eBay: NO Insertion Fee and NO Final Value Fee on ONE item listed through mobile app Feb 12-14 YMMV
 

Check your eBay message folder. Invitation only.

Two of my accounts both got the invite so it must be pretty common.:D

T&C

http://pages.ebay.com/mobileselli...html#terms

This post can and should be edited by users like you :)
 

2/14 Update: Appears to be a bait and switch trick by eBay. eBay made the message containing the offer "disappear" from our inboxes. Listings on Mobile now say there will be a final value fee if your item sells.
Above is incorrect. eBay promotional messages like this tend to always self-destruct after expiring. Listing on mobile always says there will be a Final Value Fee, as covered by T&C:

In case you didn't get this email just login to your account in the ebay app on smartphone and you'll see this offer there

Single item listing using auction-style, auction-style w/ buy it now, fixed price listing only.

Fixed price listings with 30-day duration or good til canceled are NOT ELIGIBLE

Remember, item must be listed using the ebay app for ios or android or Windows Phone

Time to sell my old galaxy note!! Thanks OP!

I hate ebay so much

Time to sell a 25 thousand dollar phantom item and pay with credit card. THX EBAY/PAYPAL MACHINE.

I only have one ebay account, and it got this promo... good stuff, I have an item to sell that would have racked up $70 or so in fees :D.

You will still get screwed by PayPal so no escape; resistance is futile

Got this in my inbox. Now time to find something to sell.

If only hookers would waive the insertion fee...

HEY-O!

Still PAYPAL takes their cut. bastards. They are the same company lol

Paypal still takes their cut.

I haven't used fleaBay in years.
What are the typical fees on say a laptop with final selling price of $900?

what does this mean? from posting to being sold, you are charged NOTHING? i quit ebay sometime ago cos both ebay and paypal each charged 10%. being seller in ebay was a losing game.

about $100 from ebay alone plus whatever paypal takes from you. Remember, they take a cut from the shipping as well.

Brutal. I guess I'll take advantage of this promo and then crawl back to Craigslist with my tail between my legs.

smart choice!

Around 10-15%, including Paypal Fees.

Crooks

So? I would have Paypal fees on a forum sale as well. That's not an eBay fee issue.

Yep. When you're the only show in town, business is good!

Free list
 

I just got done paying screw-bay $12.xx in fees for a $140 item and another $4.56 to PP.

Screw-bay is so LAME! CL for life with my tails btw my legs - I don't care... There's no fees! :bounce:

But TU #9 to OP!

The hell are you talking about? You have a better site to get that kind of exposure for your sales and a facilitated transaction process with feedback? Go use it. The rest of us find it worth the fees, hence eBay's continued success.

Time to sell my house! :P

**sells for $100** :(

yep, definitely!

Here's an ebay fee calculator that also includes paypal fees: http://www.newlifeauctions.com/calc.html

pretty hot, need to sell a big item, hope I get the email

Wrong. More like about 8%. While expensive, eBay isn't THAT high. Go use a fee calculator like I linked above.... selling a laptop for $900 shipped would result in around an 8.1% fee between paypal & ebay together, or $72.90 on the 900.

eBay is currently about 9% to 10% on average. PayPal has never, ever, ever been more than 3%. Ever.

The truth bay be bad, but it's not your fiction. :shake:

wow 12% for a laptop sale of $900 thats $107.40 total. I swear ebay and paypal make easy money by doing nothing!

how did you get 8%? I used the fee calculator and got 11.93%

That's wrong, both cost-wise and the "doing nothing" part. A sale of $900 including shipping comes to a $46.50 ebay fee including insertion/final value, plus a $26.40 paypal fee. That's a total of $72.90, or ~8.1%. Additionally, they provide exposure like no other site can manage as an outlet for people to list on, and provide a good checkout system for customers, a smooth feedback system, and confidence to buyers. Go toss up your stuff on a random domain you make and see how well it sells... ;).

Default settings, with category "Electronics/Computers". $900 BIN price on a fixed-price listing. I never use auction format due to the higher fees and risk of non-paying bidders. With fixed price and immediate payment required, things go smoothly. Your original figure was right for an auction format, as it turns out.... which is exorbitantly high, but still often worth it. I agree the fees are up there, more than they should be. However, I've yet to find a better way to sell my random stuff overall, so for me it's worth it.

i can't remmeber the exact figure but once the item is sold after a week or two i got billed by paypal and when the item was sold i got billed by paypal. it was a huge lost . being buyer is ok but not seller,

And I just sold my old iPhone.... Rats

Sent from Slickdeals App for iPhone & iPod Touch.

Actually, Paypal charges very reasonable fee. I can't think of any other credit card processor charging lower than Paypal. Now, Ebay on the other hand, their fees are borderline sodomy.

I have attached a picture.

EDIT: I didn't see the last part of your message about auction style formats. I didn't notice that BIN had cheaper fees than auction style. I was under the impression that it was all the same. I learned something new today!

See my edit, part of it got in your quote :). I explained how we ended up with different figures.

EDIT to add attachment.

I got the email... I sell on Ebay often. Its not that bad. Sure you get stung, but that is why when you sell, you figure that in... Vs my other options (CL), its way better. I don't have to worry about getting raped, mugged, fondled and robbed...plus I don't even need to leave my bed to sell something :) I've also done pretty good on CL on a few items...its just Ebay for me is a better outlet for certain things, plus your audience is a lot bigger, especially living in a small town.

