Selling on Ebay

stevetiler

stevetiler

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Steve
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Hi all,
So my son wants to sell an item for around the £3000 mark,he says the only place he would get a buyer is on Ebay but I'm terrified of him getting scammed in some way!
My question - is there a bullet proof way of selling on the Bay! ie using Paypal and the correct form of delivery etc etc?

Thanks Steve
 
You have to accept paypal anyway, so thats not an issue, the fees will be huge though.

Depending what the item is, then use a fully tracked and insured postal service. I always photograph the item in detail and also do a video of the item to show its condition before packing and post. I also record myself packing the item and sealing it.

The only way you would get scammed is the buyer saying the item didn't arrive was damaged. appal pretty much always side with the buyer, but if you get as much evidence as you can, hopefully they would side with the seller for once.
 
stevetiler said:
Hi all,
So my son wants to sell an item for around the £3000 mark,he says the only place he would get a buyer is on Ebay but I'm terrified of him getting scammed in some way!
My question - is there a bullet proof way of selling on the Bay! ie using Paypal and the correct form of delivery etc etc?

Thanks Steve
Click to expand...

when I have bought high value items off Ebay - £1.5k to +£3k , (generally watches) - I have always met the buyer and collected

maybe not possible in your case

Also generally not possible to pay by CC - therefore no protection from Bcard or similar

it is always a risk on EBay, especially if you have to try to get your money back ……. even with an established supplier ….. not sure I would take it
 
fees max out at 10% final value of the actual listing if I remember rightly (not accounting for postage fees and paypal fees).

use paypal (not gift), make a note of all serial numbers and photo all angles of the item and packaging in case the buyer tries to claim damage, use fully insured postage.

etc.

common sense and you should be okay.
 
Pair of trainers believe it or not!! Nike Yeezies ? desighned by Kanye West-crazy money but collectors love em!
 
stevetiler said:
Pair of trainers believe it or not!! Nike Yeezies ? desighned by Kanye West-crazy money but collectors love em!
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No!!!

and you will probably tell us next that they have been warn by some "unknown"
 
Some people will buy anything.
 
neil_g said:
fees max out at 10% final value of the actual listing if I remember rightly (not accounting for postage fees and paypal fees).
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Final value fee is 10% of selling price plus postage, but limited to £75.
 
By the way Steve....I hope your lad has half a dozen boxed pairs under his bed. I sense a budding entrepreneur :)
 
spike241 said:
Main thing I can think of, do NOT accept Paypal if the buyer is collecting.
Cash on collection or tracked postage only
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Isn't it the case though, that if they pay by paypal as soon as the sale is complete, you have no option but to accept under Ebay rules?
 
If you put Collection Only then yes, although I'd rather cancel the sale and risk a strike/bad feedback than lose £3000!
The way around is to add in a postage option (don't tick Collection Available or whatever it is) and then write in the listing that the buyer can collect.

It is against the rules to write 'cash on collection' (apparently) but a lot of people get caught out by the Paypal collection scam, especially for high value items.
 
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viv1969 said:
Isn't it the case though, that if they pay by paypal as soon as the sale is complete, you have no option but to accept under Ebay rules?
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I have heard of cases where the buyer has collected then denied receiving the goods
After paying with paypal
I have sold quite a few times in the past without problems but would be nervous now selling an expensive item on eBay
 
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Don't forget you have to pay additional fees if you put a reserve on the item. Have a look at the T&Cs on the ebay site for guidance. I've bought and sold on ebay many times and only had one problem, which was resolved in my favour. The benefit is having avery large audience for your item, of course. If its a very high ticket item, it might be worth offering personal delivery, even if that means a bit of a trip.
 
viv1969 said:
Isn't it the case though, that if they pay by paypal as soon as the sale is complete, you have no option but to accept under Ebay rules?
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Your sort of right, but personally I NEVER accept PayPal for collection. If the buyer is insistent they want to pay via PayPal then it MUST be sent via an online track able method to comply with PayPal rules.

With a collection you can not complete PayPal rules and you can not protect yourself. The buyer can claim non receipt and PayPal WILL refund. You will then have to go down the legal route of fraud and go through the courts.

