Ebay experiences

[BlazeofLife]

I'm contemplating selling several items on Ebay, and was wondering whether anyone here had had experience with it in the past.
Any horror stories out there?
Problems with Paypal, or whatever other systems they use?
Good experiences?
I'm not trying to infringe on anybody's rights to their privacy, I'm just trying to decide whether its a good idea to give it a shot.
If anyone has advice or comments about this sort of thing I'd appreciate it.

Blaze

 

[Reverie]

I've never sold anything, just bought stuff. Never had a bad experience. suggestion though,when you list an item put a picture of your item up. Some people don't and I won't buy anything I haven't seen a picture of.

 

[BlazeofLife]

That one I'll definately try, they allow you to post one picture free, though others cost money.
Thanks, Reverie.

Anybody else?

Blaze

 

[freakygirl]

access to ebay has been denied.

Mr Freaky threatened me bodily harm if I went to ebay again.

I have no experience selling stuff.. but I have lots of experience buying stuff.

 

[lilminx]

I've bought lots of stuff, but never sold anything. The thing that I really hate is that a couple of times, I have won a bid on an item, and had a question about the price (they never listed cost of shipping0. I e-mailed them about it and I never heard anything back from them, so I never mailed a payment.

If and when you sell anything, make sure you answer your e-mails about the item.

 

[lovetoread]

I sell and I buy.

Its been good to me and I have not had a complaint.

I have good remarks too.

 

[BlazeofLife]

access to ebay has been denied.

Mr Freaky threatened me bodily harm if I went to ebay again.

I have no experience selling stuff.. but I have lots of experience buying stuff.

*grins*
Good luck, freaky.

I've bought lots of stuff, but never sold anything. The thing that I really hate is that a couple of times, I have won a bid on an item, and had a question about the price (they never listed cost of shipping0. I e-mailed them about it and I never heard anything back from them, so I never mailed a payment.

If and when you sell anything, make sure you answer your e-mails about the item.

Will do, minx.
Thanks!

Blaze

 

[April]

As a buyer, there are several things I dislike.

No pictures
wrong description
no shipping costs mentioned
no shipping to APO/FPO addresses
Fedex or UPS only

These are just my personal preferences.

The best thing I can suggest about the shipping cost is to put in the auction "shipping costs will be determined at auction end", or something like that. You know, 'cause it's not a flat rate shipping anymore. USPS has gone to zone shipping.

That said, I've used Paypal and had an overall positive experience with it. They got my money back when a seller I had been dealing with disappeared. I have had a number of bad experiences with shitty sellers though.

 

[Ransom]

I have contemplated selling some items on ebay but never have. When it comes to buying I have bought many items over the past couple of years. I have never had a bad experience but I do have one question. It seems that everyone I buy from ships via the U.S. postal service. Is it cheaper than any other carrier? One thing for sure.....it is very slow. If you are selling, a picture and true representation of the item condition is very important. Also be clear on what payment processes you will accept. Good luck!

 

[lovetoread]

The only pain in selling is setting up payments.

I prefer paypal.

Its alot easier to handle.

I accept no checks and I always put the amt of shipping on there.

I dont offer the option of insurance on what I sell.

And I always answer my emails.

 

[April]

It seems that everyone I buy from ships via the U.S. postal service. Is it cheaper than any other carrier?

Funny, I have the opposite experience. Too many sellers use only UPS or Fedex. That's great for stateside buyers, which are the majority. But there's a huge market in military oversease. We can use UPS, but the shipping costs are usually more than the item costs. About $100 to get a laptop computer over here. So the mail is the best way for us.

As far as cost for most people, I don't know. USPS has a handy form to figure out the cost. I imagine the other services do too.

 

[christianne]

I buy and sell and have a rating over 300. When selling be honest and include everything you can in your auction and encourage people to ask questions before they bid. When buying ask questions if you're not sure. And read the fine print. Paypal is excellent and fast. I like to offer discounted shipping for people who buy more than one item from me. It seems to encourage people to look at my other auctions. Flexibility in shipping is also something people like. I use Priority Mail and delivery confirmation. That way someone can't say they never recieved their item.

 

[Ice Cold]

Always use a payment device like pay pal so you can be sure payment is received, and list the shipping and handling... my complaint is she some one charges $5 to ship a dvd, and the package arrives with $1.20 postage on it... pretty pissed at that so I left negative feedback.

A good quality pic is preferred, multiple shot with enlargement capabiltiy is always preferred.

 

[hogjack]

I sold several

I sold several of my own bodily organs on eBay. So far I have not felt much of an effect.

I'm 18 pounds lighter which is a benefit. However, on the downside beer just goes right through me. Literally.

Anyway, every sale was a good experience on the eBay system.

 

[ronde]

I have never sold anything on Ebay, but I have bought a lot of stuff, and would offer these suggestions.

I always use Paypal unless a seller won't take it. It is a much simpler way to arrange payment, and I don't have to go buy a money order and wait for snail mail to deliver it. The sellers who don't use Paypal usually complain about the charges the seller pays. I would much rather the seller set a minimum that includes the charges. It's worth the convenience and tracking that Paypal offers.

As others have said, always include a picture.

Be honest about what you sell if you want repeat business.

Respond to questions by the next day. I have asked a question about an item, and received an answer 3-4 days later, I figure the seller really doesn't need my business all that much.

Email the buyer on the day you ship.

Always include tracking on any shipment of more than $5.00. The cost for tracking on Priority Mail is less than a dollar, and it gives me assurance that you really did ship my stuff.

In any business, things can go wrong for any number of reasons. If you can't deliver quickly, email the buyer and tell them why, and give them a likely shipping date. Don't wait for the buyer to ask why you haven't shipped. I stopped doing business with one seller because she was always late by 2-3 weeks, and I had to write at least 2 emails to find out what was going on.

Save every email from a buyer until you're sure the item has been delivered (another reason for including tracking in the shipping cost). The buyer is saving everything you send him in case he doesn't get what he paid for.