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eBay Don'ts


Rev. Rob

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Here's my list of eBay things that irritate me lately. Please feel free to expand/add your own.

 


  1.  
  2. Don't put the word "Rare" in the title of your auction. Sonic the Hedgehog is not rare and the price isn't going up a single cent just because you said so. All this accomplishes is making the term "rare" completely fucking useless as a search word.
  3. Don't list your item at below market price and then charge ten times what the shipping actually costs. It's like, oh look, Legend of Zelda with a $0.99 BIN. But then you click on it and it has $35 shipping to the US. All that will accomplish is a lot of page views, not sales.
  4. Don't list your item with a stock photo and not describe the condition. Stock photos are already bullshit in the first place, but what's worse is forcing me to email you to find out if the copy of Gears of War you're selling is complete or just the damn disc.
  5. Don't make me go through some bullshit third party auction site. I have to go through enough clicks and logins with eBay/Paypal. If you use one of these I will cancel the auction on the spot and let you know why.

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I agree with everything you said....

 

In addition, don't offer auctions at all if you can't pay with PayPal. You may offer other options, but make PayPal one of them. As long as I live, I will never, ever, go through the hassle of using a Money Order ever again.

 

I would also like auctions list HOW the item is being shipped. If it will be by Priority Mail, then say so. If it will be by the slow boat to China, then say so.

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I agree with everything you said....

 

In addition, don't offer auctions at all if you can't pay with PayPal. You may offer other options, but make PayPal one of them. As long as I live, I will never, ever, go through the hassle of using a Money Order ever again.

 

 

I so agree with this statement.

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I agree with the above but I'd like to add:

If you're shipping something use a little common sense. Don't try to cram it all in the smallest old, broken down, container possible without packing material. i.e. the example someone posted here of the empty 2600 carts that were all just crammed in the box and arrived all scuffed up. Damaged goods only piss off the buyer.

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What about wasting space in the auction title to include that the games are tested, AS IS, or broke? If I see broke, I'm probably not clicking the link. I guess I expect details regarding condition to be in the description.

 

Poor quality photos aren't very helpful either, especially if AS IS or untested is the condition. Time to upgrade from the crappy phone or web cam.

 

And I love winning lots that are odorific! My most recent lot win was like starting a cigarette incense in my living room!

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And I love winning lots that are odorific! My most recent lot win was like starting a cigarette incense in my living room!

 

One of the worst I ever got involved hulling the whole thing and hosing it out on the deck with 'Orange Blast'. I took alcohol-dipped Q-tips to the entire board just to de-funk the thing.

 

Did I mention the dead roaches that came out of the case when I opened it?

:woozy:

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In addition, don't offer auctions at all if you can't pay with PayPal. You may offer other options, but make PayPal one of them. As long as I live, I will never, ever, go through the hassle of using a Money Order ever again.

 

The exact opposite could be said by other people, too.

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Here's my list of eBay things that irritate me lately. Please feel free to expand/add your own.

 


  1.  
  2. Don't put the word "Rare" in the title of your auction. Sonic the Hedgehog is not rare and the price isn't going up a single cent just because you said so. All this accomplishes is making the term "rare" completely fucking useless as a search word.
  3. Don't list your item at below market price and then charge ten times what the shipping actually costs. It's like, oh look, Legend of Zelda with a $0.99 BIN. But then you click on it and it has $35 shipping to the US. All that will accomplish is a lot of page views, not sales.
  4. Don't list your item with a stock photo and not describe the condition. Stock photos are already bullshit in the first place, but what's worse is forcing me to email you to find out if the copy of Gears of War you're selling is complete or just the damn disc.
  5. Don't make me go through some bullshit third party auction site. I have to go through enough clicks and logins with eBay/Paypal. If you use one of these I will cancel the auction on the spot and let you know why.

 

:thumbsup: Great post.

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Yes yes and yes.

 

How about

Dont expect to get your best price if you wont ship beyond the lower 48. Hello. There is a bigger market out there waiting, wanting, heck BEGGING to bid and sigh a thousand sighs when your item sells for 5 bucks and I've tried to bid $25 but Ebay wont accept the bid 'cause the seller wont ship to you because you are in Canada, Europe, Australia, whatever.... These are not 3rd world countries, people.

 

Dont post your listing without checking what ridiculous price Ebay has determined shipping should be. I email at least twice a day asking if that single cart I am lookin' at buying when its sent to me via priority post is really $46.75

 

Two words. SPELL CHECK. Or risk sounding like a moron who wont be able to find the post office once you sell your crap. I'm not talkin' like breif instead of brief, I am talking ARARI CARTIGE REEL NICE ADITON TO YOUR COLECSHUN.

