Selling on ebay

[shakalaka]

So I've never sold on ebay before and considering how much $ I drop on it buying things, I figured I'd try my hand.

So I have an item up with the best offer and buy it now options. I got a decent best offer on my asking price and I have communicated with the buyer back and forth getting their address in Austria (to calculate exact shipping costs).

Only thing is that it is a brand new ebay user with 0 feedback with an account that literally opened yesterday. I have put in my add that payment has to be Paypal and from verified addresses etc. This guy's address seems to be Paypal verified from what he's telling me.

Is there anything for me to worry about? I am editing my add with the exact shipping he's agreeing on paying and I plan to tell him to re-send me the 'best offer' again so that I can accept and get to shipping.

Am I just being overly paranoid?

[dj_rice]

From my personal experience, I like dealing only with people that have some feedback. The last item I sold was a vape mod, and the guy had 0 feedback lived in the Middle East, but the shipping address was to some shipping forwarding company in New York. He tried to state it was missing items, but I had pictures of it prior to packaging and during packaging. After transaction, he closed his account. So not sure...

[Thaco]

i wouldn't do it. Not worth the risk.

[shakalaka]

Well everyone starts somewhere I feel like.

Doesn't ebay/paypal have any protections in place for sellers to avoid hassles like this? Any way I can pursue one of those things or do anything to ensure that the transaction goes smoothly?

Any questions or verifications I can ask from the buyer because his account his new in order to satisfy me?

[taemo]

+1 on not going with the deal

there's definitely some red flag in there and wouldn't take the risk
1. brand new ebay member with 0 feedback
2. Austria, expect to pay alot for shipping to Europe if you want tracking/insurance

that's why when I make my listing, I specify only US/Canada.
people usually contacts me to have them shipped to Australia, Europe or Asia and I've done it but charge them at least $80 for shipping and get insurance, tracking and signature for protection.

[Thaco]

Well everyone starts somewhere I feel like.

Doesn't ebay/paypal have any protections in place for sellers to avoid hassles like this? Any way I can pursue one of those things or do anything to ensure that the transaction goes smoothly?

Any questions or verifications I can ask from the buyer because his account his new in order to satisfy me?they will ALWAYS side with the buyer, if the item is delievered and the buyer complains that you shipped hima brick instead of a watch... you're fucked...


there are a lot of buyers, not worth taking the chance shipping outside north america.

[ExtraSlow]

EBay and PayPal protect the buyers not the sellers.

[P_D]

I sell hockey cards frequently on ebay. I will not deal with anyone that has less then 30 feedback and accounts must be 6 months or older, its not worth the risk. FYI Ebay/PayPal holds your funds for about 3 weeks.

[Thaco]

also when accepting the offer, keep in mind you can expect to get about 20% less than that value after ebay and paypal fees.

[shakalaka]

+1 on not going with the deal

there's definitely some red flag in there and wouldn't take the risk
1. brand new ebay member with 0 feedback
2. Austria, expect to pay alot for shipping to Europe if you want tracking/insurance

that's why when I make my listing, I specify only US/Canada.
people usually contacts me to have them shipped to Australia, Europe or Asia and I've done it but charge them at least $80 for shipping and get insurance, tracking and signature for protection.

He sent me his exact address to calculate shipping costs. I provided him with 3 options ranging from $130-$55 and he replied saying he would like the $80 option.

- - - Updated - - -


also when accepting the offer, keep in mind you can expect to get about 20% less than that value after ebay and paypal fees.

Wow..I didn't know that.

So in a situation such as this there is nothing the guy can do to verify his identity or the fact that he's legit to satisfy your concerns?

- - - Updated - - -

So this whole getting screwed by buyers thing is a real concern on ebay it seems? I didn't even realize that, I just figured since it's ebay, verified Paypal addresses everything is fine and dandy.

[Thaco]

He sent me his exact address to calculate shipping costs. I provided him with 3 options ranging from $130-$55 and he replied saying he would like the $80 option.

- - - Updated - - -



Wow..I didn't know that.

So in a situation such as this there is nothing the guy can do to verify his identity or the fact that he's legit to satisfy your concerns?

- - - Updated - - -

So this whole getting screwed by buyers thing is a real concern on ebay it seems? I didn't even realize that, I just figured since it's ebay, verified Paypal addresses everything is fine and dandy.

the address only confirms delivery, doesn't confirm you're not gonna get fucked by the buyer saying it something its not, and with 0 feedback and a brand new account, 2 minutes creating a new gmail account and he has another new ebay account, he has nothing to lose... and he has whatever item you sold, and a refund.


Not saying it couldn't happen in north america, but its much less likely, especially if the buyer has an established account.

[shakalaka]

Fair enough. As I always say, it's better to be safe than sorry I guess.

I have messaged him saying there won't be any deal happening due to him being so far and his account being so new.

[shakalaka]

I am wondering if there are any concerns for me if he were to make a payment via PayPal as sending money as a gift friends/families? I don’t believe he can start a claim or file a charge back under those circumstances claiming to not have received the item? It seems that he really wants the phone as they are not available in Europe and is willing to send the money as a gift if I provide him with further verification that I actually do have the phone. And by doing this I believe I should avoid all PayPal and eBay fees etc as well?

[Thaco]

I am wondering if there are any concerns for me if he were to make a payment via PayPal as sending money as a gift friends/families? I don’t believe he can start a claim or file a charge back under those circumstances claiming to not have received the item? It seems that he really wants the phone as they are not available in Europe and is willing to send the money as a gift if I provide him with further verification that I actually do have the phone. And by doing this I believe I should avoid all PayPal and eBay fees etc as well?

highly against ebay TOS, but it is a possibility.

[adidas]

If he is really as interested as you make him out to seem, get him to send you money via Western Union. No bullshit and he can't back out. Otherwise, the gift option through Paypal is also legit.

[mr2mike]

I believe paypal show that his address or account is paypal verified.
Otherwise, don't do the deal. Not worth the hassle. Ever try to get money back from Canada post or PayPal as a seller??

That being said, I've sold to people unverified, etc. Covered my ass by explaining them the situation and they paypal'd via GIFT option.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I will never sell anything on eBay, for 3 main reasons:

1) eBay sides with the buyer 99.999% of the time in disputes, making it extremely easy for people to scam you and get whatever you're selling for free. I have seen sellers get denied dispute claims even with a video showing them packing the item and bringing it to the post office - eBay doesn't care, the buyer can get your item for free if they are willing to start a claim.

2) Fees are ridiculous, up to 10% or higher. Making your ad stand out costs even more. PayPal has fees too.

3) Shipping is annoying, shipping damage opens you up to a dispute that you will lose, and in my experience always costs more than the shipping calculators suggest.

All said and done, you are almost always better off selling it locally for possibly even more money after the fees, and a lot less hassle. If you have some super rare and/or desirable item, eBay can work, but for most things it's a waste of time and money IMHO.


In your situation, a buyer with 0 feedback in another country, I would not do that deal. They file a dispute and you're screwed.

If you do go through with it, take the actual item packed up to to the post office to get a quote - it will very likely be more than the online calculators tell you. Otherwise you will be eating more cost probably.

Now, if you can get him to pay you as a "gift", it flips the scenario around so he has zero protection, but he may not want to do that.

[spikerS]

I wouldn't do it. period. The PayPal account may be hacked, or one using a stolen CC.

In a lot of the auctions I buy, Austria is usually one of the named places that sellers specifically call out and say that they will not ship to, and I presume it is because of the high amounts of fraud.

I wouldn't do it. put it on Kijiji or something instead.

[rx7boi]

Man, this BS is part of the reason I've never sold on eBay haha.

[botox]

I believe paypal show that his address or account is paypal verified.
Otherwise, don't do the deal. Not worth the hassle. Ever try to get money back from Canada post or PayPal as a seller??

That being said, I've sold to people unverified, etc. Covered my ass by explaining them the situation and they paypal'd via GIFT option.
Same here. I have about 400 sells/buys from Ebay. Obvious scammers get the GFY reply but I have done the paypal gift outside of ebay many times for 0-10 feedback buyers and haven't gotten scammed once. I have even shipped to Russia with no issues. Everyone starts at 0 so not everyone is scammers.


Man, this BS is part of the reason I've never sold on eBay haha.
It's not as bad as it seems. Easy to unload stuff especially if it's rare(ish). Don't need to meet shady kijiji people for exchanges and you still make more even with the fees. I keep all my $$ in my paypal account and just buy other things online with it. I don't take it out cause you'll get hit with another fee.

[tonytiger55]

Two red flags come up for me. Zero feedback. But everyone starts somewhere.
Second red flag. Is your phone compatible in Austria? By that I mean the internet. My UK Phone worked here in Canada but would only work 3G because North America uses a different frequency etc. So it was practically useless.
So why would he be buying from Canada, why not buy local? The markets there are pretty good for this sort of stuff.

[D'z Nutz]

So why would he be buying from Canada, why not buy local? The markets there are pretty good for this sort of stuff.

Because he'd be getting a free phone :rofl:

[Mitsu3000gt]

Because he'd be getting a free phone :rofl:

Exactly this :rofl:

But to answer the question, I don't know what kind of phone it is but lots of phones work everywhere, like any Google phone and probably any iPhone.

[Xtrema]

I don't sell on eBay anymore and if I do, i restrict to US and Canada only.

You send it too far, they are receive the product and say some shit about it's not working or something (electronics) and then you have to figure out if you want it ship back pay for refund and basically lose shipping charge for nothing.

Or you find out down the road that payment is fraudulent and charges get reversed and you lose both item and $.

Then there are the fees.

Basically I will only list on Ebay if I can fetch 30-40% more than selling locally.

[shakalaka]

Okay so here's the situation.

It is an Essential phone. Don't think it is sold outside of North America. Even when I bought it, I bought it directly from their site which only shipped to US and I had to get it shipped to an address in US first. It's a pretty good deal considering I am including a camera module which usually alone is $250 on Essential's site.

Besides that, I suggested to him that if he wants it bad I would need the funds to be sent via gift. He was a bit hesitant at first and asked me to send him a picture of the items with my username on a paper and date written beside it (makes me feel a little more comfortable as he is doing his due dilligence). I did that and of course I have almost 200 positive feedbacks on ebay (all from buying though) and it seems that he was comfortable with going that route. He did send me the funds on Paypal via gift and is now waiting for me to ship it. I packed up the box and will be heading to post-office shortly but I don't see what he can do now to scam me in any way? It's a Paypal gift which he can't 'charge back' on and I have already initiated the transfer of those funds out of my Paypal to my bank account anyway. If anything I feel like I can easily scam him now by simply not sending the item, obviously I wouldn't do that but I don't see how he can do anything to claim it's a scam or whatever?

[Mitsu3000gt]

As I mentioned above, if he sends you the funds as a gift, it flips the scenario around. Now, you can do whatever you want and he is 100% at risk. So if he agreed to that then you're in the clear.

[Thaco]

yeah with the gift payment you're nearly gauranteed, i think he could still contact paypal and provide the records of convo and stuff and screw you, but it'd be a lot more difficult and doesnt seem like any scammer would go through that much effort.