Over the years I have bought and sold many items on Ebay or Craigslist. Mostly boomboxes. And I have compiled a list of do's and don'ts buying and selling. So here goes and I appreciate any input and suggestions... BUYING 1) Read the listing carefully, several times. Look for what I call red flags when the seller states: It's dirty but I'll let the buyer clean it up. This means I'm too lazy to clean the junk I found. It worked the last time I used it. This means there is an issue. SOMETHING is wrong. I didn't test the tape functions or the record function. This means the tape isn't working. It just needs a belt or a power cord. This means nothing. Power cords are easy to find, belts? No. Get the picture? Speaking of pictures. Pictures can be "fixed" and hide the true nature of the item. Ask for clear photos of the item. 2) ASK QUESTIONS. Never assume the description is accurate. Take whatever the seller is saying with a grain of salt. If the seller says everything works ask them to be specific. Even if you have no questions, ask SOMETHING. Especially with these old radios. Some folks have no idea what they're selling or are selling it for someone. I won't buy anything from someone if they don't answer me. My favorite question to ask: Are there any known issues? Does it smell? Are there any infestations? Some folks are dirty. I actually received an item once that was full of flies. You might not get an honest answer but save all communications in the event you don't get what you paid for; Remember the ball is in your court. If you get no response or a snarky response that's a red flag. 3) Be polite and businesslike and don't be a jerk. If there is a best offer option offer what you feel is a fair price but don't low ball it. You risk insulting the seller. Remember this is a business transaction. Pay on time. Ask questions but don't tell your life story and be honest. SELLING Ok so you're posting that beautiful item you have. And some buyers, if not all will ask questions of some sorts. Answer them. This is business. If you do a best offer be prepared for lowball offers. Ignore them unless you agree with it. Don't take it personally, check your emotions at the door. When payment is received. Pack it and ship it promptly. No cares how busy you are. This is business. If you don't have time or don't know how to do it properly then go to Staples or the UPS store and have it done properly. Some sellers I deal with make packing an art form. Always insure and track the item. Take pictures of any and all serial numbers and other identifying marks. I make a very inconspicuous mark as well. I also record the packing process and archive these recordings. This will cut down greatly on scammers. Make the buyer pay for this insurance. This will weed out the riff raff for the most part. So always use tracking when shipping. It shows when it was delivered. For an extra fee and if the item is expensive get a signature when delivered. That will protect you, the seller. Remember Ebay sides with the buyer now. They bite the hand that feeds them, you the seller. Stay safe and happy selling!
The following has been edited from original since most of the other posts before and after has been edited, so that it makes more sense. If you are a eBay/PayPal seller, be advised that taking funds out of your account for the purpose of (taking these funds out of the reach of eBay/PayPal) in case buyer ever files a claims will actually do nothing to protect your funds from being awarded back to buyer if eBay/PayPal subsequently finds for the buyer in a dispute. If you lose a dispute, eBay will refund the buyer regardless of whether your account has funds or not, and your funds will then have a negative balance which they will try to recover from your backup funding source. This is allowed in the terms of agreement due to your relationship with eBay. Should you be successful in preventing eBay or PayPal from recovering these funds through removing your backup funding source and depleting your PayPal balance, be advised that they will suspend your account. When eBay was new, it was easy to setup new accounts. Today, it is not as they employ many security and identity cross reference checks. They will know who you are, and it will be next to impossible to establish a new account in your own name so you'll need to keep your existing account in good standing if you wish to continue with this relationship. Bottom line is that currently, eBay favors the buyer in most disputes so if you are selling anything valuable, and especially electronics, you really should take proactive steps to protect yourself and while it really is a pain in the butt, it can help you win cases you would otherwise lose. This includes listing things as for parts or repair (even if not), removing subjective statements of condition out of description since buyers surely will have a different opinion of what constitutes excellent, minty, etc than what you had in mind, taking lots of photos for record, videotaping the packing/labeling process (for very valuable sales), placing tamper proof stickers on item in case of parts swapping, etc. What you choose to do, and the extent of your over-and-above efforts will depend upon the item you are selling and how you feel about the sale. Just remember, there are bad people out there, both buyers and sellers.
As a seller I need to protect myself. Paypal and E bay will not. I have had my Ebay account for years but I don't sell anything on Ebay anymore, it's simply too expensive and the risk is too high. The last 2 transactions when I sold something, I almost got ripped off and a lot of headaches. I sold an old CB radio and it was returned with the claim it was broken. I won that case because I showed my pictures and video of it being shipped. And the serial number was different than the one I shipped. That clown was blocked. Another joker tried claiming he received an empty box. Again the proof is in the pictures. I successfully won that case. He was told to file a claim with the insurance he was required to buy. And I blocked that buyer as well. And the money I promptly withdrew as soon as it cleared. If they ban me? who cares? Ebay and Paypal got greedy and will bite the hand that feeds them.
Two different things being discussed and the point about not moving cash out is valid whereas we all know the world is unscrupulous and full of arseholes. Everyones experiences are different, though it is a good point to take pictures of serial numbers and a video of the item working.
No need to delete it mate i think there is some useful tips in there for people new to selling. I don't even record serial numbers etc but i think its a great idea and i will doing it in future.
Glad I could help. I also edited my thread starter so to be more useful to those who read it. Just trying to help those who are new to the hobby.
Experience from ebay: 5 buys 3 of them i would consider again buying 1 cancelled seller did not want to ship in general ebay has gone mad there too many scammers overbidders that destroy auctions and products of low quallity Experience from stereo2go sale 1 GF9696 as described works as described and has cosmetic issue as described (thanks max) 2nd buy Crown 950 awaiting but promissing description and very good communication (thanks Docs) End result i would consider buying again from ebay anything concerning ghettoblasters It looks that the forum will protect buyer and seller better than any other platform. Keep away from marktplatz.nl (lost already 70 euro on a aka conion that is lost in transit and will never arrive!
From a buyers point of view I have been mostly successful. Dealing with used items always carries a risk whether it's a house, a car or a radio. I would say most sellers are fully aware of what they are selling. While using Ebay is not difficult it is not for those who are technically ignorant. With that being said, many items will arrive with issues. I purchased a Sanyo M9935K once that the seller claimed was in perfect condition. The pictures showed a clean unit almost perfect. When it arrived it worked nicely. The tape recorder was like new as it had been serviced prior to sale. But the moron who did the repair broke the tuner dial and glued it back into place. Fortunately, it moved just enough to tune in a local station I like loud and clear. I'm not sure if the seller knew about it but I did mention it and they promptly refunded me half the purchase price. But others are not that honest. I once purchased a Realistic SCR-8 and the seller was in Canada. I received a box full of junk. This guy it turns out posted pictures from when it was new 25 years prior. I checked the geotag information and there was none. Most people don't turn that feature off when using a modern digital camera. It tells you when and where a picture was taken. Paypal told me to return it which I did and the seller sent me a fake Canadian postal money order. I paid with a credit card (always pay with a credit card) and using my rights I went over Paypals head and had my money credited back to me and Paypal got stuck with the loss. They also closed my account. This was 10 years ago and that one transaction left a bad taste in my mouth. I also do not consider items outside of the USA. Foreign sellers are more likely to be dishonest in my opinion.
With over 1500 Ebay feedback I have bought and sold a few things. I certainly agree with all the advice above. A couple of times I have paid off a disgruntled buyer to avoid negative feedback, typically refunding the cost of the postage out and back which would be lost anyway. Once that was due to me saying "the best I have seen". While true there is a bloke at work who bought a brand new car and then kept ringing the dealer complaining about the finish of the paint inside the boot (trunk), showing some people are fussier than others. To try and avoid problems I now usually include the statement "as always have a good look at the photos before bidding". One improvement is the ability to add a decent number of high res photos to each auction.
Some months ago now, might even be a year or two, I sold a laptop that was perfect when I wrapped it up in bubble wrap and sent it in the case I had for it but when they received it they said the screen was cracked and expected a refund which they got via eBay, how do I know the buyer didn't put a hammer through it just to scam me?, apparently the mains dropper had done the damage but that was in a different compartment in the case so I find that hard to believe. When I got it back the screen was cracked but it wasn't when I sent it and, as you say, eBay favour the buyer - like a court favours the woman in a divorce case even if she was sleeping around, you're wrong even if you're right. I blocked that member and have never unblocked them.
Sorry about your loss John. Chalk it up to experience. I got burned so that's why I take pictures and record the whole process and track the item with a signature required.
I agree with the comments on here about unscrupulous sellers and buyers........ I sold a Technics 1210 to a guy in Germany....I took loads of photos and sent the unit well packed... He then filed a "case" against me as the item was broken.........NO WAY WAS IT...... Then I got bitten......he wanted £50 refunded for the broken part....I had to settle as it would have cost a fortune to ship back to the UK.... It was then when I looked into the Buyer via his postage address that he rebuilt and sold these turntables.....Yes I got DONE like a kipper!! My shortcoming was that the "broken" part you could not see in any of the photos.......SO yes, always take lots of photos!!!!
