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

[FlorianQC]

Hey guys... A not cool question for you as I'm a noob with PayPal...

So I sent 80 bucks 3 weeks ago to a SF member to get a jacket/shirt/pants and I had no news from him since then (even though he looged on SF a few times since). I have all the relevant information in my message box. I'm willing to give him 45 days to honor his part of the deal...

Is it possible to ask PayPal for a refund because I never received my item?

 

[concealed]

Hey guys... A not cool question for you as I'm a noob with PayPal...

So I sent 80 bucks 3 weeks ago to a SF member to get a jacket/shirt/pants and I had no news from him since then (even though he looged on SF a few times since). I have all the relevant information in my message box. I'm willing to give him 45 days to honor his part of the deal...

Is it possible to ask PayPal for a refund because I never received my item?

3 weeks is definitely enough time with no updates to out this fellow. he was doing this as a proxy for you I assume?

 

[Reosymes]

Hey guys... A not cool question for you as I'm a noob with PayPal...

So I sent 80 bucks 3 weeks ago to a SF member to get a jacket/shirt/pants and I had no news from him since then (even though he looged on SF a few times since). I have all the relevant information in my message box. I'm willing to give him 45 days to honor his part of the deal...

Is it possible to ask PayPal for a refund because I never received my item?

Did you send the money as a personal gift or as 'goods and services'? If it's the former you might be **** outta luck.

 

[FlorianQC]

Yeah he was proxying some stuff (thrift price + a decent profit ya know!)

Thing is I don't remember if it was personal gift or goods and it doesnt show on the paypal transaction :/ Guess I'll have to call PayPal to sort this out!

I'm really disappointed because it's a SF member and because I really wanted those items lol!

 

[My Main Man]

Great site. I love the Consignment form idea.

Minor nitpicks:

1) The images on the front page are morphing into each other very quickly. If you've seen the landing pages of high end luxury brands you'll notice how much slower their slideshows are. I think it gives them an aura of elegance. I'd choose a different effect of the pictures changing. This one (images getting smaller, turning into a new image) is very videogame-ish. I'd choose a more subtle effect. Also, this is purely my preference, but I think the rows of stars(?) on top of the tabs and underneath the pictures are kind of superfluous. We've seen such a push towards simple design in modern webpages and the stars just seem unnecessary, and make the page look clunky and dated.

2) The 'Our Story' needs to be elaborated, a little more heartfelt/real. You really should be telling a story here. Some typos, but this is a draft so you'll fix that before the site goes live (rapidly, focuses, distracted, favorite). I would move the links to a new tab called 'Helpful links' or something like that. The 'About' page should be all about you and nothing else, imo. The links are a distraction, and give the impression that you're using them as a crutch to make that page more substantial.

3) More typos in other pages.

4) Maybe a solid background instead of a textured one?

That's all I got for now.

+1 to all of these. Looking really good though.

With you doing mostly BINs, if the site gets enough traffic, would you consider cutting out the middleman (ebay) on certain items and setting up an ecommerce section of your site? For high price items, you could end up saving an assload of money on eBay fees.

 

[Brianpore]

Quote: Thanks for all the suggestions!!!!!!!

I would consider cutting out ebay and thats a great idea. Maybe "best offer" page, were you can enter the item name/number and your offer (outside ebay) for any BIN item saving both of us money...

 

[dreamspace]

Typical. I order something and the shipping is specified as "USPS Priority Mail International", only to find out that's is been shipped out as a First Class Letter. So far it's been 3 weeks in a shipping limbo.

Why would regular sellers take risks like that? And just to save 5-10 bucks on shipping.

 

[Brianpore]

Typical. I order something and the shipping is specified as "USPS Priority Mail International", only to find out that's is been shipped out as a First Class Letter. So far it's been 3 weeks in a shipping limbo.

Why would regular sellers take risks like that? And just to save 5-10 bucks on shipping.

If it says Priority it should go priority, but just wondering, what was it, how much did you pay for int shipping, how much was the item, and what country are you shipping to?

Yeah he was proxying some stuff (thrift price + a decent profit ya know!)

Thing is I don't remember if it was personal gift or goods and it doesnt show on the paypal transaction :/ Guess I'll have to call PayPal to sort this out!

I'm really disappointed because it's a SF member and because I really wanted those items lol!

That sucks

 

[capnwes]

I have an item that is large and weighs 1lb 12oz. To ship it Reg A is $7.55 and regular priority by weight is $7.17. Can you use a normal priority label on a regional box?

For instances like this and also for items under a pound going coast to coast, I keep a stack of Box 1097 handy. They are essentially the same size.

 

[Brianpore]

Quote: +1 I got my RRA and my 1097 boxes depending on where its going and the weight. Since the RRA price update a few months ago, most of the time under 2 lbs its cheaper to ship 1097 vs RRA almost everywhere

 

[dreamspace]

Suit, shipped from US to Norway. I'm sure it will arrive sooner or later though... but still annoying when sellers take extra charge for shipping, only to ship it out with something cheaper and far slower.

Usually get the same "It turned out to be more expensive, and I had to get it shipped out" line.

On a side note, I've noticed that more and more US sellers are using the Global Shipping Program these days. I'm getting my first package with GSP right now, and so far I can't see why anyone would want to use it over the old USPS Priority Mail route. It took a whole two weeks before it was processed and shipped out of US, and the end cost for me is just the same. Only that it was two weeks slower.

 

[FlorianQC]

Suit, shipped from US to Norway. I'm sure it will arrive sooner or later though... but still annoying when sellers take extra charge for shipping, only to ship it out with something cheaper and far slower.

Usually get the same "It turned out to be more expensive, and I had to get it shipped out" line.

On a side note, I've noticed that more and more US sellers are using the Global Shipping Program these days. I'm getting my first package with GSP right now, and so far I can't see why anyone would want to use it over the old USPS Priority Mail route. It took a whole two weeks before it was processed and shipped out of US, and the end cost for me is just the same. Only that it was two weeks slower.

GSP is a ******* plague...àEverytime I buy some stuff from the US I ask the seller to opt out to send to Canada... Most of the time they agree

 

[Brianpore]

Suit, shipped from US to Norway. I'm sure it will arrive sooner or later though... but still annoying when sellers take extra charge for shipping, only to ship it out with something cheaper and far slower.

Usually get the same "It turned out to be more expensive, and I had to get it shipped out" line.

On a side note, I've noticed that more and more US sellers are using the Global Shipping Program these days. I'm getting my first package with GSP right now, and so far I can't see why anyone would want to use it over the old USPS Priority Mail route. It took a whole two weeks before it was processed and shipped out of US, and the end cost for me is just the same. Only that it was two weeks slower.

Was wondering if it was an e-delcon country but it's not so I'm not sure how they are going to even track the suit unless they used registered mail. Even Priority Mail does not offer tracking as required by ebay for international shipments.

Was also wondering how much you actually paid for shipping for the item. For suits I charge a flat $55 and they get shipped Express Mail. Never had an issue so far but people complain about the cost of shipping. Its a toss up.

Ref the GSP........ it sucks for everyone.

 

[Shoeluv]

+1 I got my RRA and my 1097 boxes depending on where its going and the weight. Since the RRA price update a few months ago, most of the time under 2 lbs its cheaper to ship 1097 vs RRA almost everywhere

I did a big order yesterday of the all of the sizes. Now I have 20 different sizes of Priority boxes as well as my other boxes 4x4x4 & 6x3x3. I need @jebarne to design a box holder with the architectural plans I can put together

Edit:
What are you guys doing with your boxes?

 

[My Main Man]

I did a big order yesterday of the all of the sizes. Now I have 20 different sizes of Priority boxes as well as my other boxes 4x4x4 & 6x3x3. I need @jebarne to design a box holder with the architectural plans I can put together

Edit:
What are you guys doing with your boxes?

Annoying my wife.