Looking for expert sellers advice

[betcboop]

Posting here because you guys obviously know what you're talking about!  Thanks in advance for your help.

I don't sell alot, and I don't sell often.  Have had several unpleasant experiences with buyers due to my own ignorance.  Now I've sold an item for $150.  Just noticed it's a first time buyer, so no history, no feedback. He has paid through PayPal, but I'm still nervous about sending this fragile, heavy item to someone who has never bought anything on eBay before, and yet he joins and suddenly buys this clock on the same day that he joins eBay?  Maybe I'm gun shy, but it seems suspicious. 

Any cautionary advice before I ship?  Thanks!!

[johnrj1226]

1.  A buyer can be  a one time  eBay visitor who has  elected not to set up an eBay account.

2.  All buyers and seller starts with a zero FB.

3.  Have had transactions with both without issue others may have a different experience.  On the other hand,  have  had issues with buyers with  4 digit FB.

4.  There are no guarantee's in life, especially when you  are dealing with the public.  In my  7+s  decades on this planet  4+ decades in selling) I have found that some people will lie a little, cheat  a little but will always be sincere about it.  But mostly people are honest and they are the ones you never hear/read about.

5.   Your  item is fragile package it well, double box if possible.  Hopefully  you can  ship it via Priority Mail as it will travel by air much of the way unless it is a short distance delivery and less risky than by Ground services.

[nowandthenvintage]

Hi! 9 times out of 10 it's legit. New buyers have to start somewhere..Package tight and don't forget to add extra insurance. New buyer maybe wondering if your a good seller. Be her first feedback and write something nice

[plumbingspecials]

Package the item well, insure the package, and require a delivery confirmation signature. These will help protect you against a fraudster - IF that is what you are dealing with. Also, do not send to any other address than what is on the ebay/paypal invoice. If you have trouble with the buyer, come back here before taking any action, because most of the sellers here have dealt with all kinds of strange issues that (some) buyers throw at us. We've heard it all!

[stuff4divas]

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@betcboop wrote:

Posting here because you guys obviously know what you're talking about!  Thanks in advance for your help.

I don't sell alot, and I don't sell often.  Have had several unpleasant experiences with buyers due to my own ignorance.  Now I've sold an item for $150.  Just noticed it's a first time buyer, so no history, no feedback. He has paid through PayPal, but I'm still nervous about sending this fragile, heavy item to someone who has never bought anything on eBay before, and yet he joins and suddenly buys this clock on the same day that he joins eBay?  Maybe I'm gun shy, but it seems suspicious. 

Any cautionary advice before I ship?  Thanks!!

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I started as a zero buyer and seller here on ebay and that was over 10 yrs ago. Still going strong on both accounts 😉

Just make sure you package it well and insure it.

You may want to ebay message the buyer with some polite comment like:

So happy to be your 1st purchase here on eBay. Enjoy your awesome clock. Tracking has been uploaded and will ship later today.

This way you may be able to get a better idea of the person from their answer.

[orangehound]

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@betcboop wrote:

Maybe I'm gun shy, but it seems suspicious. 

Any cautionary advice before I ship?  Thanks!!

---

There are four types of buyers on eBay:

1. The good, honest buyers that everyone wants to do business with.
2. Incompetent buyers, who generally mean well, but they do stuff that usually costs a seller time, money, and frustration.
3. Dishonest buyers who try to nickel-and-dime sellers, abuse the Money Back Guarantee, and leave unreasonable feedback (sometimes in retaliation for not succumbing to their demands).
4. Crooks.

Feedback tells you nothing about which kind of buyer you will get.  Even if a buyer has thousands of feedbacks, there isn't much that you can do to guard against #2 or #3, because eBay doesn't punish or restrict these kinds of buyers ... and sellers can have no access to knowing a buyer's reputation as a trouble-maker.  A seller just doesn't know until it happens.  It is sort of like walking through a lawn and stepping in dog droppings.

As for #4, your only protection is to simply not sell those things that crooks are targeting - things like high-dollar electronics (smart phones, laptops, etc.), designer shoes/purses/jackets, valuable collectibles, expensive jewelry, etc.  That's not to say that one can't have a successful transaction with one of these things, but only that thieves target these types of items ... and, when they do, there isn't protection.

[iart]

You agreed to sell and the buyer agreed to buy. The only choice you have is: 

A) Worry about it

or

B) Don't worry about it

Choose wisely, lol

[plumbingspecials]

Sometimes I use pipl.com to look up a person if I am suspicious of an order. I also use the badbuyerlist.org to find out if anyone else has had an issue and knew to add them to the ever-growing list. Even though I am unable to cancel an order that I know is fraud, I usually will contact ebay to ask them to check their account to find out if it is compromised. Once in a while, it will alert the rightful account owner and they will report as unauthorized, saving me the hassle of dealing with the fraud after the fact. But... you have to know what to look for in a transaction and it does take some time, but it burns my batt when someone actually gets away with theft and fraud, so I would rather take the time to burn them back before they get away with it.

[vintage-camerastuff]

More than likely this person was scrolling through ebay and saw your clock.  Decided it would make a perfect gift for that special person for Christmas.  So he or she joined ebay and made the purchase.   Don't Worry, be Happy!

[debvor]

Just because they have zero feedback and it looks like they just joined doesn't mean they did. They may have other accounts. Just package the item very well and insure the heck out of it. I'm sure everything will be alright. 

[joesoucie22012]

With I.D.

Delivery confirmation with I.D. required. If just signature required then they claim it wasn't them that signed for it.......