Buying and Selling on eBay: Tips, Tricks, Problems & Questions

GothamRed · Mar 30, 2013

Quick buyer Q-

Bought a shirt last night from a seller with few but all positive feedbacks. Auction ended in the middle of the night and I woke up to an auction won notice, an invoice email, and a shipping update email. No Paypal receipt email or anything (since I was asleep and all). However, when I try to pay the invoice, eBay keeps telling me that it has been paid via Paypal and the item has apparently already been shipped to my default shipping address. Yet, there is no activity in my PayPal account.

Did the item get marked as paid because the seller decided to print a shipping label before getting paid? Or, should I be changing all of my passwords?

SpooPoker · Mar 30, 2013

RedDevil10 said:
Quick buyer Q-

Bought a shirt last night from a seller with few but all positive feedbacks. Auction ended in the middle of the night and I woke up to an auction won notice, an invoice email, and a shipping update email. No Paypal receipt email or anything (since I was asleep and all). However, when I try to pay the invoice, eBay keeps telling me that it has been paid via Paypal and the item has apparently already been shipped to my default shipping address. Yet, there is no activity in my PayPal account.

Did the item get marked as paid because the seller decided to print a shipping label before getting paid? Or, should I be changing all of my passwords?

When you look in your my eBay purchase history, does that item have the "$" sign bolded? Or does it say "payment was made for this item on 3/30/13"?

GothamRed · Mar 30, 2013

SpooPoker said:
When you look in your my eBay purchase history, does that item have the "$" sign bolded? Or does it say "payment was made for this item on 3/30/13"?

Thanks Spoo! Q answered.

sagitar · Mar 30, 2013

FaceOfBoh said:
This one's for HansDerHund and the others who use Garagesale. I think Hans was asking what to do with those auction templates that pile up. Here's what I did.

I did some listings today and spent some time organizing. Under My Templates I have a bunch of folders, one for each category I sell. One for Shoes, one for Suits, one for Sweaters, etc. I have a single template in each one. Just a representative listing.

Then I have two more folders. One for Current Auctions and One for Relisting.

So today I worked on current listings. I made a duplicate of a representative template - say one for Shoes. I dragged it into Current Auctions and customized for what I was listing. If I listed a second pair I just made a copy of the copy and used that. I suppose if you always listed Hermes ties (Spoo?) you could get more focused and have a Hermes tie template - less to change in that case.

I'll list these Sunday. Once the auctions close or resolve I'll delete Sold items and move relists into the Relist folder. That way I can keep the Current Auctions folder free for items I'm geting ready to list for the first time.

If you are relisting, I would directly relist from eBay because you get eBay relist credits when you relist the same item for the second time. . Relisting from GS, eBay will charge you for the relist. This really doesn't matter if you are only using the monthly 50 free listings.

FaceOfBoh · Mar 30, 2013

I list so few items I never get charged.

But does this happen to anyone else? When I try to relist a garagesale listing in ebay I only get the feature picture. All my other pictures aren't there. I'm not sure why this happens.

Evil Abed · Mar 30, 2013

Anyone ever ship to Chile? I got a question asking if I would, and considering that they aren't covered by the GSP, I figured it's probably smarter to pass.

SpooPoker · Mar 30, 2013

Evil Abed said:
Anyone ever ship to Chile? I got a question asking if I would, and considering that they aren't covered by the GSP, I figured it's probably smarter to pass.

I have, many times. No probs (just send it insured)

taxgenius · Mar 30, 2013

SeaJen said:
I'm having an issue with an ebay purchase. I bought a jacket listed with free shipping. It was held at my post office because of insufficient postage and when I picked it up the seller had tried to use media mail, and only 1lb in weight no less. I had to pay the remainder to get the package.
So I messaged the seller and explained and he agreed to repay me immediately. A few days later and I've received no refund. I message him again and hear nothing.
I left it a couple of days again and then opened a case in eBay. A couple of hours later seller writes saying that he initiated a refund from the payment I made to him, but that that payment is being held for 30 days so it cant be made yet and asks that I accept this and close the case.
BUT, this doesnt sound legit to me. I thought the purpose of eBay witholding payment was in case there was a problem, so why wouldnt he be able to refund me.
Furthermore, all my reading about held payments suggests it's at most 21 days. So I'm wondering if he is hoping that he can stretch this out beyond the 45 days I have to leave negative feedback. Seems ridiculous given the sum we're talking about, but I'm guessing he didnt expect the jacket to go for the minimum bid.

TLR - cant a seller refund from payments being held by eBay?

Sounds suspicious.

Dolfan954 · Mar 30, 2013

I know we have a ton of terrible horror stories in here, thought I would post about the positive experience I recently had.

Had an incredibly lucky experience from an international eBay buyer.

I sold a tie to someone in the UK. Buyer wanted to haggle on the shipping cost after buying so I offered to ship first class. I didn't know how to send it registered, so I just crossed my fingers and shipped it off (I should have known better).

Buyer messages me a good bit later asking where it is and if I can track it. Of course, all I can tell is when it left the U.S. So, I am in a bind. I ask him if he could wait a week or two and see if it shows up. He messages me again saying no dice. FUDGE! I notice he buys lots of ties and resells on the UK ebay. I start investigating looking to see if he really got it and just resold it or something, but nothing out of the ordinary there. I send him a refund and apologize completely, thinking I just got dominated.

He thanks me for being so nice in refunding the money since he blames the post office and not me. A week later he messages me and tells me he heard the post office is holding the tie for him in "quarantine." A week after that he tells me he picked it up, and he promptly RESENT me the payment through PayPal.

I was totally screwed by not sending it the way we always discuss. I had accepted the loss once I sent the refund. What an awesome eBayer and a great international experience!

GMMcL · Mar 31, 2013

Great info on the templates, Spoo.

Now all I need is to (ignore my seething hatred for Macs, sell out, buy one, then) get GS.

(I feel like I'm converting religions or turning into a Sox fan. I will justify it by saying the wife, who IS a Sox fan, wants an iPad. No selling out here. Move along, citizen.)

HansderHund · Mar 31, 2013

GMMcL said:
Great info on the templates, Spoo.

Now all I need is to (ignore my seething hatred for Macs, sell out, buy one, then) get GS.

(I feel like I'm converting religions or turning into a Sox fan. I will justify it by saying the wife, who IS a Sox fan, wants an iPad. No selling out here. Move along, citizen.)

Is there nothing available for a PC? I can honestly say that GS has cut my listing time down quite a bit. As I've said before, I'm always streamlining it a bit and changes things here and there, so it will take awhile before I'm satisfied with my setup, but the actual listing part of it used to be something I'd dread. Now, I do it as I go and find that I can list certain things in a matter of a couple of minutes.

Take ties, for example. I have the template ready, shipping options saved, descriptions saved. All I have to do is drag my pictures into it, change the measurements, write the title and add any extra info (such as new, flaws, etc.) and post it. After I've taken the photos, a tie takes about 5 minutes to list.

Brianpore · Mar 31, 2013

I find it easy on a PC. I just find a like item, use "sell similar" update title (which you are doing), update measurements (which you are doing), update info (which you are doing), add pictures via HTML (which you sorta do) and then have to add the small thumbnail pictures and arrange them (this takes an extra minute or two but I dont have to do this). All in all, once I am happy with the pictures, and have the measurements, to actually create a listing, even for a suit) takes about 5 minutes. It's the getting pics and measurements part that takes a long time IMO.

GMMcL · Mar 31, 2013

Not that I know. I've asked a couple of times but I usually get Spoo-abuse for being a PC guy.

I usually do a word search of my preevious listings to find something reasonably similar (same brand preferred) then "sell similar". Then its just tweaking measurements, narrative etc as needed. Still takes a solid 5-10 mins per, incl loading pics (which can be purty slow depending where in my house I'm loading. Office is great. Living room is too far from wifi).

HansderHund · Mar 31, 2013

Brianpore said:
I find it easy on a PC. I just find a like item, use "sell similar" update title (which you are doing), update measurements (which you are doing), update info (which you are doing), add pictures via HTML (which you sorta do) and then have to add the small thumbnail pictures and arrange them (this takes an extra minute or two but I dont have to do this). All in all, once I am happy with the pictures, and have the measurements, to actually create a listing, even for a suit) takes about 5 minutes. It's the getting pics and measurements part that takes a long time IMO.

GMMcL said:
Not that I know. I've asked a couple of times but I usually get Spoo-abuse for being a PC guy.

I usually do a word search of my preevious listings to find something reasonably similar (same brand preferred) then "sell similar". Then its just tweaking measurements, narrative etc as needed. Still takes a solid 5-10 mins per, incl loading pics (which can be purty slow depending where in my house I'm loading. Office is great. Living room is too far from wifi).

It's odd that there isn't something similar floating around for a PC. I don't mean to be a total Mac fanboy (though privately there is some of that :happy:

), but I just find it easier from what I was doing, which is listing within ebay. Granted, I rarely used ebay's offer of saving templates, but I would click on "list a similar item" and go that route. I find that I'm willing to work on listings all week rather than sit down and schedule a bunch at one time. Maybe that's the main reason I find it more convenient, I'm not sure.

Brianpore · Mar 31, 2013

HansderHund said:
Quote: Being that I list BIN OBO I work on them all week. When stuff gets listed it gets listed, no rush.

Buying and Selling on eBay: Tips, Tricks, Problems & Questions

Distinguished Member

Internet Bigtimer and Most Popular Man on Campus

Distinguished Member

Well-Known Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Internet Bigtimer and Most Popular Man on Campus

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

B&S (BS) ambassador-in-chief

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

B&S (BS) ambassador-in-chief

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Similar threads

Featured Sponsor

Definitely full canvas only

Half canvas is fine

Really don't care

Depends on fabric

Depends on price

Forum Sponsors

Forum statistics

FOLLOW STYLEFORUM ON: