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

[VLSI]



Just throwing this out there....this is the kind of thread that should get a STICKY!!! or be put on the main page so that newbies dont ask the same questions over and over and over and over and over...you get the point.

There's always the thrift thread for that

 

[VLSI]



I could just refund to save myself from the possibility of negative feedback, especially considering we're talking <£5. Such a low price and the buyer's (limited) good feedback makes me believe it can't be some kind of scam.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

First, call ebay. They are very helpful and will tell you the best way to handle it (this is always my first suggestion)

Second, the buyer needs to prove they shipped it back (tracking) just the same way you proved you shipped it to them (tracking). If he does not have proof of shipping it back then you will win (99% sure) you claim with ebay if you really go that way, but as you said it is over such small peanuts of money that it's prob best to cut your losses and just refund him the money.

Sorry for the double post, but he will still be able to leave negative feedback even if he returns I thought?

 

[Jettison]

First, call ebay. They are very helpful and will tell you the best way to handle it (this is always my first suggestion)

Second, the buyer needs to prove they shipped it back (tracking) just the same way you proved you shipped it to them (tracking). If he does not have proof of shipping it back then you will win (99% sure) you claim with ebay if you really go that way, but as you said it is over such small peanuts of money that it's prob best to cut your losses and just refund him the money.

Thanks for the advice!

I might try working out a 50/50 loss share with the buyer- he didn't track it back, and I should therefore win, but going through the claims process is just not worth it. I'll see how it plays out and report back for posterity.



Some advice/anecdotes of my own to give to hopefully help others (bearing in mind I'm very much small time):

-Shipping abroad: no problems to Russia (but over a month to arrive), Germany, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ireland and Japan (standard airmail took less than a week).

-BINOBO offers: I've found people tend to offer 50%-75% of an item I gave a (realistic) BIN price on.

-Literacy: get used to people who lack it.

-Shirt photographs: I've found zero difference in prices for shirts on a mannequin vs. folded. I personally prefer the folded look (as per retail shots), so I'd use that and save the effort.

-Trousers photographs: the 'ripple' or 'single fold back'. Everything else looks off to me.

-Packaging: learn how to fold a suit (invert shoulder, fold into other shoulder to halve, place trousers along length, fold by length once or twice. Avoid creasing lapels).

:shoes can be sent without a box, just use plenty of bubble wrap/protection. That weight difference can make a big cost difference for shipping (at least in the UK).

-Auction endings: Sunday evening is the orthodox approach. So put them up Sunday, Thursday (10 day) or pay $0.10 to schedule them.

-Styleforum preferences do not equal ebay market preferences. Hugo Boss and Armani are golden. On the cheaper spectrum, a 'smart suit'- basically ANY suit without damage- will happily sell for £20+ or so on BIN. It might not be much, but I've found it much easier to shift my old 100% polyester prom suit from before I knew better for 30% of retail than high quality stuff for 5% of retail.

-Unless it's a recently hyped item. Grenadine ties will make a killing for the immediate future. If you make the PTO roundup, prepare for 600+ views. (Thanks guys!)

And the big one:

If you're ebaying regularly, keep track of net profit (i.e, after fees, shipping, cost). Really helped me to focus on what's actually worth my time.

 

[chiron]

Shipping pants ... with USPS tips?

 

[VLSI]



Shipping pants ... with USPS tips?

Fold them. Put them in one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GHUI8A

Pants will pretty much never be under 13oz though

Also just got this message when trying to relist a tie.

We're sorry for the inconvenience, but in order to maintain a safe trading environment, there's a limit on the number of times individual sellers can list certain items in a period of 30 consecutive days.

You've reached the 30-day selling limit for the type of item you're trying to list. This isn't a reflection on your account or selling activity. These limits apply to all accounts. But it does mean you won't be able to complete this listing right now. (You can still list other kinds of items, though.)

Items that are subject to selling limits can change, so we can’t be specific about which listings fall under these protective limits.

Long-time sellers with proven track records and other positive account attributes may be eligible for higher selling limits. If you believe that you would qualify, please review our selling limits page for more information.

You may be able to list this item in 20 days.

 

[Brianpore]

Shipping pants ... with USPS tips?

I use USPS Legal Flat Rate Envelopes https://store.usps.com/LegalFlatRateEnvelope

Always the same price, no issue with weight and you can usually get 2 pair in if you REALLY need to.

 

[HansderHund]



If you go to the account tab, site preferences, buyer requirements, show, edit....scroll all the way to the bottom of that page, ther is a check box to keep blocked ebayers from messaging you.

^^ Helpful instructions on how to prevent members from contacting you in the case of abuse, courtesy of capnwes.

I'm not sure how many European members sell on eBay, but they've instituted new payment policies on ebay.de. It used to be that buyers could pay by bank transfer, a common form of payment for online merchants. You supply your bank account number and the buyer makes a transfer that would appear in your bank account in 2-3 days. It saved you paypal fees, but it took longer and there wasn't a lot of buyer protection.

A couple of months ago, they changed this policy so that now the money goes to ebay, you ship the item without having it and then ebay makes a payment into your paypal account. Well, a matter of days later, they reversed that policy due to something about not having the proper license. Now, it's back again. I receive money (paypal or bank transfer) sometimes 1-5 days after I've shipped. It may be that they wanted to have buyer protection on all transactions and it may be that they simply wanted to be able to collect the fees on these. I haven't figured it out yet, but it makes it harder to keep up with who has paid, what the fees were, etc. Time will tell.

 

[VLSI]

Not exactly ebay, but all my recent pictures are coming out "foggy"

Recent

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Old

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Do I just need to clean my lens? I have the ISO limited to 400 so I don't get too much graininess due to that.

 

[HansderHund]



Not exactly ebay, but all my recent pictures are coming out "foggy"
Recent

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Old

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Do I just need to clean my lens? I have the ISO limited to 400 so I don't get too much graininess due to that.

It could be a dirty lens. My wife had that problem a few months ago. She took it in and we still don't know exactly what they did, but it works fine now. I don't know how accurate this link is, but it seemed pretty straight forward and you can give it a shot. It's probably the cheapest/easiest problem to eliminate if it's not the cause. There is a video at the end of the page:

http://mansurovs.com/how-to-clean-slr-camera-lenses

 

[capnwes]

I will be posting a couple tutorials I had put together previously for members. They include step by step instructions with screen shots to help.



Go to your My Ebay page, and hover over the Account Tab.
Select "Site Preferences" on the drop down menu.





Click "Show" in the Buyer Requirements field.




Click "edit" to change your settings.



On the next page you will have several options of buyer requirements.
Unfortunately, you can't be as strict as most of us would like. I believe my settings are as strict as possible.

Let me know if you can't get it.
Always glad to help.
Wesley


Blocking specific bidders is fairly simple you just have to find the list.


Click the customer support link a the top of your ebay page.


Type in Blocking Bidders...click "Search"
Then click "How can I block a buyer?"

Click "Block bidders or buyers from your listings"

Follow the instructions on the next window.


Hope this helps. Feel free to add the names on my list, they are all on there for non-payment.

Wesley


In the event you receive a negative feedback, but have worked things out with the buyer. Use this link to request theat they revis ethe feedback
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ReviseFeedbackMessage&msg=1

 

[Jpmorris]

Ok, listing items on sunday night, how big of a difference does this really make? I've made an effort to do so recently, but have so much stock, and it is so tempting to just start the listing immediately, id like some feedback. Also, pricing, have you guys found you get an overall better result from starting with a low starting bid, or setting an initial price you are comfortable with? There have been items i would've preferred to get more for, but at the same time i've had items sell for more than their BIN when starting with a higher price

 

[capnwes]

Ok, listing items on sunday night, how big of a difference does this really make? I've made an effort to do so recently, but have so much stock, and it is so tempting to just start the listing immediately, id like some feedback. Also, pricing, have you guys found you get an overall better result from starting with a low starting bid, or setting an initial price you are comfortable with? There have been items i would've preferred to get more for, but at the same time i've had items sell for more than their BIN when starting with a higher price

Sunday night is the best time to end an item, but be careful with it. It can get a little interrupted by football season...especially if you are selling menswear. Also if you do 1 day handling, like I do, having 60-80 items end on one night may not be feasible, unless your Monday is wide open.

 

[ledude]

Hi, all. I've just been directed here from the Thrift Bragging thread. I have an issue with an eBay customer, and I'd like some advice from those who have been around the block, if you don't mind.



I sold a pair of thrifted shoes, stamped size 9E. Shipped, received, fine. I get a message in my eBay inbox today saying that the condition is satisfactory and as advertised, and that the shoe does indeed bear a stamp saying size 9E, but that the owner owns several similar shoes and these ones are too small and too narrow. They're not 9E, he says, even though that's how they're marked.

How shall I handle this? Shall I ask for a return** and then refund the money? Can/should I say tough tacos, dude, you should've asked for measurements before bidding if you were unsure about size variation? Shall I ask him to take pictures of the shoes next to the ones he's comparing them to, in order to verify that this isn't just buyer's remorse with an excuse tacked on? The guy has a 150+ rating at 100%, if that matters.

Thanks, all, I'm fairly new to this game and I want to handle this well -- I don't want to screw with customer goodwill but I don't want to screw myself over, either.


**My return policy on the listing is this:


After receiving the item, contact seller within

Refund will be given as

Return shipping
14 days

Money back

Buyer pays return shipping

Return policy details
I am confident that the quality of this item is as described, but if after winning the item you feel that it has been truly misrepresented, please contact me so we can resolve the situation. I do my best to point out any flaws in words or in photos, but this item is used and is not guaranteed to otherwise be in pristine condition — in other words, I may miss something even though I do look very closely. I will be happy to reply to any questions, but please ask before bidding. I can't accept returns solely because the item turned out to be the wrong size.

 

[bytor13]

Hi, all. I've just been directed here from the Thrift Bragging thread. I have an issue with an eBay customer, and I'd like some advice from those who have been around the block, if you don't mind.



I sold a pair of thrifted shoes, stamped size 9E. Shipped, received, fine. I get a message in my eBay inbox today saying that the condition is satisfactory and as advertised, and that the shoe does indeed bear a stamp saying size 9E, but that the owner owns several similar shoes and these ones are too small and too narrow. They're not 9E, he says, even though that's how they're marked.

How shall I handle this? Shall I ask for a return** and then refund the money? Can/should I say tough tacos, dude, you should've asked for measurements before bidding if you were unsure about size variation? Shall I ask him to take pictures of the shoes next to the ones he's comparing them to, in order to verify that this isn't just buyer's remorse with an excuse tacked on? The guy has a 150+ rating at 100%, if that matters.

Thanks, all, I'm fairly new to this game and I want to handle this well -- I don't want to screw with customer goodwill but I don't want to screw myself over, either.


**My return policy on the listing is this:


After receiving the item, contact seller within

Refund will be given as

Return shipping
14 days

Money back

Buyer pays return shipping

Return policy details
I am confident that the quality of this item is as described, but if after winning the item you feel that it has been truly misrepresented, please contact me so we can resolve the situation. I do my best to point out any flaws in words or in photos, but this item is used and is not guaranteed to otherwise be in pristine condition — in other words, I may miss something even though I do look very closely. I will be happy to reply to any questions, but please ask before bidding. I can't accept returns solely because the item turned out to be the wrong size.

I'm fairly new to eBay myself . . . with that said, here's my thoughts:

I'd guess he's just not familiar with this particular brand/last and messed up on what his size should be. Since you offer returns, I'd suggest you just take them back. At least that seems the best possible outcome for all involved. Just make sure you receive the item back (w/ tracking along the way) BEFORE you refund his money.

IF you want to fight it, however, he doesn't particularly have a leg to stand on, as I see it. Comparing a 9E in one brand to another (or often within one brand) is often meaningless. He stated that the item was as described and didn't ask you for measurements prior to purchase, so he just needs to suck it up. That being said, I'd still let him return them.

 

[barrelntrigger]

I use USPS Legal Flat Rate Envelopes https://store.usps.com/LegalFlatRateEnvelope

Always the same price, no issue with weight and you can usually get 2 pair in if you REALLY need to.

Jesus Christ, Brian! You are selling BARN SIDES!!!!????

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUGE-Pole-B...336?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e60dd3f88

How does this work? You take apart the barn and sell them?