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eBay sales woes [RANT]
- Thread starter HoldFastHope
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No risk on Craigslist. Ignore all scammers (or forward them to abuse@....)
Cash and carry, don't take anything non-cash on CL.
Looking for alternative way to get payment on ebay. All the "approved" payment methods are unsurprisingly make paypal look good. 1 of the approved payment method is not even in business anymore. What BS.
Cash and carry, don't take anything non-cash on CL.
Looking for alternative way to get payment on ebay. All the "approved" payment methods are unsurprisingly make paypal look good. 1 of the approved payment method is not even in business anymore. What BS.
You still have to deal with them, even if it is just deleting all the bogus emails. Many times you have to respond at least once to see they are a scam.
Reporting them to abuse@ is only worth doing if that individual scammer is reported enough times, assuming that individual scammer is running their scam under the same Email address.
The safest payment method is the US Postal Money Order, if you follow this procedure.
1) Receive Money Order
2) Pack item for shipment
3) Take Money Order to POST OFFICE and have them cash it for you ( they verify authenticity )
4) After receiving $$$ from the Post Office, proceed to ship item
Hint: if the MO is for a larger amount, call to the Post Office ahead of time and ask when a good time would be to bring it in. you don't want to go first thing in the morning, nor right after they make a 'cash drop'.
ALSO - The USPS did, last I had one cash for me a CANADIAN POSTAL Money Order as well.
If you have a good relationship with your Post Office this works real well.
If a Buyer balks at my requiring a USPO Money Order I remind them of two things ....
1) It is clearly spelled out in the actual auction that this is my payment method
2) It involves the USPO in the deal, and thus makes it Mail Fraud is something goes bad.
It has worked for me all these years.
UPDATE - I also hate PayPal
Bumping this with an update.
So I ended up relisting my MBP and got AU $200 less than what I originally wanted, which suited me fine. Buyer sent the money via PayPal, I verified with them via phone and my online page that the money had been cleared and received. Packaged up the MBP and sent it, requested the money be withdrawn to my bank account.
The next day I get an email to say my PayPal account has been restricted because "We have observed activity in this account that is unusual or potentially high risk." They requested copies of my bank account statements, drivers license, invoice for the initial urchase of the MBP, and now confirmation of the MBP being shipped.
The MBP was received by the buyer 2 days later, which is reflected in eBay. Yet nothing has been done about my account. Emails aren't being answered and the phone service is closed over the weekend.
I can understand that they want to make sure I'm doing a legitimate transaction, but surely if the MBP has been received this should be proof enough. On top of all of this, why am I expected to pay close to AU $100 worth of fees for the "convenience" of PayPal?
In summary... cash only from now on. If for whatever reason my account loses the money that they assured me was there, I'd seriously consider taking them to court. Maybe I'll get a nice little settlement that'll cover my new laptop
Bumping this with an update.
So I ended up relisting my MBP and got AU $200 less than what I originally wanted, which suited me fine. Buyer sent the money via PayPal, I verified with them via phone and my online page that the money had been cleared and received. Packaged up the MBP and sent it, requested the money be withdrawn to my bank account.
The next day I get an email to say my PayPal account has been restricted because "We have observed activity in this account that is unusual or potentially high risk." They requested copies of my bank account statements, drivers license, invoice for the initial urchase of the MBP, and now confirmation of the MBP being shipped.
The MBP was received by the buyer 2 days later, which is reflected in eBay. Yet nothing has been done about my account. Emails aren't being answered and the phone service is closed over the weekend.
I can understand that they want to make sure I'm doing a legitimate transaction, but surely if the MBP has been received this should be proof enough. On top of all of this, why am I expected to pay close to AU $100 worth of fees for the "convenience" of PayPal?
In summary... cash only from now on. If for whatever reason my account loses the money that they assured me was there, I'd seriously consider taking them to court. Maybe I'll get a nice little settlement that'll cover my new laptop
My brother-in-law is going though an eBay nightmare over a check used for payment. The buyer's check was declared fraudulent a week after it cleared, and now the bank has frozen all of my brother-in-law's accounts. They're treating *him* like a criminal! I would never take a check!
Use the "accept bids only for those countries to which I ship" option. Maybe that will help.
Bumping this with an update.
So I ended up relisting my MBP and got AU $200 less than what I originally wanted, which suited me fine. Buyer sent the money via PayPal, I verified with them via phone and my online page that the money had been cleared and received. Packaged up the MBP and sent it, requested the money be withdrawn to my bank account.
The next day I get an email to say my PayPal account has been restricted because "We have observed activity in this account that is unusual or potentially high risk." They requested copies of my bank account statements, drivers license, invoice for the initial urchase of the MBP, and now confirmation of the MBP being shipped.
The MBP was received by the buyer 2 days later, which is reflected in eBay. Yet nothing has been done about my account. Emails aren't being answered and the phone service is closed over the weekend.
I can understand that they want to make sure I'm doing a legitimate transaction, but surely if the MBP has been received this should be proof enough. On top of all of this, why am I expected to pay close to AU $100 worth of fees for the "convenience" of PayPal?
