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

[Steve Smith]

Any tips on how to minimize returns on suits? I sell some Brooks Brothers suits, so typical sales price is around $300, not expensive but not cheap. I give measurements, advise to compare measurements to a correctly-fitting item, and have even gone as far as to give give search terms for a site which gives instructions on how to measure a suit jacket.

And I get about 50% of them returned for fit.

Last week a buyer ordered two size 45L BB suits, one a Milano fit (their slimmest cut) and one a Madison (their fullest cut). Both 45L but no way they both fit one person. I told my wife that the over/under bet on the number of returns on this order is 1.5. The buyer opened returns for both, neither suit fits. So the over wins, and that was my prediction.

 

[Reosymes]

I know this is a no-no (because it can potentially expose you to NAD situations) but I just mention in the listing that this suit/jacket will fit a slim US <tagged size> or a regular US <my_recommended_size>. I'm a small-timer but I do sell a fair amount (for me) of SCs and suits, and haven't had a return due to fit.

When the measured size is different from the tagged size, I also include a picture with a tape measure across p2p and I feel that adds some weight to my size recommendation.

 

[Fueco]

Just in case anyone wants the username for your block list. This is the guy who was claiming his account was hacked to change the delivery address. Just why anyone would hack this way to get something someone else ordered is beyond me.

 

[Reosymes]

Got sucked into a youtube rabbit hole of mega sellers on ebay making hundreds of thousands of dollars an year from mall brand clothes, selling them at like $12.99 OBO. Respect.

 

[DougDevious]

I'm in a real pickle here.
I live in New Zealand, and I've been trying to list some suits, shirts, and ties on eBay, but the biggest problem is the question of shipping. eBay, being an American company, has very little support for people trying to get things shipped from anywhere outside America. Heck, even shipping TO my country is an ordeal, seeing as the shipping costs almost double the price a lot of the time, and one time in particular I tried to buy a shirt and the whole thing fell through for absolutely no reason. It's absurd.

To explain my problem, I for some reason can't open up international shipping with calculated cost to buyer, because I live in NZ (yeah idk why). So I have to use flat-rate shipping, but when I try to use the shipping calculator they provide, it won't accept the 4 digit postcode for my local post office as valid.

And before you ask, I've tried selling my stuff on the New Zealand equivalent of eBay, but it seems like there's no market for this kind of thing where I live, as even with a 3 dollar promotion, I still couldn't get people's eyes on a 100% wool Db pinstripe suit.

Is selling my stuff here going to be any easier?

Here's some of the stuff I'm trying to sell.

 

[Reosymes]

Is selling my stuff here going to be any easier?

I don't think so. Styleforum is not the best place for selling. I think the average user here is more discerning than your average user on ebay, so unless you have high end tailoring stuff or sought after brands, it's going to be difficult. The user experience of the classifieds here also doesn't help.

 

[Coldsnap]

I'm in a real pickle here.
I live in New Zealand, and I've been trying to list some suits, shirts, and ties on eBay, but the biggest problem is the question of shipping. eBay, being an American company, has very little support for people trying to get things shipped from anywhere outside America. Heck, even shipping TO my country is an ordeal, seeing as the shipping costs almost double the price a lot of the time, and one time in particular I tried to buy a shirt and the whole thing fell through for absolutely no reason. It's absurd.

To explain my problem, I for some reason can't open up international shipping with calculated cost to buyer, because I live in NZ (yeah idk why). So I have to use flat-rate shipping, but when I try to use the shipping calculator they provide, it won't accept the 4 digit postcode for my local post office as valid.

And before you ask, I've tried selling my stuff on the New Zealand equivalent of eBay, but it seems like there's no market for this kind of thing where I live, as even with a 3 dollar promotion, I still couldn't get people's eyes on a 100% wool Db pinstripe suit.

Is selling my stuff here going to be any easier?

Here's some of the stuff I'm trying to sell.

I sell/buy in NZ and sell internationally. Maybe it's easy for me because my Ebay account is a US account, then I moved here, so I have international shipping open.

If you have anything that's worth the effort to put on eBay, send me a PM and maybe we can work something out.

 

[gambit50]

If you don't mind high chance of return for fit, ignore.

If you do(even when clearly stated no returns and in particular for sizing and has multiple other returns for same) here's one to block:

eric_as_universe

 

[tgaith77]

It's been a while since I've dealt with this, but a question:

I bought a pair of suede shoes NIB...shipped quick, but really poorly packaged. Like, literally the lightweight shoe box itself with some tape, shoes loose inside the box. Needless to say it didn't hold up in the freezing rain/ wet snow we just got and the box was soaked through. I let everything dry, but the one shoe is definitely stained. I shared pictures of everything with the seller...she claims USPS is supposed to wrap the package before they send it (lol) and that I need to go through them to file a claim. Listing says no returns. At this point I'd rather not attempt to clean them in the event I make it worse, then I'm really OOL. I requested a return anyway, she came back the same thing.

She's on the hook for a return here, correct? I understand she obviously didn't anticipate a snow storm and USPS didn't do her any favors in leaving the package outside in standing water for an hour...but never have I, in 20 years of selling, shipped anything without putting it in plastic/ tyvek/ protection...

 

[txwoodworker]

Buyer is on the hook, they are the ones that have a claim (good luck) through USPS. Just start the return as "not as described" and state the reason. Any idiot that thinks that USPS is going to properly package their item is not an experienced seller. It will probably take ebay to step in after a week or so to get your $ back, but I don't see a problem getting it.

Years ago, I ordered shoes from the UK, they came wrapped in a paper shopping bag held closed by scotch tape. Funnily enough they arrived in perfect condition. Couldn't believe what I was seeing.

 

[tgaith77]

Thanks. So you mean to say the seller is on the hook, correct?

 

[txwoodworker]

Whoops, yeah. Sorry, I'm used to rooting for the other team.

 

[Reosymes]

edit: removing this embarrassing post

 

[Reosymes]

.

 

[goatamous II]

@Reosymes we've all been there where we sell something super quick and wonder if we underpriced it
It was a profit for you, even if some money was possibly left on the table
Chalk it up to the cost of quick sale and keep moving forward