Is There Any Real Seller Protection These Days?

[chirovette6yg3]

Okay, about 5ish years back, I was considering selling stuff on eBay. Particularly high end comic books, mostly Spider-Man because they pull in a lot of money, particularly for the Silver Age stuff. I was thinking of doing a little side eBay business. What stopped me back then, 5 and 10 years ago, was that it seemed like, despite the promises by the come-on ads to protect sellers from fraudulent buyers, there really was none. At least back then. So if I sell a $3K comic on eBay, or a really high end book like my Spider-Man #1 from 1963, all a seller had to do back in the day was claim I sent them a box of wet newspapers or rocks, and eBay/PayPal would refund them their money, taking it out of my account. Simply put, at least back then, fraudulent buyers could really screw over even the most honest sellers.

So I had decided against selling anything on eBay, because I read a ton of horror stories on the old eBay seller's forums about how unscrupulous buyers defrauded sellers out of their merchandise while keeping the very widget they claimed never to have received.

Apparently proof of mailing, return receipt, buyer signing for the package, and whatever...none of that helped the seller who had been ripped off. So has any of this **bleep** changed? Because I think I can make a good deal of money, both with my collection and buying and selling of comics. But I won't even think about taking that chance with high end comics that could see me chiseled out of some serious coin.

Thanks all!

[friskya]

No, nothing has really changed:

1. The buyer is NEVER wrong.

2. The seller is NEVER right.

3. If the buyer is ever wrong, refer back to rule 1.

4. If the seller is ever right, refer back to rule 2.

[ittybitnot]

 So has any of this **bleep** changed? 

@chirovette6yg3 

No.  

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@friskya wrote:

No, nothing has really changed:

1. The buyer is NEVER wrong.

2. The seller is NEVER right.

3. If the buyer is ever wrong, refer back to rule 1.

4. If the seller is ever right, refer back to rule 2.

---

To add to that...When you call eBay customer service they will routinely state that as a seller you've done nothing wrong and to stay tuned. They've already told the buyer similar. It's kinda a package deal in the eBay selling world.

-Lotz

[katzrul15]

Probably not the best venue for a $3k comic book.

If your collection is professionally graded, etc, there are certainly ways for you to safely sell HV comics/collections.

[caldreamer]

NO SELLER PROTECTION

EBAY forces you to refund money if USPS delays delivery (customer keeps item for free)

EBAY forced you to refund money when customers lie "not as described"

Customers "reverse credit card payment" after receiving item (keep item and your money)

Many different types of professional scammers (if you get scammed there is no protection)

[itscalledapostingid]

 What you described sounds more like the problems with online selling in general rather than just ebay. Are you saying there is some other online Marketplace that is immune to fraud?

[chirovette6yg3]

Thanks for the responses, folks. I will continue to abstain from selling on eBay then. I can always deal with Heritage Auctions instead. They take 10% of the selling price, but honestly, even if eBay takes a smaller dollar amount, it really sounds like I am better off paying the extra money. Then again, with all of eBay's fees, it may be close to 10% anyway, but I have never sold a single thing on eBay, so I have no idea. But it really sounds like too much of a headache and too much grief to deal with.

Here is a question: For those of you who sell, how bad and commonplace is the actual fraud from disreputable buyers? Is it widespread or relatively rare?

Because based on what I am reading in this thread so far, I have two financially viable choices at the moment. One is that I can completely forget about eBay as a selling venue for my comics, or maybe try some kind of a compromise. I could always let a place like Heritage handle all my really high end books, say anything over $500.00, and then try eBay for anything under that price.

I may have painted myself into a corner 20 years ago. I invested a lot of money in my collection as an investment, with the intention of selling them off a little at a time 20ish years later, meaning now. The appreciation on my comics is mind-blowing, and I don't want .to try and sell the collection as a lot, because anyone buying a huge lot for this kind of money will want a sizable discount. When collecting back two decades ago, I never even considered that this would be a thing.

Another question: Are there some kind of seller insurance premiums for cases like this, with fraudulent buyers who want to essentially steal your goods from you?

[femmefan1946]

I agree this is an online problem rather than a specifically eBay one.

There are B&M auction houses, many of which include online live internet bidding, which would do a  better job on high value comics.

And the charges are not much higher than eBay's, in part because they spread their charges between consignor and buyer. Most auction houses have buyer's fees of 20% or so.

The seller pays a percentage, but may also pay for photographing and description fees.

One point, generally, is that the more the buyer pays for the item, the happier he is likely to be. Your $3000 book would be less likely to attract a scammer than a $300 book or a $30 book.

