what do you think to ebay ??

[mac1012]

off to work soon but just thought I would open a debate (risky I know ) on the subject of selling on ebay.

I have sold work on their on and off for a few years and have found it very useful some of the money I have made has paid for all my machines.

I just posted another clock off to someone who brought it on ebay yesterday.

I know there is fees but for me working and limited time I find it usefull as opposed to standing on a stall , which I do on occasions but which takes a lot of organising , time, cost of stall etc , don't get me wrong I love standing on a craft stall and having that interaction , but I do find ebay a valuable alternative its just a matter of positioning yourself and prices correctly

mark

 

[Jacob]

Ebay is excellent. Particularly good if you have a dispute of any sort - they are definitely behind the buyer and it's difficult to get away with selling stuff wrongly described*. If it's tat you really have to say so.

PS * if you always use Paypal.

 

[Roughcut]

I know someone who sells a lot of car parts on Ebay.
He said that as a seller you have to take precautions to ensure you can prove receipt of delivery (recorded delivery/signed for).
Because there are unsavoury buyers who will purposely deny that the product was received in order to receive a refund or expect another product to be sent out.
One of the tricks he does is to put a complimentary slip in with the package that has a contact phone number on it.
This contact number is not advertised anywhere else apart from on the complimentary slips.
So if someone phones him saying that they have not received delivery he knows they are telling porkies.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

eBay is an amazing market place. I'm not sure people yet have fully grasped the potential impact on trade that a safe market place that connects millions of sellers and buyers represents. It is part of a Goliath business transformation that is digitally changing all our traditional society trade routes.

His many trade fairs or boot sales can one attend where over ten million prospects get to see your product? Sure it has some bugs, all markets do......but personally I find it a really useful tool

 

[marcros]

I think that it is an opportunity like any other. You sum it up really with "I do find ebay a valuable alternative its just a matter of positioning yourself and prices correctly
".

 

[MIGNAL]

I know someone who sells a lot of car parts on Ebay.
He said that as a seller you have to take precautions to ensure you can prove receipt of delivery (recorded delivery/signed for).
Because there are unsavoury buyers who will purposely deny that the product was received in order to receive a refund or expect another product to be sent out.
One of the tricks he does is to put a complimentary slip in with the package that has a contact phone number on it.
This contact number is not advertised anywhere else apart from on the complimentary slips.
So if someone phones him saying that they have not received delivery he knows they are telling porkies.

Recorded delivery might help but the phone call isn't going to persuade Paypal. To Paypal it wouldn't be sufficient proof.
Do Paypal/Ebay investigate such matters on low value items, £20 or so?
Selling on Ebay successfully depends on who you are and what you are selling. Getting rid of unwanted items is fine. If you are selling craft items and you have low overheads/not registered etc. there may not be a lot to lose except a nasty wrap on the knuckles from Mr. Tax man if he catches you.
Certain businesses will do well, for others it will be a complete waste of time.

 

[Jacob]

I've had prompt refunds from Paypal on things which only cost a pound or so but didn't turn up.

 

[MIGNAL]

No I'm referring to sellers and people who falsely claim that the items haven't arrived. I think that Paypal automatically reimburse the buyer irrespective of whether their 'story' holds water.

 

[marcros]

No I'm referring to sellers and people who falsely claim that the items haven't arrived. I think that Paypal automatically reimburse the buyer irrespective of whether their 'story' holds water.

I believe this to be the case. If you havent followed the guidelines re proof of delivery (or even proof of collection in person), then it is an open and shut case in favour of the buyer.

 

[ChrisR]

Don’t know how to use Ebay, and was advised, best to stay that way.

Don’t touch, with the words pole & barge, being mentioned. :?:

I suppose you pays your money, and takes your chance, but I have the glass which is always half empty.

Take care.

Chris R.

 

[mac1012]

yeah you pays your money and make your choice or much better when you make money like 1,ooo over 3 years

still best leave alone hey ?

mark

 

[RogerP]

Don’t know how to use Ebay, and was advised, best to stay that way.
Don’t touch, with the words pole & barge, being mentioned. :?:
I suppose you pays your money, and takes your chance, but I have the glass which is always half empty.
Take care.

Chris R.

I've been using eBay for more than 12 years with over 3000 transactions (buying and selling) - no real problems.

 

[Roughcut]

No I'm referring to sellers and people who falsely claim that the items haven't arrived. I think that Paypal automatically reimburse the buyer irrespective of whether their 'story' holds water.

Yes.
And from what I've heard the majority of the time favour is skewed on the buyers side rather than the seller.
Im not talking from personal experience, but I go on a different forum (non woodwork related) and I know of a few people who had part time businesses selling products on Ebay but have now pulled the plug due to being ripped off and not getting a fair hearing from the Ebay resolution centre.
I believe the sellers fees have also been increased substantially over recent times.
However im only making these points as a warning to be mindful of.
The benefits of selling on Ebay probably outweigh the negatives in most cases.

