How Do You Sell Items On eBay?

[AintSkeered]

Do you make the buyer wait until his payment clears PayPal and is transferred into your bank account?

[Gato]

 :)definately wait til the payment clears if they pay echeck and if paypal it should go rightaway. then either just leave it in your paypal or transfer to your account but it will cost you not much.

[Mudneck]

Absolutely wait! If they are Paypal verified than you get the buyer protection and or if the funds are available in their account its an instant transfer.If the funds have to be brought in from a CC or another bank account it may take a few days. For example I sold a trailer to a guy today that is not verified. It takes 24 hrs for the transaction to clear. If I release the trailer I am taking a chance. Sometimes they use E-check's which can take several days to clear.

[Keeter]

Cash is King. Don't get any ideas there.

[AintSkeered]

If PayPal releases the buyer's money to me(seller), can PayPal simply take it back if a buyer comes back and complains that the item was not as described/advertised(buyer takes item out of box and then claims he was sent an empty box)? If buyer's payment clears PayPal and I've withdrawn it, can they take it back from my checking account/credit card if a thief claims he got an empty box or a box of rocks? I will not sell anything until I have those answers, otherwise, I can lose my merchandise and my money. In other words, how does PayPal protect sellers? I ask this only because PayPal's seller protection policies state that they do not protect sellers when a buyer claims the item delivered was not as described. Sounds like too big of a loophole for any buyer(to simply change his mind). That's why I now always insure the item when shipping, but, my daughter-in-law even get screwed with that, too, when  she let UPS package the item and they later denied her claim due to improper packaging(her receipt only showed that she bought the foam packaging peanuts and not the box(scam IMHO).

[SpeedQuest]

I have been on both sides of E-Bay/PayPal deals gone bad.  As a seller, the bidder accused me of shipping a damaged product (or at least not in the condition he felt it should be).  He returned the product, PayPal refunded the money, I sold it to someone else and they were fine with it.

As a buyer, I purchased some parts.  Two weeks after my payment cleared, I still had not received the parts.  The buyer kept coming up with excuses why they weren't shipped.  I notified PayPal and they began their Resolution process.  It took the full 30 days, but I got back every nickel I paid.

If things go bad, it takes time to get them right, but as long as documentation is on your side, you will win and keep your $$ or products.

[Mudneck]

^ good points. I have sold tons on e-bay with only a few problems. I learned for the paypal protection that you need to get delivery conformation, this is standard on priority but must be paid extra for parcel post. That takes care of " I didnt get it."

 Next is proper and fully disclosed honest descriptions,list every scratch. Worst case if buyer doesnt want it they ship it back,paypal only refunds price of item. You recover the shipping (be sure & have that listed in your description) All that is lost time.

[AintSkeered]

Yes sir. But, according to one UPS employee, there's still two things that can still happen. 1) buyer can refuse delivery, "claiming the item was not as described". You already gave him the tracking number and his buddies at UPS tracked the item and either removed the item or it got "lost", after buyer refused delivery. 2) buyer initially accepts delivery, but, immediately calls UPS back to inform them that the package was empty or damaged(which is also called "item not as described"). Then, PayPal rules in favor of buyer and seller's only recourse is to file an insurance claim with UPS, hoping UPS will not deny the claim on a variety of written exceptions, including that their inspection revealed you did not use the "appropriate" shipping box.

[TRX450R_Racer]

When UPS delivers to a residence they drop it without a signature. When delivered to a business a signature is required. If you send something to a residence and it's over $250 you must send it signature required to be protected under PayPal policy.

[Mudneck]

Sounds like with all the hesitation you shouldn't be using UPS, I have never once had a ups guy wait for me to open a package to see what was inside. I use USPS. As soon as it gets dropped off its recorded as such end of story as far as paypal is concerned. If the buyer gets home & the package isn't there,broke etc.. too bad the mail man already scanned it as being delivered.

Its supposed to be a fun deal, buy sell etc...If you have so many worries sell your stuff in paper or on C L & have them pick it up. If your worrying about the worst case scenarios than why bother its not worth it.

[AintSkeered]

I won't use UPS or FedEx. With USPS, you're package is far less likely to be "lost" because criminals risk federal mail fraud charges. If you can't afford the loss, do not ship your item(s) until your payment clears PayPal AND you've withdrawn the money or confirmed it's transfer into your non-PayPal bank account. Buyers won't like that because they assume all of the risk. But, to protect their businesses, eBay/PayPal must protect buyers better than sellers(when you abide by their rules).