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

[goatamous]

Exactly. Why give special treatment to someone who is milking 'make an offer' for all it is worth? If you want special treatment from me, buy a lot of stuff at my price. Those buyers sometimes get freebies thrown in.

I definitely made it low enough that I have some watchers
To add a little salt, he's already made his offer at our agreed upon price, but I'm waiting the full 24 hours to accept (while also dropping the BIN price subsequent to said offer being sent)

 

[madeinbogota]

BLOCK WITH PREJUDICE:

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Buyer disregarded "Away from office" message over Thanksgiving holidays and got pissed when I hadn't shipped, even though I explained the delay through multiple prompt messages. Opened an item not received case, and is now threatening negative feedback because he's mad his Bally moccasins have "thin soles". (Brand... New... Bally... Slip ons... Have... Thin... Soles... )

Thanks for another name to add to the list. On a similar note, what do you guys do with your stores when you take short trips? I'm gonna be out of town Thursday night-Sunday night, can't decide if I want to keep my store as normal and just message buyers that I'm out of town when things sell, or put it on vacation mode. I would think vacation mode would deter a lot of buyers from purchasing, so I'm hesitant to do it, but then again don't want people upset that something they may have purchased Thursday night to not be shipped until Monday morning.

 

[drlivingston]

BLOCK WITH PREJUDICE:

View attachment 1295419

Buyer disregarded "Away from office" message over Thanksgiving holidays and got pissed when I hadn't shipped, even though I explained the delay through multiple prompt messages. Opened an item not received case, and is now threatening negative feedback because he's mad his Bally moccasins have "thin soles". (Brand... New... Bally... Slip ons... Have... Thin... Soles... )

I love when people threaten negative feedback. Those messages are gold. Makes the feedback removal process painless and simple.

 

[capnwes]

Thanks for another name to add to the list. On a similar note, what do you guys do with your stores when you take short trips? I'm gonna be out of town Thursday night-Sunday night, can't decide if I want to keep my store as normal and just message buyers that I'm out of town when things sell, or put it on vacation mode. I would think vacation mode would deter a lot of buyers from purchasing, so I'm hesitant to do it, but then again don't want people upset that something they may have purchased Thursday night to not be shipped until Monday morning.

The only way to cover your ass is to change your handling times to match your trip. I never put my store on vacation, but always adjust my handling times. You can always do both if you want to have the note appear at the top of your listings, but only turning on vacation mode without adjusting your handling time is not enough to protect you.

 

[madeinbogota]

The only way to cover your ass is to change your handling times to match your trip. I never put my store on vacation, but always adjust my handling times. You can always do both if you want to have the note appear at the top of your listings, but only turning on vacation mode without adjusting your handling time is not enough to protect you.

That was my other thought. Thanks man. I’ll do it right before I leave.

 

[capnwes]

That was my other thought. Thanks man. I’ll do it right before I leave.

Keep in mind you won’t be able to edit handling times on anything with active offers or counteroffers (including offers to watchers). If they sell after the fact they’ll still have your original handling times and delivery estimates. Also unpaid items that may get paid after you leave will have to be shipped. I typically have a handful of prepackaged items that make every trip with me just in case.

 

[madeinbogota]

Keep in mind you won’t be able to edit handling times on anything with active offers or counteroffers (including offers to watchers). If they sell after the fact they’ll still have your original handling times and delivery estimates. Also unpaid items that may get paid after you leave will have to be shipped. I typically have a handful of prepackaged items that make every trip with me just in case.

Wow, I had no idea. That makes it a bit tougher. My handling time is two days anyways, so in theory if something sold right before I left Thursday I would have until Monday to ship it anyways. Just wouldn’t want one of these buyers like we see all the time getting upset over it (just like the buyer a few posts above me from Thanksgiving).

 

[capnwes]

Wow, I had no idea. That makes it a bit tougher. My handling time is two days anyways, so in theory if something sold right before I left Thursday I would have until Monday to ship it anyways. Just wouldn’t want one of these buyers like we see all the time getting upset over it (just like the buyer a few posts above me from Thanksgiving).

Yeah. With 2 day handling. If they pay Thursday, Monday is your ship day. If you are able to ship Monday You don’t need to change a thing.

 

[NaTionS]

Is USPS First Class the best (cheapest) option for international shipping? What about for larger items like jackets or boots where the package may exceed the 36" max length/width/height?

 

[capnwes]

Is USPS First Class the best (cheapest) option for international shipping? What about for larger items like jackets or boots where the package may exceed the 36" max length/width/height?

Sometimes a package 3-4 lbs is cheaper to ship priority than first class, depending on destination (Germany for example) and for which eBay shipping discount your account qualifies. And of course priority included $200 of insurance.

eBay has a new shipping service called “eBay Send” in beta testing right now which is supposed to be a little cheaper than first class. If you are comfortable shipping first class international, check out PirateShip and ask for the Simple Export Rate for the cheapest international services.

 

[madeinbogota]

Yeah. With 2 day handling. If they pay Thursday, Monday is your ship day. If you are able to ship Monday You don’t need to change a thing.

Boom. Guess I’m good, I’m probably still message buyers just to let em know. Really appreciate your help man.

 

[chill guy]

Apologies if this is the wrong thread for such a question, but does anyone have recommendations for a high-waisted/high-rise wool pants search on eBay? Those yield pretty poor results as searches. My preference is a slim leg, but I realize that will be pretty hard to come by on eBay. I occasionally check for Spier and Mackay and Epaulet's high-rise models, but I don't know where to look beyond that. Thanks for the help.

 

[drlivingston]

Is USPS First Class the best (cheapest) option for international shipping? What about for larger items like jackets or boots where the package may exceed the 36" max length/width/height?

Cheapest is not always best. First Class International to many countries does not come with delivery confirmation. The buyer can receive the package and claim that it wasn't delivered. It happens.

 

[Steve Smith]

I love when people threaten negative feedback. Those messages are gold. Makes the feedback removal process painless and simple.

Yep. I call it a "Get out of jail free" card.

 

[Fueco]

Cheapest is not always best. First Class International to many countries does not come with delivery confirmation. The buyer can receive the package and claim that it wasn't delivered. It happens.

I only ship First Class to Canada,United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

my most frequent question from international buyers is, “Why is the shipping cost so high to (insert there country)?”