I'll be using this, but I don't own a smartphone...anyone? I could just borrow my brothers?

Agreed 100%. As far as using it, there's no reason someone else's phone couldn't work for you (just login with your account info) if they'll let you use it (a family member as you said would be smart). :)

How crude!!!


They prefer to be called "escorts" :lol:

I tend to agree. EBay charges 10%, PayPal 8%.you offer free shipping, you are screwed completely.

Paypal is 35 cents plus 2.9%. :rolleyes:

On the promotional email that I received from eBay, it says "List free in outdoor sports, winter sports and golf'. I assume that the promotion doesn't work if I want to sell a cellphone or a kindle tablet??

about 8.5 percent of that price...

In my general experiences with CL, you often have to mark stuff down lower to get a sale. Ends up being a wash vs Ebay sale, even after factoring in all their associated expenses. CL usually comes out ahead on larger/heavier items though. But otherwise, stuff listed on Ebay sells much quicker.

I wish I had the luck some of you seem to have on CL. It's mostly a time waster. People all gung ho for sure coming to pick up the product but never do and never return a call after you call them to see why they never showed up or to see if they're still interested. etc, etc.

You are right, anyway, it is pretty expensive for the seller. As a result, eBay prices are higher than retailers prices as of now, except Chinese goods.
They are pretty much cutting the branch they are sitting on.

i love you thx

Can I cancel and relist my item?

Don't bend over to stupid customers. Have them come to you to purchase items, as they would any store. I'm not wasting my time to cater to some guy who possibly might purchase something I have.

CL can get frustrating. "Oh I see this laptop you have posted for $500, will you take $100???? Can I trade you this coat rack for your laptop???"

Add to the equation all the idiots you have no info about, willing to kill for the mere couple of hundred bucks, and the picture is complete.

Last time I did this the no-fees deal was for auction style listings only. Didn't read the Ts and Cs of this but it might be worth checking out before you go making a high $$$ BIN.

Well, I didn't get the email after being on eBay for 12years, giving eBay thousands of dollars in fees, I have nothing to worry about.

Buyer fraud is rampant on Ebay. It is your word vs. there's as to whether it was a brick or a laptop you mailed.

no email. log in and check your ebay message.

this time we can choose either Auction-style or Auction-style + Buy It Now. can someone confirm?

How about "what if I pay in cash, I can give you cash, cash on the spot, etc." Yeah, I was gonna take five turns on your sister as a payment.

Yeah, I am on my eBay seller page right now, no messages, great, I have nothing to worry about.

Guess I've been lucky so far. Except the stupid newcomers bidding on the auction and then disappearing forever without making payment.
EBay is about trust and honesty, or at least it used to be this way.

I did, it's valid for fixed price as well.

I am selling my old laptop!

funny, I've sold 40+laptops and desktops on ebay, 1500+items on amazon, and I never had a single buyer claiming I sent them a brick.

That is why I said it ranges between 10-15% INCLUDING Paypal, and 13% certainly falls into that. Also, if you sell your item on ebay after a certain amount, it will be higher than 10%. Because his item is $900, i thought it might be different.

Perhaps you misread and thought that I meant paypal and ebay both charge 10-15% separately, when I actually meant 10-15% together since both are owned by the same company.

I put the $900 final price and it gave me: $81 total ebay fee. $26.40 in paypal fee. Total fee: $107.40. Fee Percentage: 11.93%. It falls in the range of 10-15%. So I am not wrong, but thanks for the info. Will use it in the future to calculate ebay fees for my selling.

I've had buyers who got refunded, only to see them selling that exact same item that they said they never got under the same account they bought said item. I'm getting more flakes on ebay than craigslist these days. Although I make take advantage of this one promo, I've got a $400 item to sell....

neither I nor my wife's account received the offer.

depends on if you do buy it now or auction
auction is standard 9% + 3% paypal (12%)
buy it now is that greater the price of the item, the lower the percentage.
example, for a $100 electronics, you would pay $5.50 ebay fee (Effectively 5.5%+3% paypal = 8.5%)
for a $1000 electronics, you would pay $51 ebay fee (Effectively 5.1%+3% paypal = 8.1%)
for a $2000 electronics, you would pay $71 ebay fee (Effectively 3.65% + 3% paypal = 6.65%)

If you read my follow-up posts, neither of us are wrong: you used auction-style listing, I looked at fixed-price listings. ;) Different costs. :)

I think it also depends on what you sell. People buying laptop parts tend to have more fraud and are willing to lie just for a few bucks, and people buying video games are the nicest, from my experience.

I used to sell a lot on eBay and had encountered quite some crooks trying to defraud me, and a lot of times they did succeed. And yes there was a crook who bought an expensive motherboard and literally sent me a brick back, claiming that was what I sent him, and eBay sided with the crook of course, and I had to pay his return shipping for the brick.

get a signature confirmation ($2.2) for anything over $250.

picture + serial number.
although I do get little nervous when selling $1k+ items, but all have turned out fine.
about 3% of things gets returned, but most are just change of minds that I can resell right away.

Guess I was looking at auction style as I have always sold item that way. Thanks for clearing things up. :D Repped to the both of you.

ebay now charge End Auction-style listings early fee. be aware!

