Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Selling on eBay sucks!
- Thread starter LucasLand
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I sell a lot on eBay too. Typically, ebay charges 9-10% for the sale, Paypal charges 2.9% for the transaction, and then there's shipping cost, unless you charge for shipping, but eBay practically discourages shipping costs: you even pay a fee for collecting shipping costs now! And buyers ding you in the feedback score when shipping isn't free. You almost have to offer free shipping.
HOWEVER, nothing has a value unless there is a buyer for it. eBay connects you with buyers. That alone sometimes makes it worth the money.
HOWEVER, nothing has a value unless there is a buyer for it. eBay connects you with buyers. That alone sometimes makes it worth the money.
Looks like you have lots of responses from people that don't sell on ebay.
The more you use them the more you dislike their policies and high fees.
I feel your pain.
I understand Ebay has to get money for their service, but why does Ebay ads still have to look as buttugly as in the 1999 Geocities era? And why can't they cut down the country bariers? Look how Etsy does things: it is the better Ebay, only not open to 90% of Ebay product categories.
But hey, it does come worse than Ebay. I always ROFL when I see craigslist. That is the stupidest site in the world, and luckily not available here. OMG!
We were spoiled with marktplaats. But times are changing there too. Ebay bought it and makes it crappier every year. I think they will turn it into Ebay.nl some day. The same happened in France. There they killed the free Ebay classifieds.
But hey, it does come worse than Ebay. I always ROFL when I see craigslist. That is the stupidest site in the world, and luckily not available here. OMG!
We were spoiled with marktplaats. But times are changing there too. Ebay bought it and makes it crappier every year. I think they will turn it into Ebay.nl some day. The same happened in France. There they killed the free Ebay classifieds.
When selling on ebay, which my fiancee does a lot, it's wise to bukid in the cost's of postage, commission etc. It works well, and then you will not be out of pocket.
Much easier with eBay in Europe. Shipping costs are accepted. PayPal can be restricted to outside your local country. Even so, eBay has got worse over the years. I rarely buy on eBay anymore and only sell.
It doesn't always work out well for the seller.
Of course it depends on whether you are selling for a living or business or just selling your own stuff, as I have been doing.
I bought a used synthesizer last summer and sold it on ebay this week.
Paid $900 last year sold for $675- ebay fees $67.50 paypal fees $20.25
shipping about $31 so $118.75 in fees and shipping netted me $556.25
In my opinion they could charge less in fees and still make a killing but
hey that's just one man's opinion.
Last edited:
I can beat that....I sold something on ebay that would fit in a business
envelope for $160. I went to the post office on 24 december. they
decided to leave early and locked the doors at noon. I wanted
to send with a receipt...instead I just mailed it in the post office.
It was going to the other end of the state (but this is Floridah)
Guy says it never arrived and ebay wanted me to refund money
I refused as I did not believe the guy...return address was clear.
EBay paid the guy but until I pay, I am banned from selling.
With the high commissions etc, I am not interest anyway
Last edited by a moderator:
Cl
Depending on your city Craigslist, may be the better bet. Sometimes buyers may not pay, then you'll have to relist. If they do Ebay may hold the funds till you get good feedback, and not to mention....THE FEES! Craigslist is free, fast cash....just do it in a public place.
Depending on your city Craigslist, may be the better bet. Sometimes buyers may not pay, then you'll have to relist. If they do Ebay may hold the funds till you get good feedback, and not to mention....THE FEES! Craigslist is free, fast cash....just do it in a public place.
I've been trying to sell my 32GB iPad 4.
The first auction had a winning bid of $501. The 'buyer' (with 0 feedback; knew it would be trouble), asked if she could pay at the end of the month. She won LAST Friday. She was bidding for 3 days and never bothered to ask if she could delay payment. After I said no, she refused any communication. The 'no pay' process ended today.
Yesterday, the re-listed auction ended at $550. The winner had a feedback score of 1. They won at 8AM and ignored me until 11PM and then claimed they never bid higher than $400.
Fortunately, the second highest bidder was also $550 (with 126 feedback). Emailed at 3AM. He lives in CA, so I'm waiting for his response.
