got boned again on ebay

Well, my sales I mentioned earlier were disappointing, but I sold my Bucky O'Hare set for $25 and the 3 Reba sets I got for $4 each sold for $25 combined. Guess that makes up for it...
 
[quote name='nabuch']I totally disagree that the buyer was wrong. He probably thought after so long that you were scamming him and he wasn't going to get anything. After he filed the claim, and then got the merchandise, he probably figured you just sent it because of the claim. If I were him, and actually I was on a sale where the guy said 2 day shipping and sent it media mail and it took two weeks plus to get, then offering to send them back for $6 shipping, was the right thing to do.

I buy more than I sell, and get ripped off all the time, so it works both ways. I never sell on ebay because you pay fees even if it doesn't sell. I use half.com, owned by ebay, and Amazon. Amazon fees are a little higher, but items sell much quicker.[/QUOTE]

They don't charge fees if it doesn't sell anymore.
 
[quote name='nabuch']I totally disagree that the buyer was wrong.[/QUOTE]

The op actually admitted that he himself was in the wrong, and just complaining that the buyer was being a bitch, which the buyer was especially being contacted throughout the transaction and also giving him the impression everything was okay.
 
[quote name='Blade']I deactivated my account because a buyer wanted a refund on a digital game code he already used in May, and he has been sending threatening emails ever since. Sometimes I open up that mailing address tied to the account and find multiple harassing messages. Last ones were sent last week.

Sellers not being able to leave negative or neutral feedback for buyers is fucking retarded. Ebay isn't what it used to be. Don't give that shit site the time of day.[/QUOTE]

Have you tried reporting the guy to eBay? I think eBay has something like that for threatening messages sent through their email system.

If he's doing it out of eBay's email system, you're SOL. I had to negative a seller once, then he made a new email address and sent me an email where he threatened to come to my house and break the item over my head. We live across the country from each other but it was still a little unnerving. I reported him and his email to eBay and they basically said "There's nothing we can do if its outside of our email system." I reported his new email account to Yahoo and they shut it down. I also reported him to his ISP but I doubt they did anything.
 
[quote name='coolsteel']You need to call ebay customer service and if that fails since that is always hit or miss call paypal to explain your situation.. You have proof it was delivered if the tracking updated to reflect that you have a leg to stand on.[/QUOTE]

to everyone asking, it says that since he won his case I can't open a repeal case, the item has been closed on and there's no options for me.
 
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and to everyone saying it doesn't seem worth it, I did tell him to go fuck himself, he just replied now with "just reported you to ebay". I really don't care anymore lol.

as for me ordering the sleeves from ebay, I'm broke and used ebay bucks for the sleeves, in hindsight I probably should've just shipped them out on a spindle as someone suggested, or just tossed them in a mailer and called it a day. I was trying from the perspective of a buyer, and had I gotten a bunch of discs without sleeves I personally wouldn't be too pleased, it's a minor thing but I brought it up to him giving him the option to either get the discs only or wait for sleeves and he chose the latter, and I still seem to be the bad guy somehow.
 
[quote name='htz']You have done so many things wrong, that I can't understand how "you" were the one getting boned.

  • Buyer held up his end by paying on time.
  • Buyer had to wait 2 weeks for you to ship plus another week to deliver.
  • You requested the items be returned to you, Buyer asked for $6. (Pretty reasonable considering you held onto his money for 3 weeks plus the time he would need to take out of his day to send it back.)
I also found this pretty stupid...
"Selling a lot of 13 PS2 games. They range from good to very good condition, discs only. I can't guarantee all of them work because I have no way to test them so I'm selling as-is used, but I don't think you'll have a problem with them. These are just games I've had sitting around over the years, being that the cases are lost the discs have become scratched a bit but nothing that looks too bad. They have been resting on a spindle for the past year. Message me with any questions, thanks for looking!"

You couldn't even guarantee that the discs all work, and that they contain scratches. So why go through the trouble of buying paper sleeves? You even have them resting on a spindle....

Sorry to kick a CAG while there down but I can't find a good reason to defend your actions. Be prepared with everything you need before listing your auction next time.[/QUOTE]

ever consider I may have other things going on in my life? nobody is perfect, I am sorry this guy had to wait an extra 2 weeks for his items, but he AGREED to wait the extra time, he knew what was going on. I have nothing to prove to you, I am fucking broke okay? But I am a damn good person and would do whatever possible within reason to make the other party happy. I would have refunded them on the spot if they had disagreed to wait the extra time.

I don't know, I personally don't think I did much wrong. I also don't see what's wrong with the description of my listing, but whatever.
 
[quote name='ecwfan']Call eBay customer service at 866-540-3229. Be prepared to wait a good 30 to 60 minutes before someone answers. Explain your situation. Have the DC number ready. If you contacted the buyer through eBay Messages they can see those too. They can reverse the decision.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the number. I am running on a 250 minute a month phone budget so I don't think I'll bother anymore though, but I appreciate it.
 