So has the promotion actually started yet for US sellers? It says that the promotion begins at 12:00:01 PT. I just listed a fixed-style listing and got charged a $0.50 insertion fee which has me wondering.

but ill pay you cash, then make up some story why im paying you less than what you wanted haha, but its all i have a bunch of 1 dollar bills. i flipped a hd once.. the dude always had an excuse his wife had the car etc. i hated that guy lol i turned him away after being nice once. remember to entertain the lowballers.. sometimes its good to laugh at them.

Is there a reason why eBay is trying to push buy it now so hard? I remember auction used to be cheaper. Why are they makeing it this way?

The promotion should start in about 20 minutes, PT

ETA: Should be live now at 3:02 ET/ 2:02 CT, which would be 12:02 PT.

I didn't get this and I haven't even visited Ebay for months, probably more than a year.

Yup. Just ended the previous listing (got charged $0.50 but oh well) and re-listed the item and had no insertion fee. Should be good to go now.

I sold a Microsoft points card a couple of weeks ago and the guy is now saying the code did not work, after he asked to have it emailed to him. After he filed an item not received case, I bought a shipping label and will have the card sent to him within the next few days.

Am I in the clear or will eBay side with him after the inevitable item not as described case.
Note: I have sold several other cards within the same time period without any problems. But this buyer does have decent (100+) feedback.

I got this promo. last month, so maybe they roll it out to some ppl at different times...

I can't wait until the government finally decides Ebay is a monopoly and regulates them accordingly though... Oh, and BTW.. it's funny that everyone says Craigslist ROCKS, and Ebay is EVIL when Ebay owns a large portion of Craigslist...

I remember when people loved eBay, now everywhere you go all you here is dissatisfaction and derogatory nicknames for the site.
They still have some good deals here and there, the fees are getting ridiculous though not sure how sellers even survive there.

personally I think they compete pretty well against amazon on the buy it now side. (for higher priced items)
auction is little high, but there is no comparable ways to get rid of salvaged items, rare collectibles, unique items etc.

My gut feeling tells me he is lying. Why would it take him 2 weeks for him to notify you that the code doesn't work, after you emailed it to him?

Anyways... in the listing, did you clearly state that the code will be emailed only or did it have any shipping options? Paypal typically sides with the buyer.

It was not explicitly stated that the code would be emailed, however the shipping option was free. Buyer uses poor grammar/spelling, but eBay will obviously not take this, or my current trend of satisfied customers of the same item into account when ruling.
Funny thing is I called out the buyer on the time delay in between asking the code to be emailed, finding out the code did not work, and then emailing me about it. Had no response, took it straight to customer support.

If I list an item using the iPhone app, then go make revisions to the listing on my desktop PC, or if I create a listing on my desktop and then save it for later and then list it in the iPhone app, will that affect the promo at all?

Your money is as good as gone. As soon as the buyer files a not as described case, ebay/paypal will take the money from your account and return it to the buyer. Sellers always lose resolution cases, buyers always win. Always. The whole resolution process is a scam - seller always loses.

Forget the appeal, ebay won't even consider a seller's side of the story. That's why people in this thread are mentioning bricks. Once a not as described case is filed, the buyer only has to send a shipment back to the seller with a tracking number. It doesn't matter what's returned. As long as a tracking number shows something was sent back to the seller, ebay returns the money. Seller always loses.

I always read the "most hated companies" magazine articles thinking ebay / paypal will make the list, but they haven't yet. I know they're #1 and #2 on my list of most hated.

Cool. I ended a previously for-sale item then relisted it with the app. One minute, saved me $10 in fees :)

If shipping was free, then always ship something. A tracking number is your only protection from buyers you have, so make sure you have one... Also, why does everyone rely on Ebay to solver their fraud problems. Simply tell the buyer that you will press criminal charges and also take them to small claims court... If you still have the code, you can look up who used it and how. Kind of a slam dunk in court...

ooo crap, i wish i got this deal myself. i have a ip 4s listed just today. should i try to get them to wave it for me?

Would this work on a iPod touch?

holy crap, i just checked my ebay message and there it was! no insertion free and no final value fee. thanks dude you saved me alot of money on this :D repped!

After a few short hours of deliberation, eBay has gone in favor of the buyer, but has stated that I was found to be not at fault (then who is at fault)....Even after I purchased a shipping label, they did not recognize it.

How would one pursue the scammer and look up who used a code?

I've emailed about a dozen codes (mostly game redemption/steam valued around $20 or so) and never had any issues

But to always be on the safe side, state in your listing that you will physically mail the code, whenever people ask me if I can email the code I check their feedback, if they do not have 200+ and 0 neutral/negative I will not do it

Since I do not know how microsoft codes work, or whatever it was you sold, it might be hard/impossible to track, depending on the value it might not be worth your time as well

other than that, I'm sorry to say but ebay is filled to the rim with scammers, I have people bothering me with odd requests on a weekly basis, just know you rights/ebay rules and stick with them and you'll be fine

codes/GC's/intangible objects are always a higher risk than physical items

Did you keep the code? You should be able to check if it's been used or not... And hopefully who's account it was used on. Then you have his address, and name from shipping... Try to get his local police to give him a call and tell him he is committing fraud and theft. How would he like to proceed? Hopefully he will re-Paypal you... or you have to start filing charges.

I wish I had got this offer two weeks ago when I sold refurbished iphone5. Would have save atleast 30 bucks. Now i dont have anything to sell with this offer.

