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

[capnwes]

Anyone else have low sales the last week? Just wondering as we still list the same type items and for the same price as always, sales are down by 75% for USA buyers. International not down much which is odd due to the USPS price increase.

I don't know. I didn't schedule any new listings...only relisted (7 day auctions) unsold items from the previous week, so I expected to take a hit. Was pleasantly surprised to still gross 50% of my normal sales without actually doing any work at all. My new listings (started last Thursday) are hitting on all cylinders and show no signs of slowing....but only time will tell. The week before that was my strongest week ever.

 

[HansderHund]



Follow-up ...so this has turned into a fiasco....

So, last Friday, I should have finally received my refund from the voided label. Instead, I received an email from paypal stating that my label cancellation had been denied by the USPS, because the label has shown up in the tracking system as having been sent. WTF!! This is impossible, since I could never even get the label to print in the first place. 

I checked the tracing for the "voided" label, and sure enough, it shows that it was initially checked, a week later, in at a post office in North Carolina. In my opinion this is a result of an obvious, but extremely coincidental and highly unlikely mistake. I believe the label on the package in NC, having a similar tracking number, was un-scan-able. The carrier would have needed to manually punch in the number and probably typed in the wrong number....which just so happened to be the one label I was trying to void. The post office agrees with my theory

I wouldn't normally be too worried about it, except the label cost me $82. I tried to talk to paypal about it and they said the post office needs to handle it. I spent 1.5 hours at the post office yesterday, and their hands are tied too. They said paypal needs to handle it. Now I have to call paypal back and try to convince them to call or email the postmaster to verify the mistake. WHAT A MESS. The chances of this happening are about as slim as winning the lottery.

Wes, that sounds like some sort of insane coincidence and even worse considering how much you're out on that label. Hope you get it resolved, update it when you get more info!

[COLOR=000080]As most of you have already found out USPS rates increased  substantially, especially international rates; Full details via the link.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000080]https://stamps.custhelp.com/app/ans...~/usps-2013-postage-rate-increase-information[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000080]So much for the Fed not detecting any signs of inflation. Some of the international rates increased in excess of 20%!!!   [/COLOR]

Those prices are huge increases for me, as a buyer. I buy often enough that I'll see dramatic increases, especially when you factor in the extra 10% or so many sellers add to international shipping costs.

 

[Brianpore]

Shipped a suit to Canada yesterday and we shocked by the price. Where I usually make an extra $5 on shipping international b/c its a PIA (registered mail and the forms), this time I lost $5 vs shipping to someone nice and easy in the US. Guess my prices need to go up

 

[capnwes]

Shipped a suit to Canada yesterday and we shocked by the price. Where I usually make an extra $5 on shipping international b/c its a PIA (registered mail and the forms), this time I lost $5 vs shipping to someone nice and easy in the US. Guess my prices need to go up

But....is free shipping still available on this...8' Wave Slide - Green - New!

BTW....this is spectacular. I love it!
Stunning Hand Inlaid Game Table! Late 19th Century
I can't even begin to imagine how much time the craftsman spent making that thing. Truly Amazing!

 

[Brianpore]

Quote: OMG dont get me started on people that expect free shipping for that slide and click BIN without actually reading the listing..... where it says "local pickup only" & "Call before using BIN button or paying" in big bold red words

 

[capnwes]

OMG dont get me started on people that expect free shipping for that slide and click BIN without actually reading the listing..... where it says "local pickup only" & "Call before using BIN button or paying" in big bold red words

See revised post above....

 

[KenRose]

guys, can you revise a title once someone has bid on your item?

 

[hrb]



OMG dont get me started on people that expect free shipping for that slide and click BIN without actually reading the listing..... where it says "local pickup only" & "Call before using BIN button or paying" in big bold red words

Argh! How much was it if you don't mind my asking ? Frustrating from this side as well. Went to ship a suit jacket today for a customer in the states that requested tracking. The cheapest option was $79.00 (Vancouver to NorCal) vs. $15 for no tracking (and now no insurance ) Given how much business Ebay gives the various postal services, some sort of deal ought be sorted in the near future.

 

[Brianpore]

Quote: WHAT??

He was joking... it's a 40 pound 8 foot long slide. You can't ship it unless you have multiple on a pallet for LTL...

PS - The games table is bad ass! It's amazing how much detail went into it. My fav thing I've sold though is this (it's a crystal cactus table). Pictures do not do it justice. One of those things you need to see in person.

 

[FaceOfBoh]



Argh! How much was it if you don't mind my asking ? Frustrating from this side as well. Went to ship a suit jacket today for a customer in the states that requested tracking. The cheapest option was $79.00 (Vancouver to NorCal) vs. $15 for no tracking (and now no insurance ) Given how much business Ebay gives the various postal services, some sort of deal ought be sorted in the near future.

I assume you;re in Canada (and not Vancouver, WA). What service did you use? Canada Post Expedited Parcel offers tracking but no signature. A jacket in a box about twice the size of a shoe box shouldn't come to more than $25, if that, or maybe less because the distance between CA and Vancouver isn't that great. Plus printing through ebay should net you a discount of about 20%, bringing you down to about $20.

 

[capnwes]

guys, can you revise a title once someone has bid on your item?

Nope

 

[FaceOfBoh]



Argh! How much was it if you don't mind my asking ? Frustrating from this side as well. Went to ship a suit jacket today for a customer in the states that requested tracking. The cheapest option was $79.00 (Vancouver to NorCal) vs. $15 for no tracking (and now no insurance ) Given how much business Ebay gives the various postal services, some sort of deal ought be sorted in the near future.

Just another thought on this: you could also put buyer on the hook for any additional costs beyond the stated shipping service. I had someone request over night service beyond the shipping option I offered. There was no way I was going to be on the hook for that.

 

[suited]

I'm interested to see how the most ridiculous listing would potentially perform. I wonder what this would yield:

Zanella Quintuple Pleated Trousers 2" Cuff Just Like the Celebrities Wear!

Up for your consideration is an extremely expensive pair of pleated Zanella trousers, just like the American celebrities wear! During Tom Cruise's 2005 Academy Award speech after winning Best Actor for Saving Private Ryan, he recognized this iconic brand by stating at the end of his speech "I love my Zanella Luxury Dress Trousers!"

 

[tben]

I'm interested to see how the most ridiculous listing would potentially perform. I wonder what this would yield:

Zanella Quintuple Pleated Trousers 2" Cuff Just Like the Celebrities Wear!

Up for your consideration is an extremely expensive pair of pleated Zanella trousers, just like the American celebrities wear! During Tom Cruise's 2005 Academy Award speech after winning Best Actor for Saving Private Ryan, he recognized this iconic brand by stating at the end of his speech "I love my Zanella Luxury Dress Trousers!"

That would be a sight to see Tom Cruise accept an Academy Award for something he wasn't even in, in Zanella trousers nonetheless!

 

[suited]



That would be a sight to see Tom Cruise accept an Academy Award for something he wasn't even in, in Zanella trousers nonetheless!

Titanic would have be even better than Saving Private Ryan.