[quote name='iNFiNiTE HORiZON']and to everyone saying it doesn't seem worth it, I did tell him to go fuck himself, he just replied now with "just reported you to ebay". I really don't care anymore lol.

as for me ordering the sleeves from ebay, I'm broke and used ebay bucks for the sleeves, in hindsight I probably should've just shipped them out on a spindle as someone suggested, or just tossed them in a mailer and called it a day. I was trying from the perspective of a buyer, and had I gotten a bunch of discs without sleeves I personally wouldn't be too pleased, it's a minor thing but I brought it up to him giving him the option to either get the discs only or wait for sleeves and he chose the latter, and I still seem to be the bad guy somehow.[/QUOTE]

fuck that I would have just shipped in a ziplock bag. I bought $100 gamecube lot earlier this year some like 16 games, disc only, dude shipped it in a ziplock. W/E they worked so I didn't care. But I know some people can be real pricks.
 
What always concerns me is shipping to international buyers, I know a lot of people refuse to do it, but internatiinal buyers typically pay A LOT more then domestic buyers do, and it's silly to leave that money on the table. Knock on wood, I haven't had any problems yet, but buyer protection abuse for international buyers is really easy since USPS can't track those shipments, so if an International buyer filed a claim against you, you're outta luck.

My best advice to save on shipping costs is always print your shipping label online through eBay. I typically lowball the size and weight of the package a bit and shave off a dollar or two, and never had any problems with the post office sending them. Plus delivery confirmation is free, and eBay sends the confirmation number to the buyer directly.
 
[quote name='iNFiNiTE HORiZON']ever consider I may have other things going on in my life? nobody is perfect, I am sorry this guy had to wait an extra 2 weeks for his items, but he AGREED to wait the extra time, he knew what was going on. I have nothing to prove to you, I am fucking broke okay? But I am a damn good person and would do whatever possible within reason to make the other party happy. I would have refunded them on the spot if they had disagreed to wait the extra time.

I don't know, I personally don't think I did much wrong. I also don't see what's wrong with the description of my listing, but whatever.[/QUOTE]

The issue is that this type of stuff gets pulled on eBay (and even here) often enough that it gets annoying for the buyer to hear. If one's life is so out of order that they can't ship an item in a reasonable matter then they should not be selling or trading merchandise online.

It is bullshit that they agreed to wait then pulled this, though. I would have refunded a few bucks or thrown in some random extras after sending the items to him for making him wait so long if he didn't pull this crap.

[quote name='spmahn']What always concerns me is shipping to international buyers, I know a lot of people refuse to do it, but internatiinal buyers typically pay A LOT more then domestic buyers do, and it's silly to leave that money on the table. Knock on wood, I haven't had any problems yet, but buyer protection abuse for international buyers is really easy since USPS can't track those shipments, so if an International buyer filed a claim against you, you're outta luck.
[/QUOTE]

I prefer U.S. buyers because international buyers tend to get pissy when their items don't arrive immediately or get held up in customs (i.e., shit beyond your control).
 
i once waited a little longer than a month for a person from here to send me my lowball winning items.. and we both live in the states so its not like it was an international shipment...

i think i decided not to leave him feedback to avoid a problem.
 
and as far as ebay i personally ship from 1-3 days after payment is received.
I sold two video games today and I already have both labels printed out and one of them already packed.

I'll have them both at the post office tomorrow.
 
[quote name='Rozz']The issue is that this type of stuff gets pulled on eBay (and even here) often enough that it gets annoying for the buyer to hear. If one's life is so out of order that they can't ship an item in a reasonable matter then they should not be selling or trading merchandise online.

It is bullshit that they agreed to wait then pulled this, though. I would have refunded a few bucks or thrown in some random extras after sending the items to him for making him wait so long if he didn't pull this crap.



I prefer U.S. buyers because international buyers tend to get pissy when their items don't arrive immediately or get held up in customs (i.e., shit beyond your control).[/QUOTE]


to be honest I probably would have issued a partial refund had he not opened up a case and screwed me over.
 
[quote name='spmahn']I typically lowball the size and weight of the package a bit and shave off a dollar or two, and never had any problems with the post office sending them.[/QUOTE]

No, the USPS does care and would have a problem, but you just haven't been caught yet. And when you do get caught, either your package will just be booted back to you or it will go to your buyer with postage due, which will result in you having to give your buyer money and/or facing negative consequences.

Why scam the USPS? Do you feel like you're entitled to do that just because its a quasi-government institution? Or are you cool with ripping anyone off? USPS are already much cheaper than UPS and FedEx, who certainly wouldn't let you get away with claiming your packages are a lower weight to scam them out of a couple of bucks each time around.

And if you're paying online, the postage cost is already reduced versus going to the counter, and you still feel the need to rip them off? Just pay the actual shipping costs.
 
I sold a few things worth around $300 to international buyers a couple years back. Never had a problem but they asked me to label as "gift" which I did. Didn't know any better then. Ever once in a while I might list something international but now I always put in the description "For international buyers I Will not label as a gift".
 
[quote name='TiKi2']I sold a few things worth around $300 to international buyers a couple years back. Never had a problem but they asked me to label as "gift" which I did. Didn't know any better then. Ever once in a while I might list something international but now I always put in the description "For international buyers I Will not label as a gift".[/QUOTE]

You can mark items as a "GIFT". It's not mail fraud and despite constant bickering on the eBay seller forums their has never been a single documented case of anyone getting in trouble for doing so.