I still have the code but I don't think you can trace back to which account used it. And yes it has been used.

::nod::nod::nod::nod::nod::nod:

does this apply to ebay motors too? i need to sell a car...

Ebay owns a large portion of CL? That's news to me.

How does CL make money if everything is free?

You still get screwed.

You still have to pay 3% Paypal fee.

Thanks OP, I got the email and just relisted an item.

Just sold $2K worth of stuff on eBay but no promo. I guess the lesson is, don't sell on eBay.

Always take time to respond to cases. I have had people contact me saying software licenses I sold didn't work. I immediately call customer support and say I can't install the software and ask if the code is valid. If it is already used I just say I purchased the product can you email me the registration information so that I can return the already used product to the store. In every case it has been registered to the buyer. I then throw it back to them, I win the dispute in the end, but it is still a circus with eBAY CSR. I would call Microsoft with the same routine and see if you can get the registration info. on the code.

I agree. Where on earth can you get the kind of exposure you get with eBay. I'd like to see
some of these people rent them a building in their hometown, pay rent, hire an employee,
etc. and see how much they sell and how long they last in business.

We've sold a few things on CL, the buyers are more flaky there than anywhere because they
know they don't have to account for anything, "Oh I'm going to be there I promise", "Oh I'm
on my way right now, I'll meet you at such and such". "Oh I'm going to take it I just have to
go get the money, I'll be back tomorrow".

Go open a store somewhere and see how much the credit card company charges you every time someone charges something.

Usually everyone gets this promotion check on phone for buy it now listing
 

Just try to list buy it now item on phone or tablet if the fee is free then you are qualified. If its .50 cents your not qualified. Best way i could tell. Also have 5 of 6 ebay accounts, you can have as many as you want. List 5 or 6 expensive items and save over $100 or more. I did that before last sale.

Mine says via approved ebay mobile app only.

What if you list one item but you're selling 12 eaches of that item in the listing? Will I get free final fees of each item I sell in that listing?

Yes Iphone or Android App
 

Use app on tablet or iphone.

I believe its only for 1 per account for one sale.

I have some silverware that I'm selling by individual pieces. Reading this thread I had no idea between Ebay and Paypal how high the fees are. Wow!

Has anyone ever used Amazon marketplace? Can't we sell there? Anyone know if that's a better option? I know it's not an auction option but sell it now.

Items usually in the 100 range have 12 % they charge

Any CL horror stories?

eBay owns a 25% share of Craigslist.

Darn, I only got a message about signing up for BillMeLater and selling mobile got easier...

Thousands. Hundreds of thousands. Up to and including murder. Haven't seen that from an eBay sale.

craaaap i'm afraid to sell something expensive on ebay, like a $3k mountain bike. Just weeks ago some low-life scumbag filed a chargeback; he lost because I followed ebay/paypal policies but they had to hold my money for a long time.

How do you document what you send? Do you take pictures by opening the seal before sending the computer? I have several desktops that I need to sell but I'm afraid to list it on Ebay so I'm still sticking to CL for now. From what I read, even if you win the Paypal case, if the buyer is out to fraud you they can bypass Paypal go straight their CC. It even says on the T&C that CC can still take the money back.

To combat fraudulent claims, I now do a video recording of packing the item (focusing in on the untampered seal) and taping the box and slapping the stamp and address label on, and handing it off to the counter. If I ever get a claim that a buyer received something else, they'll have to explain away the video.

:lol:Yep, if you sell something extremely valuable you better make sure you follow everything by the book. And even still the crook may get away with your merchandise. This is why I'm leery of posting high priced things on ebay. I had a brand new Macbook that I was thinking about selling with this promotion last time but instead I just sold it to one of my co-workers. Their are to many crooks on ebay who exploit their buyer protection policy.

:lmao:

Good strategy but that's a lot of work. It's like you have to become law enforcement to make sure you don't get cheated. I might try this though, great suggestion.

That's an excellent strategy, and one that we all should use... It is so sad that ebay has come to this.

Now, it seems like, over the past few years, ebaying has become increasingly like playing roulette. I used to do really well, knowing how to interpret feedback ratings. But now even sellers and buyers with 100% feedback are gaming you on there... so irritating. But I agree, trying to sell something locally/CL/classifieds is worse, everybody wants you to give it away.
*&^^&&% economy.

No joke, mail fraud is a federal offense.

it doesn't work. neither ebay or paypal will accept it as evidence.

Nada in my inbox....tears..... :'(

I don't think so.

Craig and company did a trick w/dilluted shares some time ago, leaving eBay with much less than eBay was hoping to have.

It is only slightly more work, as you have to pack, seal, and ship no matter what; it's just adding a recording to it. The trick I found to make it super easy is to have those tiny little tripod on my P&S camera as it covers the area I'm packing and I have all the stuff I need to pack in front of me. Everything else is the same. Done right, it basically looks like an unboxing in reverse.

When I first started doing it, I was holding camera/phone in my hand, now that was work doing things one handed. When you're selling $1K+ items that some a$$hole can try and cheat you on, worth the extra 2 minutes to set the recording up.

oh no..

more info?

Amazon's A-to-Z guaruntee is the exact same way. I've sold tons of stuff on Amazon, never had a problem, then one guy says he got a not as described item, 100% a lie, and boom, I lost my money and the buyer gets both refunded and gets to keep the product.

