Selling on eBay...

[4rd Toys]

My predicament:

So I've been a member on eBay, in general, for a long time; 15+ years.

But I just buy items, new & used, and never really sold anything during this time.

Now I have some various items that I would like to try to sell and these items are really not for the market section here on SVTP.

But I've read stories on how sellers are getting "burnt" from thieves scamming thru PayPal.
I figured maybe I could open a separate PayPal account just for selling items & still use my original member id on eBay.
I was thinking about going to my bank to create a "special" account just for selling on eBay.

Or do I have to create an entire new member id on eBay and separate PayPal account?

How do you guys sell on eBay without having issues?


............................................................................................................................................


Plan was to list it with free insured shipping- so that way there is proof it got to the recipient. Also plan on taking pics of each item as I prep for shipment to have proof of item condition before shipping.
Also was going to stencil in small letters/numbers of either the exact item id or buyer info in a hidden area [backside of part] so if someone tries to claim they received the item damaged/broken/wrong-part.

 

[CobraBob]

With PayPal, you can have one personal/consumer account and one business account. Each account must have its own email address and financial information.

Each eBay account must have a unique seller ID and email address.

You can call both eBay and PayPal if you have questions about accounts.

 

[HillbillyHotRod]

Been selling small stuff for years. Have not been burned yet. On higher end stuff I would want to document everything along the way if you need to come back. That way if they claim it is not what was ordered and want to ship if back. Doing a switheroo so to speak, buying yours and trying to send an identical broken item back you can prove it is not the item sent. Many photos, markings, part numbers, serial numbers, etc. As I say I have never had a problem. You could set up a separate paypal linked to a credit card so you could file a dispute with the credit card company also. That being said I wish there was a alternative to feebay and they nickle and dime you to death selling.

 

[apex svt]

The PAYPAL scam beware !!!!!!

Just read through this a couple days ago. Makes me pretty skeptical.

 

[nxhappy]

MOST of the time it is safe selling. I won't deal with "n00b" buyers. I have caught a few scammers. Usually the first and last name will not match up, and the address will be funky (like a hotel or PO box etc). Just check the name that is shown underneath the screen name. And then match it with the shipping name/address. Also, sometimes the scammer will show a different country when you click on their screen name.

 

[98 svt]

You can also go into settings and set your account up to refuse bids from people with poor feedback (whatever % you set it to) and/or low feedback. (not many teansactions)

 

[VenomousDSG]

Ebay has gone to complete shit for sellers over the years. Started selling on there 18 years ago, but just dont do it now. Too many scammers and BS members to deal with, and Ebay NEVER sides with sellers or offers them any protection on sales.

It just isnt worth the hassle.

 

[nxhappy]

i will say, the fees are really ****ing high. and now usps is more expensive. sellers will be raising prices.

 

[Lambeau]

- I take pics of the items before, during, and after they are packaged, then ship it.
- I send an email to the buyer through ebay and inlcude the tracking number and the pics.
- I also make sure that I post the tracking number in ebay so I can get paid asap.

 

[98 svt]

Only thing I sell on eBay is vinyl decals.
They get cut, thrown in a white envelope with a stamp and shipped off.
I've had a few people tell me they didn't get their decal, so I send another out. It doesn't happen very often though, and when it does it's not much of a loss on my end.
I don't think I'd want to sell a high volume of high dollar items though.

 

[Lambeau]

i will say, the fees are really ****ing high. and now usps is more expensive. sellers will be raising prices.

↑ This too!

 

[4rd Toys]

Ebay has gone to complete shit for sellers over the years. Started selling on there 18 years ago, but just dont do it now. Too many scammers and BS members to deal with, and Ebay NEVER sides with sellers or offers them any protection on sales.

It just isnt worth the hassle.

That's what I'm wondering about eBay too.... I've been watching alot of items getting bidded up price wise... So I'm always watching the bid history.
I'm the only one bidding on the item then mysteriously the price is going up by a ZERO-feedback bidder or one that has less then 10 feedback but been around 5+ years...

So I quit bidding & let these "ghost" bidders win.....
Then the same seller comes back with a "second-chance" offer.....

How the hell does eBay let the seller & the "ghost" bidder get away with this nonsense....