You will certainly lose sales by not declaring an item as a "GIFT" and you could get retaliatory feedback for not doing so and at that point you would be up to the mercy of eBay for getting it removed.

I'm not sure how familiar you are with shipping items internationally but their are many reasons why international buyers request items to be declared as a "GIFT".

First most countries aren't as lucky as the United States and they pay extremely high taxes on anything imported. Brazil for instance has a HUGE economy despite a 3rd world postal service (correios). Brazilian buyers face import taxes as high as 60% on anything declared at over $50USD. By declaring a lower value or marking the item as a "GIFT" it is possible for the item to move through customs without being taxed or it will be taxed in a lower bracket.

The second reason is that in many countries when an item is held to be inspected/taxed it adds an additional week or two to the delivery time. So instead of your buyer receiving the item in 2-4 weeks it may take 6 weeks. This may also mean that your buyer opens an INR dispute because they don't feel like waiting that long.

In short I have never seen a negative consequence come from labeling an item as a "GIFT" or with a lower value. If customs in that country decides they want to inspect the item they are going to inspect it and declare it at whatever value the deem fit despite what is on the CN-22 (Customs) form.
 
[quote name='kodave']No, the USPS does care and would have a problem, but you just haven't been caught yet. And when you do get caught, either your package will just be booted back to you or it will go to your buyer with postage due, which will result in you having to give your buyer money and/or facing negative consequences.

Why scam the USPS? Do you feel like you're entitled to do that just because its a quasi-government institution? Or are you cool with ripping anyone off? USPS are already much cheaper than UPS and FedEx, who certainly wouldn't let you get away with claiming your packages are a lower weight to scam them out of a couple of bucks each time around.

And if you're paying online, the postage cost is already reduced versus going to the counter, and you still feel the need to rip them off? Just pay the actual shipping costs.[/QUOTE]

If eBay (and Amazone) would allow me to charge the actual shipping and handling costs instead of whatever they arbitrarily deem to be acceptable, and then nickel and dime you to death on the fees, maybe I wouldn't have to pinch pennies on the shipping. Profit margins are getting narrower and narrower as it is. I always bring my packages to the post office and have them scanned before shipping and have never had a problem. eBay and Amazon need to stop screwing the sellers.
 
I'm not gonna be questioning anyone's morality here, but I absolutely hate using USPS. They lost one of my packages and apparently delivered it to a completely different state, and they're generally slow. Fedex is also awful for me, since they can never find my house even though I live on a busy, non-obscure street. I end up having to call in and get my package up to a week late. For me at least, I like UPS.
 
[quote name='forthenguyen']I'm not gonna be questioning anyone's morality here, but I absolutely hate using USPS. They lost one of my packages and apparently delivered it to a completely different state, and they're generally slow. Fedex is also awful for me, since they can never find my house even though I live on a busy, non-obscure street. I end up having to call in and get my package up to a week late. For me at least, I like UPS.[/QUOTE]

I use USPS first class package only cost me $1.68 for video game 3 oz package with delivery confirmation. And it takes 2-4 days most of time max 3 days even fast as 2 days for package to be delivered.

UPS can't even come close to that price for that fast of service.
 
[quote name='spmahn']If eBay (and Amazone) would allow me to charge the actual shipping and handling costs instead of whatever they arbitrarily deem to be acceptable, and then nickel and dime you to death on the fees, maybe I wouldn't have to pinch pennies on the shipping. Profit margins are getting narrower and narrower as it is. I always bring my packages to the post office and have them scanned before shipping and have never had a problem. eBay and Amazon need to stop screwing the sellers.[/QUOTE]

Oh yes... That completely justifies lying about the shipping weight... :roll:
 
[quote name='spmahn']If eBay (and Amazone) would allow me to charge the actual shipping and handling costs instead of whatever they arbitrarily deem to be acceptable, and then nickel and dime you to death on the fees, maybe I wouldn't have to pinch pennies on the shipping. Profit margins are getting narrower and narrower as it is. I always bring my packages to the post office and have them scanned before shipping and have never had a problem. eBay and Amazon need to stop screwing the sellers.[/QUOTE]

You realize how absolutely shitty your logic is, right?

#1 Whatever fees and charges you have to pay aren't the fault of the USPS, who again, ARE GIVING YOU DISCOUNTED SHIPPING ONLINE. Blame eBay, blame PayPal, blame Amazon all you want, but don't take it out on the USPS. You're the one CHOOSING to use those services. Accept responsibility for your choices and actions and stop dicking over the post office.

#2 Just because they scan it doesn't mean they're weighing it instantaneously.

#3 Guess what - eBay charges a final value fee for the final auction cost + shipping. If eBay sets some arbitrary limit on what you can charge for standard shipping, then build the difference INTO YOUR AUCTION PRICE. Better yet, build the entire shipping costs into your auction price and label it FREE SHIPPING. Furthermore, Amazon Markeplace has what, $3.99 standard for shipping costs? That's more than enough to cover postage for a standard video game. If you're selling CEs or something else, BUILD IT INTO YOUR PRICE. Amazon sorts listings including the shipping price in the total so you're at no disadvantage there whether you list it for $11 + 3.99 shipping or $5 and $9.99 shipping.

You're just coming up with all sorts of shitty reasons to screw over the Post Office which doesn't need shit like you give it. They're not the bad guys here but you're sticking it to them. Way to go.
 
[quote name='kklems']Actually designer items are high risk due to knockoffs from China and likely the people asking for the shutdown are the official distributors in the US. Most people can't get large quantities of designer items at a low enough cost to be able to make a profit after fees, shipping etc.

Regarding shipping it has been said but is worth repeating weigh the item and packing materials before setting up the calculator, remember rate quoted is for online prices (counter prices for delivery, signature confirmation are higher). And remember eBay AND PayPal take a cut out of the entire transaction (ie item plus shipping) so you will net less than the calculator charges.

Regarding OP sorry that happened. I agree the guy is a jerk but in the end it is still your obligation to ship in a timely manner. I find it interesting that his negative involved the buyer not wanting to pay return shipping on an item he sold. Yet he wanted OP to send him $6 to cover return shipping when he wouldn't do the same as a seller.

Now my eBay rant, eBay needs to start cracking down on sellers offering one day handling time to get the 20% fee discount and not shipping for many days. They upload a tracking number but the item doesn't go out for a week. (You can tell from the acceptance date) and the time arrives beyond the estimate date since it doesn't go out in a timely manner, yet they still get the discount. Unfair to sellers that actually met or exceed their handling times.[/QUOTE]

I forget how he found out, but somehow he found out how he got reported and had the name of the seller who did it. It was this seller who had like a 50,000+ feedback and sold similar items, and was jealous that my buddy had them for like $10-15 cheaper and was selling a lot more. So they reported him to try to get rid of competition and ebay just kicked him off for no reason. He tried to get his account back and ended up talking to someone who used to work at ebay that told him in that situation the 50,000+ seller probably threatened to stop doing business on ebay, and ebay sided with the more established seller because it was more of a benefit. My buddy was on ebay for a decade and sold tons of stuff and had a 100% feedback. Everything is legit and authentic. Bought at discounts from retailers and sold for a profit after the items are hard to find and out of production.
 
[quote name='iNFiNiTE HORiZON']Thank you for the number. I am running on a 250 minute a month phone budget so I don't think I'll bother anymore though, but I appreciate it.[/QUOTE]

Comon dude we live in a new time dont give us that 250 min bull, go and fight for your money back phone shouldn't be the issue get skype or something. Dont understand why you would give up after venting to us.
 
[quote name='forthenguyen']I'm not gonna be questioning anyone's morality here, but I absolutely hate using USPS. They lost one of my packages and apparently delivered it to a completely different state, and they're generally slow. Fedex is also awful for me, since they can never find my house even though I live on a busy, non-obscure street. I end up having to call in and get my package up to a week late. For me at least, I like UPS.[/QUOTE]I ship out at least 10 packages per batch that I sell, and I have only had 2 packages ever lost in the mail. I once had to ship via UPS and it cost more to ship than it did to buy the item. I can ship 3 USPS packages for the price of one UPS package, including tracking.
 
The thing i hate about ebay is people that dont bother to read the description or look at the picture on an item.

On an item that was listed (and pictured) as "badly damaged steelbook and only comes with game/case/manual" I got a negative feedback because "steelbook damaged and bonus items missing". :wave::wave:
 
I'm really sorry you had to go through this. If you wouldn't have contacted him and him saying that he was okay with it, I could agree with his side. I've also went through a similar situation this week, but with Amazon. I shipped out a game the next day, it came back 5 days later saying that no-one there ordered it. I checked my amazon messages and the day before I received it back, I see that he said that it was the wrong address. He said he would give me the money to pay for the shipping so I ship it back out to him. He files a claim that he wants the extra shipping charges charged to his card and doesn't want to mail it out. Amazon refunds him for the order, so I'm out the $30 and the game. I contacted Amazon and they basically said it was my fault and that I shouldn't have sent it out to him and that they sent me an email not to send it out. Real good that does after I sent it. Now I can't get him to pay it. This is the second major problem I've had with Amazon so I'm done. There is zero seller protection, as a buyer your set for life. These people are pretty stupid to steal from strangers when they have your address and they don't know a thing about you.
 
Since everyone is ranting about auctions tonight, I decided I would add my opinion too. lol

First off, be prepared! If you're prepared you can make MORE money. Wasting time dealing with annoying buyers/scammers eats into your time which could be spent on other deals. If you prepare your listing and have your stuff ready, you can weed those people out automatically because they don't want to mess with you when you can follow through on your auction.

Secondly, use anything you can to your advantage. I don't mail many large items so I just bought a cheap scale that can do up to 6 pounds. It's paid for itself by letting me print postage at home without having to leave home. Never had a complaint at the PO with it. For large items, I just get it prepared and weigh it before doing the auction.

Thirdly, communicate with the buyer if something happens outside of what is required/expected. If you have to ship within 2 days, do it otherwise tell the buyer why. It's not hard. Don't let them feel like you're a scammer or just a lazy seller, and you'll probably still get pretty good feedback.

Ebay pisses me off with their fee on shipping. It screws over buyers and sellers. The simple solution to the abuse of shipping fees they had before was to only charge a fee if you didn't buy shipping from them. If shipping only cost $2, anything over $2 would be charged the 9% fee. Then allow the big sellers to get around by watching their shippings fees. If their fees are inline with others, then they don't have the fee either. It's a very simple solution, but they rather just get a cut of the rip off. The 9% fee on shipping is just a money grab and dirty.
 
[quote name='SInX4Lyfe']Comon dude we live in a new time dont give us that 250 min bull, go and fight for your money back phone shouldn't be the issue get skype or something. Dont understand why you would give up after venting to us.[/QUOTE]

OP here did get screwed, but is it really worth fighting for now after all the mistakes that have been made? I know OP says he is broke, but there isn't much money on the line here.

From his original listing:
Selling a lot of 13 PS2 games. They range from good to very good condition, discs only. I can't guarantee all of them work because I have no way to test them so I'm selling as-is used, but I don't think you'll have a problem with them. These are just games I've had sitting around over the years, being that the cases are lost the discs have become scratched a bit but nothing that looks too bad. They have been resting on a spindle for the past year. Message me with any questions, thanks for looking!
Click to expand...
So he's selling disc only AS-IS discs since he can't test them. No mention of including sleeves in the description, but OP goes and spends $3 on sleeves. A disc weights .6 oz. 13 discs = 7.8 oz. Sleeves add 1.43 oz for 13 of them. So about 9 oz for discs and sleeves. A cardboard re-enforced padded envelope is 2.5 oz. A small box to just toss these in would be like 5 oz max probably. Hopefully OP could slide in at 13 oz or less for First Class Mail. So he's looking at $3.28 (including delivery confirmation) to ship a 13 oz package First Class Mail with the online postage discount. After eBay and PayPal fees for his particular auction, and deducting the $3 for sleeves, that leaves him with $9.15 in the bank. (You can get into different accounting measures with the sleeves and either take the loss against this auction or spread it out per disc/sleeve for this auction and future sales, if any. But these sleeves were pretty much purchased for this auction and seem like a sunk cost for someone who is broke at the moment, whether he bought a 15 pack or a 100 pack for $3.) For 1 lbs Parcel Post he's looking at $5.89 online rate w/ DC at the highest Zone to Zone rate. That would leave him with $6.54 when all is said and done. But actually if OP could fit those 13 discs into a Priority Mail Flat Rate Small Box, his price would only be $5.15 online rate w/ DC. That's a net profit of $7.28. Had everything gone according to plan, OP was only looking at $6.50 to $9 in net profit at best. And that's not even considering packing material costs - I'd hope OP would have an old box or envelope to reuse instead of buying something fresh. If OP had to buy new shipping material, he's out more on his net profit.

I assume OP still has to pay eBay and PayPal's fees despite being screwed by the buyer. His fees should be $3.42. So he may be out an additional $3.42 since buyer got a full refund and he can't use his auction money.

Point #1: If its going to take OP an hour or more to get his money back by sitting on the phone with eBay (probably on hold for most of that time) (and even then he might fail, especially now since he told the seller to fuck off or whatever which eBay doesn't tolerate), he could probably just work an extra hour or two at minimum wage and approximately break even. So it's barely worth the actual time to fight for this money at this point.

Point #2: OP probably could have got at least $10 in a parking lot over a Craigslist transaction, or hell, even here on CAG in a private transaction. Sometimes you really need to think through your net profits ahead of time before bothering with eBay. I recently had to take a $12 loss because I fucked up forgetting Parcel Post Zones increase the cost of shipping the further the box has to go, and I sent lot of 5 complete games coast to coast. It was like a buck more to Priority Mail them so I did that just to get that off my hands. Buyer didn't even have the courtesy to leave any feedback despite the boost in shipping speed, but at least he didn't try to scam me. Anyway, lesson learned on that one.
 
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[quote name='kodave']You realize how absolutely shitty your logic is, right?

#1 Whatever fees and charges you have to pay aren't the fault of the USPS, who again, ARE GIVING YOU DISCOUNTED SHIPPING ONLINE. Blame eBay, blame PayPal, blame Amazon all you want, but don't take it out on the USPS. You're the one CHOOSING to use those services. Accept responsibility for your choices and actions and stop dicking over the post office.

#2 Just because they scan it doesn't mean they're weighing it instantaneously.

#3 Guess what - eBay charges a final value fee for the final auction cost + shipping. If eBay sets some arbitrary limit on what you can charge for standard shipping, then build the difference INTO YOUR AUCTION PRICE. Better yet, build the entire shipping costs into your auction price and label it FREE SHIPPING. Furthermore, Amazon Markeplace has what, $3.99 standard for shipping costs? That's more than enough to cover postage for a standard video game. If you're selling CEs or something else, BUILD IT INTO YOUR PRICE. Amazon sorts listings including the shipping price in the total so you're at no disadvantage there whether you list it for $11 + 3.99 shipping or $5 and $9.99 shipping.

You're just coming up with all sorts of shitty reasons to screw over the Post Office which doesn't need shit like you give it. They're not the bad guys here but you're sticking it to them. Way to go.[/QUOTE]


The build it into your price argument is complete bullshit. The item you are selling is only worth whatever someone is willing to pay you for it. If item X is only worth $20, and people are only willing to pay $20 for it, then you're only going to sell it for $20, not $27.95 with free shipping, it doesn't work that way. The average consumer associates shipping as a separate cost on top of the price of the item, when you bundle it all together people will mentally think they are getting ripped off because they paid a higher price for the item, and you will be undercut by everyone.

I do blame eBay, I do blame Amazon, and I do blame Paypal. If the Post Office is facing some sort of epidemic of people screwing them when using these services, then they should stand up and blame these guys too because they're just as much a victim of their shitty policies.

Oh, and yes, every single time I bring a package to the post office, it gets weighed because the actual weight gets printed on the receipt and 9 time out of 10 I can eyeball it within 1-2 ounces.
 
[quote name='spmahn']The build it into your price argument is complete bullshit. The item you are selling is only worth whatever someone is willing to pay you for it. If item X is only worth $20, and people are only willing to pay $20 for it, then you're only going to sell it for $20, not $27.95 with free shipping, it doesn't work that way.[/QUOTE]

That's not true at all. All my auctions are free shipping, with the shipping price factored in. It only won't work if you think your item is worth more than it actually is, or are not willing to wait for something to sell.

I've also had stuff sell at a higher price because I offered free shipping, when there was a lower price+shipping item listed.

Whatever your excuse, it doesn't excuse ripping off USPS.

I have taken out packing material or trim the inner tab of boxes to make something under 1 lb for cheaper rates though, especially when it's like a fraction of an oz over.
 
quickly read through the OP but wow that's some bullshit. even if it was late, the buyer still received the items. no idea why ebay refunded the full amount - it's like they didn't even see the tracking showed delivered.

it seems that buyer is also a seller with about 12 negatives and a few neutrals (ebay should show lifetime stats)

also that's bull shit if you can't open a case. I recall a buyer opening a case against me and I WON. then they opened another and had it reversed (which is some other fucking bullshit issue but no the point).
 
[quote name='spmahn']The build it into your price argument is complete bullshit. The item you are selling is only worth whatever someone is willing to pay you for it. If item X is only worth $20, and people are only willing to pay $20 for it, then you're only going to sell it for $20, not $27.95 with free shipping, it doesn't work that way. The average consumer associates shipping as a separate cost on top of the price of the item, when you bundle it all together people will mentally think they are getting ripped off because they paid a higher price for the item, and you will be undercut by everyone.

I do blame eBay, I do blame Amazon, and I do blame Paypal. If the Post Office is facing some sort of epidemic of people screwing them when using these services, then they should stand up and blame these guys too because they're just as much a victim of their shitty policies.

Oh, and yes, every single time I bring a package to the post office, it gets weighed because the actual weight gets printed on the receipt and 9 time out of 10 I can eyeball it within 1-2 ounces.[/QUOTE]

Christ there are so many issues with the way you think.

Paragraph 1 - An item is ultimately worth what a buyer will pay for it at any given time. But that doesn't mean you have to sell it at X time.

Regardless, no matter if you're trying to make a profit or minimize a loss, you can still calculate what you paid, the shipping costs, and what you will lose in fees and build it into your price to get a specific net profit while offering free shipping. If your price is too high to be competitive, free shipping or not, then it won't sell for a while or ever. If this is consistently a problem for you, it means you're doing it wrong! You shouldn't be in the business of re-selling or flipping if you consistently can't at least break even and have to resort to scamming the USPS. (Putting aside other reasons to take a loss.) If you're just selling shit you don't want anymore, then that's a different story and chances are you're going to be taking a loss on what you paid for it or what the value of the item actually is. If you're not happy with what you're going to get back even if its a technical net loss and again, have to resort to short changing the USPS, why bother selling in the first place?

But again, on both Amazon and eBay, if its sorted by price, its combining price + shipping. Some buyers may be mentally challenged and not understand total price vs. asking price + separate shipping, but those sites spell it out for them. All things being equal, if someone on one of those sites buys an item because it was $5 + $10 s/h instead of your item that was $10 w/ free s/h, there's not much you can do about that kind of stupidity. If they're sorting by time, distance, or best match, then obviously they have other concerns than price.

But none of the above excuses RIPPING OFF THE USPS.

Paragraph 2 - "If the Post Office is facing some sort of epidemic of people screwing them when using these services, then they should stand up and blame these guys too because they're just as much a victim of their shitty policies." NO NO NO NO. What is the major fucking malfunction in your head? There is a subset of people trying to screw the Post Office, but those people have been doing it well before Amazon and eBay. Amazon and eBay aren't the problem and the USPS has no reason to blame those companies. THE BLAME LIES WITH SACKS OF SHIT LIKE YOU WHO AT LEAST CLAIM TO USE LESS POSTAGE THAN LEGALLY REQUIRED TO SAVE A BUCK OR TWO. How many more fucking scape goats are you going to come up with before you acknowledge you're an immoral/unethical/shitty person for your little scheme? But then again, I have reason to believe you have no idea what you're doing because:

Paragraph 3 - "the actual weight gets printed on the receipt and 9 time out of 10 I can eyeball it within 1-2 ounces." If you're eyeballing weight within 1 to 2 ounces, there is no way you're shaving A BUCK OR TWO off every one of your shipments. That's your entire fucking claim going back to the post that initiated this particular discussion. If you end up paying for an ounce or two less than the item actually is, you're only saving like 40 cents on first class mail. If you're doing Parcel Post or Media Mail, those are priced in ranges. Media Mail is a flat price per each successive pound. I believe Parcel Post is similar but also increased depending on the distance it must go. If you're undershooting by an ounce or two then it doesn't matter as long as you're in the right weight range, and even then the USPS isn't going to crucify you for being off an ounce or two - but that's a big difference between your initial claim of saving a dollar or two per shipment.

So what is it? Are you ripping the post office off a whole dollar or two every time you ship something, or are you just within an ounce or two so it practically makes not a damn difference in the price you pay except maybe a few dimes with First Class Mail? Get your story straight.
 
This thread is a good example why I take a lot of the "OMG eBay ripped me off" complaints with a grain of salt.

This isn't the eBay (aka online flea market) of 1999; They don't want sellers like you anymore. They don't want your junk on their site and they don't want you haphazardly selling things.

Please do yourself a favor and read the T&C; educate yourself on the most up to date selling practices and for God sake buy a scale and printer.

I hate to say it but in almost all of these cases the problems could have been avoided.
 
[quote name='Bezerker']The thing i hate about ebay is people that dont bother to read the description or look at the picture on an item.

On an item that was listed (and pictured) as "badly damaged steelbook and only comes with game/case/manual" I got a negative feedback because "steelbook damaged and bonus items missing". :wave::wave:[/QUOTE]

Usually little kids. It's insane how many parents let their kids run roughshod on their computers and log into their accounts and buy stuff without their permission. I can't tell you how many times I sold an item, never got payment, and then 5 days later I get a message saying "Sorry, my son bought this item on my computer without my permission." I would respond with "Get control of your kid" but I'd probably get a negative. They are responsible for their own account.

I also hate when people buy items, and ask questions later. Someone will buy a game from me and then after ask the question "Does this version come with the ____?" I say no, and they go "Nevermind, I don't want this anymore. Please cancel my bid." These people don't understand by buying an item, it is a binding contract, and you can only cancel bids, not purchases I believe.

[quote name='GBAstar']This thread is a good example why I take a lot of the "OMG eBay ripped me off" complaints with a grain of salt.

This isn't the eBay (aka online flea market) of 1999; They don't want sellers like you anymore. They don't want your junk on their site and they don't want you haphazardly selling things.

Please do yourself a favor and read the T&C; educate yourself on the most up to date selling practices and for God sake buy a scale and printer.

I hate to say it but in almost all of these cases the problems could have been avoided.[/QUOTE]

To an extent you are right, and I know the "It is their site, they can do what they want' cliche but you really have to walk on eggshells with this site. You have to be 100% on your toes at all times. Any accidental screw-up in inventory or a description could cost you your account. They are the least resonable people I ever heard of. We are humans and make mistakes, and most places are understanding, but ebay is not understanding in the least bit on so many instances. Even unfortunate misunderstandings. Their problem is once they close an account, they will refuse to let you back even if it is their fault. You may get the tiniest little bit of leeway up until that point, but once they decide you're done, you're done. It doesn't matter if it is a screw-up on their end. You are black listed, and they won't answer your emails or talk to you professionally on phone calls. It's like that Seinfeld episode where Elaine got blacklisted from all the doctor's offices and they all treated her like a war criminal.
 
[quote name='ShadowAssassin']These people don't understand by buying an item, it is a binding contract, and you can only cancel bids, not purchases I believe.[/QUOTE]

You can cancel purchases. I would, since sending it to them will just be asking for trouble. And it costs you no money.
 
[quote name='elessar123']You can cancel purchases. I would, since sending it to them will just be asking for trouble. And it costs you no money.[/QUOTE]

Do you know how?

And do you still have to pay final value credits?
 
[quote name='spmahn']The build it into your price argument is complete bullshit. The item you are selling is only worth whatever someone is willing to pay you for it. If item X is only worth $20, and people are only willing to pay $20 for it, then you're only going to sell it for $20, not $27.95 with free shipping, it doesn't work that way. The average consumer associates shipping as a separate cost on top of the price of the item, when you bundle it all together people will mentally think they are getting ripped off because they paid a higher price for the item, and you will be undercut by everyone.

I do blame eBay, I do blame Amazon, and I do blame Paypal. If the Post Office is facing some sort of epidemic of people screwing them when using these services, then they should stand up and blame these guys too because they're just as much a victim of their shitty policies.

Oh, and yes, every single time I bring a package to the post office, it gets weighed because the actual weight gets printed on the receipt and 9 time out of 10 I can eyeball it within 1-2 ounces.[/QUOTE]

Of course it works. That is what everyone does... you can't even sort by price, only price plus shipping. 99% of people see no difference between 20 + 7.95 and 27.95. If anything they prefer the simplicity of the second. The other 1% are the morons you don't want bidding on your stuff anyway.
 
[quote name='ShadowAssassin']Do you know how?

And do you still have to pay final value credits?[/QUOTE]

I don't remember how, since I've only done it like twice ever. There's like a cancellation option somewhere, and the buyer accepts. And no, you don't have to pay the final value fee.
 