I've lately started trying out eBay because I was so pissed at Amazon. After reading this thread, it looks like you are screwed as a seller no matter which site you use.

Extracted from the Summary of terms:
...but listings in which multiple items are being sold through the same listing are not eligible...
(The complete terms are posted in the first page of the thread...)
"eBay mobile just made selling even easier!" is the title of the message...


People stop being so lazy to read a few lines.... :shake::shake:

which is why I only sell stuff that has a big profit margin or something that I'm willing to take a loss on.

use a good insurance company. use signature delivery (I tend to use usps because I can threaten mail fraud)

and compounding this issue, you have sellers out there who will send you a defective item, and/or something different than the picture, and if you insist on getting what you paid for (on more than one transaction) ebay will send you a warning on your account.

Darn it, selling my iPad mini but no message :(

FYI, I did this last time and you do not get a FVF on the item, but you still get the FVF on your shipping price. It was only $.50 or so, but I had to make a payment for that small amount. It was a small pain that I would have avoided by offering free shipping had I known when I created the auction.

Mail fraud????
The seller EMAILED the valuable code.

So in my book, it's his own fault, and the buyer may very well be an honest person who went to use the code himself, and found it already used. Don't ever email anything you don't want the general public (or to be specific, any hacker) to know.

The seller saved some postage, but totally lost the right to complain about ANYTHING, when he sold the item with free shipping, then never shipped it, then took the security risk of delivering valuable merchandise via plain-text email. All without explaining his intentions to do that, to the buyer.

I hate to crap on a fellow SDer, especially one who just had some bad luck for sure, but it was horrifically poor ebay technique to think that "Free Shipping" equals/justifies email delivery without extremely clearly stating that in the auction. And even then, delivering half the code by email and the other half by a totally different method (phone, text, etc), or something like that, should be considered in order to keep the code secure.

The only worse thing the seller could have done is post the code in an SD thread like this, and tell the buyer to find it there "quick before someone else uses it"..

Samething happen to me. But I won the case because seller said he was goin to gived me money back thru paypal. So it.was all document

So, we can do BIN or auction?

Yep. Oh yeah, and then there is the "is X still available?"
Tell me 'bout it. It is truly amazing how eBay managed to exclude all of the other e-pay services from their site, forcing their selling community to accept "ONLY PAYPAL". I missed that whole episode somehow. Funny thing is, most idiot sellers on eBay are "proud" to offer PayPal. What ever happened to PayPal sucks [paypalsucks.com]? Last I read, eBay owned 49% of Craigslist? Oh, and BTW, that is why IMO Craigslist will always statically-suck (eg; never "improve").
See, the real question is...you as a seller are supposed to be conducting BUSINESS. So why did you put yourself in a position to be screwed in the first place? Businesses have rules and policies to prevent theft & fraud. Usually, by adhering to such rules as a practice, they succeed at BUSINESS (ie; making money). Remember that bank that decided to make all of those questionable loans out to "friends"? Right, neither do I. :P
You are both right and wrong. The one who ALWAYS wins is eBay/Paypal. They laugh themselves "all the way to the bank". Literally now, b/c technically they now ARE the BANK, charging over 10% in fees at that!!! They side with the buyer b/c the buyer has recourse through his/her CC anyways. AND, that is how their legal dept, etc. has determined it best to protect their marketplace. The seller has very little recourse or options (in terms of true competition anyways).
Say it again! I was thinking the same thing myself. I guess some people like taking it up the @$$. :eek: (Note to self: GoldenTiger is employed by eBay/Paypal and "puts from the rough".)
And? You mean to tell me that 1. the buyer got away with that "in your face" theft/fraud?, :mad: ...and 2. you are back to get raped some more while eBay/Paypal hold you down? :confused:

Sometimes we truly deserve what we get...think about it. Wake up people and smell the stench....Tell me, where do you think it is coming from?

Yeah, I will forever hate eBay and Paypal. I remember how great it USED TO BE to sell over the Net before eBay ever existed. To boot, it was FREE to sell everywhere! If you took CC's, you did so directly via a clearing house for usually under 2% gross. That was pretty much the only (seller) cost of doing business over the Net. Back then, AOL and eBay schemed up a way to make that all go away with the excitement of...auctions! Woohoo! :lol: Now, no one wants to waste their time on auctions; neither buyer nor seller. Buy-It-Now, LOL. Too little, too late. :shake:

And their trick was undone when eBay successfully sued them. My 25% figure was incorrect; they actually own 28.4%.

You "missed that episode" because it never happened. eBay would have been hit with an antitrust suit if they'd gone "PayPal-only", so they didn't. You can use ProPay, Moneybookers (aka Skrill), your own merchant account, and at least one other on-line service whose name escapes me at the moment.

The amount of misinformation on this thread from "knowledgeable consumers" is pretty disappointing.

Sorry...pardon my "ignorance" (b/c I truly don't give a rat's @$$) but whatever happened to Citibank's pay service, Western Union, that other one that used gold somehow, etc, etc.? How did all the auctions posted on eBay (to me, anyways) all-of-a-sudden seem to go "Paypal only" overnight? :)

because people use paypal a lot more.

you don't have to use them, but it certainly increases your chances of a sale.

I didn't know that.
Oh well.