In summary... cash only from now on. If for whatever reason my account loses the money that they assured me was there, I'd seriously consider taking them to court. Maybe I'll get a nice little settlement that'll cover my new laptop
been there done that.paypal australia is completely useless.
i HATE paypal with a burning firebomb passion and i hate ebay even more.
they do stuff like this all the time.
theres an alternative to paypal and it's australian too I can't remember the name but google it.
Too lazy to read the whole thread, but be careful with Craigslist. Meet potential buyers in a busy public area, a forum member recently got mugged for his MBP.
Good luck.
Good luck.
I just need to correct this, for the benefit of everyone thinking of selling on ebay here :
It's not Verified Address. It's Confirmed Address. Verified applies to the account i.e. when the paypal owner verifies the account by confirming that it is his/her bank account linked to paypal. Paypal usually makes two small deposits in the bank account, and you then verify this with paypal.. so your account is 'verified'
However, a Confirmed Address is different. For e.g. if you reside at 123 lane, ca 90028.. and you use your credit card to pay for an item.. if you enter a different address.. it is an 'unconfirmed address'. The shipping address *must* match the billing address on the credit card, for it to be a confirmed address.
Only this will offer a seller protection. Do not ship to an unconfirmed address, no matter what. Yes, there are honest buyers.. I get a lot of them who live in Honduras, Bahamas, etc.. and they use a shipping service in Miami.. so their address shows up as unconfirmed (because their credit card billing address is different)
However from experience, I know that shipping company.. so for me, it's easy to verify if a sale is fraudulent or not.
Btw, not only checks - I've seen fake Money orders, cashier's checks, what not. For me, as a seller, PayPal is the only way to go. Yes, out of every 100 customers, there will be 1 or 2 retards who will file a chargeback thinking they will get their money back, but they don't. I provide evidence of signature confirmation upon delivery, and follow paypal's policies of shipping to a confirmed address only, etc.
So far, I have had no problems. As with any transaction - whether online or offline, there is always some degree of risk involved. Just follow the rules and exercise some common sense and you'll be fine.
As a buyer, I've had to file disputes twice just to get the seller to respond to me. I mean, how hard is it to answer an e-mail and say "Oh, I shipped that yesterday via USPS".
And I'm always real careful to pay as soon as the auction is over, usually within the hour. Why the farging h**l does it somebody 6 days to post a 6 oz item?
And I'm always real careful to pay as soon as the auction is over, usually within the hour. Why the farging h**l does it somebody 6 days to post a 6 oz item?
Bumping this with an update.
The next day I get an email to say my PayPal account has been restricted because "We have observed activity in this account that is unusual or potentially high risk." They requested copies of my bank account statements, drivers license, invoice for the initial urchase of the MBP, and now confirmation of the MBP being shipped.
The MBP was received by the buyer 2 days later, which is reflected in eBay. Yet nothing has been done about my account. Emails aren't being answered and the phone service is closed over the weekend.
In summary... cash only from now on. If for whatever reason my account loses the money that they assured me was there, I'd seriously consider taking them to court. Maybe I'll get a nice little settlement that'll cover my new laptop
Sorry to hear that happened. Unfortunately it's pretty common. You read about PayPal doing this to someone and think it's an isolated case but it's not, happened to me too. PayPal and eBay's SafeHarbour (fraud dept) are notorious for shutting down accounts and being extremely slow to respond to mistakes they've made. Now with the new eBay rules unless you have over 100 feedback score you are considered a risky seller and they will withhold your buyer's payment for up to 21 days - google all the complaints about the new rules that took effect Feb.20th.
That is absolutely ridiculous. If they're going to lock my account for three weeks because I don't sell something every week on eBay then I'm going to demand my PayPal fees back. I still don't see why the seller has to pay fees when all they're doing is protecting the buyer...
Oh well, I'm waiting for the MBP update before I purchase anyway, just one more thing I have to wait on
btw just adding one more thing. Even if the address is confirmed and verified, i received money from the buyer for my old mbp and even paypal listed the money as in my account already. But when i initiated transfer to my bank account, paypal said it was fraudulent and even took the money back. Good thing i didnt ship the mbp yet if not i would have been scammed out of $1700.
Never trust the paypal acct even if it shows the money in your account. Make sure physically that the money is in your bank account before shipping the item.
Never trust the paypal acct even if it shows the money in your account. Make sure physically that the money is in your bank account before shipping the item.
I have the following rules when selling on Ebay ... and for years have never ever been burned....
Personal Checks - NO
Cashiers Checks - NO
Paypal - NO
Money Orders - NO
United State Postal Money Order - YES ( Cash at US Post Office )
Canadian Postal Money Order - YES ( Cash at US Post Office )
Cash - YES ( Confirmed valid by bank )
You know I have actually sold to former Eastern European countries and the sellers send me CASH in US Dollars. I was the first time I got an envelope full of CASH!
Can you get burned by a USPS Money Order? I guess you could if you did not take it to the Post Office to cash. They issues it, and confirm its' authenticity. I have never had a problem with a USPS Money Order.
Funny thing is this ....
EBAY at one time warned sellers about accepting USPS Money Orders. EBAY urged sellers to use PAYPAL which is owned by Ebay. Hmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!
SO Ebay wants to collect fees TWICE from a seller ... Auction Fees and Paypal Fees.
Personal Checks - NO
Cashiers Checks - NO
Paypal - NO
Money Orders - NO
United State Postal Money Order - YES ( Cash at US Post Office )
Canadian Postal Money Order - YES ( Cash at US Post Office )
Cash - YES ( Confirmed valid by bank )
You know I have actually sold to former Eastern European countries and the sellers send me CASH in US Dollars. I was
the first time I got an envelope full of CASH! Can you get burned by a USPS Money Order? I guess you could if you did not take it to the Post Office to cash. They issues it, and confirm its' authenticity. I have never had a problem with a USPS Money Order.
Funny thing is this ....
EBAY at one time warned sellers about accepting USPS Money Orders. EBAY urged sellers to use PAYPAL which is owned by Ebay. Hmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!
SO Ebay wants to collect fees TWICE from a seller ... Auction Fees and Paypal Fees.
I sold my old 1Ghz 12" Powerbook on Craigslist and had a great experience. I explained in my post that I would accept cash only, at a bank, during business hours, and that I would not, under any circumstances, ship the laptop.
I still got a couple scam emails but I ended up getting 5 or 6 legitimate offers. I sold my baby yesterday to a really nice guy replacing his old G3.
I miss my PB. But I'm really happy with my refurb MB!
I still got a couple scam emails but I ended up getting 5 or 6 legitimate offers. I sold my baby yesterday to a really nice guy replacing his old G3.
I miss my PB.
But I'm really happy with my refurb MB!
Man that sucks really badly - i got screwed on two iPhone transacations. There's no way to get your money back. Good luck w/ a dispute process... I lost $1.2K from eBay.
Needless to say, I "learned my lesson". Just sold my macbook. I had to re-list it THREE times before i got a non-fraudulent buyer. Terrible.
Needless to say, I "learned my lesson". Just sold my macbook. I had to re-list it THREE times before i got a non-fraudulent buyer. Terrible.
Well, I just initiated a dispute with a seller because I never received the item. In his response in the Pay Pal dispute center he said the item had shipped the day after the sale. Meanwhile, he went into eBay and initiated a claim against me for non-payment,( this despite the fact the sale was a "Buy Now" with immediate payment required to conclude the transaction).
Some idiots just ruin it for everyone.
Some idiots just ruin it for everyone.
Yup - and while I appreciate that fact that online swapping / selling / auctions has become mainstream, this sort of stuff really makes me wish it were back to the days of ten years ago, where the only people doing these kinds of transactions were dorks trading computer hardware and stuff. That was right when heatware was invented as a feedback system, but it was pretty much 100% on your honor. And VERY few people got burned. It was great... Now it's just like this huge, fraudulent marketplace out there and everyone has to have their guard up...
I use to sell macbooks on Greedbay (eBay) and now I only sell on Craigslist and I love it. I will only meet people in crowded locations for cash transactions from using Craigslist and I have had zero problems. I use to pay between $60 and $100 on Greedbay to sell a macbook and now I pay zero on Craigslist. I save the following:
1. Greedbay listing fees.
2. Greedbay selling fees.
3. Greedbay Paypal fees.
4. No Paypal chargebacks.
I only take cash on Craigslist. I do get the occasional Craigslist's scammer that wants me to ship to Nigeria or wants to give me a cashiers check on delivery etc... I just tell the buyer cash only.
1. Greedbay listing fees.
2. Greedbay selling fees.
3. Greedbay Paypal fees.
4. No Paypal chargebacks.
I only take cash on Craigslist. I do get the occasional Craigslist's scammer that wants me to ship to Nigeria or wants to give me a cashiers check on delivery etc... I just tell the buyer cash only.
I just sold my Macbook Pro on eBay the other day, got a legitimate buyer but the whole thing cost me about $60 in eBay fee, $77.50 in Paypal fees (not to mention $6 to list the thing). On top of that, the buyer is having trouble paying me due to Paypal and their policies - I contacted Paypal and they informed me that they can see the payment he has tried to send me, but due to Paypal procedures they are denying it from coming to me.
Every time I have used Craigslist I have had a positive experience, but the audience is wider and eBay and I find it easier to sell big-ticket items there. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to put up with their garbage though, it's beyond the bounds of sanity to pay them three layers worth of fees, then have them crap on sellers by doing things like taking away our ability to leave negative feedback. If the buyer is getting all of the favor why not have them pay the fees?
Every time I have used Craigslist I have had a positive experience, but the audience is wider and eBay and I find it easier to sell big-ticket items there. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to put up with their garbage though, it's beyond the bounds of sanity to pay them three layers worth of fees, then have them crap on sellers by doing things like taking away our ability to leave negative feedback. If the buyer is getting all of the favor why not have them pay the fees?
My items did sell for more on Greedbay, than on Craigslist. But, by the time you add in all the extra fees on Greedbay, it's pretty much the same. I love cash and don't worry about someone scamming my with a Paypal chargeback, months later. Your only need get scammed once on Greedbay to feel the sting with high priced items (like expensive laptops).