ebay advice for anyone buying or selling

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We often see threads on this site from people who have been scammed on e bay, paid for cameras and not received them, or sold gear only to find the 'payment' was never made.

 

We now have ebay adverts listed here too, so I've put together some advice based on my own experience as a buyer/seller and some of the cases I've heard about.

 

I think I've covered most points, hopefully it will help some of you avoid being caught out in the future.

 

E bay advice

 

After reading this lot you might be put off using ebay altogether! I have used it for many years now, and only ever had a few problems, mostly resolved after contacting ebay. Stick to the basic rules and you should hopefully avoid costly errors.

 

Take the advice into proportion, if the item you are buying/selling is only relatively cheap then it’s not worth worrying too much about insured postage for example.

 

General advice

 

Familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of both ebay and paypal. It’s all available to read on their websites, how paypal buyer/seller protection works etc. If you’re a seller also understand how much the ebay/paypal fees will be!

 

Here’s some additional advice from my own experience as a buyer and seller. I’m sure it doesn’t cover every potential pitfall or loophole but should provide the inexperienced user with a good grounding.

 

If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Trust your instinct and avoid anything that doesn’t look right.

 

Beware of scams! Accounts with good feedback are often hijacked by scammers, as buyers or sellers. Buyers will often ask you to send the item to another country, why does their ebay page say they are located in the UK but you are being asked to send your item to Nigeria?

 

Watch out for spoof ebay e mails. They are often very convincing but the giveaway is the full web address. Any e mail from ebay should give your user name, not ‘dear ebay member’ or such like. If you get an e mail that asks you to ‘log in’ to your account a quick test is to type in any name/numbers and see if it accepts it (spoof ones accept any name/password, and may be recording your details to let someone access your account!).

 

For buyers –

 

Check the sellers feedback, not just that they have positive feedback but also that they have a record of selling, and if so, selling similar/related items. A regular feature of scammers hijacked accounts are that they often have a highly rated selling history, in something specific like postage stamps, and are suddenly selling a Leica. Not impossible of course but it would raise alarm bells with me and make me check more thoroughly.

 

Check the location of the seller, better still get their contact details if you can. If you e mail them and get their name, look them up – directory enquiries/linkedin/facebook etc., or use google to check where they’re based if you have an address.

 

Check payment options & postage. Only accept items sent by insured postage for your own protection. Also clarify who will be responsible for making a claim in the event of a loss, many sellers state that they will only pass on the information to the seller to enable them to make a claim, which may not be easy if the item was posted from another country! Ask the seller to e mail you once the item has been sent and give you a tracking number if relevant. You will then know when to expect the parcel.

 

Ask questions! It’s easy to see if someone is genuine by asking a fairly specific question about the item – if they are the owner they should be able to answer you. The nature of the reply may also tell you something about the seller, and you may get additional information such as their name or a contact number.

 

Read what the descriptions don’t say! I often see items listed as being sold on behalf of ‘a friend’. Nothing wrong with that, I’ve sold stuff for friends who don’t use ebay, but such listings are also often accompanied by a disclaimer such as ‘I don’t know anything about the item so can’t answer any questions about it’. This probably means it’s broken or otherwise damaged. If someone says ‘item is in very clean condition’ check that it also works! Ask if there are any particular faults, or marks on it.

 

Photos should show the actual item for sale, not just an image lifted from the net. If the photo isn’t clear or doesn’t show the whole item, ask the seller to add more photos or e mail you some more.

 

Pay by paypal if you want to have the benefit of the paypal protection scheme. A benefit of paying by cheque is having the sellers address details. Don’t pay by bank transfer unless you are sure of the buyer and have their contact details.

 

Can you collect? If the seller is local ask if you can collect/pay in person. Also a good ‘test’ question if you’re not sure about something, most genuine sellers will be happy to let someone collect.

 

 

For sellers –

 

You have to offer paypal as an option and can benefit from some protection by doing so. Ebay have stopped people from charging the paypal fees to the buyer, which can be significant on expensive items. You can state your preferred payment method in your listing however.

