@clemowbooks wrote:
Personally, I don't think Auctions should be foisted on new sellers. I understand that eBay like the "branding" aspect of being on of the very few generalist auction sites but pushing newbies into that format instead of the FixedPrice format preferred by experienced sellers, and more importantly by buyers, is unfair.
I would go so far as to say it's impolite. And I am Canadian, so that's strong language.
If you are sure of what you want to get for your items in future, list them as Fixed Price and add Immediate Payment Required.
Your listing will then get 30 days of visibility in Search and will remain visible until someone actually pays.
It's not so much the auctions (as a process) that are at fault, but the fact that you can't put Immediate Payment Required on the auction listing. (The same is true for accepting offers via the Make Offer button.) That leaves the door open for horse-trading and scams by fake buyers who are looking to lure the seller into an off-site email or text exchange that will ultimate lead to a purchase scam.
List as Fixed Price (and only Fixed Price; no Make Offer option added), be sure to check the box for Immediate Payment Required in the listing form (it's in the payments area), and then no one will be able to snatch your item off the market without at least paying you for it first.
Note that this can get you past the fake-payment scams, but you are still at risk for fake damage claims, empty-box claims or return swaps. Especially when you're starting out, you should not list anything that you cannot afford to lose completely.
