Archive for the ‘eBay Store’ Category

Dear eBay Queen:

I have a small eBay problem.  I’ve been selling on the internet for 4 years, and it has always been my policy to not accept refunds. I recently sold a card from a card game called Yugi-Oh!.  The buyer paid me $5.00 for the card (including shipping).  He emailed me after he received it and claimed it was fake. 

He was very nice, and asked if he could exchange it or get a refund.  His email was very nice.  He told me “he understands that I didn’t do this on purpose”.  I didn’t know it was fake.  I don’t know what to do; I no longer have the $5.00 in my PayPal because I spent it.  I’m not sure how to give his money back without any money in there.  What should I do? I said no refunds, but I had no idea the card was fake!  I never even said whether it was real or fake anyway, I just listed the picture and the name of the card.  It was only $5.00, and I doubt he will take any legal action, I do want to solve this but I’m  stumped here, what should I do?

Tom P, Gardner, KS

Dear Tom:

I have never heard of a fake Yugi-Oh! card.  I did a little research and found out they are quite prevalent.  Here are couple of websites to help with identifying faux trading cards. http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Counterfeit  and http://www.yugiohcardmaker.net/ .

In a situation like this, I would ask the buyer to return the item for a refund.  I understand your PayPal account does not have the $5.00 in it; you could refund your buyer with an e-check, or add money to your PayPal account now so the money will be there when it is time to refund him.

One of the things you should keep in mind, even if you have a “no refund” policy, is the fact your buyer could still file a claim against you, and PayPal will take the money out of your account without your approval.

Dear eBay Queen:

I sell and collect My Little Ponies. I recently received a negative because a scammer wanted a refund and to keep the item. I was pretty miffed and I blocked the buyer.  Due to eBay's current policy for seller protection and their "Buyer is always right, even when scamming for free stuff" policy, I have started to screen my buyers more carefully.  I am considering canceling bids from buyers that have a habit of leaving a lot of negatives for sellers, or leaving them for unjust reasons. 

Recently I had a buyer that slipped through my usual net and is starting to worry me with negotiations for lower shipping for the ponies after the auction had ended. Luckily, we were able to resolve it, but that kind of thing, (people not getting their way) ends in a negative feedback more often than not.

What are your thoughts on preemptively preventing proven problem buyers from bidding on your items? It makes me feel a little like a jerk and like I am limiting my auctions.  A couple of weeks ago, another buyer slipped through. She bid on 2 of my ponies.  She lost the bid on one and won the other one that she really didn’t want. She sent me 4 or 5 emails complaining about how she lost the bid.  She ended up leaving me a negative for the pony she did get stating that she did not know the pony had orange in her hair.  (The auction had four photos of the pony with the orange hair and even listed out the colors of the pony in the auction).

PonyGRRL

Dear PonyGRRL:

I completely understand your apprehension with buyers who are quick to leave negative feedback.   I believe it is certainly within your right to block buyers that you believe are quick to leave negative feedback.   I would say if you have the time and means to check out each buyer and their feedback they have left, then go for it. 

I really believe eBay needs to do something about buyers who try to re-negotiate the sale after the fact.  It is this very thing that I think is driving some sellers away. 

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 350407805064 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Remember when cars had hood ornaments?  Check out this LV A Ronson Uncle Sam Hood Ornament Radiator Cap SOLD $1,550.00  http://cgi.ebay.com/LV-ARonson-UNCLE-SAM-Hood-Ornament-Radiator-Cap-RAREST-/350407805064    

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

Dear eBay Queen:

This is my first Thanksgiving and Christmas on eBay.  I am assuming that the holiday season on eBay is similar to what retailers experience in bricks and mortar stores.  Could you help me figure out what I should be doing to make this season go well for me?

Sherri; Topeka, KS

Dear Sherri:

Traditionally November through February is a great time to sell items on eBay. Here are some tips to help you.

1. Line up your suppliers. If you sell new items, make sure you have reliable suppliers lined up in advance so you have the product you need to maximize your eBay holiday sales.

2. Focus on “holiday-friendly” gift items.  When I’m looking at items to re-sale, I ask myself; “Would this be a good gift?”  

3. Stock up on hot/in demand items.  I am always trying to find the next hot item, whether it’s a toy or last year’s hot gift, “The Snuggie”.  You can also find “hot” items on eBay by using eBay’s Pulse page http://www.pulse.ebay.com , or you can view popular searches by Category to check out current trends and hot picks.

4. Buy it Now vs Auctions.  The holiday season is good time to use “Buy it Now.” Many buyers are impatient or have waited until the last minute, so using Buy It Now listings rather than auction-style listings will give your products an edge over other sellers.

5. Free shipping Offering free shipping gives eBay shoppers even more reasons to buy your items, and just may give you an edge over the other sellers. Remember when you use free shipping, to build the cost of shipping into the price of the item.

6. Ship Fast. Make sure you ship your items quickly and use delivery confirmation and tracking.  Let your buyers know how fast you will package and ship the item out.  You can let the buyer know all of these things up front when you explain them in your shipping policies on your eBay listings.

