship to them. They could just say that the camera is broken or I shipped them a box of rocks or anything. I've heard that ebay always sides with the buyer in these situations but don't know from experience.

Can I put something in my listings like "I can only sell this item to someone who has an ebay feedback history at least 3 months long and at least 10 positive feedback" Or is that against ebay rules.

I am stressing out about what do with these cameras and just wanted to get some advice. Thanks !

kevino1949 · ‎04-06-2022

And it's still an issue, and the previous reply was 5 months ago.

mic-s-korea · ‎07-26-2022

I have kind of stopped selling for now. However, I've adopted a policy that I simply don't sell high priced items on Ebay any longer. Nothing beyond a price which I could drop and take the loss if it came down to it. Anything high-ish I'm prepared to list but only for shipping within my own country. It's a loss of potential bidders but I took one big loss once and that was it for me.

The trouble with rare collectible items is that it's not just the money. I had this Carl Perkins Blue S Shoes UK London 45 fom 1956/57 I listed once which was in amazing condition for its age. It took me years to find a clean copy like this and it had been in my collection for years. Until 30 seconds before the auction's end the highest bidder was a 0 feedback and I dreaded the thought that this record could be a problem deal. Fortunately, a regular buyer from me sniper bid on it seconds before the close.

dennisp54 · ‎08-13-2022

And still a question on a real problem. I have a buyer right with 1 feedback. The feedback is positive but the feedback comment is a warning from the seller that this buyer scammed them and don't sell to them.

I asked the seller to explain the positive mark but negative review. I have not heard from them yet.

theguitarpartsguy · ‎08-16-2022

I will answer this again. Just the same as before, if the buyer paid, it is your DUTY to fulfill your end of the deal and SHIP to them. You cannot, and SHOULD not, refuse to sell to a buyer who doesn't have much if any feedback, because EVERYONE starts at zero. This is a non-starter. It's against eBay rules to state that you won't sell to low feedback bidders, too. I've sold to literally HUNDREDS of them and never once have I had an issue from a new member. If they pay, you ship, simple as that. That's the rules.

soh.maryl · ‎08-17-2022

09/11/2012: This thread is about to have its 10th birthday party.

dennisp54 · ‎10-04-2022

and still a big problem !

handyhorner · ‎10-04-2022

If they pay, I ship.

Offering free returns eliminates most of the risk involved. You may end up taking the hit on return shipping, but you only have to refund when the buyer ships the item back and you receive it in the original condition. This has saved me from the headache of customers asking for "half a refund because shipping it back is too much of a hassle".

No return = no refund.

Broken return = no refund

Wrong item returned = no refund.

Hope this helps.

theguitarpartsguy · ‎10-12-2022

Do you take returns? If you do, then if they claim item is defective/broken/whatever, your reply is "RETURN FOR REFUND". If they do not ship it back, or if you get it and it is not as they claim, or if they ship you something entirely different back, like an item that is the same but a different serial number, you can take it up with eBay and when you show eBay the proof you will win the claim.

skargonix · ‎04-18-2023

So to summarize this 10-year old thread on what to do if a buyer with poor feedback wins your action for a high-value item, the solutions are:

1. Don't sell on eBay items worth more than you care to lose. Sell locally, or on Amazon.

2. Have a free return policy, and if the buyer returns anything else than the original item in its condition - no refund. Apparently eBay will side with you then.

3. One person suggested cancelling before you receive payment from the poor-feedback user. Nobody else supported this.

skargonix · ‎04-20-2023

This is the best solution to the problem of low-feedback bidders about to win your auction. Please 👍 if you agree.

Look at the bids and find the highest bidder with good feedback who was really interested in your item (perhaps they had auto-bids). Contact them with a message offering to sell to THEM at their last price if they bid to win the auction:

Hey, I saw you bid on my [ITEM]

There's a user with 0 feedback who outbid you, but I'm not comfortable selling to them. I prefer to sell to you as I see you [have good feedback / deal with these products / etc.] so I'd like to offer you a deal:

I'll sell to you at your last bid, $XXX + shipping, if you win the auction. So you can put an automatic bid for like a $ZZZ limit to make sure you win, and no matter the final price, I'll offer you a discount back to $XXX.

What do you say?

1boriken · ‎04-15-2024

I really hope ebay reads these comments, Ive been a buyer for many years and have sold only a couple of things at the beginning. I currently have thousands of items I could sell on ebay, but I am literally scared to get scammed, be it for $1000.00 or $1.00. i aint gonna do it, since ebay will not stand behind a seller, I rather sell locally. Ebay the seller is what keeps you in business, treat them with respect and fairness. You can have a million buyers, but if the sellers go away what good are the buyers going to do you?