eBay

jarber-72 · ‎01-02-2021

I have sold on ebay before (years ago) but would like to start selling much more frequently. However, I have always had the fear of dishonest or bad buyers. How common are they in your experience?

I'm afraid one day of selling something expensive and then the seller lying and saying I shipped something else or it's damaged (if they broke it, not shipping) or plenty of other possible issues.

I wish it was possible to sell to only well rated sellers (maybe it is?) but as far as I know I'm uncertain of that. I just don't want to sell some expensive item to a guy with 0 history/ratings who doesn't respond to messages at all I would be worried.

lamber9347 · ‎01-02-2021

@jarber-72 wrote:
I have sold on ebay before (years ago) but would like to start selling much more frequently. However, I have always had the fear of dishonest or bad buyers. How common are they in your experience?

I'm afraid one day of selling something expensive and then the seller lying and saying I shipped something else or it's damaged (if they broke it, not shipping) or plenty of other possible issues.

I wish it was possible to sell to only well rated sellers (maybe it is?) but as far as I know I'm uncertain of that. I just don't want to sell some expensive item to a guy with 0 history/ratings who doesn't respond to messages at all I would be worried.

Nothing in life is perfect and nothing in life comes with any guarantees. There is no house you can purchase that will never burn or be damaged in an earthquake or taken by a tornado. One has to move forward with a little more positivity and always knowing there is a gamble just driving to the grocery store.

Selling online can be fun and provides an opportunity to make some extra money. I've been selling on here for over 20 years and rarely have had any returns. Of course there are people out there who are difficult to please and anyone can return what they purchased. That's just a part of doing business or it's not a good fit for you. Try to remain positive that you will enjoy yourself and move forward. I suggest you spend time reading the TOS as they are updated frequently and much has changed over the years.

Lastly a good idea to keep in mind, never sell something online that you aren't prepared to lose. The item could be lost in the mail or destroyed during shipping and never even make it to the buyer. The possibilities are endless so best not to worry about things which haven't occurred yet. If you have something that precious to you than best to gift it to a loved one instead. There is no way to only sell to specific people on here. As a seller your items are available to anyone barring Int'l sales or some slight areas where you can limit. You should just jump in, the water is very nice. Best of luck to you....

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-02-2021

Honestly it’s a crab shoot here (I realize the game isn’t called crab, but dumb rules bleeped me). You are definitely going to get your share of bad buyers... every seller here does. Word to the wise is to not sell anything too expensive that you will stress out over. I never sell anything expensive here... I’d rather do it elsewhere.

And as for selling to well rated sellers, some here have said that the best sellers make the worst buyers. I have found my share of high sellers that were a PITA too... often using the “don’t you know who I am” card on me and telling me how to run my sales and business as a poor attempt to renegotiate price. So yea... I’d never limit myself to only selling to sellers.

Generally though, the bad buyers you hear about here are a small and insignificant percentage of the whole... it’s just fun to talk about these outliers and at the same time learn things that may protect yourself in future similar instances. A high percentage of the buyers are good and simple to sell to. Just don’t let that one bad one use up all your steam when it comes.

caldreamer · ‎01-02-2021

EBAY seller protection doesn't exist anymore! At Christmas SELLERS were forced to give refunds because shipments were delayed by USPS. After customer received items....SELLERS asked EBAY "how do I get my money" and EBAY said "we can't force customer to pay you". You would think that "proof of delivery" would be reason enough to get paid.

Getting stuff "for free" seems to be the new thing on EBAY. There are so many scammers now and no SELLER protections.

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-02-2021

Oh one more tip I have is to have thick skin or start to thicken it. You’ll get buyers that will offend you and even “urine” you off (sorry... don’t wanna get bleeped) way more than they did when you sold years ago. Your average consumer mindset is very different nowadays. Best you shake off the jabs they throw at you so you can respond, not in kind, but professionally and respectful. That doesn’t mean you have to give into them, but learn to graciously say NO.

