Thanks to the many posters who provided advice and shared their experiences. Hearing that some sellers have gotten success through this process is reassuring. I will keep you posted.
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Ebay will side with you. Don't worry about it. I have heard numerous anecdotes about this exact issue (mostly with car parts though). Just don't worry about it too much, okay?
How much did you sell the old MBP for anyway? I'm actually looking to purchase an old one.
The item sold for $799.00 USD.
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Ebay and PayPal screwed me over before. I sold a $100 Best Buy gift card. Buyer paid right away. A day before the limit to file a complaint they filed saying the card never arrived. I shipped it via USPS with just an envelope. I had a picture showing the name/address and receipt with it. I provided ebay and paypal with that, showing the gift card was used in their city a few days after I sent it out. I had about a lot off 100% positive feedback, the buyer had 50 or so negative feedback(they scammed other people right at the same time and they left that in the comment section). ebay said it was in paypal's hands. Paypal sided with the buyer saying I didn't have proof. So I was out a $100 gift card and about $100.
Now I avoid ebay as much as possible, Amazon is better. Occasionally I will sell larger items on there but try other options first like craigslist.
Hopefully ebay does right for you, I would think they would because of the evidence..but any normal person can see mine too so who knows..
Sorry to hear that. This is what gets me nervous... having hard/strong evidence and still loosing the case.
I have about 48 hours to hear back from eBay on what they want/need me to provide as evidence. Hopefully the ~12 mins of video (320MB) is enough.
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before I forget I limit my listing to US only, not even Canada. This will help you down the road. Also you can restrict bids from people with 0 feedback.
I have had success with international buyers. I at least recall Canada and UK. I think the 0 feedback is the red flag. I should have known about (and used) the option to limit to buyers with a certain amount of positive feedback. Sigh... live and learn. :-(
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I agree eBay is overflowing with scumbags....but if you take appropriate measures, you should be just fine.
-ALWAYS ship with signature confirmation on anything valuable. I ship via USPS priority because it's integrated with eBay/paypal and you actually get a break on shipping.
-ALWAYS be clear about your refund/return/exchange policy
-ALWAYS document the item's condition meticulously; detailed photos, 100% honest item description, a "boot and box" video if you feel it's necessary, etc.
-Use eBay's included methods of protecting yourself; limit buyers who are international, have zero or negative feedback, don't use paypal, etc.
-ALWAYS double check everything. I know more than one less than savvy acquaintance who has fallen for the "fake paypal payment email" scam....
-While I admit I don't (usually) do it myself....It's a smart idea to insure the item in transit. If it gets lost....I'm willing to bet eBay will side with the buyer.
Include half the cost as a handling charge if it's too steep, but remember most savvy buyers factor in shipping costs when bidding. Free shipping really does attract attention (I know I use the free shipping filter regularly when searching on eBay, amazon, etc).
Usually, if you at least follow 1 & 3 to the letter......eBay has your back. Usually.
*Edit*
Oh, and to the guy complaining about people not shipping to Canada....
While I DO offer to ship to Canada (ONLY- nothing else international).....I dislike it because 9 times out of 10 the buyer will contact me asking me to de-value the item in the customs declaration or mark it as a gift, etc. It's your law- not mine. I'm not going to leave myself open to shenanigans just so you can avoid some taxes or whatever.
This are great tips! Thank you!
I looked into using UPS, for better tracking. But the price was exponentially higher. I ended up using USPS Priority International insured. I have the tracking information showing when someone picked it up from the PO. I suppose even though I did not select signature confirmation, since it was insured, the probably required signature. Though for this case, the buyer has already admitted to have received the item.
I did not specifically state policy on returns/exchanges/refunds because eBay had an option where I selected "No returns or exchanges". Though that omits refunds. I now know not to leave myself open to that. Though calling out things like no refunds would raise concern with the buyer, possibly limiting bids.
The description was honest. I have high-res pictures (about 8) taken with a 5D, which are very detailed. I also have video (12 mins, 320MB+) showing the machine operational, down to reading the serial # and other hardware information. This is key. And thanks to my best friend who told me to take the video!
I have seen the fake email PayPal scam, used against me via Craigslist. I am much more guarded when using Craigslist, since it seems to be the wild wild west of selling... But I did not fall for it. In fact, via Craigslist, I usually opt for local, in-person transactions at a public place. This has served me well, because I can show the buyer the item working and get money on the spot, closing the deal for good. Though that adds a whole new level of personal safety concerns, specially if selling valuable goods. Opt for a very public place, like inside a mall or a busy coffee shop.
Do you mean to limit users who use or do not use PayPal?
