Archive for December, 2006
Re-Gifting eBay Items & eBay’s Firearm Policy
December 27th, 2006 | 
Author:
Dear eBay Queen;
I received some really far out stuff for Christmas this year. For a white elephant gift at my office Christmas Party I received a funky odd-looking doll. The doll is about 18” tall, and she is made from wool or fabric. She is cute, but I don’t really like dolls. My in-laws are the sweetest people, and I know they love me, I just don’t think they know what size clothing I wear. I received 5 new outfits, all in different plus sizes. The outfits are cute, but I wear a size 10. Maybe they think I need to gain a few pounds. I don’t collect dolls and I have no plans to gain any weight. Could I sell this stuff on eBay? My husband says donate the items.
Allison
Dear Allison;
To answer your question, YES! You can sell all of that on eBay. Plus size clothing does very well. Make sure you take good photos. The best photos of clothing are taken with a model or on a mannequin. Even an old sewing dress form would do the trick. If you don’t have a dress form or model, hanging the clothing on a door and taking a full-length photo of your outfit will do the trick. Don’t forget to take a few close ups of special details that stand out on each outfit.
Your white elephant gift is another story. After looking over your photos you included, I believe you have a vintage googly eyed Lenci Doll. I believe she is made from felt. I did a completed search on “Lenci Doll” and found they sell any where from $100.00 to $7,000.00 depending on condition. Googly eyes are also rare in dolls, and refers to the wide open eye that moves. I would do some more research on this doll, and with any luck, you could take your entire office out to lunch with part of the profits.
Dear eBay Queen
A few days ago, I listed a 7 toy cap guns. I listed them under toys, put in the description that they are collectible toys and not firearms, etc., and included detailed pictures. One of them didn’t even work, was just sold as is. Within minutes all my listings were pulled for violating the firearms policy. I looked on eBay, and there are a lot of listings for toy cap guns (355 last I checked) and more than half were similar to my listings.
I understand someone turned me in, but why? I have written to eBay, twice, no response from them yet. Other than I got "turned in" what the heck happened? Why do 355 other sellers have toy cap guns listed?
Cap Gun Charlie
Dear Charlie;
Just know you are in good company. I had 2 broken cap guns I was trying to sell this summer. They were removed within two hours of being listed on eBay. I also received an odd email, saying I had violated the eBay Firearms policy. eBay will respond to your emails, but because of the holiday it will take every bit of 48 hours.
After a bit of research, I learned eBay will allow you to sell cap guns on their site, but they must have a blaze orange tip on the end. This complies with California Firearms Regulations. Because eBay’s home office is located in California they require you and I to be in compliance with those laws. It is probable that someone turned your auction in, or it could have been an eBay employee who’s job it is to watch for violations in the cap gun category. I don’t really have an answer about the other 355 toy cap guns that are currently up for auction. But if they are in violation of the firearms policy, eBay will catch them. For more information on eBay’s fire arm policy go here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html Click on the box “SHOW MORE” for the complete firearms policy. For more information on the California firearms rules and regulations go here: http://search.doj.ca.gov/AGSearch/
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 160060229232 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). The New Year is almost here; it’s time to change your calendar! Before you throw that calendar away, what do you think it will be worth in seventy-six years? Check out this Pennsylvania Railroad Calendar from 1930. SOLD for $811.00.
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com .
Shipping Large Packages Internationally & PayPal Disputes
Dear eBay Queen;
I sold a large art print to a buyer in Australia for 24.97. I had only offered USPS shipping quotes. I have never shipped something this large before and didn’t consider that there was a size limit (I’m a bookseller mostly). I went to the post office to mail it and found that it was 10" larger than their size restriction. I emailed the buyer, told her the problem and that I would check a couple of other shipping options and get back to her.
The next available option was UPS and it was $195. I let the buyer know, and she was very upset with me, and wanted me to pay the difference. I apologized and refunded her money. How should I have handled it differently besides paying attention to the restrictions of the post office?
RDM
Dear RDM;
I think you handled it well. You refunded her money and apologized. It is impossible to know all of the shipping restrictions for all of the different countries you could ship to. For a quick reference the US Post Office has an international online guide to help you. http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/welcome.htm
The best way to prevent shipping problems like this is to use the eBay shipping calculator. When you are writing up your auction, make sure you include the proper weight and measurements of the item you are selling. That way when the international buyer bids on the item, they know exactly how much the shipping costs will be.
Would it help if you sent the item without the frame and in a USPS tube rolled up? I would email her and ask if it would be ok to send the print without the frame. I would imagine you could save your bidder quite a bit on shipping if you can mail it this way. Good luck, I hope this option saves the sale for you.