 

[VenomousDSG]

Ghost bidders still make ebay money, so they dont care. Ebay is all about what's best for them, and honestly dont give a shit about either sellers or buyers.

100% of their customer support is overseas too (philippines), run by people who barely speak English, so good luck getting support when you need it.

 

[josephcostello]

Been an active seller for about a year, created a store, done about $10000 in sales, never gotten scammed. Once you create a couple listings posting stuff is very easy. Always make sure when something "sells" you check paypal and see the payment with the ebay id next to the amount.

 

[CobraBob]

Ebay has gone to complete shit for sellers over the years. Started selling on there 18 years ago, but just dont do it now. Too many scammers and BS members to deal with, and Ebay NEVER sides with sellers or offers them any protection on sales.

It just isn't worth the hassle.

Absolutely not true. I've had eBay side with me a few times over the past couple of years. 4, I believe. 4 (bogus) claims from buyers. 4 times eBay sided with me. That's not to say that sometimes eBay sides with the buyer unfairly, but they definitely do try to be as fair as possible in my experience. Been selling for over 20 years.

 

[98 svt]

Absolutely not true. I've had eBay side with me a few times over the past couple of years. 4, I believe. 4 (bogus) claims from buyers. 4 times eBay sided with me. That's not to say that sometimes eBay sides with the buyer unfairly, but they definitely do try to be as fair as possible in my experience. Been selling for over 20 years.

I've been buying/selling 20 years as well. eBay went way downhill when they changed their feedback policies about 10 years ago.
Buyers can leave negative feedback, however sellers can not. Buyers know this and try to get stuff for free/discounted. Sellers have no way to inform the eBay community about a bad buyer/member. Worst move eBay ever made.

 

[96gt02]

I buy and sell 6 figures a year on ebay with basically no issues. As a seller Ive even had ebay side with me on a few occasions which I thought was fair, otherwise you just have to understand that basically anyone can return anything for any reason and just have to take it back but it doesnt happen as often as you might think. And also as a buyer Ive never been scammed either as Ebay actually has probably the best buyer protection of anywhere online.

 

[earico]

I've been an eBay member for about 20 years. I have sold probably 100 items on there during that time. However I will never sell anything on there again. The damn fees are so high now that it's not even worth it! They used to tier the fees similar to income tax brackets. Now it's just a straight 10% fee (except cars) and they even charge that on the shipping costs too. By the time you pay that and the Paypal fees it's just retarded. Use C List, Letgo or some other way.

I will say Paypal has always done me right. One Ebay customer tried to say I sent them a non working tablet. So Paypal automatically sided it with them and withdrew the money from my account. The lady returns the tablet to me and it's got a huge scratch on it and a dent! I posted before and after pics of the condition to the Paypal dispute case. They gave me my money back and I kept the tablet. Pain in the ass but worked out. You just have to be thorough. I had pics from every angle possible and pics of a perfect screen.

 

[CobraBob]

I've been buying/selling 20 years as well. eBay went way downhill when they changed their feedback policies about 10 years ago.
Buyers can leave negative feedback, however sellers can not. Buyers know this and try to get stuff for free/discounted. Sellers have no way to inform the eBay community about a bad buyer/member. Worst move eBay ever made.

That is true about the feedback changes and how it influences buyers. My point still stands, though, that eBay does listen to sellers if a dispute arises. Some of the eBay changes actually benefit the seller. It's not all doom and gloom for sellers. That said, eBay is not perfect and I like it much less today than 15-20 years ago. So I'm definitely not an eBay fanboy. I use it solely out of necessity; it suits my needs and I'm as proactive as I can be.

 

[JJackson515]

Disclaimer: I havent read everything posted before me

Background: I was a credit risk analyst for PayPal for 6 years. I have been selling online (ebay,amazon,website) full time for 2 years, where i have a significant amount sold. Ive seen just about everything.

Its pointless to get a different ebay or paypal account, and will make everything a lot more complicated then it needs to be. Feedback carries a lot of weight on ebay, and it will take you forever to sell on a new account and to get your seller limits raised. Follow ebay and paypals seller protection and you will be fine. use tracking and signature confirmation with anything over $750. Since paypal handles the dough from ebay transaction goes, i would error more towards their rules than anything.