[quote name='ShadowAssassin']Usually little kids. It's insane how many parents let their kids run roughshod on their computers and log into their accounts and buy stuff without their permission. I can't tell you how many times I sold an item, never got payment, and then 5 days later I get a message saying "Sorry, my son bought this item on my computer without my permission." I would respond with "Get control of your kid" but I'd probably get a negative. They are responsible for their own account.

I also hate when people buy items, and ask questions later. Someone will buy a game from me and then after ask the question "Does this version come with the ____?" I say no, and they go "Nevermind, I don't want this anymore. Please cancel my bid." These people don't understand by buying an item, it is a binding contract, and you can only cancel bids, not purchases I believe.[/QUOTE]

It's amazing how people's kids can somehow buy shit on their eBay accounts, but sometimes when I'm trying to snipe an auction in the last seconds after not having been browsing eBay for several hours, eBay decides that's a good time to make me enter my password and re-login in. Now if I'm going to attempt to snipe I log out and then login again in the minutes before the auction ends. But back to the kids thing - such a BS cop out. And there's next to nothing you can do about it to ding the buyer other than file a non-payment claim, which sits there for like 4 days as they ignore it. Then they get a strike, but you have no idea how many strikes a buyer has. And I think the limiting options for sellers are excluding people with two strikes in one month, which still allows probably plenty of chronic non-payers to bid.
 
[quote name='ShadowAssassin']Do you know how?

And do you still have to pay final value credits?[/QUOTE]Go to "Resolve a problem" and select the second option. If the buyer accepts, you get refunded any Final Value fees. You would still have to pay money to relist it, though.

Had one auction end yesterday and the guy wants it arrived by Christmas. Even if I wasn't working during the 2 hours USPS is open today, he wouldn't be getting it until midweek anyway.
 
For those of you that don't know amazon plays tricks with the estimated shipping weight. They over estimate a few ounces(priority) or fractions of an ounce(first class) so you pay the next price tier. Don't go by their estimates. But I'm sure most of you weigh your own shit anyways.
 
Might be a dick move but Ebay wont do anything anyways, chick left me neutral feedback still crying about the item being not as described so I reported her. You got your money refuned and you got to keep the item and then youre gonna leave me neutral feedback cus you cant read?! Right below hers in the feedback from the other Move Bundle I had "GREAT EBAY SELLER, WOULD DO BUSINESS WITH AGAIN".
 
[quote name='spmahn']What always concerns me is shipping to international buyers, I know a lot of people refuse to do it, but internatiinal buyers typically pay A LOT more then domestic buyers do, and it's silly to leave that money on the table. Knock on wood, I haven't had any problems yet, but buyer protection abuse for international buyers is really easy since USPS can't track those shipments, so if an International buyer filed a claim against you, you're outta luck.

My best advice to save on shipping costs is always print your shipping label online through eBay. I typically lowball the size and weight of the package a bit and shave off a dollar or two, and never had any problems with the post office sending them. Plus delivery confirmation is free, and eBay sends the confirmation number to the buyer directly.[/QUOTE]

I used to sell VS. System extended art judge promo rare cards overseas from 04-06 and never had an issue (most of my EBay seller feedback is doing that for my friend.) But first time I sold a PS3 game overseas (Time Crysis w/gun) I was screwed and essentially gave the game for free. Pretty much stopped selling on EBay after that and just sell on Amazon now.
 
[quote name='spmahn']

I do blame eBay, I do blame Amazon, and I do blame Paypal. If the Post Office is facing some sort of epidemic of people screwing them when using these services, then they should stand up and blame these guys too because they're just as much a victim of their shitty policies.

[/QUOTE]

Nah. That is like if I rob someone's house they shouldn't blame me, they should blame my job for not paying me more. Not my fault I had to steal their Macbook.

Honestly, 95 times out of 100 the ebay allowance is way more than enough and I still make a buck or something off it. To ship a cart, cd Case, DVD case usually costs $2 (usually 1.78 to 198 for me I believe). Ebay lets you put $4

DVDs are also pretty good - though not quite as good. You get a $3 buck limit.

The only time I see you not getting it within the 4 dollar limit for a game is when it is a CE, ultimate loot chest or some old big box PC games. Hopefully if you are mailing some giant ass box or CE it is worth more than the 6 dollars it will cost to mail.

I'm not saying all the fees and limitations aren't a pain in the ass, but instead of trying to steal from the post office use a different service (Chase the chuck wagon) or go the craigslist way.
 
Kind of wish ebay would go back to the days of letting you get payment pretty much anyway you and the buyer wanted(MO, Checks, etc.), instead of forcing you to use Paypal pretty much. Ebay basically killed me little online side business because of the insistance of using Paypal or basically not being able to use their auctions...
 
[quote name='robwhois']Kind of wish ebay would go back to the days of letting you get payment pretty much anyway you and the buyer wanted(MO, Checks, etc.), instead of forcing you to use Paypal pretty much. Ebay basically killed me little online side business because of the insistance of using Paypal or basically not being able to use their auctions...[/QUOTE]

I thought that as a seller you could still accept checks/money orders if you so choose. Has that changed?
 
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