Ebay - Should I be worred?
Discussion
Hi all,
After some advice and to see what others think.
I don't use Ebay much but if I do it's usually as a buyer - rarely do I sell anything however we've had a brand new Chromebook lying around for a few months that I decided to try and move on last week. It was a freebie from when the mrs upgraded her phone and we don't need it so I thought we could make a few £ selling on Ebay.
I listed it all ok, explained why we were selling it etc and all seemed fine. One buyer contacted me asking to remove his bid as he now realised he needed more RAM as it was for his son's schoolwork but that didn't seem out of the ordinary. Anyway the auction ended and it sold for about £90 + £8 postage - a little more than I was expecting based on other sales but again nothing unexpected (they seemed to go from £60 to £95 based on previous sales). This is when it starts to go a bit strange - immediately the winning bidder messages me to ask if I would send via next day delivery rather than the 2nd class recorded delivery stated in the advert. I replied that I wasn't prepared to do this, he then asked if he could arrange his own courier via DPD and he would pay, again I declined and said I would only send as per the listing. He then paid for the item but Ebay have not yet sent this money to me and instead sent me a note saying that the funds won't be available until 2nd November. They also reminded me that I have to post the item by tomorrow (21st) as per the listing. Today I get another message from the buyer saying that he's paid and asking when I am shipping.
Either he is desperate to get his hands on a low budget Chromebook or this is a scam. I am suspecting the latter and by the time I send him the laptop he'll request a refund saying that I sent him a box of bricks or such like. He'll then return a box of bricks to me, Ebay will refund him the money that's currently sitting with them and I'll be out of pocket.
If others agree then what do I do next? I've tried to see if I can cancel his bid and sell to the next highest buyer but it doesn't look like this is possible. Do I cancel the whole sale altogether then or if not how do I proceed? I just can't see how this can end well for me...
Thanks in advance for any advice, apologies for the long post.
After some advice and to see what others think.
I don't use Ebay much but if I do it's usually as a buyer - rarely do I sell anything however we've had a brand new Chromebook lying around for a few months that I decided to try and move on last week. It was a freebie from when the mrs upgraded her phone and we don't need it so I thought we could make a few £ selling on Ebay.
I listed it all ok, explained why we were selling it etc and all seemed fine. One buyer contacted me asking to remove his bid as he now realised he needed more RAM as it was for his son's schoolwork but that didn't seem out of the ordinary. Anyway the auction ended and it sold for about £90 + £8 postage - a little more than I was expecting based on other sales but again nothing unexpected (they seemed to go from £60 to £95 based on previous sales). This is when it starts to go a bit strange - immediately the winning bidder messages me to ask if I would send via next day delivery rather than the 2nd class recorded delivery stated in the advert. I replied that I wasn't prepared to do this, he then asked if he could arrange his own courier via DPD and he would pay, again I declined and said I would only send as per the listing. He then paid for the item but Ebay have not yet sent this money to me and instead sent me a note saying that the funds won't be available until 2nd November. They also reminded me that I have to post the item by tomorrow (21st) as per the listing. Today I get another message from the buyer saying that he's paid and asking when I am shipping.
Either he is desperate to get his hands on a low budget Chromebook or this is a scam. I am suspecting the latter and by the time I send him the laptop he'll request a refund saying that I sent him a box of bricks or such like. He'll then return a box of bricks to me, Ebay will refund him the money that's currently sitting with them and I'll be out of pocket.
If others agree then what do I do next? I've tried to see if I can cancel his bid and sell to the next highest buyer but it doesn't look like this is possible. Do I cancel the whole sale altogether then or if not how do I proceed? I just can't see how this can end well for me...
Thanks in advance for any advice, apologies for the long post.
That sounds perfectly normal to me.
Buyer would like item quicker and is prepared to pay extra carriage, why is that a problem to you?
Ebay holds payments for a period for new/infrequent sellers to make sure the item actually arrives (i.e, to make sure you don't set up an account, sell a load of stuff, take the money and never send anything).
Buyer would like item quicker and is prepared to pay extra carriage, why is that a problem to you?
Ebay holds payments for a period for new/infrequent sellers to make sure the item actually arrives (i.e, to make sure you don't set up an account, sell a load of stuff, take the money and never send anything).
I'd definitely be wary of that. Even if the buyer has a lot of feedback, it could easily be a hijacked account.
I've stopped selling stuff of any value on ebay because they always side with the buyer over the seller in disputes and there are a lot of scammers out there - I have even less faith now they have changed the payment system.
I've stopped selling stuff of any value on ebay because they always side with the buyer over the seller in disputes and there are a lot of scammers out there - I have even less faith now they have changed the payment system.
He's probably concerned about the clusterf
k that is Royal Mail at the moment.
You could probably send it for less by another courier, or even use eBay's own system.
BTW, Once you've bought postage and got a tracking number, you can mark it as "dispatched" and it will count as dispatched for the purposes of your requirement to send it within a couple of days. (And start the clock on getting paid)
(It's happened to me loads, a seller marks something as dispatched and provides a tracking number, but it doesn't show up as actually being dropped off until a few days later)
Seriously, sack off RM and use another courier - it'll probably be cheaper and will save you a lot of hassle
k that is Royal Mail at the moment.You could probably send it for less by another courier, or even use eBay's own system.
BTW, Once you've bought postage and got a tracking number, you can mark it as "dispatched" and it will count as dispatched for the purposes of your requirement to send it within a couple of days. (And start the clock on getting paid)
(It's happened to me loads, a seller marks something as dispatched and provides a tracking number, but it doesn't show up as actually being dropped off until a few days later)
Seriously, sack off RM and use another courier - it'll probably be cheaper and will save you a lot of hassle
mark_1974 said:
I'd definitely be wary of that. Even if the buyer has a lot of feedback, it could easily be a hijacked account.
I've stopped selling stuff of any value on ebay because they always side with the buyer over the seller in disputes and there are a lot of scammers out there - I have even less faith now they have changed the payment system.
Wary of what? A buyer who has paid and wants the item slightly quicker than 2nd class postage in a time of postal strikes?I've stopped selling stuff of any value on ebay because they always side with the buyer over the seller in disputes and there are a lot of scammers out there - I have even less faith now they have changed the payment system.
There is literally nothing suspicious about the transaction so far.
Dan 80 said:
Thanks for all the responses. General consensus is that this isn't something too out of the ordinary so I have now sent this. The buyer had 30 feedback over the last 12 months all positive so hopefully all will be ok. I'll let you know if not!
Good luck! Let us know either way.
Make sure you upload the tracking info to ebay, this is your proof that you have sent it and will trigger them to pay you.
I was mega pissed off when I went back to using ebay to sell things to find it wasn't just an instant paypal transfer as it was in the past. However the more you sell stuff and the more you post stuff on time the quicker they release the funds. I am now down to being paid the day after the auction.
I was mega pissed off when I went back to using ebay to sell things to find it wasn't just an instant paypal transfer as it was in the past. However the more you sell stuff and the more you post stuff on time the quicker they release the funds. I am now down to being paid the day after the auction.
I would definitely send that via a better service than 2nd class post.
If you use the "Packlink" service that's linked to eBay, it's within pennies of the same costs elsewhere and has 2 advantages,
- all the tracking info gets llinked automatically for you.
- you tend to get paid faster. I've been paid before the items are even dropped off.
I'd probably go for UPS, signed-for by the recipient. Something that size\value will cost about a fiver, and if the buyer's happy to cover the cost, no problem.
Don't let them arrange their own courier. You won't have proof of delivery that way.
If you use the "Packlink" service that's linked to eBay, it's within pennies of the same costs elsewhere and has 2 advantages,
- all the tracking info gets llinked automatically for you.
- you tend to get paid faster. I've been paid before the items are even dropped off.
I'd probably go for UPS, signed-for by the recipient. Something that size\value will cost about a fiver, and if the buyer's happy to cover the cost, no problem.
Don't let them arrange their own courier. You won't have proof of delivery that way.
go onto parcel2go and use a courier - ideally not hermes or whatever they are called today. I usually use a courier like ups as they have drop off points at a local shop so you don’t need to wait in for collection.
They are usually the same or cheaper than Royal Fail.
As for ebay holding the money in escrow is not unusual, I had it despite selling stuff in the past.
They are usually the same or cheaper than Royal Fail.
As for ebay holding the money in escrow is not unusual, I had it despite selling stuff in the past.
No way I'd send a laptop 2nd class recorded 
. It's not even worth the paper it's written on. Special delivery only, should cost about 10-15 quid based on me selling one myself not that long ago. Even when RM is working normally, 2nd class parcels often take weeks to arrive because they're dumped in the "can't be arsed" stillage until they have a low volume day and will then round them up and deliver them. Can't begin to imagine how long it will take with all the strikes.
It's totally normal for Ebay to hold the funds for 10 days on new accounts. Only thing you can do is read carefully through their feedback received and left for others. Don't trust the positive 'plus' symbol as you'll often find negative vibes written in the feedback comments themselves indicating that there have been problems.
Also, don't expect to receive any feedback. I've noticed that hardly anyone leaves feedback these days. I sold around 25 items in my last promotional listing period last month and I've only received feedback on 3 items, and 2 of those were from the same buyer! All monies received and paid out without any disputes, so presumably they were all happy.
. It's not even worth the paper it's written on. Special delivery only, should cost about 10-15 quid based on me selling one myself not that long ago. Even when RM is working normally, 2nd class parcels often take weeks to arrive because they're dumped in the "can't be arsed" stillage until they have a low volume day and will then round them up and deliver them. Can't begin to imagine how long it will take with all the strikes.It's totally normal for Ebay to hold the funds for 10 days on new accounts. Only thing you can do is read carefully through their feedback received and left for others. Don't trust the positive 'plus' symbol as you'll often find negative vibes written in the feedback comments themselves indicating that there have been problems.
Also, don't expect to receive any feedback. I've noticed that hardly anyone leaves feedback these days. I sold around 25 items in my last promotional listing period last month and I've only received feedback on 3 items, and 2 of those were from the same buyer! All monies received and paid out without any disputes, so presumably they were all happy.
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
OP..assume everything sweet & dandy?
I think so but I'm not quite sure yet. After reading the advice on here I sent it out Next Day Special Delivery as opposed to 2nd class - it was only a couple of £ more. Royal Mail tried to deliver last Saturday but couldn't and looking at the tracking info it was successfully delivered on Wednesday. Ebay are holding on to the funds until the 2nd November as I am a new seller and I've not heard from the buyer so I am presuming all is ok and I'll get paid next week. I'll update if anything changes...Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff