Best way to protect yourself as ebay seller?

[jayk]

How do you protect yourself against fraudulent chargebacks by buyers?

Some buyers are not even certified by ebay.

I am worried because one of my sales said "ineligible for seller protection" even though I have my bank account and credit card listed with ebay. I assume that this means ebay wants to allow buyers to buy on ebay so they can eat the profit, whilst making the seller responsible for everything that goes wrong.

I wonder if I should remove my bank account from the profile, send my money to another account under my name but different address, and keep the credit card there.

I wonder if this method will 1) still allow me to sell on ebay and 2) if paypal has the authority to take the money from that other account that I send money to.

Thanks

[masterballer]

Dont accept paypal...thats it!

[GimmeGear]

+1 for this topic, I've got a cousin who's selling on ebay

Dont accept paypal...thats it!

So what can you use then?

[nobody1234]

+1 for this topic, I've got a cousin who's selling on ebay


How much is your cousin going for?

[quanta]

It's tricky...eBay requires a bit of faith in the other guy, since eBay and PP try not to get involved with disputes.

Avoiding PP is throwing the baby out with the bathwater, in my opinion. While it's true that if a deal goes sour PayPal will cover its own ass and leave you holding the bag, it really is the fastest, most reliable way to get paid.

1. Don't accept money orders or cheques. Too easy to forge, takes too long to clear.
2. Only ship when the money clears, never before.
3. Ship with insurance. Shipping to the US gets you automatic $100 insurance, but shipping inside Canada does not. If the buyer claims the package is damaged or never arrives, it is the seller's responsibility to set things right.

[Trooper8111]

Always check feedback. In your description, put in your terms that if the bidder has negative or no feedback, he/she has to email you first or you reserve the right to cancel the bid.

When you ship the item, make sure you have a tracking number. Also, check if the buyer has a confirmed address.

[tkl]

Always check feedback. In your description, put in your terms that if the bidder has negative or no feedback, he/she has to email you first or you reserve the right to cancel the bid.

When you ship the item, make sure you have a tracking number. Also, check if the buyer has a confirmed address.

I sell on ebay as well and always see the email first if you have less then # feed back but I don't see how that protects the seller. What exactly would the seller be asking if the person did email ?

[Trooper8111]

I sell on ebay as well and always see the email first if you have less then # feed back but I don't see how that protects the seller. What exactly would the seller be asking if the person did email ?

In my experience, the negative and no feedback bidders don't email me before they bid. If they can't read and follow instructions, then they aren't really trustworthy.

[quanta]

Yes, eBay also now has a way to filter out bids based on their feedback and activity. I.e. you can block pp with negative feedback from putting up a bid.

It's not foolproof, as scammy people can easily return with brand new logins, and there's always the issue of scammers hacking accounts of otherwise scrupulous eBayers.

And as trooper811 said, use a tracking # when shipping! eBay and PayPal will do nothing unless you do. All these things make shipping expensive, unfortunately.

[felix]

Yes, eBay also now has a way to filter out bids based on their feedback and activity. I.e. you can block pp with negative feedback from putting up a bid.

The only block buyer option close to that is "Have a feedback score equal to or lower than -1".

You wish you can block bad buyers with poor feedback. eBay makes the most money off final value fees and the more newbies they allow .. the higher your bids are which in turn means more revenue for them. They don't care if you get negative feedback from these bad buyers. That is why they no longer have the instant feedback notification feature in our preferences. Unfortunately the only way to pick and choose your buyers is to sell locally on a BST forum with feedback references like on RFD.

[jayk]

The only block buyer option close to that is "Have a feedback score equal to or lower than -1".

You wish you can block bad buyers with poor feedback. eBay makes the most money off final value fees and the more newbies they allow .. the higher your bids are which in turn means more revenue for them. They don't care if you get negative feedback from these bad buyers. That is why they no longer have the instant feedback notification feature in our preferences. Unfortunately the only way to pick and choose your buyers is to sell locally on a BST forum with feedback references like on RFD.

You bring up a good point. But also, I've found that buyers would rather pay more total than pay a high amount for shipping. For example, if you sold an item at $10+$70 shipping versus $70+$30 shipping, they would still rather pay $100 than $80. Do you guys find this to be true also?

[Trooper8111]

If you don't like the bidders feedback, just cancel the bid. If you're not dependent on Ebay for income, then you don't need the hassle of a bad bidder or complainer. You usually get a premium for your item if your feedback score is excellent anyway.

[Trooper8111]

You bring up a good point. But also, I've found that buyers would rather pay more total than pay a high amount for shipping. For example, if you sold an item at $10+$70 shipping versus $70+$30 shipping, they would still rather pay $100 than $80. Do you guys find this to be true also?

That's because shipping is not covered in the protection policy.

[jayk]

That's because shipping is not covered in the protection policy.

oh ok, no wonder.

[jayk]

Can someone answer this part of my original question:

"I wonder if I should remove my bank account from the profile, send my money to another account under my name but different address, and keep the credit card there.

I wonder if this method will 1) still allow me to sell on ebay and 2) if paypal has the authority to take the money from that other account that I send money to."

Thanks

[Trooper8111]

Can someone answer this part of my original question:

"I wonder if I should remove my bank account from the profile, send my money to another account under my name but different address, and keep the credit card there.

I wonder if this method will 1) still allow me to sell on ebay and 2) if paypal has the authority to take the money from that other account that I send money to."

Thanks

You don't need to have a bank account in Paypal to sell. You don't even need Paypal to sell on ebay.

[HBP]

That's what I would do, accept payments on one, immediately send to another and withdraw from there.

Make sure you always ship with tracking + signature!

[C_4_S]

In my experience, the negative and no feedback bidders don't email me before they bid. If they can't read and follow instructions, then they aren't really trustworthy.

Yeah, that's kind of my take on it too! The honest buyer just starting out on eBay will email or otherwise contact you showing a genuine interest in the item you have for sale. A scammer will just move on to an easier target! :|

[dvdguy]

"1. Don't accept money orders or cheques. Too easy to forge, takes too long to clear."

Money orders are easy to forge? Pile of crock. Sold on Ebay for 10 years, +10,000 transactions and never had a 'fake' money order.

[HBP]

"1. Don't accept money orders or cheques. Too easy to forge, takes too long to clear."

Money orders are easy to forge? Pile of crock. Sold on Ebay for 10 years, +10,000 transactions and never had a 'fake' money order.

It's the preferred method of payment in Nigeria. ;)

[quanta]

Also, do allow local pickup, cash and carry. Pick somewhere public, like your condo's lobby or a nearby mall.

Tell them you will accept cash only. When you receive the cash, count it yourself and run your thumb over the money to feel the embossing and inspect the holograms.

Not only does everyone save on shipping, you are basically guaranteed a legitimate transaction.

[jayk]

too bad ebay doesn't allow blocking of zero feedback buyers,

they make it a pain in the ass for you to get your fees back, you have to report it through a process and wait before you can get your fees back and relist

[iamfat]

It's the preferred method of payment in Nigeria. ;)

Thats because they are easily cashable and untraceable - not b/c its forgeable.

[jayk]

OMG it's day 2 and I still haven't been refunded my fees from ebay. How long do they take?

They give me this long generic stupid email about investigating the guy and COMPLETELY ignore my request to get my listing and final value fees back.

Then when you go to Live Help, they redirect you to the same generic links and you gotta wait and then you go through this cycle again.

[alanbrenton]

With shipment tracking number and the signature requirement, could the buyer still blatantly pretend that he/she didn't receive it? Some buyers live in high rises with concierge desks that can receive the packages on their behalf.

I've seen so many powersellers based overseas, I know it's less risky for them to be selling to Canadians and Americans but then again, S*IT happens.