Ebay Seller Paypal Advice?

[Rock_Hudstone]

Any tips or advice for setting up a sellers Ebay Paypal account?

I use to sell tons of stuff on Ebay, but gave up when they went to Paypal only. I didn't care to hand over bank account and CC info, plus risk dealing with buyers that could screw me at any moment with little recourse.

However, now I've accumulated many items I no longer have need of but will sell on Ebay so perhaps I'll give it a try and see how it goes.

 

[nitehawk55]

I used to sell a bit on Ebay too but now the rules favour buyers and because of that a lot of them abuse the system and the sell ends up getting it up the rear .
Google some articals on the internet about selling on Ebay now , it's not nearly the friendly place it used to be .
There are extra fees now for shipping on top of their other fees...all that have gone up a lot so do some research and decide if it's worth it .

 

[stephen9666]

I've sold lots of stuff on ebay (around 1000 items) and I've never got it "up the rear."

I can really only think of two bad experiences I had, and they weren't that bad. I've actually had more problems as a buyer than a seller.

Some people are a hassle to deal with, but just block them so you won't have to deal with them again. Describe your items honestly, ship quickly, have free shipping and you'll probably be a-ok.

And, make sure to set up your account to automatically block people you don't want to dealt with. Set it up so people in areas you don't ship to are automatically blocked.

Ebay/paypal are a complex system to use. It may take some time to get the hang of it, but you will.

 

[QuietPortage]

PayPay's policies are weighted heavily towards buyers to the point of being illogical. Make buyers pay for shipping, make sure items are insured, and plan on 1 out 10 buyers wanting some or all of their money back.

 

[Rand]

just do free shipping and include cost in the bid/start price.

works better usually.

 

[expat]

"And, make sure to set up your account to automatically block people you don't want to dealt with. Set it up so people in areas you don't ship to are automatically blocked."

As a Canadian, I often find it REALLY frustrating if a US seller has something I REALLY want (and I'm willing to pay for) and find myself blocked by ebay.
Often I arrange to have an item shipped to a US address to facilitate a sale if required. But if I am blocked at the time of bidding, often there is not time left in the auction to explain to the seller, or have the block lifted.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: expat
"And, make sure to set up your account to automatically block people you don't want to deal with. Set it up so people in areas you don't ship to are automatically blocked."

As a Canadian, I often find it REALLY frustrating if a US seller has something I REALLY want (and I'm willing to pay for) and find myself blocked by ebay.


Personally, I ship most items to Canada, so you wouldn't be blocked from many of my listings. But, if a seller doesn't want to mess with international shipping, that's their choice to make.

International selling can come with big risks for sellers. The only affordable way to ship is First Class International, which doesn't have delivery confirmation, so the seller loses all their protection if a buyer claims they didn't receive an item.

If you sell mostly items in the $8-$20 range (like I do), most buyers won't be interested in the cost of a small flat rate box.

 

[The_Jeff]

As a small fry US seller I get messages from Canadians saying please please please let me bid on this. Okay, I say, but you're paying customs and taxes.

More than half the time they win but then beg, please please please declare the item a gift. So then what do I do, lie on a customs form so I get good feedback or stick it to them at the post office and hurt my rep?

Tough spot to be in.

 

[demarpaint]

I did some selling over the years on Ebay too, I'd like to do it again one of these days. I don't like the new system either, it clearly favors the buyer in my opinion too. Seems a few of you are still having good luck I might just give it a try with some lower priced junk I have laying around and see how it goes from there.

 

[dishdude]

I sell items from around the house that I am no longer using or have replaced on eBay, and use Paypal for payment. I have probably around 800 transactions in the 15 years I have been using eBay, and can only think of 2 issues that I have had and they were both as a buyer. 1 seller didn't ship, and the second grossly overstated the condition of the item I was buying. Both of these occurred at least 10 years ago and I was made whole.

I think you need to use a lot of common sense as a buyer, look the listing over carefully and check the seller's feedback. If you do your due diligence you'll be fine and there are protections in place to protect you.

As a seller, I only sell to the US lower 48 states. It's not worth dealing with customs or overseas scammers, plus shipping is just annoying. Make sure your listing is accurate, point out every blemish with the item you are selling and you'll be fine. I prefer using buy it now and requiring immediate payment - I don't need to wait for the buyer to send payment or risk having them back out.

Oh, and don't buy or sell high risk items like gift cards or other items that just don't make sense to trade on there.

 

[DBMaster]

I have been buying and selling on eBay since 1998 and only had a real issue ONCE. PayPal refunded my money since the guy didn't even respond to them in ten days. It was a $3 packet of hot pepper powder. I have done a lot more buying than selling, but I have had no issues with either. You will have to get a PayPal account that accepts credit card payment which will cost you 3% + $0.30 per transaction. I tried for a long time to only accept bank account transfers, but PP does not have any designation for that - for obvious reasons. So, if someone paid by credit card my only choice would have been to refuse the payment and then tell the buyer that they needed to pay by checking account. So, you're more or less trapped on that one. For the most part, though, I really like eBay/PayPal. As with any system used by many, though, there will be negative experiences.

 

[nitehawk55]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
I've sold lots of stuff on ebay (around 1000 items) and I've never got it "up the rear."
Ebay/paypal are a complex system to use. It may take some time to get the hang of it, but you will.