Craigslist? Not in my area. I have had ZERO luck with them. I always hear from low ballers and spammers. The spammers email me asking if the item is still available. Then, when I respond, I start getting porn spam with iPad in the subject line. Only thing I ever sold on CL was a lawnmower and even that was like pulling teeth!
The first auction had a winning bid of $501. The 'buyer' (with 0 feedback; knew it would be trouble), asked if she could pay at the end of the month. She won LAST Friday. She was bidding for 3 days and never bothered to ask if she could delay payment. After I said no, she refused any communication. The 'no pay' process ended today.
Yesterday, the re-listed auction ended at $550. The winner had a feedback score of 1. They won at 8AM and ignored me until 11PM and then claimed they never bid higher than $400.
Fortunately, the second highest bidder was also $550 (with 126 feedback). Emailed at 3AM. He lives in CA, so I'm waiting for his response.
Craigslist? Not in my area. I have had ZERO luck with them. I always hear from low ballers and spammers. The spammers email me asking if the item is still available. Then, when I respond, I start getting porn spam with iPad in the subject line. Only thing I ever sold on CL was a lawnmower and even that was like pulling teeth!
I agree, better a sell than no sell. eBay sucks but it doesn't take too long to get a buyer. So I get less; at least it's something.
Craigslist IS FING AWESOME IN BOSTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't tell you enough how much I love selling on Craigslist. I have been on ebay since I was 12 and their fee's are brutal. Amazon isn't so bad because their fees are a bit less tho the buyers are more annoying. Both screw you if you have a annoying buyer who doesn't realize what they are buying isn't new and that you aren't walmart. Craigslist you sell and it's over. I always have them meet me at my place or outside of it.
My family is from CT and craigslist sucks. No one is ever on it and when they want things sold they just give it to me when I go up and bring it to boston to sell.
This bugs me as well. When I sold my iPad they would have too k almost $80 not even considering PayPal.try to negotiate with buyer to do sale outside of site even though eBay clearly reminds you that you shouldn't all the time.
I agree with many folks, it's part of doing business. I love having Ebay. It gives me an opportunity to sell a lot of stuff that I would not be able to otherwise. CL is much too risky. I remember before Ebay and Paypal, I sold a computer via newspaper ad. I asked for a money order, certified bank check or cash. What I got was a money order, but when I deposited it into my bank it came back. Turns out it was altered. Lost 800.00! Plus the fees from my bank. So let Ebay and Paypal charge their fair fees that insure I get paid and the buyer gets the security of what they are buying is legit. I always charge for postage and never had a problem. If they don't like it, they don't have to bid. Only one time I had a problem with a buyer changing their mind. But the item sold again for 30 percent more than it sold just a week earlier. If Ebay did not make money it would not be there. Having the opportunity to recoup value from items that I no longer want is great. Thank goodness for Ebay.
While I think eBay is too risky for something like a MacBook, there are steps you can take to maximize the amount of protection. It's far from 100% bulletproof, but here are a few things I would recommend, many of them require going into your eBay dashboard and editing account settings:
1) Set up your sale in the Buy It Now format rather than auction, making sure to check the box to require immediate payment. This will weed out anyone who buys with no intention of paying. Plus it saves you from having to file any unpaid item disputes, then having the buyer pay and leave you bad feedback out of retaliation.
2) Set up your buyer blocks. The main ones are filtering out anyone who has 2 unpaid item strikes over a period of 12 months, blocking sales to countries you're not willing to ship to, and those who don't have a PayPal account.
3) Regarding international sales - way too risky for a MacBook or other Apple hardware. You would need to set up international shipping blocks separately. Check the box to block absolutely everywhere, including North America, as that setting is for Canada and Mexico. I would also filter out Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, APO/FPO, and US protectorates, as it's not cost effective to use UPS or FedEx to those locations. Speaking of which...
