Posted on 06/20/2004 1:01:39 PM PDT by LuLuLuLu
We've got some antique and other stuff that we don't use and don't want, so I've decided to sell it on ebay. I know I need to do some research to set reasonable reserves, but I'm wondering if there is anything else I need to know?
One thing that concerns me is the seller's rating. Years ago I bought things on ebay, and so if I long in with the same user name (assuming I can remember it), will it be detrimental that I have no feedback as a seller?
Another concern is the whole Paypal thing. I've read horror stories.
Help me out here, folks. I'd like to hear the good, the bad and especially the ugly of selling on ebay.
Many thanks in advance.
That is ok. I can't be sure that a buyer is truly happy until they leave feedback or have contacted me via email. I'm sorry you think that is inconsiderate. I don't. If they leave a neg or neutral before trying to fix a situation that may or may not be my fault, there is no recourse for me. If someone did leave me a neg without trying to work it out, they would get a neg from me and I would hate to do that too.
Personally, I think a seller is obligated to provide proof of shipment, regardless of whether the buyer opted for insurance or not. Otherwise, the seller can simply take the money, not ship the item and claim it got lost in the mail.
Perhaps sellers should concider the buyer's feedback to see if they are "square dealers" or not. I also think eBay should have a "Power Buyer" designator for buyers that are fair play by the rules so that sellers (such as yourself) would feel comfortable providing positive feedback when appropriate.
I do take the buyers feedback into consideration. Your idea is a good one.
This is my quibble about selling on eBay. In exploring the site for items whose value I know about, most of the current high bids I see look absurdly low. I'm afraid of selling an item, then finding out that the shipping costs exceed what I would get for the item.
This is a good idea. When using the USPS, make sure you get a printed receipt that, at a minimum, shows you mailed a package to a certain zip code or country on the date you said. Most post offices will give you this, but there are a few that can't or won't, so avoid them.
My two cents, which will duplicate others. . .
Be honest
Be timely
Answer emails
Pack it like it will be handled by Godzilla
Don't make your money on shipping charges
Avoid selling items that are too large, awkward, delicate or heavy to ship - unless you are making enough money to cover your time expense
Sell only to U.S. buyers unless you plan to sell enough to get proficient at international shipping
Use as many high quality photos as needed
Offer - and stand behind - a 100% satisfaction guarantee
Yep. That's exactly what I do when I'm shipping an uninsured package. The cash register receipt has the date of shipment and the destination zip code, so I'm able to prove I mailed something to them, in case it gets lost.
Well, I guess EVERYTHING is an overstatement.
I haven't had a glass of milk in 20 years.
Any idea how much a CPA would charge for a consultation of this type?
A few more:
Always email the buyer when you ship. They really appreciate that.
Avoid using the words "AS IS" if at all possible. They tell the buyer they are screwed if there's a major problem.
Small, dark, or blurry pictures chase buyers away.
Never use "Buy It Now" unless you truly understand the market for the item you are selling. I recently saw a lucky buyer scoop up an item potentially worth $3000 for a $60 BIN because the seller didn't know what he had. That auction ran for a total of 7 minutes!!
Ref.
I've never sent a negative but I did send one neutral. I bought a tie and there was nothing wrong with tie. What I didn't like was all the hoops the guy wanted me to jump through for my purchase. I was supposed to download and print out an invoice from him and then enclose it with my payment, etc. Nobody else was requiring this so I dinged him. By his reaction, you'd have thought I had questioned his parentage.
Had one woman that brainlocked and sent me three record albums instead of the six she was auctioning. We traded e-mails until it all got resolved. She got a positive. You see, customer relations is also an important factor in ratings.
I'm a patient and reasonable person. I understand everyone wanting to protect themselves because we're all anonymous out here but some folks take it too far for my tastes.
I'd really like to have some seller sell my stuff on consignment and get a cut of the profit. Mostly I have magazine-type materials, a couple of dolls and some baseball memorabilia. Anyone interested and living around Texas, send me a FReepmail.
I include insurance up to $50 value with my shipments. It's a bit of a hassle filling out all the little green forms and waiting for the P.O. to process them but they're perfect proof of shipment.
Does anyone have thoughts on shipping to unconfirmed PayPal addresses? I received two requests last week to ship to unconfirmed addresses different than the buyer's. I did it as an experiment (I'm risking about $50 in merchandise). Does anyone have a feel for how dangerous this is?
Gonna keep reading to see if there's an answer I like to that question you asked.
With all the PayPal spoofs that I get and hear about I just don't feel good about giving them a bank account number. Guess I feel a little more protected with the credit card/pay Pal option since you can appeal charges to the credit card company
I do it all the time. It depends on what you sell. Highly coveted, hard to find and high dollar value attract scammers and theives. Insist on confirmed address.
Run of the mill stuff, low dollar value, don't worry about it.
That said, ship everything USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation. DC is free when you print directly off of USPS.com I charge it to my PayPal card and get 1.5% back on my postage costs. And all my shipping supplies are free and shipped free to my door. I do have a few things that go first class and they are low value and cheap to replace so I don't bother with DC on those.
I've experimented with shipping directly off of PayPal. It's okay too, has stealth postage and free DC, but I like getting the 1.5% rebate on my ship costs. It adds up to several lattes a week.
You should also be moving your PayPal earnings to your bank account via cash advance off your PayPal card. That is $6.00 cash back every time I move $400 bucks at no charge to me. Go inside your bank, won't work with an ATM machine.
Yes! If you send me an e-mail telling me it's been sent (particularly if you include a tracking number), I can do the rest. Aside from promptness and politeness, this is the most important thing for a positive rating.
I think it is part of their plan to verify as many users as possible for fraud reduction, not implying your a fraud, just that they want to verify everyone and need more than one piece of id to do so. It may also be related to the Patriot Act. Seem to remember a ebay forum thread on that. Basically using banks to do their work for them. Cause you have to provide proof of identity and SSN to open a bank account and PayPal is piggybacking on that process, instead of doing it themselves AND you don't have to fax your DL and SSN to PayPal, your bank remains in control of that information and are subject to banking regulations that Paypal is not.
I'm verified, I move a lot of money through PayPal, they have a right to know who I am.
Nobody said you have to give the access to your main bank account. Lots of sellers have an account just for this purpose that sits basically empty. Is also useful for receiving international money wires, then emptied into your main account. Put's an extra layer between you and possible theives.
Great pointers, thanks!
ping
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