Which is Better? eBay or Craigslist?
September 3rd, 2009 | 
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Dear eBay Queen;
I bought a ton of stuff from Circuit City when they went out of business. I bought the items as is, with no receipt. I have been trying to list Bose and Farouk Chi items, but eBay insists on declaring my listings GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT, (and there’s really no proving anything).
How can I sell these items without getting my listings removed? Why is eBay like this? What happened to a free market? IF the buyer is unhappy with my AUTHENTIC products, they can get a refund through PayPal. Seriously why do they hate me?
Brant
Dear Brant;
I’m pretty sure that eBay doesn’t hate you. VeRo is eBay’s Verified Rights Ownership program. It isn’t eBay that is shutting you down, it’s the companies like Bose and Farouk Chi that is contacting eBay and telling them to shut it down. I have a couple of questions for you:
1. When you say "I bought the items as is with no receipt" do you mean Circuit City didn’t give you a receipt, or you lost it?
2. Is there any reason for you to believe the merchandise is not authentic? Does it come in the original box?
3. When you received your VeRo notification, did they give you a reason?
I have found a couple of places you could research when it comes to winning your VeRo charges with eBay. This place appears to give step by step instructions on how to fight a VeRo charge. http://www.rickdrew.com/fighting_ebay_VERO_DMCA_takedown.htm There is also the eBay seller Tabberone. They have a website that will show you how they won their Verified Rights Ownership cases. http://www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/trademarks.html
I have had a couple of run-ins with VeRo myself. It has been my experience it is better to move on and sell your items some place other than eBay. If I were selling these, I would move the Bose and Farouk Chi items to Amazon. I believe eBay is the best place to sell most things, but you could be suspended indefinitely if you list these items again and do not get the proper "OK" from the companies that have VeRo’d you.
I am really sorry you have been VeRo’d. If you could let me know the answers to my questions, I might be able to help you further.
Dear eBay Queen;
Which do you think is better: Craigslist or eBay?
Joey G
Dear Joey;
I get this question a lot and I like to ask the person asking the question; "What kind of items do you want to sell?" It is really a hard question to answer if I don’t know what you want to sell or buy. Craigslist and eBay, while they appear to be similar, are actually quite different. Each site has its own positive and negative features.
Positives of Craigslist
· Great for purchasing large items like furniture or appliances that are difficult to ship.
· As a buyer you would get to physically see items in person before you commit to buy.
· Craigslist has not only items for sale, but also has a variety of other categories like employment and personal ads.
· It is free to post and sell your item on Craigslist.
Negatives of Craigslist
· With Craigslist you must actually meet your buyer/seller in person. This could be dangerous if you do not meet them in a public place.
· There are no real rules.
· Craigslist isn’t available everywhere, eBay is offered worldwide.
· I have had problems with email spamming on Craigslist.
Positives of eBay
· Buyers/Sellers can track their sales and purchases online.
· Sellers can build their own "brand" on eBay.
· eBay has the feedback system for rating buyers and sellers, so you know who your dealing with.
· Since 99% of items are mailed to buyers there is little personal contact with users.
Cons of eBay
· eBay listings are not free to list or when an item sells.
· Since you do not see the item before you buy, you might not get what you pay for.
· PayPal or Credit Card payment system is the only acceptable forms of payments.
I really believe eBay and Craigslist shouldn’t be compared. The only way they are alike is that they are both online venues to sell things.
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 270442982133(enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). Remember when ladies wore corsages? Check out this Vintage Patriotic Labor Day Corsage SOLD $39.09 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270442982113
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.
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