I was on eBay way back when you had to mail a check to your seller.. everyone had access to your info.. but we trusted each other, and my bank account remained safe, I was never phoned by a crank, and most of all, we interacted through Email and snail mail.
eBay is probably BETTER now than it was 7 years ago, but it is not personable at all unless you take the time to make it so. If you pay by PayPal, chances are, you will never even know your seller's address, and if they registered with a business Paypal account, you won't even know their names.
There are some steps to successful eBay trading. If no one minds, I will share what has saved my butt a few times.
1) READ the FB for either your seller, or your bidders. If you are a seller and you don't want deadbeats, add a sentence to your auction stating: " I reserve the right to cancel bids from any bidder with less than 10 positive FB as a buyer( or however you want to word it). No buyers with (private) FB. Do not bid if you have more than 2 negative FBs in the past 12 months". You set the limits on who you want to do business with, and enforce it. I have cancelled MANY bids because of new users who didn't read my one sentence bidding terms. If what you are selling is a good product, then it will sell. You can also report people who bid on your auction against your rules, and they may be suspended. If the person who doesn't meet your criteria uses BIN or otherwise bids late and wins, you are not obligated to sell to that person.
If you are a bidder, look at the total picture of your seller. That means that you have to click on the number beside the eBay member name, and READ the FB profile. Even if the percentage is high, if they are doing a huge volume of business, they can still have 15-20 or more negs. per month. You might as well throw your money down a hole as bid on something from an iffy seller.
Also, look at the FB which the seller has left for others who have bought from them. If all they are leaving is negs or neutrals and negs, then leave them alone. You will be the next one with a red minus sign by your name.
There is NOTHING on eBay today which won't be there again. The price may be a bit higher, but like they say:"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". A lower price is no substitute for first quality items, even if used.
2) Join Square Trade. Put the Square Trade seal on your " About Me" page, even if that's all that is there. People are less likely to rip off a Square Trade member, and the Email sent to eBay by a ST member gets priority handling.
If you have a valid complaint which relates to eBay itself and not to a seller or buyer, then CALL them.
It's not easy, but here's how:
3) Dial 1-800-322-9266- This is a direct line to eBay.
WRITE THIS DOWN. They do not hand it out. It is hard to find, however I am not posting private information. eBay is a corporation. This number comes in extra handy if you are a seller and eBay is saying you haven't paid your seller fees when you have. It recently got a friend's eBay account restored, as they were not reading her emails.
4) Read the auction description as well as the seller's rules and regs. Sellers have stopped telling buyers what they are selling, because the emphasis is on getting paid. If you have a question about ANYTHING, the condition of the item, the fact that the photo is either not clear or is a copy out of a magazine ( a big no no), then Email the seller through the " Ask seller a question" option. If they don't answer, forget it.
There is nothing sold on eBay today which won't be there in a week or a month. If you are buying " Ray Ban sunglasses" and you think they may be fakes- ASK the seller if they are genuine Ray Bans. If the seller waffles on the answer, or says they don't know, don't bid.Selling counterfeit trademarked goods is a crime. Receiving counterfeit goods is a bad thing, also.
5) Make sure the shipping charges are clear. Again, this involves minimal work on the part of the potential buyer. Email the seller with your zip code and ASK. I hate it when sellers put some cutesy remark in the "Location" spot.. like " My attic". They should clearly state where they live.. Some people sell from Alaska and Hawaii, and had rather you not know that. Others are just being coy or trying to cuten up their listing. If they put the little calculator on their auction, use it. If it seems very high, Email your seller through the "Ask seller a question" option. Ask if they are sure they picked the right category as an item of that size and weight usually ships for X $. Have your facts in hand, and you probably will get a lower shipping cost in the end.
6) DON'T leave FB until you have received your item and used it. No matter what a seller says, or if they leave FB for you as soon as you pay ( which they should), wait until you or the person you bought the product or item for uses it, then proceed.
7) DON'T skip insurance. Buy it. Also, buy PayPal's insruance if it is offered. If no insurance option is listed on the auction, ask the seller before you buy. If you forgot, email and ask them before you pay.
8) If the item is not as described or is otherwise defective, get the person's contact info. Call them, or if it is a company, ask for Customer Service and state your case. Be nice, calm and friendly. REMEMBER- They also have your contact info plus your address. This is the INTERNET and that seller or buyer is a STANGER, folks. State what problems you are having. Don't call them sleazy or rip offs or you can forget it. Ask to return a defective item for a refund or replacement if you received something defective. If you received the wrong item, you need to have done some homework before you call. Look for the CORRECT item on another current or recently completed auction and do a screen capture. Print out the page. Refer to the auction when telling your seller what the problem with their green widget is.. You ordered a blue widget as in auction #543029923.
If they care, they will accept a return. I have had sellers who sent me the right item, didn't want their money back for the wrong one, AND refunded all my money. It's all in the art of the deal, so to speak.
9) Email your buyer within 24 hours of buying something. Give them all the info they could need: Item number, item name, tell them you are happy to have been their high bidder, that you will be paying on ____ using _____ method ( make sure it is one they accept) and give them your name and address so they can have your package ready.
PAY within 5 days, max. If you can't, then you can't afford what you are bidding on, so go on to something else. Another CD will come along. Sometimes, patience pays off big time after the middle of Jan. as people are getting rid of excess stock, unpaid layaways, unwanted Christmas gifts, and are selling something really nice because THEY need the money due to large Christmas expenses on the VISA.
10) Saved the best for last: Treat your buyer or seller exactly how you want to be treated. They are a person. Address them by their name in Email, and when you receive your item, email them and thank them if you don't have any problems.. LEAVE NICE AND APPROPRIATE FB. If you are the seller, leave + FB for those who pay you as soon as they pay you. File a NPB alert with eBay for deadbeat bidders, and leave a negative if you have done all you can do to contact the buyer. Be prepared for a retalitatory negative. Most people will be upset and leave a negative even when they were the ones who were wrong.
You can Email the seller 30 days or so after the auction if they haven't left FB for you, and ask if maybe they were busy and overlooked leaving it, saying again that you like your item and have left FB for them, etc.. but do NOT try to make anyone leave FB for you. It is against Ebay's rules.
One more thing:
Even if you broke the thing you bought the first time you used it, it's yours. I once broke an MP3 player from an electronics store the first time I used it.. Things happen. If you think there is a quality problem, the time to complain about poor quality of an item is before you use it, so you can return it unused.
eBay has many links in the " Contact us" section to ask questions about a specific auction, seller, buyer, to report problems after an auction, etc. Find the right one before you write the complaint up, and make sure you check the square to send yourself a copy.
If you follow these steps, and do not expect the sun, moon and stars for a very small price, then you should have as much fun on eBay as we always do.
if you snipe bid only, don't expect to be the winner. It's a hit or miss system because so many other people are doing it for popular items now.
Happy shopping.
