Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

[SoMiss2000]

Anytime I sell something on ebay, rarely does the transaction go smoothly. It seems like I'm always waiting days to get paid for my items. Hell, one time Ebay had deducted by seller fees before I got paid.

Well this last time, I decided to sell Oblivion while the game is still hot. I set up a 5 days auction with a "Buy It Now" of $50. I step away from my computer for an hour and come back to see that it had sold for the B I N price of $50.

This was on Saturday afternoon. It's Tuesday morning and have yet to be paid.

I even have a disclaimer. "If you can't pay immediately or within 48 hours of the close of auction, PLEASE DON'T BID!" Thank you

Yesterday, I get an email from the buyer saying that he rarely buys anything online using paypal (he only had 3 feedback ratings) and he forgot his password and paypal won't allow him to set up another account with the same card. He says he's trying everything he can to pay me...

Sigh....

[ehh]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

Might just be your luck, or lack of.

I've sold and purchased dozens of stuff for about 4-5 years and I've never had a problem.

[pk500]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

Might just be your luck, or lack of.

I've sold and purchased dozens of stuff for about 4-5 years and I've never had a problem.

Same here. Just be firm with your rules. As for the Oblivion purchaser, he's clearly a kid who bid over his head or a fraud. Give him the standard 48 hours, or the transaction is over.

I know it sounds cold, but do not show any sympathy or make any exceptions for buyers who delay or use delay tactics. Nearly all of them are irresponsible kids or frauds, and you don't have time to deal with people like that. You're the seller: It's your way or Trailways.

Make sure your listings have a disclaimer that reads something like, "I only accept PayPal for payment. No personal checks or money orders accepted. I must receive payment within 48 hours of the end of the auction, or the auction is void and I will leave negative feedback. No exceptions."

That's my disclaimer, and it tends to keep the trash away and legally protects you in case of any kind of dispute.

Don't give up on eBay. You'll make a lot more money in the long haul than trading in games at retail.

Take care,
PK

[RubenDouglas]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

definetly luck or no luck situations many times.

i have just under 100 feedback, half from selling half from buying, and I may be running into my first problem.

the post office attempted delivery on his item last monday. in a few more days its gonna be shipped back to me. which will cause a hassle because who wants to pay shipping twice and ive put alot of time into this and dont want to give him the particle refund... i guess this is for the best seeing as how if it wouldnt have been signed for, i would have never known if it was really ever delivered safely.

[SoMiss2000]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

Make sure your listings have a disclaimer that reads something like, "I only accept PayPal for payment. No personal checks or money orders accepted. I must receive payment within 48 hours of the end of the auction, or the auction is void and I will leave negative feedback. No exceptions."

that's pretty much my disclaimer. I'm about to relist the item. I know it's probably a kid the way he typed in the email. Then again, when I read his feedback on the last item he bought it said something like, thanks for the clothes, they're so cute. Maybe it's his parents account.

[Jimplication]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

I tried selling MVP NCAA over eBay. The auction ended March 12th. The buyer still hasn't responded to emails, the invoice, anything.

I filed a Dispute a week later, around March 21st, and they haven't responded to that either. Do open disputes have a time limit/window, or will it just sit idly open until the other party responds?

[pk500]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

I tried selling MVP NCAA over eBay. The auction ended March 12th. The buyer still hasn't responded to emails, the invoice, anything.

I filed a Dispute a week later, around March 21st, and they haven't responded to that either. Do open disputes have a time limit/window, or will it just sit idly open until the other party responds?

Why go through the hassle of a dispute over a non-paying buyer? Just e-mail or message them saying the auction is over due to non-payment and use a Second Chance Listing to sell the item again without incurring another listing fee.

I have more than 350 eBay transactions under my belt, and the only time I would ever file a formal dispute is if I paid for something and didn't receive it. But if someone said they were going to buy something and didn't pay, what's the harm? You still have the item to sell.

But if you're shipping before receiving payment, well, then you're not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Take care,
PK

[SoMiss2000]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

This is my disclaimer:

I accept payment by PAYPAL ONLY. Payment is due at the close of the auction. I ship my items PROMPTLY so I expect to be PAID PROMPTLY. All that I ask is if you forsee any problems that would cause you to need more than 48 hours to pay, please don't bid. Sorry, but i've too many cases where I had to wait more than a week for payment. I'd like to be paid before Ebay deducts my seller fee from my account. Prompt payment may be rewarded with upgraded shipment.

I also relisted the item.

[Jimplication]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

Why go through the hassle of a dispute over a non-paying buyer? Just e-mail or message them saying the auction is over due to non-payment and use a Second Chance Listing to sell the item again without incurring another listing fee.

I have more than 350 eBay transactions under my belt, and the only time I would ever file a formal dispute is if I paid for something and didn't receive it. But if someone said they were going to buy something and didn't pay, what's the harm? You still have the item to sell.

But if you're shipping before receiving payment, well, then you're not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Take care,
PK

Second chance offer doesn't really interest me, as I suspect the item will sell for more if I just re-list it. I am in no rush to sell it, but would like to go through the steps just to see how the process works.

Do open disputes have a set lifetime, or are they entirely dependant on the other party responding?

[pk500]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

Do open disputes have a set lifetime, or are they entirely dependant on the other party responding?

Not sure. Sorry.

Take care,
PK

[SLAYER]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

I've been selling stuff since September of last year, and I've had only two flakes out of 29 transactions (only 20 left feedback, though) so far.

My advice is: common sense usually works when trying to solve a problem, and if you're shipping heavy or big items..use Greyhound. It's cheaper than UPS or Fedex Ground. You'll need to provide your own box in most cases, though.

I paid $46 to ship a 35 pound box at $300 declared value (it was a foldable bike with carrying bag, BTW) to Connecticut. It got there in 2 days. Try to match that with UPS.

[aukevin]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

My ebay rating is right around 300 and I would say I've had pretty good luck with bidders and sellers. I've only been taken for money once and I would say 1 out of every 10 buyers are deadbeats in my experience. Sometimes I get a couple of bad ones in a row and it gets frusterating. But in the end, I'll take those odds and the extra 10-15 bucks I get from ebay over trading games in at a store or just sitting on something at my house that I will never use/play again.

[RockyTop1]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

there's an option you can check when you're listing an item to sell that makes it paypal only, that should help a little. So far, I've had good luck with my 30+ sells....*knocks on wood*

[SoMiss2000]

Re: Should I give up on selling stuff on ebay?

My ebay rating is right around 300 and I would say I've had pretty good luck with bidders and sellers. I've only been taken for money once and I would say 1 out of every 10 buyers are deadbeats in my experience. Sometimes I get a couple of bad ones in a row and it gets frusterating. But in the end, I'll take those odds and the extra 10-15 bucks I get from ebay over trading games in at a store or just sitting on something at my house that I will never use/play again.

Yeah, when I was selling all my xbox stuff prior to 360 release everything went well, but other times taht i've sold something, I get either slow pays or not paying at all.