Selling MacBook Pro on eBay. Advice on safety/avoiding scams

[ravenvii]

I tried to sell a MBP here and on Craigslist to no avail.

New ones are coming soon, and I want to get the most out of this one before that happens.

So I am left with eBay.

Do you guys have any advice regarding avoiding scams and scammers?

Buy It Now, PayPal, only ship to continental United States, ship with tracking & signature confirmation. photos of it both out and in the box right before it is shipped out... anything else?

 

[firedept]

Most bases covered. Paypal confirmed address only. Look over buyer feedback for anything bad.

 

[ravenvii]

Most bases covered. Paypal confirmed address only. Look over buyer feedback for anything bad.

Question: if a buyer buys my item, and I look over their feedback and see bad stuff, how do I refuse to sell to them?

 

[kokako]

As others have mentioned "Paypal confirmed address only" ship via a courier service that requires signature, label the box also with "Signature Required" reminds the courier he/she has to get a signature as some just leave on the doorstep.
Don't allow pickups even if someone pays cash, because buyer can turn around and tell ebay/paypal they didn't collect and you're burnt.
It's incredibly unsafe selling big ticket items on eBay to be honest, another scam is reputable buyers with 1000+ feedback (they're usually sellers) telling eBay that the item wasn't in the box and eBay will side with them.
Seriously I say avoid eBay at all costs it's a buyers world, sellers are so so at risk of getting scammed.

 

[sandylp]

Question: if a buyer buys my item, and I look over their feedback and see bad stuff, how do I refuse to sell to them?

You can specify buyer requirements in your listing before the sale so that anyone with negative feedback won't be able to bid. Also, don't forget to specify immediate payment after auction ends.

 

[ElectronGuru]

I tried to sell a MBP here and on Craigslist to no avail.

No takers doesn't mean no one wanted it, it means no one liked your ad and/or wanted to meet your price. If its the ad, the same ad in eBay won't help. If its the price, eBay BIN will cost you up to 20% right off the top. So a 10-15% discount from a potential eBay price will actually yield you more cash.

 

[ravenvii]

No takers doesn't mean no one wanted it, it means no one liked your ad and/or wanted to meet your price. If its the ad, the same ad in eBay won't help. If its the price, eBay BIN will cost you up to 20% right off the top. So a 10-15% discount from a potential eBay price will actually yield you more cash.

Correction: the Buy It Now fee is actually 10%. And PayPal fees amount to approximately 3%.

 

[themumu]

As others have mentioned "Paypal confirmed address only" ship via a courier service that requires signature, label the box also with "Signature Required" reminds the courier he/she has to get a signature as some just leave on the doorstep.
Don't allow pickups even if someone pays cash, because buyer can turn around and tell ebay/paypal they didn't collect and you're burnt.
It's incredibly unsafe selling big ticket items on eBay to be honest, another scam is reputable buyers with 1000+ feedback (they're usually sellers) telling eBay that the item wasn't in the box and eBay will side with them.
Seriously I say avoid eBay at all costs it's a buyers world, sellers are so so at risk of getting scammed.

If you allow pickups with cash payment, it's actually quite safe. The most you stand to lose is your eBay account (boo hoo). That said, if a local ad did not work, you are not likely to see someone wanting to do a pick up with cash payment.

Correction: the Buy It Now fee is actually 10%. And PayPal fees amount to approximately 3%.

Sure, the actual fees are only 13% (more if paid with a credit card that is not in USD), but with the added risk of mental suffering due to a buyer trying to scam you or just being a PITA, I think 20% is a fair amount of total cost to sell on eBay.

Leave eBay to what it's good at: junk you don't care about or rare items that barely have any market.