Ok so I just put my 3GS up on ebay and not even 6 hours later someone does "buy it now" for $550... Now here is my issue, the users account was created today, and obviously has zero feedback.. Is this "fishy"? Does anyone know what I can do to prevent myself from getting screwed over? Or if I should just go ahead and send it once the money is received? Thanks, I'm a pretty new ebay'r so any advice would be appreciated! Thanks...
I believe having sold 9 products qualifies me to be... *whips luscious hair back* a veteran. An account with 0 feedback isn't always fishy. It could just be someone that created an account just to buy the iPhone. As long as you get the cash on PayPal (it'll be held for either 21 days or until the buyer has confirmed they received it by leaving positive feedback), you're fine.
I'd be surprised if he pays at all Sorry, it's just that I hate newbies, I always end up having to relist because they never pay. From experience, even the vets can screw you over. Usually they say they never got anything or it was broken on arrival. They file a claim through Paypal and they usually side with the buyer from what I've seen and heard. Get a tracking number on that bad boy, that way if the seller doesn't feel like leaving any feedback then Paypal will still release the funds(if they hold, which doesn't always happen) once it gets there. I think they wait a few days after arrival, but at least you wont have to wait super long due to the buyer not leaving feedback. Most people on Ebay are decent though and after you get payment it's usually smooth sailing, whether that be from a newb or a vet. But just like with anything, there's always a risk. I've been on Ebay awhile, don't have a lot of feedback though. 80+ feedback adding up my two accounts, just speaking from personal experience
How the eff did you get 550 for it brian? Once I heard of the price drop I figured all resale value was gone on both my iphones (1st gen and 3gs)
That's why I find it fishy, I set the listing at $300 and figured the $550 would be a bonus but didn't expect it to really go for that... Can anyone confirm if I get a tracking # and require a signature upon delivery, then paypal will give me the money whether the guy claims it's broke or never recieved etc?... I just don't want the money to go into the account (21 days?) and then him say that I shipped him a brick and then me be out my money and my phone, that would suck...
Well no, if the guy complains to paypal that it was broken or whatever then they won't give you the money. They'll keep on holding it. A case will probably be opened up and Paypal will "investigate", then make their decision. Now if he said that he never received and you have a tracking number then I don't see why Paypal would have any reason to doubt you. That's your proof that the item was delivered appropriately.
I've never sold anything on ebay but I'd definitely take video of it working outside the post office, being placed in the box, then me walking to the counter and shipping it off.
Good call bro... Done and done I think that's probably the best way to do it... *Video taping* I'll print out a UPS Label show the label being put on the box and everything with tracking number... No way they could dispute that no? and this is assuming he even pays me at all, so i guess I'll update this once I find out more on the situation... But man I hope it goes smooth
Yep, some sellers do video tape the actual shipping process. Can't say I know if it's been 100% successful though, never followed up with them on the Ebay forums. I don't think Paypal would side with the buyer in that case, but I generally don't trust Paypal with anything.
Will it give me that confirmation after he pays? Or can I check it before?... I did say only verified accounts can bid but Im not sure how to confirm them myself... Sorry for being such a newb this is only my second time selling something.
Been an eBayer for years, well over 1,000 feedback as buyer and seller, and I too would be surprised if he pays. All of my auctions have a stipulation in the description that new eBayers must contact me before bidding so that I know they're serious. I don't mind newbies bidding, but I want to make sure they're not just on a lark or plan to try and scam me. All of my auctions will automatically deny users who have either 2 or more recent bid retractions or who have less than 0 feedback, as well, though that's rarely been a problem. I've had a few newbies exactly like that BIN or win an auction, and without fail they've never paid. Never even contacted me or responded to my E-Mails except for one, who begged off the win claiming some family emergency. If you're going to put a BIN, require immediate payment. (This requires a PayPal account.) That way, they have to pay right away, and if they don't (via PayPal) the BIN is nullified and the auction continues. It does have the disadvantage that people who can't afford to pay right away will look elsewhere, but if it's a high demand item, it's worth it to avoid the hassle of dealing with deadbeat bidders.
Should I call the number he has listed?... Gahh this sucks! I also missed the option for immediate payment on the BIN, I wish I had used it, now my listing is missing and I'm waiting for nothing...
It should say "sellers confirmed address" somewhere on the paypal payment notice, if the buyer has one. Next time, say on the listing that you'll only ship to a confirmed address. If you look on the paypal site, it'll say everything you need to do to qualify for paypal seller protection; shipping only to a confirmed address is one of those things. If I were worried about it, I'd also ship it with the recipient's signature required. That way, the buyer can't claim that the package was mis-delivered or stolen before he got it. And I'd take a picture of the IMEI number, so if it's returned you're know you're getting the same one back.
@Uptown, awesome advice, thank you very much, I'll do that. Like I said this is assuming he does even pay in the first place, but I did remember to include in the listing only verified accounts may bid. I also made a YouTube video so that should stop any doubts about the product I had listed...
[FONT=Arial, Verdana]From Ebay: We recently canceled bids for the buyer: Our records indicate that this buyer recently attempted to complete a transaction with you. Since the buyer is not currently registered on the eBay site, you can consider the transaction canceled if you haven't already shipped the item. Looks like he canceled his account... I knew it... Well re-listed hopefully I don't get scammed.. I set the BIN to require immediate payment now, so I should be good, thanks for the help everybody! [/FONT]
I've been ebaying for about 10 years(since it started), selling and buying. After an auction where you sell something send the winner an invoice(he should get one automatically with the system nowadays) then wait 3 days, if no response or payment, try emailing one last time(personal email, wait a couple more days and then report the guy if they don't respond and list the item again. Anyway in 10 years I have done about 1000 transactions and only 1 of them I had a non payer. Most people do care about feedback and feedback + or - percentage, so if you don't have a lot of feedback there is a good chance you will get slightly less then what you could have. Its a trust thing, too many @sses out there.
Ah, yeah, I had a situation similar to that a while back. I was selling this ancient and incredibly messed up Dell Inspiron laptop, and figured I wouldn't get more than $150 tops. This Nigerian guy buys it, and sends me a payment for some weird number like $227.14, even though the bidding only reached about $143. The second red flag arrived when the email from PayPal came in. 1) The email formatting looked nothing like I was used to, and 2) the sender address was funky. Then I got bombarded with these emails demanding I send the package or he'd have report. I send a couple emails back, no reply, and eBay eventually shut his account down. Gotta be careful and pay attention.
Yeah, if you get any nibbles from Nigerians, be they bids or the Ask Seller a Question, cancel the bid (if he made one) and do not respond to any E-Mails. It's almost a guarantee it's variant of the 419 scam. Uptown's advice is solid, too. The old CYA adage comes into play here: Make sure you've got all your bases covered so that if there are any problems you have proof in spades that whatever happened, it's not your fault. Take pictures, ship only to confirmed addresses, and only with tracking and signature required, pack your parcels really well (seriously, buy packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and use plenty of packing tape, because your parcel is just another football to package handlers) and always keep shipping reciepts. It's more expensive for the buyer to pay extra on shipping for that, but not as expensive as getting screwed out of a big ticket item with a chargeback or PayPal dispute.
lol, Paypal launched an investigation against my dad for having 'too much money' in his Paypal account for 'too long'... it wasn't even $1000 Australian!