4) Use UPS or FedEx to ship rather than the USPS. This is more personal opinion, but I don't trust the post office with high dollar value items. Whatever you do, for selling an item greater than $250, you must purchase signature confirmation that's viewable online. This way, in the event the buyer files an item not received claim, you will be protected. Should you decide to use USPS, the insurance form you fill out that makes the buyer sign for the package does not count as online viewable. You must purchase the separate Signature Confirmation service.
I think that covers the basics. Again, it's not 100% protection, but you'll at least be better prepared than a lot of other sellers.
The only real concern that you can't do anything about is your own feedback. If you have none or a low figure, you might as well paint a target on your back as those are the kinds of sellers scammers are looking for.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Personally, I've been on eBay since 1999, and it's a vastly different place than it was even 5 years ago. I've pretty much abandoned selling on there, though I've been finding myself buying a lot of stuff lately.
1) Set up your sale in the Buy It Now format rather than auction, making sure to check the box to require immediate payment. This will weed out anyone who buys with no intention of paying. Plus it saves you from having to file any unpaid item disputes, then having the buyer pay and leave you bad feedback out of retaliation.
2) Set up your buyer blocks. The main ones are filtering out anyone who has 2 unpaid item strikes over a period of 12 months, blocking sales to countries you're not willing to ship to, and those who don't have a PayPal account.
3) Regarding international sales - way too risky for a MacBook or other Apple hardware. You would need to set up international shipping blocks separately. Check the box to block absolutely everywhere, including North America, as that setting is for Canada and Mexico. I would also filter out Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, APO/FPO, and US protectorates, as it's not cost effective to use UPS or FedEx to those locations. Speaking of which...
4) Use UPS or FedEx to ship rather than the USPS. This is more personal opinion, but I don't trust the post office with high dollar value items. Whatever you do, for selling an item greater than $250, you must purchase signature confirmation that's viewable online. This way, in the event the buyer files an item not received claim, you will be protected. Should you decide to use USPS, the insurance form you fill out that makes the buyer sign for the package does not count as online viewable. You must purchase the separate Signature Confirmation service.
I think that covers the basics. Again, it's not 100% protection, but you'll at least be better prepared than a lot of other sellers.
The only real concern that you can't do anything about is your own feedback. If you have none or a low figure, you might as well paint a target on your back as those are the kinds of sellers scammers are looking for.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Personally, I've been on eBay since 1999, and it's a vastly different place than it was even 5 years ago. I've pretty much abandoned selling on there, though I've been finding myself buying a lot of stuff lately.
I sold about $800 of stuff in the last week on Ebay including a ipad mini and a windows laptop. I always do buy it now and get immediate payment. The laptop i did offers and excepted a offer not realising they have 2-3 days for payment. Buyer made excuses and didn't pay. I cancelled it got a credit and relisted it and got $15 more.
Have sold heaps of iPhones/ipads and never had a problem till i let offers in.
Have sold heaps of iPhones/ipads and never had a problem till i let offers in.
I like how everyone is saying to charge for shipping as if the final price would end up at $44+shipping cost. No, the bidder would bid such that the final price was still at $44 and OP still would have to pay to ship the item.
I agree on the convenience of using eBay/PayPal, but also agree that their fees can be frustrating, which is why I usually go craigslist first (though I do live in a big city).
I agree on the convenience of using eBay/PayPal, but also agree that their fees can be frustrating, which is why I usually go craigslist first (though I do live in a big city).
I have not problem buying or selling on ebay. I add in shipping cost.. I expect it as buyer as long as the shipping prices are reasonable
No SBA its final bid price plus shipping................
No SBA its final bid price plus shipping................
eBay has become totally rigged against the seller.
Even As-Is sales with no warranty give no protection to sellers because eBay will still force the seller to give a refund if the buyer files any kind of claim.
Use Craigslist or even better, use a buyback or trade-in service.
You will make less money but you will also have less headache.
Even As-Is sales with no warranty give no protection to sellers because eBay will still force the seller to give a refund if the buyer files any kind of claim.
Use Craigslist or even better, use a buyback or trade-in service.
You will make less money but you will also have less headache.
have you tried amazon marketplace? they charge around 10% but its not quite as bad as 20% from ebay.