Question about selling

[user40789]

I've been on ebay for about 16 years, it was a great place to sell, and buy, for years.  Until the buyer changes came in a few years ago.  I got ripped off a few times and decided to exit the selling business.  Every year or so I have a pile of junk to get rid of and I think (wrongly) maybe things have changed now at ebay, maybe its like the old days.  Each year I come back for a few weeks, and as regular as clockwork I get ripped off or negged for no reason, or some other issue.  This time was no different, but I'll spare you the details (check my feedback if you want to see the gory details).

My question is, is there a way for sellers to list things such that its possible for buyers not to stuff you around with fraudulent returns, unfair neg fb, etc?  Or is it a risk with every transaction on ebay?

I'm wondering this because I thought I had the perfect model, pick up only, and cash only.  I had a few people pay with PP, but I refunded them and sent them a note saying pay in cash - which they always did.

This time I had a stupid moron interstate buy something, when I cancelled the transaction he negged me, then again (and lied about me being a crook) when I re-listed it (such a lovely human being, a real model citizen).  I cancelled it because he was dodgy, but the description and item details did say pick up only.  ebay wont remove the feedback, I dont care about that, I've made sales since, but I'm wondering how one can sell without all this BS?

PS. I'm so glad I exited ebay fulltime, its actually worse now, gets worse each year.  Its like crawling in to the gutter each time I sell on ebay.

Thanks for reading.

[*tippy*toes*]

Yes, the feedback is gory......especially the replies. As someone who buys a fair bit, I regularly buy from sellers with negative feedback. However, I hit the back button pretty quickly if the seller replies to bad feedback as you did. Replies like that reflect badly on you.

If you want the feedback removed, ring eBay and tell them the item was listed as pick up only and a buyer from interstate bought it. Then tell them to same buyer bought the item again using a different account with the sole purpose of leaving another negative. Although with the replies, you'll have a lot more trouble getting them removed.

As for stopping interstate numpties buying, there's not really a lot you can do about that I don't think.

[user40789]

Yep, gullty as charged, I let fly on that cretin, and that was the nice version.  I can do this because this is not my day job.

Which raises another question, for interstate clueless buyers or highly likely fraudsters, how should that be handled?  I'm definately not going to "try my luck" with expensive electronics, not worth it, not even once.

Is there a way to cancel a very risky transaction in a way the buyer cant seek revenge?

[lyndal1838]

Not to put the boot in again, but I agree with Tippy.....you have done yourself no favours. 

If ebay does remove the negs (doubtful) you may find the followups remain and that makes it look even worse.

You should have just cancelled the transaction with the reason that the item is not for posting and the buyer is in another state.

No matter what feedback you received you would probably have had it removed.

If the second sale is definitely to the same buyer you can ask ebay to remove it on the grounds that it is against policy to buy with another account in order to neg a seller.

I hope both the IDs are on your blocked bidders list.

[englishrosegardens]

I believe you can block buyers from other states and even from certain areas within your own state from buying.  I think it might be under business policies that you do it, but it could be somewhere in your site preferences.  It would stop people buying if they live elsewhere but were going to get a friend to pick it up for them, but if they want it that badly they'd probably email you about it and you could exempt them so they can bid (if you wanted to).  Basically it'd mean that bidders would have to live relatively close - you might still run into the odd problem but it'd eliminate a lot of them.

[springyzone]

The short answer is no, there is no foolproof way to avoid trouble. The main problem is you can't offer cash only as the sole payment option.

My sister & I have (under different accounts) sometimes listed things as pick up only and struck some of the troubles you have.

My suggestion though would be make your ads very clear, put pick up only in caps and at the start of your spiel, as a heading in a larger font so they can't really claim they missed it.

Then be very polite after a sale, offer several pick up time options, but do not, off your own bat, decide to cancel a sale . If someone is interstate, that is their problem to solve.

Keep being very polite & offering pick up options, because at some stage you might want to ask ebay to look at the messages.

Start an unpaid item dispute a week later.

They may very well pay via paypal but they still have to arrange to pick up. Paying via paypal does not mean an item has to be posted, as one buyer tried to claim to us. Ebay will back you up there, if your ad was clear. (we rang ebay)

Of course, the buyer can ultimately get their money back from paypal but the thing is, the onus falls on them to explain to ebay they paid but now they can't pick up etc.

If you have kept everything polite and they then tried to give neg feedback, you then at least have some recourse to ring up ebay and have it removed, especially if it mentions something like 'refused to post'.

My other suggestion is when you give follow up feedback, try to pack more factual info into it. I understand you were frustrated but saying 'get a job' doesn't help me, as a potential buyer, know what the problem was. If you wrote something like 'advertised as pick up only, this person lives interstate and demanded free postage' (or whatever the problem was), then other buyers will see the person was a moron, you don't have to tell them.

[samjess54]

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@springyzone wrote:

The short answer is no, there is no foolproof way to avoid trouble. The main problem is you can't offer cash only as the sole payment option.

............

 ......Then be very polite after a sale, offer several pick up time options, but do not, off your own bat, decide to cancel a sale . If someone is interstate, that is their problem to solve.

Keep being very polite & offering pick up options..........

Start an unpaid item dispute a week later.

They may very well pay via paypal but they still have to arrange to pick up. Paying via paypal does not mean an item has to be posted............

 .............

...................

My other suggestion is when you give follow up feedback, try to pack more factual info into it. I understand you were frustrated but saying 'get a job' doesn't help me, as a potential buyer, know what the problem was. If you wrote something like 'advertised as pick up only, this person lives interstate and demanded free postage' (or whatever the problem was), then other buyers will see the person was a moron, you don't have to tell them.

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Great response.

I get quite a few interstate buyers buy 'pick up only' items and invariably they have family/friends in Canberra or are coming here themselves.  On the odd occassion that that is not the case it has been easily sorted after I've sent them an email with my address/ph#/suggestions for pick up days/times............the cancellation option "buyer requests cancellation/there is a problem with the buyer's address" fits these instances perfectly once we've got to that stage - admittedly most times the buyer does not then formally respond to the 'cancellation request' but I'm happy to wait out the time until I can close it.

[justcruising48]

I think you are not allowed to offer cash only on pick up, but need to offer payments by paypal under ebays rules

[phorum_junkie*]

If they are out of pick up range just send them a revised invoice with the cost of an expensive courier service added then when they don't pay you can go through the unpaid item dispute process. 

I actually find I get better prices with no fees selling pick up items on Gumtree.

Never reply to feedback until after you have tried to get it removed by ebay.

I have been on ebay as long as you and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times anyone had tried a rip me off and none of them succeeded.

I have no negs on any of my accounts either, this does not mean i am perfect but that I treat my buyers the way I would like to be treated.

[user40789]

Hi springzone, thats the sort of advice I was looking for, thank you.  I'll make changes to my approach going forward.

Although accepting payment by paypal, then allowing local pick up is more risky than posting.  They can claim they never recieved the item, and you have no proof they didnt.  This is rare, because it means the scammer has to scam someone in the same state, and given scammers are gutless cowards usually relying on distance to make the scam work, they dont do this often (but has happened).

I emailed ebay and pointed out that these particular accounts had these problems:

1. The two accounts that left negs were different but had the same address (I thought this was against the rules, obviously not)
2. Both accounts created a month ago (both with 1 & 3 feedbacks)
3. Address was a bogus "suite" address - didnt exist in google maps.

Ebay said in email (politiely), they couldnt give a toss.  Beats me why ebay will sacrifice hundreds of dollars in future fees from good transactions by protecting a single scammer today - for the sake of a $7 commission.

Thanks for all the thoughts, good info.