F***ing eBay again

[Mikeyplum]

Funk said:

Always, ALWAYS use your own courier and ALWAYS to the PayPal-verified address. If you don't, you'll have no proof of delivery and therefore no PayPal protection as a seller.

Sadly I've learned I have to be suspicious of everyone. I will not trust ANYONE online. I'm now pleasantly surprised when things go smoothly - a somewhat sad way to be, I'd rather believe the best of people but unfortunately that's a luxury we can no longer afford in the modern world.

I have one a few things on eBay (car related, wheels, bumpers etc.) and use Parcel monkey to arrange courier. Sellers always seem happy to box up for collection. Don't see the issue. The courier is acting on my behalf, so the I (as the buyer) take the risk, not the seller. If the seller organises the courier, and they fk it up, well then the seller has to refund and chase up with the courier.

[Funk]

Mikeyplum said:

Funk said:

Always, ALWAYS use your own courier and ALWAYS to the PayPal-verified address. If you don't, you'll have no proof of delivery and therefore no PayPal protection as a seller.

Sadly I've learned I have to be suspicious of everyone. I will not trust ANYONE online. I'm now pleasantly surprised when things go smoothly - a somewhat sad way to be, I'd rather believe the best of people but unfortunately that's a luxury we can no longer afford in the modern world.

I have one a few things on eBay (car related, wheels, bumpers etc.) and use Parcel monkey to arrange courier. Sellers always seem happy to box up for collection. Don't see the issue. The courier is acting on my behalf, so the I (as the buyer) take the risk, not the seller. If the seller organises the courier, and they fk it up, well then the seller has to refund and chase up with the courier.

If I let your courier collect, I have no proof of delivery and no comeback in the event you say an item wasn't delivered. PayPal would side with you as the buyer, I would lose my item and money.

[Mikeyplum]

Funk said:

Mikeyplum said:

Funk said:

Always, ALWAYS use your own courier and ALWAYS to the PayPal-verified address. If you don't, you'll have no proof of delivery and therefore no PayPal protection as a seller.

Sadly I've learned I have to be suspicious of everyone. I will not trust ANYONE online. I'm now pleasantly surprised when things go smoothly - a somewhat sad way to be, I'd rather believe the best of people but unfortunately that's a luxury we can no longer afford in the modern world.

I have one a few things on eBay (car related, wheels, bumpers etc.) and use Parcel monkey to arrange courier. Sellers always seem happy to box up for collection. Don't see the issue. The courier is acting on my behalf, so the I (as the buyer) take the risk, not the seller. If the seller organises the courier, and they fk it up, well then the seller has to refund and chase up with the courier.

If I let your courier collect, I have no proof of delivery and no comeback in the event you say an item wasn't delivered. PayPal would side with you as the buyer, I would lose my item and money.

That doesnn't make sense to me. If the buyer arranges courier and it doesn't get delivered, then the buy needs to pursue it with the courier. The seller has stated it was "collection" and the item was collected. There are always documents handed over upon collection and most of the time.

[Snowboy]

I use conditions like;

I word prefer the buyer collected in person to inspect the goods.
However;
If you want to use a courier then I need the money transfered by bank transfer before collection.

While I am confident I have described the goods accurately you have chosen to buy sight unseen so I will not entertain any requests for returns or refunds.

I will not package the goods beyond a basic label.

You will organise the courier.
Any hassle about couriers not turning up or losing the items are your problem to resolve.

I can offer a reasonable approach to collection times, just as I would if you were collecting in person.

I fully understand if you would prefer not to bid based on these conditions.

With those rules scammers tend to disappear and leave just devlcent people.

[Pulliptears]

Mikeyplum said:

That doesnn't make sense to me. If the buyer arranges courier and it doesn't get delivered, then the buy needs to pursue it with the courier. The seller has stated it was "collection" and the item was collected. There are always documents handed over upon collection and most of the time.

You need to understand how Paypal works. They always require a proof of delivery, this is via Royal Mail and certain official couriers only. Thats the only proof they will accept.
If the courier your buyer uses isn't recognised by Paypal (i.e Bloke with a van) then you don't have a 'proof' of delivery they will accept. You could have a photo of the courier loading the van holding up a sign saying 'Im collecting X item' but it wouldn't be enough to comply with Paypal's T&C's.

In this scenario the buyer then files an 'item not received' claim, because you haven't used a recognised courier you can't prove the item was delivered and you lose all your money.

Personally I always put 'No couriers, cash on collection only' because I cant be arsed waiting in all day for a courier to turn up.

[Sargeant Orange]

OP here.

I had to take a double hit on ebay fees in the end unfortunately as the winning bidder rejected my cancellation request. Ebay weren't interested in the fact they had an incorrect address, just told me to either send it anyway (WTF kind of advice is that?) or "sort it out with your buyer"

I'd rather pay double fees than risk losing the phone to a scammer though. Will probably get my first ever neg feedback as well to top it off. Out of interest was there any way I could have resolved it without paying two lots of fees? Couldn't see any other option than asking for a mutual cancellation request?


I'll stick to selling my golf stuff only on there in future, you seem to get a better clientele buying that stuff.

[northwest monkey]

Snowboy said:

I use conditions like;

I word prefer the buyer collected in person to inspect the goods.
However;
If you want to use a courier then I need the money transfered by bank transfer before collection.

While I am confident I have described the goods accurately you have chosen to buy sight unseen so I will not entertain any requests for returns or refunds.

I will not package the goods beyond a basic label.

You will organise the courier.
Any hassle about couriers not turning up or losing the items are your problem to resolve.

I can offer a reasonable approach to collection times, just as I would if you were collecting in person.

I fully understand if you would prefer not to bid based on these conditions.

With those rules scammers tend to disappear and leave just devlcent people.

All very nice, but ultimately worthless & any "decent" scammer will know that.

I buy something off you & arrange a courier to collect it. Item turns up at my house then I open an Ebay case to say I've not received it. What's your next move?

[Snowboy]

northwest monkey said:

All very nice, but ultimately worthless & any "decent" scammer will know that.

I buy something off you & arrange a courier to collect it. Item turns up at my house then I open an Ebay case to say I've not received it. What's your next move?

Nothing.
I have no next move.

I have the cash.
There's nothing eBay can do to me in terms of taking my money; they can only do that if PayPal is used.
I might get some bad feedback, but I'm not overly concerned about that because I have loads of good feedback.
EBay won't cancel my account as I make them money.

As I'm polite I would reply to clarify that I had given the item to their courior and after that it is their problem.
Their beef is with their courior not with me.

[Pulliptears]

Sargeant Orange said:

OP here.

I had to take a double hit on ebay fees in the end unfortunately as the winning bidder rejected my cancellation request. Ebay weren't interested in the fact they had an incorrect address, just told me to either send it anyway (WTF kind of advice is that?) or "sort it out with your buyer"

I'd rather pay double fees than risk losing the phone to a scammer though. Will probably get my first ever neg feedback as well to top it off. Out of interest was there any way I could have resolved it without paying two lots of fees? Couldn't see any other option than asking for a mutual cancellation request?


I'll stick to selling my golf stuff only on there in future, you seem to get a better clientele buying that stuff.

It's tricky because the only way to guarantee your fees returned would have been to file a non paying bidder, which of course you couldn't do. The other way around it would have been to refund the buyer and get him to add a verified address to paypal then pay again, though in your case it screamed scammer so he wouldn't have done that either.

TBH I think it's probably worth a phone call to eBay. Don't bother with the messaging systems etc as you have already found them useless, physically call them. Explain whats happened to date and you might get a fee credit.

[Howard-]

eBay are absolute sts. It used to be a good, cheap way of selling stuff online but they're so bloody expensive nowadays (10% of the final value all the way up to a FV of £750, I mean really?! £75 of fees if you sell something for £750, how is that in any way worth it? It costs THEM no more to hold the advert than if your item sells for £75 or £7.50), they and PayPal side with the buyer in 99% of cases, and they have so many rules and regulations to which on one abides, this thread being a case in point. These days I'll only use it to sell stuff I know I don't have much chance of selling elsewhere (i.e. forums, Gumtree, etc). I certainly wouldn't risk it for a phone where you are highly likely to get scammed. Best to take the hit and sell it to the highest-paying recycling company ( http://www.comparemymobile.com for example).

I've sold numerous listed items "outside of eBay" to save fees, but as a buyer that's very risky as you have no protection. It's a good job I'm an honest person.

Edited by Howard- on Monday 9th June 15:20

[MeThlAtEdSpiRIt]

I'm using the following buyer requirements and have sold mobile phones without issue:





http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/buyer-requiremen...

[northwest monkey]

Snowboy said:

Nothing.
I have no next move.

I have the cash.
There's nothing eBay can do to me in terms of taking my money; they can only do that if PayPal is used.
I might get some bad feedback, but I'm not overly concerned about that because I have loads of good feedback.
EBay won't cancel my account as I make them money.

As I'm polite I would reply to clarify that I had given the item to their courior and after that it is their problem.
Their beef is with their courior not with me.

Lets be honest - a scammer isn't going to use bank transfer though is he?

[Pulliptears]

MeThlAtEdSpiRIt said:

I'm using the following buyer requirements and have sold mobile phones without issue:





http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/buyer-requiremen...

It's the best way of doing it. I always find it interesting to have a look in the log and see how many people my settings have managed to block. Always makes me feel good.

It's also worth reminding people to never sell and buy on the same account. You can and should have 2 eBay accounts. Nothing worse than a disgruntled seller getting you back with a neg by buying something from you.

[Snowboy]

northwest monkey said:

Snowboy said:

Nothing.
I have no next move.

I have the cash.
There's nothing eBay can do to me in terms of taking my money; they can only do that if PayPal is used.
I might get some bad feedback, but I'm not overly concerned about that because I have loads of good feedback.
EBay won't cancel my account as I make them money.

As I'm polite I would reply to clarify that I had given the item to their courior and after that it is their problem.
Their beef is with their courior not with me.

Lets be honest - a scammer isn't going to use bank transfer though is he?

They won't bank transfer, nor will they book a courier.

A scammer wants somethibg for nothing.
They won't outlay any money at all.

[GTIAlex]

Funk said:

northwest monkey said:

GTIAlex said:

Just sold a set of alloy wheels and tyres over ebay.

Had them as cash on collection however I was contacted before the end of the auction by a buyer with good feedback, who wanted end the auction early to pay over paypal and send a courier to collect them.

Told him to bid and if he won he could pay paypal and send a courier.

He won the auction (much more than he offered) so fingers crossed it will all work out.

Whatever you do, don't let your buyer arrange a courier. Arrange one yourself, but you run the risk of if the courier "loses" the wheels then you haven't got a leg to stand on. Chances are you'll be sound, but for a good sum of money I'd want to be in control.

Personally, I'd always stick to the "collection only" and ask for cash once they have inspected the wheels etc. If the buyer opens a "not as described" case when the wheels turn up then you're going to get stung for the return costs as well.

Always, ALWAYS use your own courier and ALWAYS to the PayPal-verified address. If you don't, you'll have no proof of delivery and therefore no PayPal protection as a seller.

Sadly I've learned I have to be suspicious of everyone. I will not trust ANYONE online. I'm now pleasantly surprised when things go smoothly - a somewhat sad way to be, I'd rather believe the best of people but unfortunately that's a luxury we can no longer afford in the modern world.

Okay thanks for the advice.

Surely if I sign for the package when it leaves, take photos/copies of all documentation and get the buyer to verify the address it is being sent to before the courier turns up and then reference with the courier before I let the package go , will that be enough protection?

[Pulliptears]

GTIAlex said:

Okay thanks for the advice.

Surely if I sign for the package when it leaves, take photos/copies of all documentation and get the buyer to verify the address it is being sent to before the courier turns up and then reference with the courier before I let the package go , will that be enough protection?

Nope, not if its not a Paypal recognised courier. Nothing will defend a chargeback in that situation other than proof of delivery from a recognised courier.

[GTIAlex]

Pulliptears said:

GTIAlex said:

Okay thanks for the advice.

Surely if I sign for the package when it leaves, take photos/copies of all documentation and get the buyer to verify the address it is being sent to before the courier turns up and then reference with the courier before I let the package go , will that be enough protection?

Nope, not if its not a Paypal recognised courier. Nothing will defend a chargeback in that situation other than proof of delivery from a recognised courier.

What a pain in the arse this turning out to be, knew I should of stuck to the original cash on collection.

Hes messaged me a name and address, a Mr Przemyslaw Piotrowski of Wallingford Garage,
UNIT 1 BEADLES TRADING ESTATE,HITHERCROFT ROAD, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 9EZ.

Which is a works address, not the same one as his paypal address as he can only take collection while at work.

Address of the garage and postcode etc checks out on google.

Whats the best course of action to protect myself against the wheels leaving my house, and him retracting the money sent over paypal?

[kev1974]

No way would I send to a works address, you'll just get someone else's signature that "took it in for him" and then no responsibility.

[Funk]

And this is why eBay is st.

Anything remotely valuable, sell it face-to-face for cash. My view with eBay is now that I expect to lose the item - if I get to keep the money I've been paid then that's a result. I stopped selling anything of value on there a long, long time ago.

[GTIAlex]

Think this will be the last time for me as well, il stick to cash on collection or gumtree etc.