 

And what's with those listings where the seller wont take 2 stinking minutes to dust off their crap? Pictures of dust bunnies and 25 years of garage fallout. I am not saying you need to powerwash and armorall everything but at least dust the friggin thing off.

 

Ahh, I feel better.

Edited by coleconut
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Dont expect to get your best price if you wont ship beyond the lower 48. Hello. There is a bigger market out there waiting, wanting, heck BEGGING to bid and sigh a thousand sighs when your item sells for 5 bucks and I've tried to bid $25 but Ebay wont accept the bid 'cause the seller wont ship to you because you are in Canada, Europe, Australia, whatever.... These are not 3rd world countries, people.

As someone who normally only ships CONUS, let me say this...

 

To get any kind of seller protection, you need at a minimum, delivery confirmation, and to be truly safe, signature confirmation.

Those services are prohibitively expensive, and in some cases, unavailable, outside the US.

For a small item, I might take a chance. But there's no way I'm sending a high ticket item to an unknown individual with no protections whatsoever.

 

It's not that sellers think they are "3rd world countries", it is simply that we don't want to get screwed over.

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When I see an auction that is "USA only" that I really want to bid on, I will send a PM to the seller explaining that I am interested and am willing to cover any extra shipping costs, as a small item usually costs $2 or $3 more to ship to Canada.

 

I've found that if I send a PM to these "USA only" sellers, about 50% of the time they will agree to accept your bid if you have good feedback. They can see that you are a reliable bidder and not out to screw them over.

 

And if the seller isn't willing to take your bid, oh well; it's their loss. Even if you don't win, you could have driven the highest bid up further.

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When I see an auction that is "USA only" that I really want to bid on, I will send a PM to the seller explaining that I am interested and am willing to cover any extra shipping costs, as a small item usually costs $2 or $3 more to ship to Canada.

 

I've found that if I send a PM to these "USA only" sellers, about 50% of the time they will agree to accept your bid if you have good feedback. They can see that you are a reliable bidder and not out to screw them over.

 

And if the seller isn't willing to take your bid, oh well; it's their loss. Even if you don't win, you could have driven the highest bid up further.

 

 

Very true! Actually I would bump the chances of being sold to being Canadian by a USA only seller up to around 70 percent from my experience.

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When I see an auction that is "USA only" that I really want to bid on, I will send a PM to the seller explaining that I am interested and am willing to cover any extra shipping costs, as a small item usually costs $2 or $3 more to ship to Canada.

 

I've found that if I send a PM to these "USA only" sellers, about 50% of the time they will agree to accept your bid if you have good feedback. They can see that you are a reliable bidder and not out to screw them over.

 

And if the seller isn't willing to take your bid, oh well; it's their loss. Even if you don't win, you could have driven the highest bid up further.

 

 

I am usually willing to ship outside the US, have never been burned by bidders from Europe or Canada. Have shipped several items to Poland, Canada, England and France, no problems at all. There are some countries, you need to stay clear of though, not necessarily because of the bidders, just their postal service stinks.

 

As for cheap to ship, it is as long the weight is low enough to go airmail, any thing else either takes two months or is expensive.

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When I see an auction that is "USA only" that I really want to bid on, I will send a PM to the seller explaining that I am interested and am willing to cover any extra shipping costs, as a small item usually costs $2 or $3 more to ship to Canada.

 

I've found that if I send a PM to these "USA only" sellers, about 50% of the time they will agree to accept your bid if you have good feedback. They can see that you are a reliable bidder and not out to screw them over.

 

And if the seller isn't willing to take your bid, oh well; it's their loss. Even if you don't win, you could have driven the highest bid up further.

 

In fact, yes, this has worked with me on several occasions... Got an email from international bidder, checked their feedback, and opened the bidding to them, though I do require international bidders to agree that proof of mailing ends my obligation to them if they are unwilling to pay the (sadly exorbitant) fees for delivery confirmation.

 

I feel bad charging someone more for shipping than an item is worth. (Though after one buyers pleas, I shipped an A800 to England, $40 for the system, $60 something shipping!)

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I feel bad charging someone more for shipping than an item is worth. (Though after one buyers pleas, I shipped an A800 to England, $40 for the system, $60 something shipping!)

From his UK point of view, $100 US was probably a bargain for an A800 in nice shape.

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