When I decided to take a hiatus from eBay/Paypal, the trend was at that moment in time, that sellers were posting in their auctions that "Paypal is NOT accepted", some with links to PayPal sucks [paypalsucks.com]", etc.. My question remains, when and how did that trend change to give PayPal a practical monopoly on eBay auction payments?

Right, people who don't give a rat's @$$ spend their time posting.

I'm sure with a little research you can find out where those pay services went. BTW, only an idiot would use Western Union to send money to someone they don't know and trust.

PayPal is the most popular service, not the only acceptable service. They're also cheaper than the other services.

Every ebay seller has their horror stories. I have mine, too. What I've found is that some kinds of products attract fraud, and some attract 100% nice people. It is no coincidence that I rely upon product lines with nice honest customers, and I avoid selling fraud-attracting items like the plague.

This week, my gf wanted me to sell her kid's unlocked AT&T GSM iPhone 4 for her, now that she changed her mind about switching from Verizon to T-Mobile. I told her that she bought it on CL, she can sell it on CL. Neither of which I recommend doing either for as hot a commodity as an iPhone. If it had been a newer model I'd have been even more adamant. Actually, I told her I'd ebay it if she REALLY wanted me to, but she'd have to front me all the fees, and not see the money until after all possible PayPal and CC chargeback periods had expired in 3-6 months. Wouldn't be fun asking for $300 back from her several months after selling her iPhone, due to a fraudulent buyer. And it would be even worse if we weren't still together by then, or if we were teetering on the edge where she could save $300 by breaking up, lol.

Certain combinations of item category and customer country are especially risky. It seems that the word is out in Canada that computer memory is free if you buy it from USA sellers who don't insist on Express Mail delivery for a signature. They just deny it arrived. Brazilians (and Italians, Greeks, and Russians sometimes) on the other hand, are likely to give negative feedback due to their post office or customs being so slow, but they always admit when the item arrives, even paying you again after PayPal has refunded them.

Yet, some fraudsters just cannot be predicted. I once sold a device that squeezes out butter/cheese into pretty patterns. Rare stainless steel version of it, about $60. The customer swapped out a couple of parts and put the broken ones from his old one into it. I had total photo evidence (welds were in different positions in the photos of what I sold and what he sent back) but ebay/PayPal advised me against fighting the refund, that the guy would win. I was so mad I almost filed a civil suit against the guy, but he was 400 miles away, not worth it. An occasional scammer is a cost of doing business.

The one type of transaction where a seller can easily win, is if the buyer asks for a return/refund before receiving the item. ebay/PayPal clamps down on pure buyer's remorse, even in cases where if the buyer had just waited for the item to arrive before complaining, the item would be 100% returnable for 14 days or whatever the stated policy in the auction was..

Yeah, but research requires giving a "rat's @$$", remember? :rolleyes: FYI, people post here for many reasons....

See, now I get to call you ignorant. :P Western Union, back in the day, started their own payment service. For a short while, they were one of PayPal's strongest competitors.

So, let's take your (ignorant, but perhaps brilliant) statement and lay it out like this:

"BTW, only an idiot would use _______ (<-- enter random payment service here) to send money to someone they don't know and trust."

Maybe, in that context, you might just make some sense....

I'd lay it out like that only if I'd be OK doing all my transactions for cash face-to-face.

Oh, wait, that's Craigslist. Now there's a success story. ;)

I had a buyer whose location was listed as in LA..so I went ahead and sent it, business as usual. My auction terms on the item were that I would not ship overseas. It turned out this person was operating out of Asia, and had a go-between in LA who reshipped the items. The buyer wrote that the item was supposedly broken in shipping, but neither the buyer nor their go-between in LA would even consider taking it to the post office, and refused to send photos of the supposedly broken item. ( From the wording, I believe it was broken on the re-shipment.) Ebay sided with the buyer and was even sassy enough to send me an email saying refunding the buyer was the "right thing to do".

nevermind.

I hate selling on eBay but as others have said they are a monopoly and there's no real other choice for many items. I really hope the government jumps in and throws some sanctions on these assholes for the way they do business. They also crap all over you as a seller, one scamming buyer says something isn't as described and eBay bends over backwards to help them steal your money. Scumbags.

I use to sell on eBay all the time but have slowed down my sales to a trickle the past few years.

When eBay first came out, it was amazing. It was like one giant yard sale in which you could sell your items. The website was on equal grounds with both buyers and sellers protecting them both. You could rate each other, block each other, set criteria, etc.

Unfortunately, instead of staying with their area of expertise, they have decided to pursue the avenue of being an online merchant the likes of Amazon the past few years. This has caused them to screw over the sellers who built up the website as well as any other sellers who have chosen to stick around.


The fraud committed on eBay by buyers is rampant. Even though Paypal and eBay keep on advertising protection for sellers, you really have NONE whatsoever. I have 8,000 stars & 100% satisfaction. A buyer with zero stars who opened their account the day of the auction claims I sold a fraud game. eBay sided with the buyer costing me $60. The buyer info is different than the eBay account. The home attached to the buyer is a foreclosed $5 million dollar home in Houston. The shipping address was to those forwarding po box companies that shipped off to EuroAsia.

I wish a company would get enough round of financing to set up a competitor to eBay. There are several alternatives but they do not have the same audience, tend to fill niches, or are poorly done. Etsy and its focus on art is a godsend.

Ahh, now you're just being argumentative. :P I mean, seriously, most major drug deals (at least the ones I used to see on Miami Vice) were cash face-to-face deals and they sort of transacted OK (aside from a blown-up Ferrari Spyder, etc.).

