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

VLSI · Aug 10, 2012

If I reject an offer, can the buyer still come back with another offer?

concealed · Aug 10, 2012

VLSI said:
If I reject an offer, can the buyer still come back with another offer?

yeah there are like 3 counteroffers allowed until he can't offer anymore

HansderHund · Aug 10, 2012

FaceOfBoh said:
Thanks HansH. Since it's Made in Germany I thought you'd have some insight.

No problem...it's a bit confusing.

VLSI said:
If I reject an offer, can the buyer still come back with another offer?

concealed said:
yeah there are like 3 counteroffers allowed until he can't offer anymore

You could always counter his offer with your own price, though this has only worked for me a couple of times.

Hampton · Aug 10, 2012

Little help for a newcomer here. I don't have an ebay account but thinking about making one since i'm seeing some great stuff. I live in the EU first of all. What tips could I get and actually have my items the way as described? Are there always a chance of getting ripped off even if the buyer has many ''stars'' ?

Thanks

/ H

HansderHund · Aug 10, 2012

Hampton said:
Little help for a newcomer here. I don't have an ebay account but thinking about making one since i'm seeing some great stuff. I live in the EU first of all. What tips could I get and actually have my items the way as described? Are there always a chance of getting ripped off even if the buyer has many ''stars'' ?

Thanks

/ H

Are you thinking of buying or selling? I'm in Europe as well and sell worldwide, though 95% of my sales come from within and neighboring countries. Yes, there is always the possibility of getting "ripped off" by buyers, but that chance isn't great if you take some basic precautions. I learned one mistake by not sending something with a tracking number. I don't believe the buyer ever received the item, but in theory I could have been ripped off. He was a professor at a university, so I lay the blame on the post.

A lot of eBay is learning by fire. It's great to read up on other people's advice, but you'll always pick up some tips.

For the beginner:
1. Take lots of good photos. If you don't know how your camera works, just learn the basics. Use all 12 of your free photos.
2. Describe your item in painful detail. Give every sort of measurement and flaw in the description.
3. Only ship to addresses through eBay. Don't give in to someone wanting you to send it to an alternate address.
4. Offer to ship worldwide.
5. Calculate the real cost of shipping and don't mark it up more than you have to (unless you have to buy some CHEAP packaging).
6. Package items well.
7. Look at successful eBay listings and learn what key words are used. Use these words in applicable listings. If you're offering your item world-wide, use the correct English key words as well.
8. Package your items well and ship insured for expensive options.
9. Since you live in the EU, add a small liability to your listing. Search eBay in your country and you'll see that every listing states something about it being a private sale and that there is no guarantee.
10. Don't expect to get rich. There is a lot of time that goes into photographing, measuring, describing and shipping your items. You need to do it well every time and you'll start out slow with sales. It gets easier, faster and more profitable with more experience.

capnwes · Aug 10, 2012

GRRRR, thumbnail photos are broken again...hopefully up tomorrow. Anyone else?

Hampton · Aug 11, 2012

HansderHund said:
Are you thinking of buying or selling? I'm in Europe as well and sell worldwide, though 95% of my sales come from within and neighboring countries. Yes, there is always the possibility of getting "ripped off" by buyers, but that chance isn't great if you take some basic precautions. I learned one mistake by not sending something with a tracking number. I don't believe the buyer ever received the item, but in theory I could have been ripped off. He was a professor at a university, so I lay the blame on the post.
A lot of eBay is learning by fire. It's great to read up on other people's advice, but you'll always pick up some tips.
For the beginner:
1. Take lots of good photos. If you don't know how your camera works, just learn the basics. Use all 12 of your free photos.
2. Describe your item in painful detail. Give every sort of measurement and flaw in the description.
3. Only ship to addresses through eBay. Don't give in to someone wanting you to send it to an alternate address.
4. Offer to ship worldwide.
5. Calculate the real cost of shipping and don't mark it up more than you have to (unless you have to buy some CHEAP packaging).
6. Package items well.
7. Look at successful eBay listings and learn what key words are used. Use these words in applicable listings. If you're offering your item world-wide, use the correct English key words as well.
8. Package your items well and ship insured for expensive options.
9. Since you live in the EU, add a small liability to your listing. Search eBay in your country and you'll see that every listing states something about it being a private sale and that there is no guarantee.
10. Don't expect to get rich. There is a lot of time that goes into photographing, measuring, describing and shipping your items. You need to do it well every time and you'll start out slow with sales. It gets easier, faster and more profitable with more experience.

Thanks a lot. I don't think I would sell anything on ebay but could happend who knows, very good advice. I'm thinking more about buying how I can trust the seller who has the item that I never have met. I have bought stuff here on B&S and that have worked out just fine everytime, is it almost the same on ebay?

VLSI · Aug 11, 2012

Hampton said:
Thanks a lot. I don't think I would sell anything on ebay but could happend who knows, very good advice. I'm thinking more about buying how I can trust the seller who has the item that I never have met. I have bought stuff here on B&S and that have worked out just fine everytime, is it almost the same on ebay?

Honestly, as a buyer, there's zero reason to be hesitant to buy. Even if the item is as described and even if the seller doesn't take returns, you can always get your money back by gaming the system because ebay has created a system that is heavily, heavily weighted towards buyers. Obviously all sellers are con men and thieves :plain:

VLSI · Aug 11, 2012

What's the best way to ship something really heavy (38lb 21"x15"x18") all the way across the country? It includes a lot of my personal shoes, one pair which would be irreplaceable at this point, so I don't want to lose them.

UPS looks like it would be ~$46, but I was reading through their terms and they only cover have "declared value" coverage for claims up to $100. I'm trying to insure the package for $1000, and realistically there's a lot more in it than that. It looks like USPS would be ~$88 with $1000 insurance coverage. Are there any better options available or should I just suck it up and go with USPS?

capnwes · Aug 11, 2012

A question was asked on the thrift thread if anyone used a designated account for thrifting.

Yes, I have a back account which is strictly for thrifting /ebay / paypal transfers. I used to just use my normal account until some asshole hacked my paypal and tranferred a non-existent $2500 to his account. Paypal caught it right away, but once the third party banking trasaction is started you have to let it run its course. It tied up all of my money for 4 weeks until it was all settled. Fortunately my bank knows me and spottd me the money until it was resolved...otherwise I would have missed the mortgage payment.

Moral of the story #1...use a separate account..never link your "bill paying" accounts to paypal.
Moral of the story #2... change your paypal password often.

HansderHund · Aug 11, 2012

capnwes said:
A question was asked on the thrift thread if anyone used a designated account for thrifting.

Yes, I have a back account which is strictly for thrifting /ebay / paypal transfers. I used to just use my normal account until some asshole hacked my paypal and tranferred a non-existent $2500 to his account. Paypal caught it right away, but once the third party banking trasaction is started you have to let it run its course. It tied up all of my money for 4 weeks until it was all settled. Fortunately my bank knows me and spottd me the money until it was resolved...otherwise I would have missed the mortgage payment.

Moral of the story #1...use a separate account..never link your "bill paying" accounts to paypal.
Moral of the story #2... change your paypal password often.

That's really great advice. Does anyone have a PayPal bank card and if so, could they share their experience?

I read an article several years ago that said the biggest problem with something like that is that PayPal is not an insured financial institute. Hence, should they go under tomorrow, your money is gone. That also makes sense.

newyorknoir · Aug 11, 2012

HansderHund said:
Yes, there is always the possibility of getting "ripped off" by buyers, but that chance isn't great if you take some basic precautions.

@HansderHund, you also mentioned earlier in the thread that you generally don't ship to Russia.. which leads me into my question..

I'm selling a 1 year old, thousand dollar sweater on eBay for $400.. It's only been worn once, and is basically in brand-new condition. I've included numerous pics AND a picture of the original receipt (I paid for it in cash, so there is no credit card number, and I blacked out my name/address) to guarantee its authenticity to buyers. I'm a very inexperienced eBay seller (and buyer, for that matter), and need some guidance.

