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

[California Dreamer]

Well, we have gone to Stage 3 isolation measures, which includes no going outside except to buy essential supplies. That includes not taking parcels to the post office, so I guess my eBay business is on hold for the foreseeable future. I'm only very small-time; I hope that those of you who rely on this for income get through this OK.

 

[capnwes]

Well, we have gone to Stage 3 isolation measures, which includes no going outside except to buy essential supplies. That includes not taking parcels to the post office, so I guess my eBay business is on hold for the foreseeable future. I'm only very small-time; I hope that those of you who rely on this for income get through this OK.

Damn, even the post office is closed? We've been holed up at home for 2 full weeks today. Essential businesses are still open here, which is basically grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies. The post office is still open here, though I typically have my packages picked up. "Online shopping" made the governors list of essential businesses, so I'm in the clear if I needed to go drop them off.

 

[txwoodworker]

Well, we have gone to Stage 3 isolation measures, which includes no going outside except to buy essential supplies. That includes not taking parcels to the post office, so I guess my eBay business is on hold for the foreseeable future. I'm only very small-time; I hope that those of you who rely on this for income get through this OK.

You can't schedule a pickup?

 

[California Dreamer]

You can't schedule a pickup?

Not that I'm aware of; I think that's only available in the major cities, and I would need to charge for courier postage. Since the idea of the lockdown is for everybody (including posties) to be out and about as little as possible, it's really not worth it.

 

[California Dreamer]

Damn, even the post office is closed? We've been holed up at home for 2 full weeks today. Essential businesses are still open here, which is basically grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies. The post office is still open here, though I typically have my packages picked up. "Online shopping" made the governors list of essential businesses, so I'm in the clear if I needed to go drop them off.

The PO is open, but people are not supposed to go outside except for essential reasons. Posting parcels of goods sold on eBay is not essential. Buying food and medicine is.

 

[sjmin209]

CD--where are you located?

 

[noob in 89]

So I don’t even know whether the post office lobby is open; there’s just no way I’m going inside. This is a super n00b question, but it’s just where I’m at:

There are public drop-off mailboxes. Little R2-D2 shaped affairs painted a deep navy blue. Are the slots on any of them big enough to accommodate a shirt or sweatshirt stuffed in a padded Priority bag/envelope?

That’s about my only option right now. I live in a Fox News state. People on our street are posting smug photos of themselves ‘isolating’ by gathering the whole family outside and clustering six feet away from the neighbors’ whole family, a whole dotted line of them stretching as far as the eye can see, ignorant of the trajectory of a sneeze.

 

[sjmin209]

My carrier picks up prepaid packages and scans them as he walks back to the truck.

 

[California Dreamer]

My carrier picks up prepaid packages and scans them as he walks back to the truck.

The question is not whether it can be done, but whether it should be done.

Social isolation means limiting external activity to essential services. Food, essential supplies, pharmacy and medical. Are your online sales essential services? The carrier has to be out and about instead of self-isolating, and the package can be a vector for the spread of the virus.

 

[bamgrinus]

So I don’t even know whether the post office lobby is open; there’s just no way I’m going inside. This is a super n00b question, but it’s just where I’m at:

There are public drop-off mailboxes. Little R2-D2 shaped affairs painted a deep navy blue. Are the slots on any of them big enough to accommodate a shirt or sweatshirt stuffed in a padded Priority bag/envelope?

That’s about my only option right now. I live in a Fox News state. People on our street are posting smug photos of themselves ‘isolating’ by gathering the whole family outside and clustering six feet away from the neighbors’ whole family, a whole dotted line of them stretching as far as the eye can see, ignorant of the trajectory of a sneeze.

There are usually larger postboxes designated for parcels outside the post office. If you don't want to have to interact with humans, I would use those.

 

[capnwes]

So I don’t even know whether the post office lobby is open; there’s just no way I’m going inside. This is a super n00b question, but it’s just where I’m at:

There are public drop-off mailboxes. Little R2-D2 shaped affairs painted a deep navy blue. Are the slots on any of them big enough to accommodate a shirt or sweatshirt stuffed in a padded Priority bag/envelope?

That’s about my only option right now. I live in a Fox News state. People on our street are posting smug photos of themselves ‘isolating’ by gathering the whole family outside and clustering six feet away from the neighbors’ whole family, a whole dotted line of them stretching as far as the eye can see, ignorant of the trajectory of a sneeze.

Yes, should be. Ours will fit anything up to the size of a Medium Flat Rate box (flatter version)

 

[goatamous II]

The question is not whether it can be done, but whether it should be done.

Social isolation means limiting external activity to essential services. Food, essential supplies, pharmacy and medical. Are your online sales essential services? The carrier has to be out and about instead of self-isolating, and the package can be a vector for the spread of the virus.

I think that goes back to your comment above about this being your sole source of income (or a major contributor to it) vs. a hobby on the side
I fall in the same boat as you. I do this part time and sell things on the side to make little bits of income. I'm not going to the post office these days and having UPS come pick up from my house

With that said, the post office has markings in the ground to indicate 6ft apart, and the employees have plexiglass covers around the cash registers

 

[Fueco]

Hurray, Ebay's down... I was just going to add one more shipment to today's pickup.

 

[Fueco]

Has anyone been able to succeed in fighting a bogus SNAD claim lately?

 

[div25sec9]

Has anyone been able to succeed in fighting a bogus SNAD claim lately?

not much success recently... I had one that I won, but it went into overtime. They admitted to using SNAD falsely, was closed in my favor, they called in and convinced the rep to change it to buyers win somehow, then I had to call in and escalate through appeals just to get it corrected again. ...so much time and energy lost; so most times I just take the return and chalk, it up to the cost of doing business with a ****** platform.

I suspect with the helpdesk closures, there is going to be an even smaller chance of winning any cases in the near future, as they're just going to be trying to close off a backlog of cases by simply closing them off the easiest way possible (by closing in buyers favour).