Many sellers have problems with this... including myself that can use improvement even after decades of selling.

jayjaspersgarage · ‎01-02-2021

I would advise to start by selling small unbreakable things just to get the hang of it again. That's how I started ten years ago before working up to smaller glass items like bottles that didn't have arms or other fragile parts that could easily break off. Belt buckles from a drawer convinced me it was worth selling on ebay.

Avoid selling clothes until you have read at least a dozen complaints from sellers who lose every dispute over "Item not as described" or "It wasn't the size stated". I avoid selling clothes with two exceptions; baseball caps and jeans or maybe an occasional pair of Dockers.

I don't have a history of "bad" buyers because I don't sell very expensive items and because I won't touch consumer electronics. Phones and computer games are difficult to sell given what I read here in the comments. That's where a lot of buyers can take advantage of ebay's approach to making the buyer happy at the sellers expense can wipe you out in a month of high priced auctions.

In a couple days the answers to "any advice" will be flooding in. Good luck to you!

reallynicestamps · ‎01-02-2021

It depends on the category, but most sellers report less than 1% of their transactions as Failed Transactions.

That would include losses and delays in the mail, disagreements about the condition and quality of the product, seller error, porch pirates, and Unpaid Item Disputes. None of which are criminal matters. (Well the porch pirates, but that is not a criminal eBayer just a random thief.)

Scams are rare.

We hear about them because as the old journalism saw goes: Dog bites man, no story. Man bites dog: story.

Members, buyers and sellers alike, come here with problems.

It is sensible to be wary.

Start with what you can control.

Don't sell anything it would cause you serious difficulty to lose. That is for local sale only.

Take excellent pictures of the thing you are selling. Don't include anything in the picture that is not included.

Keep your title accurate. The first four words of your 82 free keystrokes are the most important.

Keep the shipping price lower than the selling price. Use 'free' shipping if at all possible. "Free" shipping means the cost of shipping is included in the selling price.

Keep the description accurate.

Do NOT include personal details or sob stories. No one cares if you have to walk barefoot over hot coals to the mailbox and need the money to bail out your grandma.

Spelling and grammar are important. Poor spelling and bad grammar makes you look careless or stupid. Scammers love the poorly educated.

Ship promptly and leave feedback on shipping. Tell your buyer the tracking number if you are tracking.

Never tell a customer that you do not track.

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-02-2021

@jayjaspersgarage wrote:
I would advise to start by selling small unbreakable things just to get the hang of it again.
Yea, like a rock. So that way ebay can’t say anything when the buyer complains you shipped them a rock, lol.

Avoid selling clothes until you have read at least a dozen complaints from sellers who lose every dispute over "Item not as described" or "It wasn't the size stated". I avoid selling clothes with two exceptions; baseball caps and jeans or maybe an occasional pair of Dockers.
Yea, don’t sell clothes. Trust me... I sell clothes. You don’t wanna sell clothes. Check out some of my old posts if you wanna read about some colorful buyers.

I don't have a history of "bad" buyers because I don't sell very expensive items and because I won't touch consumer electronics. Phones and computer games are difficult to sell given what I read here in the comments. That's where a lot of buyers can take advantage of ebay's approach to making the buyer happy at the sellers expense can wipe you out in a month of high priced auctions.
Yes, also don’t sell electronics especially popular ones. I actually started out in ebay selling electronics. It was tough then, so I can’t imagine how it would be nowadays. I decided to go into clothing because electronics was too tough of a category. Boy am I an idiot. Maybe I’ll switch to diamonds next 🙂

luckythewinner · ‎01-02-2021

I have always had the fear of dishonest or bad buyers. How common are they in your experience?

I have six selling accounts and over a thousand items for sale, and I haven't had a bad buyer in years. Others encounter bad seller with almost every item they list. There are millions and millions of selelrs here, and you will find little consensus on the subject.

I'm afraid one day of selling something expensive

The solution to that is obvious - don't sell anything expensive.