Would you still accept PayPal for a collection when it's so easy to avoid the hassle??
 
Quicksnapper said:
Don't forget you have to pay additional fees if you put a reserve on the item. Have a look at the T&Cs on the ebay site for guidance. I've bought and sold on ebay many times and only had one problem, which was resolved in my favour. The benefit is having avery large audience for your item, of course. If its a very high ticket item, it might be worth offering personal delivery, even if that means a bit of a trip.
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Personally deliver is ok if they are paying cash, an I would want it paid via BACS before going somewhere to find it was a waste of time.
PayPal will still side on the buyer if they claim item not received and you could not prove it without an online track able method
 
With the amount of funny munny apparently in circulation, I would want a large sum like that checked by the bank before handing goods over. If a buyer objected to what I would say was a legitimate level of security I would be wary of dealing with them.
 
pitkin2020 said:
Your sort of right, but personally I NEVER accept PayPal for collection. If the buyer is insistent they want to pay via PayPal then it MUST be sent via an online track able method to comply with PayPal rules.

With a collection you can not complete PayPal rules and you can not protect yourself. The buyer can claim non receipt and PayPal WILL refund. You will then have to go down the legal route of fraud and go through the courts.

Would you still accept PayPal for a collection when it's so easy to avoid the hassle??
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I wasn't having a go, I was asking a question. I ain't selling! Sheesh.
 
I'm quite happy to accept paypal for collection...no problem...I also make it clear that I will supply a receipt that I want us to both sign for collection, and that I want to photo copy two forms of ID when collecting. Any genuine buyer would understand that and have no issue with it. The alternative will be secure postal tracking.

I've only had one issue with a set of Studio lights that I sold. The lady who bought them said they were damaged on arrival, and wanted a refund. I had no issue with that as these things happen unfortunately. I said I would refund immediately upon return, or if she could provide clear photographs of my items then I do it now....She choose to return, and with that she opened a claim...I inspected and yup one was broken and the other was still sealed....I was about to issue the refund and then I took a second look. The thread looked warn, there were scratched on the inside...And then I checked the serial numbers....I photographed those before I send out, and actually recorded them on the invoice as well...And voila the serial number was different. The cheeky woman send back her broken light together with one of my good ones....

I put this in my response and refused a refund. Ultimately eBay sided with her, I was so annoyed despite all the evidence. However once that is done you can file a seller counter claim...And I was refunded my refund by eBay....Still annoys me though that she got away with it even though I'm not out of pocket....

Still got a single good light though which I decided to keep so I have three of my own now :)
 
viv1969 said:
I wasn't having a go, I was asking a question. I ain't selling! Sheesh.
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wasn't having a go either, the question was a generic not just to you lol. Merely pointing out that sellers think they are still obliged to continue with a sale because ebay say you have to. Ebay don't enforce buyers paying you when they win an auction.

Point is as long as you have more than one option its upto the seller, if they want to pay via paypal thats their choice and you simply tell them it has to be delivered, if you would like the option of collecting bring the cash. Its your stuff and you don't want to lose the item and the money.
 
the biggest issue with selling such an expensive pair of trainers would be genuine/ counterfeit. do post detailed actual pics and be prepared to supply original proof of purchase. also be prepared for ebay to take down the listing
 
viv1969 said:
Isn't it the case though, that if they pay by paypal as soon as the sale is complete, you have no option but to accept under Ebay rules?
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You can post, but under no circumstances they should be allowed to collect unless paying by cash.
 
daugirdas said:
You can post, but under no circumstances they should be allowed to collect unless paying by cash.
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Yes Ruth is right about the rules but for an expensive item I would just say no to collection unless they paid cash:)
 
dejongj said:
I'm quite happy to accept paypal for collection...no problem...I also make it clear that I will supply a receipt that I want us to both sign for collection, and that I want to photo copy two forms of ID when collecting. Any genuine buyer would understand that and have no issue with it.
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That won't be enough for Paypal though so the 'buyer' would be refunded if they opened a Paypal claim.
 