I couldn't find the Buyer information for the philatelic auction house we are involved with, but this is the Information for Consignors, to give you an idea. (Obviously we do not deal in comic books, but you may find it useful to see what an auction house can do. Most people just think of country auctioneers with a loud patter.)

https://sparks-auctions.com/consign/

[dabunk2000]

NOPE NADA NOTHING

[katzrul15]

@chirovette6yg3 

If you decide to dabble here (and we sell both here and Amazon), I would highly recommend you start out with $30-$50 comics or below and see how it goes.  

As a "new" seller you will have listing limits per month initially and payout holds of up to 21 days, etc

In other words, I would walk a little with some lower valued items, get a rhythm down and then assess what your risk appetite is for this online site or any other.

I would also encourage you to familiarize yourself with the more recent changes of managed payments, the Spring Seller Update, Money Back Guarantee for Buyer, Seller Protections and more.  

Good luck!  

2021 Fall Seller Update (ebay.com)

eBay is managing payments

Seller Protections (ebay.com)

Selling fees | eBay

[allthingssurplus]

Fraud is always going to be on any online selling site.  However the eBay platform is a complete green light for the Buyer to defraud the Seller using the policies set up by eBay.  I am on 3 other selling sites, my Website, BrokerBin and PowerSource.  The only site I have issue with losing money for selling on the site is eBay.  All who have responded to this question have missed the main thief on the platform.  That would be eBay.  The return system and the shipping labels sold by eBay are a major source of $ loss to the Seller and a major source of income to eBay.  In the past 3 weeks I have lost over $500 using eBay purchased USPS International Standard labels.  eBay has made a profit on the sale of the label and are collecting their 12.35% FVF and Processing fees on that label.  eBay will always claim that the Buyer experience is their main goal.  However they what you to use Global Shipping an buy their labels.  All Global shipping does is increase the time of delivery to the Buyer by 4-6 days, now that is helpful.  If you buy the international labels as I did, you will get a tracking number that will not track and the package may or maybe not be delivered.  In our case we have experienced  60% of those international packages did not get delivered and were loss.  I was forced to refund completely to the Buyer.  eBay would not refund the fees on this sale.  The least they could do is refund the fees they charged on the label.  The shipping service eBay is providing is poor at best (and they do provide it as they choose what shipping services are offered to the Seller).  Again as long as eBay is making money they really don't care if the Seller loses or the Buyer gets delayed or never receives the package.  I have checked with USPS and they agree that the International Standard service is very poor.  With eBay offering a bad service cheap they know many Sellers will bite and buy those label.  There is no down side for eBay.  Its just another money grab.  Someone here said its a good idea to not sell high dollar item on eBay,  that is correct.  We stopped selling anything over $750 in August when Managed Payments was forced on us.  Many people on the site say if you don't like it go elsewhere.  Well we are however its not a light switch.  We have some 4300 listing up and can't just shut them down.  Here is the part eBay fails to miss:  Our business is a $2.4mil business at one time all on eBay now we only do $400k on eBay.  Slowly we are getting off.  Really a sad state for a Seller that has been on the site 21 years.  You cannot trust eBay to help you.  THERE IS NO SELLER PROTECTION ONLY SELLER COST.

[flyingmvp]

Bumping your  post before it will be ran over by another "how to log in" question from Sri-Lanka.

[femmefan1946]

n the past 3 weeks I have lost over $500 using eBay purchased USPS International Standard labels.

You set the price your buyer will pay for shipping.

Apparently you set that price lower than the current rates.

This might help.

https://postcalc.usps.com/Business/Index

However they what you to use Global Shipping an buy their labels. All Global shipping does is increase the time of delivery to the Buyer by 4-6 days, now that is helpful.

You are also protected from Late Delivery complaints, because for the seller Delivery means to the GSP plant in Kentucky.

If you get a Non-Delivery complaint from a buyer, respond with the tracking that shows delivery to KY.

The buyer also paid his country's import fees in advance, which stops the "customs office hold" scam.

We have some 4300 listing up and can't just shut them down.

Of course you can.

Set your Active Listings page to 200.

Click to check off all 200 on that page.

Go to Edit and End Listings.

Repeat for each page.

All your listings will go to your Unsold Items page for 60 days while you decide whether or not to end your relationship with eBay.

You cannot close your account immediately however, since eBay will keep it open until all financial questions (including Paypal disputes and credit card chargebacks) time out.

Also-- white space is your friend.  Hit the Return button on your keyboard to make a new paragraph.

[monster-deals]

Outside of tracking showing delivery with an INR case there is zero protection.