I wish it was possible to sell to only well rated sellers (maybe it is?)

It is not possible. eBay is in the business of generating sales, not restricting them.

Fraud exists on eBay. Any buyer can steal any item from any seller at any time by filing a frudulent dispute. But that being said, there are millions and millions of items sold here every day with no issues at all.

IMHO sellers can take prudent steps to minimize the risk.

By selling lightweight items that can ship by medial mail or first class, you can limit the amount of money you put at risk when paying for whipping.

By selling free or low-cost items, you can limit the amount of money you put at risk if you lose an item.

And by not selling items that are prone to fraud (cell phones, laptops, gift cards, etc.) a selelr can reduce the chances that his item is targeted in the first place.

You have a leg up on most new sellers, because you seem to understand there is risk. Many new sellers jump in blind and get taken to the cleaners.

fashunu4eeuh · ‎01-02-2021

In ten years of selling, i have never been the victim of fraud. On the whole, the overwhelming majority of buyers are honest. As a fairly cautious seller, i don’t list items in high fraud categories like smartphones, electronic gaming, and high dollar gadgets.

With that said, it is good to be careful; being fearful is something else entirely. You may encounter scammers here. If concern over the risk of losing money is too great, i don’t recommend online selling because there is no way to fully bullet-proof one’s listings. There is inherent risk that cannot be avoided, only mitigated. Like any retail enterprise, shrinkage can happen and should be factored into one’s business plan and selling expenses.

But if you can handle the risk, and have established your risk tolerance prior to listing each item, then you can find success in today’s eBay.

My standing advice to new (or returning sellers such as yourself) is to make sure you have a postal scale, tape measure, and packing materials before listing. Pack, weigh and measure your items in the container you plan to ship them in to calculate shipping estimates. This way you won’t be surprised by shipping costs, nor suffer panic after a sale when you can’t find a box. You can order all kinds of free boxes and other shipping supplies from USPS for Priority Mail. You can buy discounted postage from eBay and print the shipping labels right on the site. It is very convenient.

I very much enjoy the challenge of selling on eBay, as well as being a member of the eBay community. Wish you much success in your new eBay journey. Come back anytime.

PS—one more thought. As for new or zero-to-low feedback buyers, there have been droves of them since the pandemic began. New buyers bring more business to eBay, more traffic, more sales, and potentially greater profits. They should be welcomed. But some sellers eye them askance, and view them with suspicion and fear, even tho it is impossible to determine a buyer’s legitimacy based on just a feedback score.

There is no way to know with certainty who is a scammer by their sales history, or lack of it, alone. More information is required to separate the good from the bad, and often times that means having to wait until after the sale before a seller can evaluate a buyer’s trustworthiness.

What i’m trying to say is just this—don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Keep in mind the vast majority of buyers are honest.

Good luck to you.

futuremarine2011 · ‎01-02-2021

dont sell anything that you cant afford to lose or replace

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-03-2021

@fashunu4eeuh At first when I read what you wrote about packaging was basic common knowledge that everyone knew. But then as I continued reading I started to realize that you might be right and it made me question... When most buyers lost something on eBay, do they not yet know how they are going to pack and ship it?? I would get so much anxiety if I did that.

duncanvr · ‎01-03-2021

Don't sell expensive items. Sell light weight items that won't break easily. Sell lots of stuff cheaper and build your feedback. AVOID clothing its a high returns area. Try and NICHE down into something so you end up getting mostly repeat buyers who won't scam you. Don't offer same day shipping. Have returns policy 30 days buyers pays return shipping. Note don't sell anything your not prepared to lose including the money and shipping cost. Although I say sell cheap at least look for $15-$25 profit after fees.

dekanaka0 · ‎01-03-2021

Life is not fair all the time. Large money always comes with high risk. it is always the case if you are engaging in selling. Amoung the honest and good buyers there are dishonest people as well. You cant avoid that.

so my advice it to give your self to take the opportunity to make more money instead of focusing on bad outcomes.