Question about selling on ebay

Hey all,

I have purchased things from ebay plenty of times, but never sold. I recently listed my 24L on ebay and have been talking to ebay about the process of how the auction works etc. I recall seeing horror stories on here about how in ebay sales the buyer almost always comes out on top in any sort of conflict. I was wondering if people had any pointers on how to avoid whatever buyer scams may be out there in reference to photography equipment.

The thing that got me thinking about this was that I just received my first bid on the lens and it is from an account that is something along the lines of "thecannonguy" with no purchases or sales or feedback and is located in Nigeria. This set off my scam alarms, but I wasn't sure if / how it was possible to conduct some type of scam that involves actually submitting a legitimate bid on ebay. I mean ebay handles payment and fund distribution, so that should be covered. Is there anything I should be worried about? And what steps can I take to ensure the sale goes well?

Thanks for your input everyone!

singer.rick wrote in post #16240699
The thing that got me thinking about this was that I just received my first bid on the lens and it is from an account that is something along the lines of "thecannonguy" with no purchases or sales or feedback and is located in Nigeria. This set off my scam alarms, but I wasn't sure if / how it was possible to conduct some type of scam that involves actually submitting a legitimate bid on ebay. I mean ebay handles payment and fund distribution, so that should be covered. Is there anything I should be worried about? And what steps can I take to ensure the sale goes well?

There is no way to ensure the sale goes well. All you can do is minimize risk. And being a new seller, you're like a seal during Shark Week. Before jumping into the deep end on eBay with an expensive item, I'd sell it on Craigslist or some other venue where the buyer hands me cash before I turn over the item. But if you really want to do it on eBay, and pay the 13% eBay/PayPal fee, here's what I would do:

1) Do a Fixed Price listing instead of an auction.

2) Use the "Immediate Payment Required" option. This eliminates all manner of PayPal scam attempts, in addition to making sure your buyer will pay.

3) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders with 2 or more Unpaid Item strikes (yes, you've guaranteed you'll be paid, but people who make a habit of not paying can find other ways to mess with you).

4) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders/buyers who don't have a PayPal account (this won't matter with Fixed Price/Immediate Payment, but it will if you decide to run an auction). This blocks most "Nigerian scammers".

5) Set your seller preferences to ship to the USA only. Tracking, which is required for PayPal seller protection, is spotty in many countries.

6) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders from countries you don't ship to. You MUST do this in order for #4 to have any effect.

7) Don't respond to any emails asking to "make a deal" or telling you that you've been paid. You don't have a buyer until your listing shows up in your "Sold" summary.

8) Ship to the address shown in the PayPal payment details. Do NOT ship anywhere else, or you will void your PayPal seller protection.

9) Double-box when you ship.

10) Make absolutely sure you get Tracking when you ship.

11) If the sale price + shipping is $250 or more, you MUST get Signature Confirmation.

12) If you can't afford a loss due to damage/lost package, buy insurance (any insurance signature does NOT cover you for #9).

13) Pray.

I've probably missed a couple of things. Selling expensive stuff on eBay is NOT easy. I don't know who you've been talking to at eBay, but if it's their first-line support folks, you'd be better off talking to the neighbor's dog. They don't use eBay, their grasp of English is tenuous in most cases, and they often don't understand the most basic eBay policies.

moose10101 wrote in post #16240910
There is no way to ensure the sale goes well. All you can do is minimize risk. And being a new seller, you're like a seal during Shark Week. Before jumping into the deep end on eBay with an expensive item, I'd sell it on Craigslist or some other venue where the buyer hands me cash before I turn over the item. But if you really want to do it on eBay, and pay the 13% eBay/PayPal fee, here's what I would do:

1) Do a Fixed Price listing instead of an auction.

2) Use the "Immediate Payment Required" option. This eliminates all manner of PayPal scam attempts, in addition to making sure your buyer will pay.

3) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders with 2 or more Unpaid Item strikes (yes, you've guaranteed you'll be paid, but people who make a habit of not paying can find other ways to mess with you).

4) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders/buyers who don't have a PayPal account (this won't matter with Fixed Price/Immediate Payment, but it will if you decide to run an auction). This blocks most "Nigerian scammers".

5) Set your seller preferences to ship to the USA only. Tracking, which is required for PayPal seller protection, is spotty in many countries.

6) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders from countries you don't ship to. You MUST do this in order for #4 to have any effect.

7) Don't respond to any emails asking to "make a deal" or telling you that you've been paid. You don't have a buyer until your listing shows up in your "Sold" summary.

8) Ship to the address shown in the PayPal payment details. Do NOT ship anywhere else, or you will void your PayPal seller protection.

9) Double-box when you ship.

10) Make absolutely sure you get Tracking when you ship.

11) If the sale price + shipping is $250 or more, you MUST get Signature Confirmation.

12) If you can't afford a loss due to damage/lost package, buy insurance (any insurance signature does NOT cover you for #9).

13) Pray.

I've probably missed a couple of things. Selling expensive stuff on eBay is NOT easy.

Oy. I originally posted it as static price. How many of these changes can I make now that a bid has already been placed?

singer.rick wrote in post #16240919
Oy. I originally posted it as static price. How many of these changes can I make now that a bid has already been placed?

So I think I made all of those changes (other than it still being an auction) But I assume that the bid that was already placed still counts?

Edit- Looks like i can cancel the bid. Do you think I should? ( I am tempted to say yes, Since I have now excluded everything other than the US)

singer.rick wrote in post #16240935
So I think I made all of those changes (other than it still being an auction) But I assume that the bid that was already placed still counts?

If you're not comfortable with the bidder, you can add their ID to your "Blocked Bidder List" (sorry, I can't provide a link at the moment) and then cancel their bid.

I'm not sure I understand your comment about originally posting it as static price.

moose10101 wrote in post #16240956
If you're not comfortable with the bidder, you can add their ID to your "Blocked Bidder List" (sorry, I can't provide a link at the moment) and then cancel their bid.

I'm not sure I understand your comment about originally posting it as static price.

Sorry. I originally posted it as a fixed price item, then decided to switch it over to auction.

moose10101 wrote in post #16240956
If you're not comfortable with the bidder, you can add their ID to your "Blocked Bidder List" (sorry, I can't provide a link at the moment) and then cancel their bid.

I'm not sure I understand your comment about originally posting it as static price.

Ok, Bid is cancelled. I guess I have to figure out if I want to abandon this ebay thing. I have it posted on craigslist and in the marketplace here, but no bites yet. I decided to do ebay because it is Mark I of the lens, so it is hard to find buyers and my usual "last resort" of posting on amazon was more difficult because there were so many postings for the Mark II.

Don't forget to ship requiring a signature for delivery. Otherwise you'll also lose out on any seller protection if the price with shipping is higher than $250 ( I believe that's the amount)

Good luck

Don't sell on eBay! It's been scam-tastic on there lately..even easier now that I've read about people being scammed on PayPal and there's nothing the seller could do about it. For these type of services, the BUYER always wins. I like local transactions or people who actually have feedback on forums.

moose10101 wrote in post #16240910
There is no way to ensure the sale goes well. All you can do is minimize risk. And being a new seller, you're like a seal during Shark Week. Before jumping into the deep end on eBay with an expensive item, I'd sell it on Craigslist or some other venue where the buyer hands me cash before I turn over the item. But if you really want to do it on eBay, and pay the 13% eBay/PayPal fee, here's what I would do:

1) Do a Fixed Price listing instead of an auction.

2) Use the "Immediate Payment Required" option. This eliminates all manner of PayPal scam attempts, in addition to making sure your buyer will pay.

3) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders with 2 or more Unpaid Item strikes (yes, you've guaranteed you'll be paid, but people who make a habit of not paying can find other ways to mess with you).

4) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders/buyers who don't have a PayPal account (this won't matter with Fixed Price/Immediate Payment, but it will if you decide to run an auction). This blocks most "Nigerian scammers".

5) Set your seller preferences to ship to the USA only. Tracking, which is required for PayPal seller protection, is spotty in many countries.

6) Set your bidder preferences to block bidders from countries you don't ship to. You MUST do this in order for #4 to have any effect.

7) Don't respond to any emails asking to "make a deal" or telling you that you've been paid. You don't have a buyer until your listing shows up in your "Sold" summary.

8) Ship to the address shown in the PayPal payment details. Do NOT ship anywhere else, or you will void your PayPal seller protection.

9) Double-box when you ship.

10) Make absolutely sure you get Tracking when you ship.

11) If the sale price + shipping is $250 or more, you MUST get Signature Confirmation.

12) If you can't afford a loss due to damage/lost package, buy insurance (any insurance signature does NOT cover you for #9).

13) Pray.

I've probably missed a couple of things. Selling expensive stuff on eBay is NOT easy. I don't know who you've been talking to at eBay, but if it's their first-line support folks, you'd be better off talking to the neighbor's dog. They don't use eBay, their grasp of English is tenuous in most cases, and they often don't understand the most basic eBay policies.

Great post. Useful information for anyone selling on EBay.

Vixen89 wrote in post #16241023
Don't sell on eBay! It's been scam-tastic on there lately..even easier now that I've read about people being scammed on PayPal and there's nothing the seller could do about it. For these type of services, the BUYER always wins. I like local transactions or people who actually have feedback on forums.

Bah. I just created a listing on amazon. Never had any problems there. I just have a feeling that I might be waiting for a while for someone to make an offer on this lens since the MK II is so popular.

Gizmo1137 wrote in post #16241046
Great post. Useful information for anyone selling on EBay.

Yeah thanks moose10101, this post was very helpful.

As someone who has been selling on ebay since 1/17/99, I don't really get what all the fear is about. I have never, ever, ever, been burned as a seller.

The keys to protecting yourself are to describe the item completely, pack it well, ship to the verified address, and provide tracking. That's all you need to do as a seller to fully protect yourself.

As for the Nigeria thing, it's easy to avoid that situation. When creating the listing, and if you offer worldwide shipping, you can create an exclusion list, with allows you to not offer the tiem in specific countries/continents. I check off Africa, Haiti, most of the Middle East, and then a couple of countries that have a high potential of problems (be it with the people or the delivery services).

In the past month, I've sold 20 items going to all sorts of places - Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Germany, England, and Ireland to name a few. The non-US buyers tend to pay more I've noticed.

Oh, I also block bidders as mentioned above, with the strictest settings. I play by the rules, so should the buyers.

KirkS518 wrote in post #16241059
As someone who has been selling on ebay since 1/17/99, I don't really get what all the fear is about. I have never, ever, ever, been burned as a seller.

The keys to protecting yourself are to describe the item completely, pack it well, ship to the verified address, and provide tracking. That's all you need to do as a seller to fully protect yourself.

As for the Nigeria thing, it's easy to avoid that situation. When creating the listing, and if you offer worldwide shipping, you can create an exclusion list, with allows you to not offer the tiem in specific countries/continents. I check off Africa, Haiti, most of the Middle East, and then a couple of countries that have a high potential of problems (be it with the people or the delivery services).

In the past month, I've sold 20 items going to all sorts of places - Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Germany, England, and Ireland to name a few. The non-US buyers tend to pay more I've noticed.

Oh, I also block bidders as mentioned above, with the strictest settings. I play by the rules, so should the buyers.

I think I will probably keep that auction up just to see what happens. I have it listed on amazon, craigslist and POTN for now. Hoping for the best.

I have been ebay member, selling and buying for a little over 10 years now...

I would say for listing high priced items such as camera lens, body etc..., if you can do it locally or safely on forum, do it. Simply because you don't have to pay for eBay auction end price Fee and Paypal Receiving fee.

That alone will save you $100s, i should know because i have sold Nikon D3X, D700, Couple of 7D, 5D3's etc...i bet i have paid close to $1k for selling the above items.

But you have judge the buyer or the seller you are working with on Forum. very carefully.