Buying and Selling on eBay: Tips, Tricks, Problems & Questions

[TheNeedMachine]

For guys who have a store and know the answer:
What happens when I put my store in vacation mode? I know I then have the option to hide my listings, and since they're all BIN and no auction, all of them will be hidden. But wasn't there some caveat, where people would still be able to buy? Such as, if they had it in their watch list? Or if you require immediate payment? Or something like that?

Should I even use the option to hide all my listings to begin with? Not sure if it's a good or bad idea...but I also don't want someone buying something and then having to wait a long time before it ships and I get negative / neutral / one star feedback.

 

[Reosymes]

You can check the option of hiding listings and blocking people from buying your BINs in Messages->Settings. My experience from doing the above is that when you finally turn these options off when you return, traffic really takes a while to return. I had to do these in April when I went out of the country for 3 weeks and the next two months were really sluggish, though that could be a summer thing.

My compromise has been to turn vacation settings on so the appropriate message is displayed (Seller is away until xxx date), but I don't hide my listings or block buyers from buying. I just extend the handling time from one day to however many days I'm away for. I've been gone Mon-Fri lately for some conferences and it has worked well. I can respond to offers or messages from buyers. If it's an offer I'm about to accept I'll just send them a message with a heads up saying that I'm out of town and won't be able to ship until xxx date ('This information is displayed on my listings but I still wanted to warn you in case you needed the item in a hurry').

The only drawback to that is that you might lose the fee/shipping discounts for being a Top Rated Seller, but in my case it was worth it. Last time I was gone Mon-Fri, a few weeks ago, I actually sold more items than I do in a regular week, funny enough.

 

[turkey_sandwich]

You can all block pryyyda. He made an offer, I accepted, he never paid despite several courteous messages. Unpaid item case opened and closed at day 6 without so much as a word.

 

[Brianpore]

Need a little help with this one, anyone translate. Confusing as its very recent DAKS. Feels like cashmere, Measures out to approx 42 S







PS - Adjusted the lighting a little. Raw photos - Just for fun.

 

[TheNeedMachine]

Thanks for the info @Reosymes!

 

[TheNeedMachine]

Block kklu-2015. Returning a shirt due to "not the right pattern" even though I had 8 pics of the shirt clearly showing what the pattern looked like.

 

[jdrizzy]

How does it look when you are blocked by an ebayer? Do you see any listings?

 

[TheNeedMachine]

How does it look when you are blocked by an ebayer? Do you see any listings?

If you block someone, they can see your listings but cannot bid on nor buy anything from you. It's the same whether you have their username on your block list, or they are blocked based on your preference settings. I've gotten messages from both type of blocked users, saying they wanted to bid on something but were prevented from doing so by eBay.

 

[TheNeedMachine]



More a vent than anything else about the worst buyer I've ever encountered.

The Mets make the post season, so it's time to flip my Starter jacket from the mid-1980s. Time it perfectly, and it goes for a decent, but not absurd, price--under $50. I'm happy until I get the first message: Please ship the jacket immediately and I will pay you upon shipment. Before I can ask what he's smoking, he pays, then demands that I ship the jacket immediately, even though the listing clearly says three-day shipping. Nonetheless, I ship early. Takes the post office longer than expected. After four days, the where's-my-jacket messages start. He accuses me of providing a false tracking number, even though the number is right there on the page. When he gets the jacket, he complains that it's filthy (not true) and ripped (not true) and demands a refund. And since he paid before I shipped, it's only fair that I refund his money before he sends me the jacket. Before I can respond, he contacts eBay demanding his money back.

Knowing there's no way I'll win a SNAD, I tell him that I'll refund his money, but only when I get the garment back in the exact condition it was sent. I also tell him that I have taken lots of photographs, so it had better be in the condition it was when he got it. I'm quite sure it will arrive with a fresh tear and I, at the end of the day, will end up with negative feedback.

Presuming I get the jacket back in sellable condition, it will be after the Mets are out of the playoffs, and so I'll have to wait another jillion years.

...hope you got the jacket back. Sell for more now that the Mets are "out of the playoffs" and headed to the Series.

 

[tonylamer]

One to add to the list: watchmeshop.

I sell the guy my--yes, this is a shirt that I wore--'90s Hilfiger t-shirt rather than use it as a rag to shine my shoes. I include measurements in the listing, and mention specifically that it fits shorter than a typical XL. The price, including shipping from Canada, was $24.99.

I get two messages this morning. Notice how the buyer states that it "looks" like a child's XL. (At 32 and 185, I'm definitely not a child.) Not that it doesn't fit, but that it looks like it wouldn't fit. Also, what about the hysterics on a $25 t-shirt?

1: "The shirt came today. Looks like a child's XL. I so angry and feel totally taken advantage of. I hate being ripped off.
I'm filing a complaint with eBay. This is blatant false selling."

2: "This shirt is NOT an adult XL. Looks like a child s XL. The seller does not state in the ad that its a child s shirt. I feel ripped off and taken advantage of. Now I have to pay return shipping to Canada because they were dishonest about their product??? This is a SCAM!!! I want refund + return shipping."

 

[DanM]

Buyer opened a return on a Zegna suit, states the size is wrong. All my measurements match up to the stated size, I requested he provide some additional detail, haven't heard anything back. I'm guessing my best option is to take the return rather than decline it?

 

[idfnl]



Little help? Listing title ideas for this Brioni clusterfuck please and thank you.

Russian mob special?

 

[idfnl]

Ebay -> paypal spinoff is having repercussions. Labels purchased on paypal are not updating on ebay consistently.

 

[kbadgley84]



Ebay -> paypal spinoff is having repercussions. Labels purchased on paypal are not updating on ebay consistently.

Ives noticed the same thing, a lot more labels not updating at all even after a week

 

[pnutpug]



...hope you got the jacket back. Sell for more now that the Mets are "out of the playoffs" and headed to the Series.

Yes, I got it back. Not sure, though, whether to re-list. I would do well to lose 20 pounds and wear it myself. It is actually pretty cool.