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

[Rich G]

I'm in New York City, and I think some people are now afraid to buy from me. Is anyone else getting these messages? This guy's still bidding, but I fear others are not.

View attachment 1361966

I just received an email from someone that said they wanted to buy my item but wanted to know if they could wait to have it shipped for a long time. Might be the same thing. I'm in California.

 

[SpooPoker]

I just received an email from someone that said they wanted to buy my item but wanted to know if they could wait to have it shipped for a long time. Might be the same thing. I'm in California.

Ive had a few of those too, which Im always happy to accommodate - more often than not, theyre overseas using a US freight forwarder, which is probably closed.

 

[Fueco]

Not NY related but sounds like a square deal. And with the immense amount of online traffic and every major retailer in the world shipping things right now, I think 99% of the population are fine with it.

Also, EBay supposedly is not enforcing late shipment penalties for now, so there’s no drawback to holding off on shipping, unless of course they buyer changes his tune somewhere down the road.

 

[SpooPoker]

Also, EBay supposedly is not enforcing late shipment penalties for now, so there’s no drawback to holding off on shipping, unless of course they buyer changes his tune somewhere down the road.

only option is a PayPal INR but odds on that from messages like those seem short.

 

[JackFlash]

I'm in New York City, and I think some people are now afraid to buy from me. Is anyone else getting these messages? This guy's still bidding, but I fear others are not.

View attachment 1361966

I know you can't always reason with folks, particularly the characters on eBay, but there isn't much concern from packages:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/26/dont-panic-about-shopping-getting-delivery-or-accepting-packages/

 

[noob in 89]

I'm in New York City, and I think some people are now afraid to buy from me. Is anyone else getting these messages? This guy's still bidding, but I fear others are not.

View attachment 1361966

They’re worried about the wrong thing. The virus concerns are bullshit; I’d be worried about the new, terrible, deadly, everything-resistant fungus, the result of global warming. It’s most prevalent in NY and Florida, and does persist in clothing and packages.

I know you can't always reason with folks, particularly the characters on eBay, but there isn't much concern from packages:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/26/dont-panic-about-shopping-getting-delivery-or-accepting-packages/

The thing that bothers me about this is that they’re mostly talking about envelopes stewing in a mailbox. What about the packages carried by UPS that are almost immediately opened by customers? I look at my doorbell footage and see the UPS guy’s hands on the rim of a package, and the wife’s hands on the same spot an hour (not days) later, and she can only take so many daily reminders to wash for 20 seconds.

 

[Reosymes]

.

 

[Sartoriamo]

The package issue is tricky, but while my sales have slowed down somewhat, there are still a couple sales a day from my relatively small inventory of 260 items currently listed with another 350 done and packed, and remaining to be listed (for me, listing is the most overwhelmingly boring part of the whole eBay process, which is why the number always gets bonkers big before I finally start into it – I hate having to sit still). The good news is that I caught up all my photo/pack backlog a month or two ago when I got furloughed from my outdoor job after rain trashed the trails. So I wrote a little boiler-plate piece that's going on all new listings saying that the items were all processed and packed prior to the existence of Covid-19 and that buyers should practice safe handling techniques for the outer package (TWSS) upon receipt. That note has already received some favorable responses, and I recognize it works for me because I prepack, but won't work for those of you that don't.

I would immediately cancel any sale where a request was made to delay shipping, as I loathe open loops.

As regards my own incoming packages, I leave them on the porch for a day or two, then hit them pretty hard with a Verilux UV-C wand before opening, even though risk is relatively low. Items inside the packages get staged and receive the same treatment. Hard surfaces get a disinfecting wipe. My little corner of the country is far behind the major metro areas as regards Covid19 case density (it's coming . . .), but the woman who shares my home is at massively increased risk (older and with severe existing respiratory challenges), so she's likely be toast if she gets the virus. That's why I have to play it super safe . . .

 

[noob in 89]

Yessss....I wish I sill had my Verilux wand. So good for your bed if you have pets.

So yesterday I made a counter offer just to write a message to the unknown buyer. I replied with a large amount, said thanks for the very reasonable offer, but I won’t be mailing packages until I receive a label maker / at a later date over total fear of leaving the house. They accepted the high offer.

 

[Letric]

Watch out for this eBay buyer:

Guy bought some pants a month ago. He got them and requested a return. I said okay. Got them back fine, relisted and they sold the other day.

Just got an email from PP saying he's contacted his financial institution for a chargeback or whatever. People lol.

 

[bamgrinus]

Yessss....I wish I sill had my Verilux wand. So good for your bed if you have pets.

So yesterday I made a counter offer just to write a message to the unknown buyer. I replied with a large amount, said thanks for the very reasonable offer, but I won’t be mailing packages until I receive a label maker / at a later date over total fear of leaving the house. They accepted the high offer.

I found out the other day that apparently the UPS store is considered essential services, so...you can still mail stuff.

 

[bamgrinus]

Watch out for this eBay buyer: View attachment 1362746

Guy bought some pants a month ago. He got them and requested a return. I said okay. Got them back fine, relisted and they sold the other day.

Just got an email from PP saying he's contacted his financial institution for a chargeback or whatever. People lol.

Does that actually negatively affect you?

 

[capnwes]

Watch out for this eBay buyer: View attachment 1362746

Guy bought some pants a month ago. He got them and requested a return. I said okay. Got them back fine, relisted and they sold the other day.

Just got an email from PP saying he's contacted his financial institution for a chargeback or whatever. People lol.

Did you forget to refund him?

 

[drlivingston]

Did you forget to refund him?

I was wondering the same thing. It wasn't one of the steps that he mentioned.

 

[Letric]

Yeah of course I refunded them.