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i3igsmooth5769

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 28, 2007
538
1
Los Angeles, CA
Hey guys....been reading alot of stories of people getting ripped off by buyers on ebay. I want to sell my 3gs and get top dollar but dont want to get ripped off by some buyer claiming that they received an empty box or something. Any tips?
 
Are people getting ripped off from overseas buyers? eBay can't do anything when it comes to overseas crap for the most part. If it's the USA- just insure it and ask for signature.
 
Selling phones for my friends, I've always had higher offers on craigslist than on eBay. I always listed that I would accept paypal and had them send it as a service payment - this way they can't file a claim since you won't have a tracking # with the purchase.
 
Craigslist

Tips:
Selling item
Always bring a friend
Meet near a bank if possible [check for counterfeit]

Buying from Seller
Always go with a friend
Ask to test out phone [Could be Chinese rip-off]
Meet in a common crowded place
 
Not to cloud things up but, I sold my 3GS 3 weeks ago on ebay to abuyer who had over 300 100% positive feedback. Money was auto send via PayPal and I had the money immediately.

Like everything else that's potentially sensitive online.. Just clarify you won't sell to anyone with less than XYZ feedback, USA & PayPal only. Be honest in with the condition of your device, and don't be afraid to set a high reserve if your really paranoid. (that way you can end the auction and offer a "2nd chance offer" to whom you choose)

Good Luck

Blonde Buddhist
 
I have sold 4 iPhones on eBay and I have had to dodge the Nigerian check fraud people, but honestly just sell within the continental U.S., go only through PayPal (they insure the seller), and have UPS require a signature for the package. I have had 0 problems going through this way and have made about $300 avg on the phones.
 
I timed my selling perfectly... a week before the iPhone 4 was announced. I had to go a month with a temp phone, but I got $430 for it. I have bought and sold every iPhone that has been released and always manage to turn a profit on eBay. I sold it US only with insurance. You can get more money if you offer it up worldwide, but it's riskier. I would say don't sell to anyone in Russia or Afria, they are both infamous for scammers, make sure they have positive feedback, and try to get a signature. Hmm... that's about all the advice I can lend. Unfortunately, eBay offers practically NO protection to sellers.

I wish I wish I wish there was a better alternative out there. PayPal and eBay both take a chunk off the sales price, too.

Craigslist is alright, but it's such a hassle to deal with people face to face and/or deal with stupid people's emails and/or calls. I would like a way to filter out all the wastes of time.

What I am really trying to say is... I... hate people and try to minimize my interaction with most people as much as possible. This forum post fulfills my obligatory social contact for the day. :p
 
i called ebay and they said to protect the seller i should take a pic with a time/date of when im packaging the phone, can anyone confirm?
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A293 Safari/6531.22.7)

Make a boxing video complete with the shipping label/postage.
 
I sold my 3GS a couple weeks back on ebay for $360. Everything seems to have gone smoothly. The buyer paid me immediately through paypal and it cleared. After hearing all these eBay horror stories I'm a little paranoid, but I guess as long as the money cleared I should cool right? The seller had 0 feedback but I have over 700, maybe that's why the payment cleared so quickly?
 
Do what i plan to do from now on. Don't package the phone when you sell it until you're at UPS. Record you packaging it, record the name on the sticker, and record them taking it. All the proof you need.
 
Craigslist

Tips:
Selling item
Always bring a friend
Meet near a bank if possible [check for counterfeit]

Buying from Seller
Always go with a friend
Ask to test out phone [Could be Chinese rip-off]
Meet in a common crowded place

Didn't think of the bank idea....good thinking.
 
I'm sure I'm repeating stuff, but clearly state PAYPAL only, United States only, 25+ feedback only. 25 is a pretty decent amount, you can go more or less depending on how careful you want to be.

The ultimate security is an escrow service- this gurantees both the buyer and seller security. Here is a statement from eBay themselves (short of it- only use escrow.com, DO NOT use another service suggested by the buyer, for example).

"There are fraudulent escrow services, so use caution if a seller suggests using a service other than www.escrow.com.
If your trading partner insists that you use a specific escrow service and will not accept www.escrow.com (or an eBay approved international escrow service for international transactions) as an alternative, please decline the transaction and report the seller or buyer to eBay: "
 
I sold my 3GS a couple weeks back on ebay for $360. Everything seems to have gone smoothly. The buyer paid me immediately through paypal and it cleared. After hearing all these eBay horror stories I'm a little paranoid, but I guess as long as the money cleared I should cool right? The seller had 0 feedback but I have over 700, maybe that's why the payment cleared so quickly?


There is reason for concern(mainly the fact he has no feedback)- hopefully it goes smoothly, but if he tried to file a claim, you will have the 700vs. 0 to back up your side of the story.
 
"You got the yeyo?"

Just don't sell on eBay. Period. It's the worst place to sell.

You'd think so?

Say hello to my little friend - he told me otherwise:
 

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Craigslist is worse than ebay. Where ebay you're selling from comfort of your home where as Craigslist you have to meet some stranger in person. Sorry it makes no sense why you guys recommend Craigslist. Would you rather get ripped off or get killed? I just sold my 3GS on ebay no problem. You just need to sell smart...don't offer international shipping and cancel bids for people that have 0 feedback.
 
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