 

Don’t accept cheques from overseas buyers, use paypal, international money order or bank transfer. Foreign cheques can take many months to clear (certainly in the case of UK banks) and you may find that the payment ‘bounces’ long after you have parted with your goods.

 

Make sure you have a cleared payment. Wait a few days from receipt of funds until you despatch the item – this is to guard yourself against stolen credit cards etc., being charged back from paypal. Beware buyers who are in a desperate hurry for your item – there are quicker ways of buying stuff than going on ebay after all!

 

Only send items by secure insured delivery which the buyer must sign for (or cash on personal collection) – make it clear that if lost/stolen you will provide all information to the buyer for them to deal with any compensation claim, otherwise you will have to repay the buyer then possibly wait many months for your carrier insurance claim to be settled. Reassure the buyer that you will do everything possible to assist them with any claim.

 

Only send goods to the buyers certified address, never agree to send something to another country than the sellers home address, it’s a common sign of a scam! (there are genuine exceptions but satisfy yourself that you have a fully cleared payment before parting with the goods). If the buyer says they have moved ask them to update their ebay record first! They can only do that if it is their account. Pack goods securely and put a return address on the parcel.

 

Communicate. Send the buyer an e mail on despatch with the shipping details/tracking number. Ask them to let you know when they have received the item and that they are happy with it. Ask for feedback!

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[Guido]

Very good and comprehensive advice.

 

One more thing:

 

As a buyer, always make a printout, screen dump, or PDF copy of everything (item description, photos etc.) relating to the auction you won. If you wake up the next morning and find the dreaded "MC117" message from eBay in your mailbox informing you that eBay has deleted the item due to suspected fradulent activity, it will be too late to gather proof. The item# will no longer exist, and the seller's account may have been removed, too.

[Johnny_Johnson]

Only send items by secure insured delivery which the buyer must sign for (or cash on personal collection) – make it clear that if lost/stolen you will provide all information to the buyer for them to deal with any compensation claim, otherwise you will have to repay the buyer then possibly wait many months for your carrier insurance claim to be settled. Reassure the buyer that you will do everything possible to assist them with any claim.

 

Hi James,

 

How does that work in your part of the world? It's my understanding, at least here in the States, that in case of lost or damaged goods the seller/shipper is responsible for filing the claim. I don't think the buyer has any responsibility other than returning the damaged goods.

 

Later,

Johnny

[Runkel]

PayPal does not call much attention to its funds-hold policy. If you are a casual seller with a feedback score below 100, even if your feedback is perfect, PayPal will not make your sales proceeds available to you for 21 days after the sale. If you receive positive feedback on the transaction before then, or provide proof of delivery before then (challenging with international shipping from the US), they will release the payment hold early.

[iShutterbug]

I see some good advice on this thread. I have had good experience buying and selling around $20K of cameras and computers on eBay over the last year or so. I would add that great pictures help sell your product, honesty in your ad copy is rewarded, and I've decided to give my buyers and sellers good feedback whether they deserved it or not to avoid a "feedback war" because after you've been buying and selling for a while feedback becomes very important. I would repeat the OP's words to *only ship to your buyer's official eBay and (matching) PayPal address.*

 

Happy eBayin'.

[leicanet]

Good piece of advice from the OP, thank you.

 

However, if you are a seller, Paypal can turn into a nightmare, with buyer's claims, disputed transaction, funds held by Paypal for a long time, limited access to your account and the like...

 

I also don't like the fact the eBay "forces" UK sellers (and I think US sellers) to accept Paypal as a mandatory option, and adding themselves, to every listing,

" Paypal preferred " payment on top/before of all other options: I have never been asked as a seller whether I actually prefer Paypal or not...!

When eBay have tried to implement their Paypal mandatory policy on to german sellers, there was a sort of uprising there, and eBay have been brought to court by german authorities on the basis of "unfair" competition. In Germany, by the way, most sellers still don't take Paypal and most purchases are paid by bank transfer. I wonder if there are a lot of scams going on there...?

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I agree, I really don't like the fact that ebay have made paypal a mandatory facility, AND they prohibit you from asking for the buyer to pay the fees. Some people just bump up the P&P a bit to make up for some of the loss, but now ebay also don't allow you to charge P&P on some items, so you have to build everything into your minimum price.

 

Re. Paypal, I've used it for years and never had any problems, apart from one transaction that was held until the buyer left feedback, it seems to be a rather random process and certainly doesn't happen on all transactions.

 

We really need someone to provide an alternative site to ebay, I'm surprised that no one has done so yet given what a lucrative market it must be!

[Nicoleica]

We really need someone to provide an alternative site to ebay, I'm surprised that no one has done so yet given what a lucrative market it must be!

 

There is an alternative. It's called a shop. They are most often local, and you can actually handle the goods before you purchase them.

[arminw]

Thank you so much for the advice . I have been selling stuff on Ebay on and off since 2000 but never on a regular basis . Everytime I get disappointed I leave it for a few years and don't touch it . Now I have again some items for sale and I'll try it again.

[earleygallery]

There is an alternative. It's called a shop. They are most often local, and you can actually handle the goods before you purchase them.

 

True Nicole, but the unique thing about ebay is the access to sellers from around the world, and the chance to buy items that most shops just wouldn't bother themselves to stock.

 

I collect old postcards - a hobby that came about from browsing on ebay one day! There are some shops and fairs where the sell old cards but ebay is by far the best medium for this kind of trade. It's also a good source of parts for my classic campervan.

 

I'm a huge fan of the concept, and it's one of the things that has really changed how a lot of people do business as a result of the internet, I'm just not such a huge fan of ebay!

[storybrown]

All this is good eBay advice. I don't know anything about selling on eBay, but I've made about 500 purchases over several years ranging from $.01 to @ $1100.00 -- most of them prolly in the $20-$50 or less range -- and I think common sense attention to the descriptions & fotos of offered items & direct communication with sellers is usually all that's necessary on the part of the buyer -- esp with items under $1000 & with sellers who have an established record (doesn't have to be elaborate, just enough to show regularity on the site). I have also bought some $500+ items from one-time sellers sans problems.

 

I know of course that there are many eBay horror stories, but in all of my buying expeiences, I've had one instance of an item being misrepresented. A stamp offered as genuine was delivered to me with "facsimile" clearly printed on the back. When I pointed this out to the seller, he apologetically corrected everything in a trice, even offering discounts, rebates, free items &c&c to make it right. (I just returned the item for a refund; it was simply a mistake.) The buyer's rating is a very strong inducement for regular sellers to do well.

 

I have also had a few eBay mistakes & disappointments -- all resulting from careless reading of item descriptions or terms by me or, in one case, from my not paying any attention to which account the Paypal payment drew from.

 

In all, the difficulties are pretty much the same as one faces also with Amazon, Alibris, &c. I like the range offered by ebay. Everything from everywhere, including the near and long past is there.

 

I'm sure Paypal is often a pain in the neck for sellers, but it's usually pretty wonderful for buyers. Just hit & go (paying due attention to what account is being drafted!) -- and the protections offered strongly encourage online buyers, hard as they might sometimes make it for regular sellers.

 

I did have one serious compliant recently -- Paypal randomly selected my account for a security check & blocked payments for a couple of minor purchases until I could negotiate a temporary password. This was quickly enough corrected via customer service, but not without a strong sense of helplessness or impotence when the account was summarily highjacked by machines & unavailable to me. Very frustrating for a time.

[deirdre]

I'd like to add one more: for sellers with more than one item listed (including any items they may have sold that are available to view in their feedback): are the photographs apparently taken by the same person?

 

There are some sellers who will re-use other people's photographs from old auctions. Sometimes I've re-used photos from the seller I bought from, but I always make that clear in the listing and add one of my own.