I offered free domestic shipping and international at the buyer's expense.. A buyer expressed interest and wondered how much it will cost to ship to Moscow.. before finding this thread, I made a call to a local, independent but authorized shipping and business services center for FedEx, DHL, UPS, and USPS, whom I've used before to ship internationally (to the UK). They notified me that shipping to Russia could be problematic, and the only way it could potentially work is if they ship to an office location of a company, as they cannot ship to individual addresses.. The buyer apparently doesn't work so that is not an option. I checked the buyer's profile, and what seems a little strange is that he wants me to ship to Russia, but his location is set to London, United Kingdom. Does this raise a red flag for anyone? The other thing that struck me as odd is that the buyer said that on the actual shipment day I might need to declare the item's price to be much lower than it actually is ($10-$20) as Russian customs are notorious for halting everything they consider to be too expensive.. I don't think I'd do this, but I'm not sure what to make of his request for me to do so.. After the discouragement from the shipping center and a few doubts about the buyer, I don't know what to think of this situation.. If I take proper precautions (shipping insurance, tracking, signature upon delivery, etc.) does this still sound like a potentially precarious deal? Obviously $400 for something I am just trying to get rid of is a big cash in.. I've tried to sell the item in the past with no luck, and strangely would always get exactly 4 watchers every listing, which made me think that eBay has bots that watch items so you think people are taking interest when they aren't.. Perhaps I need to bite the bullet and sell the sweater at a more affordable price?

The only other thing that might be worth mentioning is that I'm not concerned about rating or feedback.. If the buyer leaves negative feedback for whatever reason (say the package gets held up for a long time at customs) but I still get my money then I don't really care..

Thanks!

VLSI · Aug 11, 2012

He doesn't have a job but he's buying a $400 sweater?

Just don't do it. You will not get to keep your money long.

Brianpore · Aug 11, 2012

newyorknoir said:
Quote: If it is sold though ebay, then ONLY ship the shipping address which is supplied when the buyer pays for the item with paypal. For international you can ship (IMO) 1st class registered mail though the post office (for a sweater this is going to be under 4 lbs, so no problem for 1st class mail + $12 for registered mail), OR use Express Mail. Both of which track the package and require the buyer to sign for the package (which is what you need for ebay/paypal proof of delivery) for items over $250. I would add insurance, and DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT lower the price on the customs form. Besides being illegal (pretty sure, you would need to double check), if your item is lost and "stolen" then you only have insured a $10 or $20 item and not a $400 item which is what he paid.

Sure other will throw their hat in the ring, but this is my opinion and have never had an issue shipping international to any country.

HansderHund · Aug 11, 2012

newyorknoir said:
@HansderHund, you also mentioned earlier in the thread that you generally don't ship to Russia.. which leads me into my question..

You're right and your situation is one of the reasons that I hesitate selling to Russia

newyorknoir said:
The only other thing that might be worth mentioning is that I'm not concerned about rating or feedback.. If the buyer leaves negative feedback for whatever reason (say the package gets held up for a long time at customs) but I still get my money then I don't really care..

In all honesty, you may want to re-think that statement. You may want to buy something in the future and some sellers restrict based on feedback. Another possibility is that you would want to sell another $400 sweater. Your call, obviously, but even if feedback isn't important to you, it may be important to someone else.

VLSI said:
He doesn't have a job but he's buying a $400 sweater? Just don't do it. You will not get to keep your money long.

Brianpore said:
If it is sold though ebay, then ONLY ship the shipping address which is supplied when the buyer pays for the item with paypal. For international you can ship (IMO) 1st class registered mail though the post office (for a sweater this is going to be under 4 lbs, so no problem for 1st class mail + $12 for registered mail), OR use Express Mail. Both of which track the package and require the buyer to sign for the package (which is what you need for ebay/paypal proof of delivery) for items over $250. I would add insurance, and DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT lower the price on the customs form. Besides being illegal (pretty sure, you would need to double check), if your item is lost and "stolen" then you only have insured a $10 or $20 item and not a $400 item which is what he paid. Sure other will throw their hat in the ring, but this is my opinion and have never had an issue shipping international to any country.

These two said it well. The guy admits he doesn't have a job but has a wheelbarrow full of rubles to throw at a sweater? Weird. Lives in Russia and registered in London? Weird. Wants you to lie on a government form? Wrong. He honestly may have a legitimate reason for these things, but this is the internet and you can only go on what you know. Any hint of dishonesty and I start to question things. Brian said it well, but it's probably (I'm pretty sure it is in most countries) illegal to incorrectly mark customs forms. If I send something out of the EU, I have to fill out a customs for usually. If I'm caught lying, it's considered a crime as you are lying in order to circumvent taxes or import illegal goods.

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