Luckily I've never had to test it. However maybe that approach will attract good buyers only. Worked for me for the last 14 odd years of trading.
 
spike241 said:
but a lot of people get caught out by the Paypal collection scam, especially for high value items.
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Can you define "a lot" or back it up with any more information of how many times it's happened

If you want to steal a high value item there's more untraceable ways of doing it.
 
spike241 said:
That won't be enough for Paypal though so the 'buyer' would be refunded if they opened a Paypal claim.
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Quite correct, they could sign in blood and you could have them on CCTV PayPal wouldn't care as you didn't comply with their terms so would refund no questions asked.

Depends what your trading on eBay as to how big a risk it is and obviously some items attract scammers some simply don't so you can take the risk of accepting PayPal for collection.

For the ops item I certainly wouldn't as it would be a high risk high value item
 
wack61 said:
Can you define "a lot" or back it up with any more information of how many times it's happened

If you want to steal a high value item there's more untraceable ways of doing it.
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I haven't got a clue how many times it has happened but I used to spend a lot of time on the eBay forum and it came up quite often.
As a percentage of total sales it's probably very low but it's one of the most common scams. Sometimes, possibly most of the time, the scammer uses a hacked Paypal account so they can't be traced.
 
As a genuine seller I have lost all faith in eBay and paypal. They clearly go all out to side with the buyer. I have experienced it personally twice now (have been on eBay since 2003 and have 1100 positive feedback - no negs or neutrals).

One example..

I sold an item for £52, sent via RMSD, the buyer signed for it so I assumed all was well (not everyone leaves feedback straight away or at all). 1 week later an eBay claim was lodged by the buyer stating the item was damaged. I contacted them immediately via eBay messages, requested details and photo evidence so I could raise a claim through Royal Mail - no response, I tried 4 times over the next week or so, each time using the messaging system so there was an audit trail - nothing. So I raised a claim with RM anyway and filled out all the details. The buyer didn't bother responding to RMs request for further details. Eventually, eBay closed the case I favour of the buyer and refunded the full amount inc postage.

I contacted their customer service to find out why they had reached this decision when it was obvious I had cooperated fully - didn't get anywhere.
 
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bl0at3r said:
As a genuine seller I have lost all faith in eBay and paypal. They clearly go all out to side with the buyer. I have experienced it personally twice now (have been on eBay since 2003 and have 1100 positive feedback - no negs or neutrals).

One example..

I sold an item for £52, sent via RMSD, the buyer signed for it so I assumed all was well (not everyone leaves feedback straight away or at all). 1 week later an eBay claim was lodged by the buyer stating the item was damaged. I contacted them immediately via eBay messages, requested details and photo evidence so I could raise a claim through Royal Mail - no response, I tried 4 times over the next week or so, each time using the messaging system so there was an audit trail - nothing. So I raised a claim with RM anyway and filled out all the details. The buyer didn't bother responding to RMs request for further details. Eventually, eBay closed the case I favour of the buyer and refunded the full amount inc postage.

I contacted
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Buyer raised a dispute, you responded and the buyer never responded back, yet ebay closed and sided with buyer? That seems really strange...The system is generally automated and if the buyer doesn't respond it will just age but doesn't get closed in their favour if the action is with them...However if the action is with you, and you haven't responded then yes this will happen. And granted the system is a bit weird and the UI not very friendly....I've been in a situation as a seller where I thought I've done everything right, but because I didn't get an email notification I responded too late and buyer won their dispute....And just now, I agree a refund with a seller, but then the action was with me again to actually accept the refund before it was being processed....Two actions on me in a row...I didn't expect that....

Always check who has go the action outstanding as non-response can lead to unexpected outcomes...
 
Agreed it is a strange decision based on me being fully cooperative and responding promptly when required.

They have done this to me twice now.

It all started to go down hill when they removed the ability to give a buyer negative feedback some years ago.

Their marketing is all geared toward buyer protection - not really giving a stuff about the seller IMHO
 
eBay do focus so much towards the buyers end which you obviously need the buyers to feel secure, trouble is without sellers eBay will not exist.
Ever increasing fees isn't helping and so many sellers are just moving over to their own dedicated webshops
 
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