7. eBay Templates. Put your prospective buyers in the holiday mood by changing or updating your eBay template to a holiday theme.

8. Use an eBay Listing Tool.  eBay has several listing tools to aid in scheduling and listing your items for sale.  Check them out http://pages.ebay.com/sell/tools/allinone/  or eBay has some Certified Providers that have listing solutions for you. http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ListingSolutions.html

Dear eBay Queen:

I am so confused! I hope that you can help me. I’m bidding on a fabulous vintage stoneware mixing bowl set on the Japanese eBay site. The bowls are at 57,000 Yen, which is about, $669 USD. The starting bid was 55,000 Yen, I bid 57,000 Yen and a day later someone else bid 56,000 Yen. Currently it says I’m the highest bidder.  I don’t understand? Why would this bid be lower than mine?  I’m so confused!

I’m really worried that I won’t be the highest bidder on this set.  I have to have it.  I’ve been looking everywhere for it, and the only place I’ve seen it is in my grandmothers collection.  I’m super worried someone is going to "snipe" me at the last second. HOW DO I SNIPE IT so I am assured to win?

Buyer #38954

Dear Buyer:

I understand your confusion. Your maximum bid will not show to other buyers.  You are the only one that can see it.

·         Opening Bid         55,000 YEN

·         Your Bid               57,000 YEN

·         After you bid, the bid didn’t increase but stayed at 55,000 YEN

·         New Buyer Bids 56,000 YEN which is still under your bid of 57,000 YEN.

Your highest bid, (which is the highest you're willing to bid on the item) is 57,000 Yen;. But your ACTUAL bid was only 55,000 Yen, which is what that other person saw as your bid. They bid 56,000 as their highest bid, but that still didn't beat your highest bid.

The bid will stay low until someone else bids.  For example, if I bid $20 on an item that has a base bid of $0.99 and nobody else bids, I only have to pay $0.99. If somebody comes along and bids $3, the bid jumps to $3, but it's still considered my bid. If somebody bids more than $20, then the bid is theirs. The current bid isn't necessarily the highest bid. 

When it comes to sniping, I like to set a timer or the clock on my oven to let me know how long I have before the auction is over.  When it gets down to 15 seconds, I place my highest bid and hit enter.  There are sniping programs you can pay to use that can also help you win the bids.  Good luck winning this bowl set!

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 150506978849 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Is it turkey season yet?  Do you need a turkey caller?  Check out this one!  SOLD $1200.00  http://cgi.ebay.com/Neil-Cost-Turkey-Call-GOB-EL-R-/150506978849

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

Dear eBay Queen;

I bought a rare model display aircraft using BIN for $145, and paid immediately via PayPal.  Insurance was not offered and none should have been required, as it is a pretty sturdy model. The model arrived 10 days after my payment was received. It was wrapped loosely in 3 paper towel sheets and placed in a Priority Mail box. I guess the paper towel was supposed to be the protection for the model, but as you can imagine, it wasn’t.  My model was tossed and bounced around in that box. Because of this, the tail is broken off.

I sent the seller a message through eBay letting them know that I want to return the model because it was broken.  I let her know the way it was packed was the reason it was broken!  It took 2 weeks and 3 messages through eBay before the seller finally acknowledged my message and sent me her return address.

Should I give the seller a big fat NEGATIVE?  I have only had 1 other problem like this in 900+ transactions.  What do you think I should do?

Jason L. Atlanta, GA

Dear Jason;

It normally takes PayPal 30 days to make a decision on a claim after escalation. In situations like this, PayPal will find in your favor.  I am so sorry the seller was a poor packer, and to top it off had bad customer service.   When it comes to feedback, go with your gut.  If this seller is a new one, I would consider just leaving them a neutral and letting them know via email how to ship fragile items like your model.  If they are an experienced, seller I might leave a negative.

Dear eBay Queen;

I sold a vintage Halloween postcard to someone on eBay for $42.50.  I received the envelope from USPS today saying "Received without Content" meaning the item wasn't in the package when it arrived to them.  I have over 50 positive feedback, with no negatives.  The buyer used PayPal, and I had free shipping and insurance wasn’t offered.  The postcard was shipped via USPS Priority Mail with a Delivery Confirmation.

I still have the USPS envelope without the item. What should I do? The buyer just emailed me saying they didn't receive the item yet. Before emailing them, should I contact PayPal first? And should I contact USPS?

Heartland Posties

Dear Posties;

I’ve had this happen to me before, and it is very frustrating.  What most likely happened is your envelope was caught in one of the postal machines, and was torn open.  I’m sorry to say this, but you will be responsible for refunding the buyers money.  You can file a claim with the post office and they will search for the item.  Don’t count on it being found, but it just might.

In situations like this, I have emailed the buyer and included photos of the envelope and information, so they see that the post office is at fault for their package tearing.  I would let them know you’ll be refunding their money immediately.

I’m sorry this happened to you.  I hope the post office recovers your vintage postcard.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 250708068820  (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): You’ll never look at vintage beer cans the same way again.  Check out 1950’s Flat Top Beer Can Sliver Bar SOLD $2739.89 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150502145713  

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.