The point is, you were/are quick to jump all over Western Union (as a brand) as NOT to be trusted (as a payment service), when PayPal is no better. Both services, if trusted, are done so on FAITH. Faith undeserved, mind you, especially if you are a seller.

If you doubt what I am saying, all you have to do is read some of the horror stories on PayPal Sucks [paypalsucks.com].

So would some of you sellers advise against selling expensive items? I've generally sold items for under $100... Or is selling expensive items (say over $250) usps with signature delivery and insurance (i know/i've read usps insurance is almost pointless) less risky?

I got the email, haven't used it yet...

Did anyone else NOT get the email? I sell quite a bit on eBay too...

I didn't get the e-mail either =(

Here's the fun part - when you do sell something $250 or up, and send it USPS confirmed with signature required, sometimes the Post Office just flat out won't get a signature. This happened to me once on a $400 gift card. The Post Office just left it at the guys house, no signature, and the scammer buyer said he never got it. eBay/Paypal (same scumbags) took his side instantly and told me to take my case to the Post Office. The PO looked it up and confirmed that yep, I paid for signature and their carrier just didn't do it. Then they referenced federal regulation 19292999999.somegarbage stating that they are immune to any claims of any kind because they are the government. eBay has lots of seller success stories.

Similar to your story I had a buyer who reshipped the item from NewYork to Asia. It was a brand new item and he claimed that it does not work. Instead of sending the item back he asked me for compensation of about 50% of the sold price. He even threatened me to leave negative feedback if I didnt comply with his demand. And thats where he made the mistake. As per ebay user agreement threating to leave negative feedback is absolute no no. He opened the case but I won the case due to following two reasons.

1.Ebay said since the item has been reshipped out of USA, ebay does cover buye protection.

2. Thretening to leave negative feedback is breach og ebay user agreement.

Maybe I got lucky but I even managed to remove -ve feedback he left to me.

Used this promo last time to sell a $300 golf club. Saved me at least $30!
Didnt get the invite this time :(

*EDIT*
YES I DID :woot:

As you said, WU had a payment service that competed against PayPal "back in the day". Is it still around?

yea. that's another thing. make sure all communication is through ebay messages, and stay calm and try to trick them into saying that stuff that's against terms.

I sold a $100 amazon gift card and emailed the code. The scammer filed a chargeback within 5 minutes of me sending the code. However somehow I was able to convince amazon customer service to get the money off their account and back into mine!! Lesson learned is to just not sell gift cards on ebay.

no. you never sell anything digital.

you needed to mail the card with signature confirmation
and naturally it would be very helpful if you bought the card. because you can always go back to amazon and try to claim that it was stolen/lost if the buyer trys to screw you.

I can not say for sure. Remember, I don't give a rat's ___? You're the one selling on eBay, using Paypal, and are the one "in the know" as compared to my ignorant @$$, so you tell me. :mad: :lmao:

signature confirmation

that, and you withdraw the cash as soon as possible.

my seller id is high enough where paypal doesn't hold it.

i remained calm throughout the communication withthe buyer. I even offered him full refund if he were to return the item . CSR went through all the communication log between us. Frankly speaking I was skeptical that they would favor me.

Same here, stayed cool and asked the buyer to either 1) return the item or 2) send me a picture of it broken. They refused both. Ebay still sided with the buyer. I had (and still have) 100% feedback over more than 10 years.

Recently sold a cell phone for about $480 got charged about $55 in fees (between ebay+ Paypal), never again. I'll stick to CL.

I don't really understand any eBay fee defending whatsoever, and I'm not flaming, just no one here will understand someone holding a genuine defense of eBay and Paypal's high fees.

Say you do BIN, ok, but BIN typically gets a lower sale than auction, but then auction has higher Final Value Fee. Everyone here is just saying we feel screwed. Good gravy I have hardly touched eBay since joining Amazon Prime.

And if you want to cite the "protection" the buyer and seller have. Well, when I unknowningly purchased a counterfeit Motorola bluetooth piece, I'd say it took me over 3 weeks to get $62 back.
That should be labeled "eventual protection":(

At this point eBay is just like all the insurance companies that honest folks HATE. We must pay SO MUCH to be guarded.

Of course it's not. That's why only an idiot uses WU to send money to someone they don't know and trust.

The only horror is the lowballs. :lmao:

I've yet to sell an item on craigslist for the price I was looking for (which is always low to begin with).

to combat fraud, read and understand the seller protection on ebay and amazon.
if you break even one rule (such as not getting signature confirmation for above certain value) you will very likely lose even if you have video evidence and what not.
if both you and the buyer followed the protection rules, ebay/amazon will sometimes pick up the tabs if indecisive.

personally, I avoid selling gift cards, or brands that have near identical counterfeits available, as those are easy for the buyers to argue against you even if they sign for it.

i've sold plenty of codes and gift cards on ebay. you just have to be careful who you sell to. I guess I have been lucky. never been cheated. but i have declined to send codes to a several people whom i wasn't absolutely sure about and pretty much forced them to take the physical card/coupon in the mail (as i always make clear in my offer). codes only go out via email to someone you can trust. the only way to know whom you can take a risk on is to....

I didn't get the email. Been on ebay since 2001 and have 140 feedback.