 

[mac1012]

I never had any problems and to me the costs compared to what some craft stall middle people charge you for a weekend suddenly ebay dosent look so bad.

postage has gone up royal mail but the sellers percentage is still the same as it always been

 

[Jacob]

..... from what I've heard the majority of the time favour is skewed on the buyers side rather than the seller.
......

It has to be really. The buyer doesn't quite know what he's getting and only has the seller's description. The seller knows exactly what he is selling.
There are some sellers with massive ratings at 100% so there are ways of doing it. The main thing is to under-sell; list all the faults if there are any, so the buyer is pleasantly surprised to find that it's slightly better than the description. The other thing is to check the buyers ratings, if he looks disputatious you could get insurance on the delivery, or drop out altogether.

 

[MIGNAL]

. . . which is what I do. I've had a couple of bad experiences buying through Ebay. I once bought a used CD (rare, discontinued). The CD arrived but in two pieces! It didn't have the Jewel case (not mentioned on the listing) and was simply put into a Jiffy bag.
He blamed the postal service. I never did get my money refunded (£25) and he was struck off Ebay a couple of weeks after. Probably played similar tricks to a number of people.

 

[RogerP]

..... from what I've heard the majority of the time favour is skewed on the buyers side rather than the seller.
......

...The other thing is to check the buyers ratings, if he looks disputatious you could get insurance on the delivery, or drop out altogether.

Buyers rating always look good because for some while buyers can only get positive feedback Sellers can't get around it by using negative wording in positive feedback as it can/will be removed and then the leaving seller gets awarded a black mark.

Anyway it's almost impossible to stop bad buyers unless you spot them well beforehand and block them individually as they can just snipe bid when you have no time to do anything. Having said that I've not had a problem with any buyer I didn't amicably resolve. Communication is the key. I'm coming up to 3000 and 100% positive.

I always, always ship recorded/signed-for whether domestic or international - no exceptions even for cheap items.

 

[brianhabby]

eBay is a great resource for both buyers and sellers. As a buyer you have the protection of eBay & PayPal if things go wrong. If you buy using Buy-it-Now from a business seller the eBay & PayPal protection is in addition to the protection provided by the distance selling regulations that all businesses are bound by. In my experience it is better than the DSR as eBay/PayPal will sort things out very quickly compared to Trading Standards for example, have you ever tried exercising your rights under the DSR? No easy task.

If I'm looking for something, anything, these days I tend to look on eBay first. I get Nectar points too

As a seller you really do need to describe your items accurately and don't miss any faults or bad points, buyers will pick on these immediately if not mentioned clearly. If you do make a mistake then acknowledge it and sort it out with your buyer fairly. Don't ignore any emails, respond as quickly as possible in a positive way and if necessary take the thing back. Most people are honest & fair and if you treat them in a similar manner things usually work out fine for both parties.

And always - ALWAYS - use a signed for (tracked if possible) service - no exceptions.

Royal Mail have recently upped their prices again, I think they are slowly pricing themselves out of the market. My local postmaster is worried sick as he has lost a lot of business in the last couple of weeks since parcel prices have gone up so much. I was checking the weight/size of something I want to sell the other day, it's a small packet that would cost £3.70 using Royal Mail signed for (Not fully tracked). I checked on Parcel2go and MyHermes will do it for £3.00 (Fully tracked). 70p difference might not sound like much but we are talking here about an item that I will be selling in quantity so it will add up. Add to that the fact that I can drop the package off at a local convenience store that is open from 6:00am until 10:00pm.

Watch out for people living in outlying areas though if using a courier. Highlands & Islands of Scotland etc. will cost considerably more and here the post office might offer a better deal as their price is the same for anywhere in the UK. (We'll see how long that lasts).

If you're selling tat, that's okay - just say so. I have sold dozens of broken items on eBay. If I want to get rid of anything I invariably try eBay first before resorting to the bin. Remember, the very first item ever sold on eBay was a broken item.

regards

Brian

 

[pip1954]

hi all been using ebay for a few years now and sell from time to time but just lately items i have bought seem to be taking longer and longer to arrive ( same on amazon) it seems to me people are selling items they do not have in stock (ebay do not approve)
or they just take forever to post then post second class or worst but they take ages to arrive ,but saying that i bought some items (one with case open now) waiting for delivery bought other items from some one else and they have arrived in two days second class.
what annoys me is when a seller does not update ebay dispatched sign and when after a few days you contact to ask if posted they get annoyed a say you have to wait.
but all in all ebay is going down in my opinion .
and the postal charges don't help
pip

 

[brianhabby]

Pip,

You seem to have had some bad experiences recently which is a shame as most sellers are not like those you describe. When I have experienced slow deliver with sellers who don't seem to care it's usually private individuals who don't have a clue about how to deal with people. Businesses have usually got better systems and practices in place.

Indeed, later this year eBay will be upping the game for business sellers with more offering same day dispatch and a free postage option.

If you are unsure - stay with business sellers, check the feedback and use BIN.

regards

Brian