Dear eBay Queen;
I have bought over 35 items from an eBay seller for many years now. Three weeks ago I bought a CD from them, and it did not show up. I filed a grievance against them using the non-receipt procedure through Paypal. I thought no more about it to be honest because you need to file these things within 30 days or, you will not get your money back. Anyway, the item turned up so I cancelled the Paypal case and thought all was well. I tried to bid on an auction today and was told by eBay I couldn’t because I was banned from bidding on this seller’s item.
I emailed the seller, and asked them why I was banned from bidding on their items. They said;
”Our policy is to not accept bids from customers who file Paypal disputes. Please do not bid on our items again. “ Is this breaking any eBay or Paypal policies as it seems a little strange
that they would ban a customer who has paid them hundreds of dollars over the years
Why would they do this?
Bob M
Dear Bob;
eBay allows a seller to block bidders or allow other bidders on the items they are selling. That way the seller is in control of whom they choose to sell or not sell too. As a seller you can block people from certain countries from bidding or people with a low feedback score. In this case they blocked you individually for violating one of their policies.
The eBay policy on blocking a bidder is here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/manage_bidders_ov.html. I have a good idea of the seller you are talking about, and they are in the top 10 of eBay sellers in the country. I’m not sure I would block someone from buying my items for filing a Paypal dispute, but this how they choose to run their business. There are plenty of sellers offing CD’s on eBay, that would love to have your business. I’m sorry you were treated this way by this one.
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 280052430293 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). How much is a hand painted Christmas card worth to someone? Rockwell Kent Christmas Card sold $6,500.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280053430293
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com .
Posted in General eBay Help, Negative Feedback, PayPal, Shipping | 
Tags: Australia, Blocked Buyers. PayPal disptute, International shipping, Large Packages | 
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How to Keep Track of Your eBay Sales & Item Never Arrived What Do I Do?
Dear eBay Queen;
I took your advice and found some items around my house we didn’t need any more, then I went crazy and listed 20 items my first week selling on ebay. I didn’t think I would get a single bid, and most of the stuff has two or three bids! I cannot believe my items are selling! How do I keep track of these items? How do I know who bought them and when they sold?
I enjoy reading your strange item of the week, what was the strangest item you sold? Thanks for your help; reading your column gave me the push I needed to sell some stuff.
Paula
Dear Paula;
Congratulations on your newfound career! There is nothing like the feeling of de-cluttering your house and getting paid for doing it! eBay makes it easy to keep track of the items your selling and buying all in one place, “My eBay”. To view the status of any item your selling, simply click on the “My eBay” link on any eBay page. Find your items for sale by clicking on “All Items Selling” on the left side of your “My eBay” page. If your item sold, and you offer Paypal as a payment option, the buyer may have already paid you. You can even make a Paypal shipping label directly from your “My eBay” page.
If you deicide to make eBay selling a part of your life, I would look in to using a listing program. Not only can a listing program schedule and list your items, but also it can keep track of your items, and who purchased them.
I’ve had quite a few surprises in my time on eBay. I think one of the biggest surprises was a fishing float. I purchased a box of junk; (I mean collectibles) at a local auction. In the bottom of the box were 2 fishing floats. One of them looked like a rolling pin, and was a pretty lavender color, the other was aqua blue and round. I put them both on together, and within 2 hrs they had several bids, and were over $100.00. The ending price was over 300.00.
Dear eBay Queen
I sold a boxed set of Little House on the Prairie books on December 1st. I did a shipping label thru Paypal and mailed them out on December 2nd. On the 9th, the buyer emailed me wondering where her package was. I politely explained that Media Mail saves money, but takes extra time to get there. When I checked the delivery confirmation number thru the USPS website, it says they received notification that this item was due to be received by the post office on December 2nd. I don’t think the post office even scanned the box when I mailed it. The buyer emailed me again today wondering where her package is and the Post Office website is still giving me the same message. How should I respond to her? Should I offer her a refund?
Jayne; Richmond
Dear Jayne;
You are so right about Media Mail shipping! It really saves money when you are shipping books, CD’s and DVD’s, but takes forever to get there. The post office website (http://www.usps.com/send/waystosendmail/senditwithintheus/mediamail.htm) gives 3-12 days as expected delivery times on media mail. During the Holiday season, I would guess that could be extended out by five more days.
I would email your buyer, give them the USPS websites shipping standards link (see above), and explain to them that it might take up to 15 business days for media mail during the holidays. If her package does not arrive by December 22, I would contact your postmaster and see if they can help locate the package. I would not offer a refund, until all your options have been exhausted with the post office.
I’m sure your package will turn up in the next couple of days.
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 260060654487 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). Fishing Floats are still used by fisherman today, and some people love to collect or decorate with them. Check out this Antique Japanese Kanji Rolling Pin Glass Float. Sold for $800.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260060654487
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com .
Posted in Auction, feedback, General eBay Help, Shipping, unhappy buyer |
Tags: eBay help, keep track of eBay sales, media mail shipping, my eBay, refunds, Shipping standards |
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