That is truth. When a community becomes at a certain stage corrupt, the average joe does not understand the motivations of an honest person.. and becomes suspicious.

I only use 30-day BIN (Fixed Price, not auction with BIN), and use the Immediate Payment Required option. I get much higher sale prices than auctions because I'm not dependent on how much the 2nd-place bidder thinks the item is worth. If someone wants the item, they pay my asking price. That often takes a bit longer to sell, but the stuff does sell, at 25-50% above the average auction price for identical items.

My fees are also lower than they'd be for an auction.

that's what I do for the big ticket items as well:)

ebay should build an app for sending e-GIFT card. sending by email is easily to be fraud.

That doesn't solve help if the buyer just says there was phone book in the box. Google Buyer Fraud Ebay. It is scary.

they can't, e-gift cards are inherently risky. even physical gift cards are risky. it's too easy for people to scam. it happens to even the gift card buy/sell places.

I've sold enough to know selling over the internet is generally safe.
There are also millions of transactions taking place, fraud story occurring is normal.
follow seller protection policy, you'll be fine.

especially if buyer has other buying history, what do you think they will claim? every seller sent them a phone book?
occasionally there is 0 or low feedback buyers, that is when following protection policy closely is important. I usually add insurance to those sells also in case they claim it arrived broken.

Does this work for cars as well?

If you read paypals terms of service just because you send the physical card doesnt mean you are protected, They actually state there is no seller protection for gift cards. Basically if anyone wants to scam you out of a gift card they can. Doesn't really seem worth the risk to me.

I have never charged anyone an insertion fee. FYI

What I do, and not sure it's "ebay legal" to do so, but I specifically state in my auctions that no bidders with ZERO feedback. In the case of a camera I sold on there I stated something in the auction like "this is an expensive camera and there's no way I'm taking a chance on selling it to someone that has zero feedback and registered today." Even with that I had 4 or 5 zero feedback and registered today people bidding on it and I kept deleting their bids. :wave: I have a camera and synology NAS to sell currently and reading these stories on here is starting to make me nervous. :nod:

There is an option to block people from bidding with low to no feedback ratings.

Just curious - has anyone ever showed up at the door of a person who scammed them on ebay/amazon? How'd it go?

got shot/stabbed or arrested for trespassing?

wow learn something new everyday. repped.

would be pretty irrational to use your own address if you plan to scam.

no, you can not block 0 feedback buyer, only -1 or lower. you have to watch your bid real time, especially close to the end, and cancel the bid from 0 feedback, and put the ID into your block list. EBAY should never allow 0 feedback for bidding! ebay should only let 0 feedback to use buy it now and require immediately pay, until 5+ feedback is achieved to allow bidding.

Member since: Sep-17-02
Positive Feedback: 100%
Feedback score: 231

Guess there's no love for us older folks...

I have 491 feedback. No email for me. I've been using their mobile app for awhile.

Sent from Slickdeals App for iPhone & iPod Touch.

Big ticket items I sell on CL. Small items I sell on eBay.

I'll just echo the above. I've had my eBay account for 13 years and every year eBay's policies become more and more hostile (and expensive) to sellers. Unfortunately with the bad economy it's a buyer's market right now so eBay has very little incentive to change.

Some of my tips:
1) Don't cheap out, get signature confirmation/required service for all payments (including shipping) over $250. If the buyer claims non-delivery you're automatically SOL if you don't.

2) Don't ship overseas. Too many problems with inaccurate addresses, tracking information, customs and duties issues, and scammers.

3) Don't ship to P.O. Boxes or third party shipping services. Run a Google search on the address if it's not a traditional address (e.g., having a box or ID number).

4) Always make sure you're shipping to CONFIRMED addresses and that seller protection is VERIFIED. When you get the PayPal payment e-mail that's the first thing you should check before you do anything.

5) Even if you do all of the above, you can still get screwed anyway if the buyer files a Item Not as Described claim with PayPal or their credit card. Upload clear pictures of your item on the listing and disclose every minor detail to minimize your risk.

Thankfully got the email. Thanks OP! Can sell that Nikkor 18-200mm Lens finally.

I do the same, as I am not a fan of selling anything over $100 to new buyer who just recently started within the past 5 days and will put insurance and/or signature on it. Just never know what type of dishonest customer you might get.

ah, ok. still didn't know there was a means to block someone that has less than 0 feedback, unless I already did that and just don't remember..

I will let someone with 0 bid on something cheap but not expensive electronics, or expensive anything lol

correct. 90% of 0 feedback never pay. last time I forget my bid and come back to check, shiit, 0 feedback win and sure, no payment and I lose the no FVF promotion. for > $100 items, I always sit in front my computer when it closes to end, open another tab with cancel bid ready, once see 0 feedback on the top, I cancel it immediately and block that ID.

And since everybody on eBay was once a 0, 90% of all eBayers never pay.

Brilliant.

:facepalm:

eBay's block based on feedback score is useless since buyers can only receive positive feedback, and since you can't use it to block a zero. You need to use the other blocks that are available (block all buyers with more than one non-payment strike, etc.).

Which is sad, on eBay's part, not to give seller's the option to limit new buyers. At least allow a seller to put a cap on the dollar amount they can purchase. But if eBay did that, they feel they would damage their reputation with new buyers, but not concerned with the damage they do to established sellers, probably giving folks the speel, thats the cost of doing business :rolleyes: