Do you feel safe selling $5k+ items on ebay?
tonylags
Posts: 571 ✭✭✭
& how do I protect myself? Generally, I sell lower priced items {<$500}; however I am thinking about listing some higher $ items.
I have to much S**t; so if you working on sets or are a player/team collector, send me your want list, with conditions desired. Keep in mind I have a another job so please allow me a few days to respond.
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If you have specific questions, I'd be happy to answer. But, as far as "how do I protect myself?", the answer is just know and follow eBay and PayPal procedure.
For example, I've been on ebay for long time with good feedback; I've read horror stories; what happens when they claim they got an empty package, or do an NAD and send back some bogus common, etc
I have to much S**t; so if you working on sets or are a player/team collector, send me your want list, with conditions desired. Keep in mind I have a another job so please allow me a few days to respond.
I am concerned, but it's not the end of the world on a $50 card, but when you start 10-20k etc, it's a different story
I have to much S**t; so if you working on sets or are a player/team collector, send me your want list, with conditions desired. Keep in mind I have a another job so please allow me a few days to respond.
There is nothing that you can do in advance to protect yourself from either scenario.
If either occur, then you have to go through either the eBay or PayPal process.
It varies depending on specifics. For example, if they send an empty box back, you are protected. However, you do have to file a police report if the item is at the 5k valuation range and submit that to eBay.
I will say: if you are looking at selling a $20,000 item and don't know about how these procedures work... consign.
I get a sick feeling in my stomach every time I sell an item over $1000 on eBay. I really need to look into FB and IG selling groups...
Why?
And, many alternative options have the same flaws. Unless someone is sending you money PP Gift for your $1000 item?
I would consign.
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
Too many stories of unscrupulous scam buyers out there, it feels like playing Russian roulette on high value items, at least that's just how I feel...
Albeit the worst thing that has happened to me is US buyers not providing Fedex Memphis customs hub with their contact details for import forms on high value items (over $3000). The package sits in Memphis for a week and then gets sent back to me in Canada, super annoying and a waste of time and shipping $$$.
I'm thought getting a direct e-transfer from a private deal on FB or IG and not having to deal with the "buyer is always right" mentality on eBay would be ideal. But you're right, that's probably wishful thinking and that method would involve different complications I'm not accommodating for.
i would consign or, if the deal is large enough, just fly out and do the exchange in person.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Consign. Hard to put a value on the removal of angst related to unpredictable buyers.
$5k is my cutoff for selling cards on my own eBay account. Shipping is overnight only with signature confirmation. Between $5k-10k I will either go through PWCC or another auction house. All my cards over $10k go to either Heritage, Goldin, or Robert Edward. Would prefer to use only one of those, but they each offer something better than the others from my experience.
NO
No max 1k since I don't have private insurance. And the post office here offers 1k coverage.
Not just No, but He!! No!
Yeah!
Neil
I have an item in the $2000-3000 range that I've been looking into selling and am more than a little nervous about doing so on eBay. I hate the idea of consigning it to PWCC but that seems like the best route to protect myself
Last month I sold 10k worth of gold and platinum to a guy 200 miles from me. Being that he couldn't drive up (and I can't drive), I had to send through the mail. The mail was slow, but it finally got there.
If you don't have a lot of trust, or a big prayer life, then it's better to do business in person with big money.
A guy drove 2 hours to sell me $6000 worth of cards. We did cash, and all was good. It's always safer and
easier to do it that way, if you can.
I agree to do the big stuff through consignors, but I would drive the stuff to them.
I don't understand what PayPal has to do with anything. Can you please elaborate?
If the buyer uses PayPal as their means of payment, they have recourse to the PayPal set of buyer protections. For example, per PayPal policy, items shipped with purchase prices over $750 require tracking with signature confirmation. As a seller, you must use it, or the buyer can win an item not received case with PayPal, even if you sold your item through eBay.
How does an eBay seller know if you used PayPal or not?
Don't spend the money right away.
I think I can count on 2 hands the items that I have that are >$5k
I collect and have sold a ton of smaller items so I’m not much help.
That said, it scares me what ebay will do to preserve their buying population’s happiness.
I am new to eBay Managed Payments; as far I know, you do not know.
Check out MySlabs.com. Selling there 1% fee and much more strict policies on the buyer and seller side bs eBay.
Selling rules:
https://www.myslabs.com/static/seller/
Buying rules:
https://www.myslabs.com/static/buyer/
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
I have sold close to 1000 cards on eBay with a few of them going over the $1,000 threshold and never had a problem. Never sold anything for 5k but I think I would still feel pretty comfortable with it. Make sure you have good pictures of your card prior to packing, ship with USPS priority or above. Pay for the shipping insurance for whatever amount you sell the card for. Require a signature upon receipt of the package. Be sure to save all of your receipts; eBay invoice, post office receipt with insurance purchase.
All that being said you could use someone like PWCC or Probstein and your card may sell for more than you can get for it on eBay so you might want to go that route then you don’t have to worry.
Good luck with your sales!!
The post office is not getting signatures now because of COVID.
@professorpuck said:
If the buyer uses PayPal as their means of payment, they have recourse to the PayPal set of buyer protections. For example, per PayPal policy, items shipped with purchase prices over $750 require tracking with signature confirmation. As a seller, you must use it, or the buyer can win an item not received case with PayPal, even if you sold your item through eBay.
And...... if the buyer's preferred payment at PayPal is a credit card the buyer does a chargeback with credit card bank. Knocks both eBay and PayPal out of the dispute since a third party is now involved. Bank decides in buyers favor and you are also charged the chargeback fee.
Agree with thedutymon11...... HE!! NO................
each situation is unique.
but this quote is mandatory for all of them.
min. 14 days, max 180 kinda.
That does nothing to change the PayPal requirement.
Wouldn’t the same rush exist when consigning to another eBay seller? I doubt they would eat the loss if someone ripped them off on your item. I would think consignment to an auction house with strict return policies would be required to protect against the empty box scenario.
Use these guys
They don't. For example, PWCC will only hold your payment if the buyer does not pay.
This alone should be a pretty good demonstration of how low the risks are. Established, major sellers do business like this constantly.
what does a company like PWCC or Probstein do in the event of an empty box return. eat the loss?
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Craig—no, they open a dispute with eBay. There are protections for cases like this. You file a police report and they refund you (based on my experience).
Hmmm...ever sold on there? I like the rules. Seem to eliminate most of the nonsense. I can see they don't enforce the image rule though - I see tons of tilted and obviously non-confirming images in my first search alone.
I am currently a seller there. But i’m only selling a few low dollar items. Nothing has sold yet. I have seen good things and their admin is very active.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
this is NOT the case w ebay managed payments. had a buyer claim he didn't get item after fedex showed delivery and he signed for it. then after he loses directly w ebay he goes and files unauthorized use w his bank. 4 months later he wins w his bank. gets refund and keeps my card.
you have zero protection. ebay said i was protected from having to pay them back! even though the froze the money initially, refunded him and guy got my card.
SO how did above play out? Were you the hook for the Card and you had to refund buyer {or ebay deducted it from other sales, etc}
I have to much S**t; so if you working on sets or are a player/team collector, send me your want list, with conditions desired. Keep in mind I have a another job so please allow me a few days to respond.
My experience was only with eBay. The guy did not try to use his bank as the chargeback mechanism. It was actually the proverbial 'empty box' scenario where there is valid tracking and it is your word versus theirs. In my case, eBay covered the loss completely. It is true that this was pre-managed payments.
yep. total loss. pretty much what made me call it quits w ebay. i still sell a few things, but i do a pretty thorough check outside of ebays basic feedback now. simplest feature is a basic google search of the user id.
i also make sure they "intended" to order simply by getting them to acknowledge and confirm basic shipping info.
It is pretty rare that something goes wrong but if/when it does it sours you on selling via eBay permanently because despite what others have said, the buyer is basically always right with eBay. Even when things work out in the seller's favor with a dispute, it still adds way too many headaches and angst. The consignment companies all handle this nonsense with buyers for you, definitely worth it especially when many times you pay a lower percentage with the consignment company than you would selling it yourself (if you don't have an eBay store which many occasional sellers don't).
There are a lot of other venues for selling now that seem to be popular, so I can't comment on what higher dollar transactions look like on those. Might be a better option than selling via consignment.
Robb
That sucks.. 99% of sales go smooth but i have also had a couple scam buyers. Empty box guy with a 86 jordan and a return missing all the star cards (86 Fleer basketball set).
For some reason it’s always basketball cards.
Consignment is the way to go
I've sold 4 cards $1000-3000 in the last few months on eBay. I always ship overnight UPS. No problems at all. I'm not a huge fan of managed payments but otherwise not sure why people say no. My only pet peeves is that these buyer rarely leave feedback and so I'm often left messing them to be sure they are happy.
Kirby Puckett Master Set
Pardon my laziness, but does anyone know of a consignment service that pays out in CDN $ to CDN bank accounts, yet still has presence in the US market? Big ask I know and likely doesn't exist, but thought I would try.
I'm a one time medium, now very minor player, in a small hobby (one-of-kind + non-condition sensitive items) that if your got into the turn of the century or earlier and hung on to stuff you are likely doing very well. I've had a bunch of adventures over the years traveling 2-5 hours to meet for a trades, purchases or sales.
It's become too risky in that hobby to sell the good stuff on eBay and for better or worse have to use the large auction houses. Which is big reason there are so many private deals.
P.S. Speaking of one of those adventures: I recall one of those very well when both myself and the seller met in Supermarket parking lot around 4 hours drive from my home. The seller pulls his car up next to mine lowers his window asks me; "how do I know you don't have your guys waiting for me"? I said "how do I know you don't have your guys waiting for me"? We both had a good laugh then went into a bank to do the deal in small private room (a long story but was always the plan). Still have the item, it hangs museum archival framed in my home office.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
I think this is a great idea! I'm going to start doing this on all of my bigger sales from now on... Thanks!
I also used this tactic and felt it was pretty effective. If someone buys an expensive item from you and then cannot acknowledge or respond to a message for 3 days, it's not a great sign. You can also get something of a gauge of how normal a person is from their response.