What I ment was it seems a lot of buyers now make false claims on items so they can cause sellers a lot of grief . They are purposily abusing the Ebay system (which protects buyers more than sellers) for their own gain and many times it ends up costing the seller to the point where it is beyond a loss .
The system is unfair to the point where the seller can no longer leave negative feedback on a dishonest buyer .

I have a bunch of vintage European radio tubes I would like to sell but I'm concerned about selling on Ebay anymore .

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
As a small fry US seller I get messages from Canadians saying please please please let me bid on this. Okay, I say, but you're paying customs and taxes.

More than half the time they win but then beg, please please please declare the item a gift. So then what do I do, lie on a customs form so I get good feedback or stick it to them at the post office and hurt my rep?

Tough spot to be in.


Yeah, the customs part of it is the reason I won't ship to Canada. I used to ship there( no where else outside US )but had such a hassle with customs the last time that I no longer will. People can ask and beg all they want the answer is NO. I only sell to people in the US. Of course I only buy from people in the US as well so it evens out.

Just not worth the hassle and all that time to ship anywhere but to people in the US for me. Like you I won't lie on custom forms either. I am not commiting a crime for someone I don't even know.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
I used to sell a bit on Ebay too but now the rules favour buyers and because of that a lot of them abuse the system and the sell ends up getting it up the rear .
Google some articals on the internet about selling on Ebay now , it's not nearly the friendly place it used to be .
There are extra fees now for shipping on top of their other fees...all that have gone up a lot so do some research and decide if it's worth it .


Yeah, E-Bay used to favor the seller but now it has swung way over the other way. Hopefully one day they make it fair for both sides.

PayPal really is unfair to sellers and I worry more about their screwed up policies than I do E-Bay's. Even if you sell the item AS IS with no returns for any reason PayPal will still force you to take it back even if you are right. Buyers can trash an item and claim it arrived that way and PayPal will force you to refund their money. Absolutely ridiculous.

I actually take photos and if applicable short videos of the items I sell now right before and also showing packaging so I can prove they were as advertsied. If I sell a Video game I actually video it being inserted in my XBox and working along with a piece of paper with the date. Sell something like a GPS or radio = same thing. "Non-functional" items just get photos with dated pieces of paer in the shot. It's crazy but you almost have to now.

 

[The_Jeff]

They need to fix ebay motors too.

If I have a shabby car that won't pass state inspection, the buyer might gripe about the 51st unmentioned defect even if I give a list of 50 defects. If I list it as a "parts car" ebay gets mad they don't get their $80ish listing fee. I can't add any contingencies like "you must show up in person and inspect before bidding."

I'm not surprised they're a 20% shareholder in craigslist, they'll probably screw that up somehow too.

 

[nitehawk55]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
I used to sell a bit on Ebay too but now the rules favour buyers and because of that a lot of them abuse the system and the sell ends up getting it up the rear .
Google some articals on the internet about selling on Ebay now , it's not nearly the friendly place it used to be .
There are extra fees now for shipping on top of their other fees...all that have gone up a lot so do some research and decide if it's worth it .


Yeah, E-Bay used to favor the seller but now it has swung way over the other way. Hopefully one day they make it fair for both sides.

PayPal really is unfair to sellers and I worry more about their screwed up policies than I do E-Bay's. Even if you sell the item AS IS with no returns for any reason PayPal will still force you to take it back even if you are right. Buyers can trash an item and claim it arrived that way and PayPal will force you to refund their money. Absolutely ridiculous.

I actually take photos and if applicable short videos of the items I sell now right before and also showing packaging so I can prove they were as advertsied. If I sell a Video game I actually video it being inserted in my XBox and working along with a piece of paper with the date. Sell something like a GPS or radio = same thing. "Non-functional" items just get photos with dated pieces of paer in the shot. It's crazy but you almost have to now.


You nailed it , it's gone that far that you have to do stuff like that to protect yourself from buyers trying to make claims against you that arn't true .
Unfortunate it's come to that , it used to be a great place to sell .

 

[DBMaster]

It's been a while since I sold anything. I guess I actually got suckered - just a bit. A guy sent me a message asking if I would close bidding with his bid because he was a "poor college student" who just wanted a usable phone. I was selling an old cell phone, obviously. I cut the "kid" a break and he left me no feedback at all. I figured the least he could have done was boost my positive feedback score. When I reviewed his feedback profile I saw that he left lots of negative feedback for other sellers from whom he had bought cell phones. Boy, did I feel like a sucker! I guess I should consider myself lucky that he didn't leave negative feedback for me. Of course, the phone I sold him was in perfect condition.

I am nearly convinced to not sell anything on eBay again. If I buy I only buy from sellers with above 99% positive feedback with a decent length of history.

Online buying and selling is truly a "buyer beware" sort of environment, isn't it?

 

[nitehawk55]

I listed 12 lots of radio tubes today , I'll see how it goes .

 

[PandaBear]

I don't think I have any problem other than paypal is expensive. So factor in the commission they will charge when you list your price, and see if it is easier to sell on craigslist locally for free or not.

 

[KawasakiGuy]

I too, used to sell on ebay back when it favoured the sellers. The last few years I I've been strictly a buyer and have made MANY purchases. Never had a problem. Once, I never received an item from China but I waited the allotted time and the seller refunded me my money.

I've been thinking about getting back into selling but haven't put any effort into it.

Also, maybe someone can enlighten me on this whole "I won't ship to Canada" business. When I ship to the US, the procedure is no different than shipping local aside from stating on the customs form the price and description of the item. Doing it online takes no more time if I were shipping to the US or across the street.