Just a quick question for everyone who sells on eBay...

I have a rather established eBay account, been a member since 2004, never have had an issue with buying or selling, however, today I sold a Lego set to someone who has zero feedback. I have never sold to anyone who does not have any feedback. I have read some horror stories on here about these Lego scams and am curious of everyone else's experience with zero feedback buyers. 

 

He purchased the item via "Buy it Now" and paid immediately with PayPal and the funds are showing in my PayPal account so I think everything should be okay, right?

1 minute ago, PringleNation said:

Just a quick question for everyone who sells on eBay...

I have a rather established eBay account, been a member since 2004, never have had an issue with buying or selling, however, today I sold a Lego set to someone who has zero feedback. I have never sold to anyone who does not have any feedback. I have read some horror stories on here about these Lego scams and am curious of everyone else's experience with zero feedback buyers. 

 

He purchased the item via "Buy it Now" and paid immediately with PayPal and the funds are showing in my PayPal account so I think everything should be okay, right?

Yes, you should be good.  Most likely a guest account. 

Just now, BrickLegacy said:

Yes, you should be good.  Most likely a guest account. 

Thank you for the quick response.

Also, another quick question, as most of my sells have been locally. Where does everyone get the shipping boxes for Lego. I see Office Depot has several varieties of X" x X" x 4" boxes which seem to be perfect for Lego as most sets are not more that 4" in height. I checked online and it said these boxes are not available in store...I do not want to ship another average size lego set in a moving box from Home Depot...LOL

5 minutes ago, PringleNation said:

Also, another quick question, as most of my sells have been locally. Where does everyone get the shipping boxes for Lego. I see Office Depot has several varieties of X" x X" x 4" boxes which seem to be perfect for Lego as most sets are not more that 4" in height. I checked online and it said these boxes are not available in store...I do not want to ship another average size lego set in a moving box from Home Depot...LOL

 

Is there a search function on this site? Asking for a friend. 

4 minutes ago, iahawks550 said:

Is there a search function on this site? Asking for a friend. 

 

Hahaha

 

Edited December 3, 20187 yr by bigboy61

35 minutes ago, PringleNation said:

Just a quick question for everyone who sells on eBay...

I have a rather established eBay account, been a member since 2004, never have had an issue with buying or selling, however, today I sold a Lego set to someone who has zero feedback. I have never sold to anyone who does not have any feedback. I have read some horror stories on here about these Lego scams and am curious of everyone else's experience with zero feedback buyers. 

 

He purchased the item via "Buy it Now" and paid immediately with PayPal and the funds are showing in my PayPal account so I think everything should be okay, right?

I sold a Sandcrawler to someone with 0 feedback. It looked like a guest account. Went through just fine-no problems. The person said they were buying it as a birthday present.

I sell items to zero feedback buyers all the time and there's rarely a problem. I just make sure that ALL items are tracked/signed/insured and I politely ask for proof of address (eg. utility bill) for anything of high value and they all comply. You'll see a lot of this in the run up to Xmas as buyers have to start somewhere. As long as you cover your arse, don't worry.

Hello All,  I am selling something on Ebay for the first time (I have 3 sets of the store promos (DA, Present, and VIP) and thought I sell all three as a lot to prove to my wife that it's not all going out). I have been buying off and on on Ebay for over 10 years and have all good feedback as a buyer.

This is my first rodeo so I made sure all 3 fits into a basic medium Priority mail Box and the shipping is the priority mail price. i post pics and say the boxes are in good condition (no dents) but to contact me for more pics if box quality is high priority.

Hopefully I don't get screwed...

I would appreciate any key tips

thanks in advance.

-the New Guy

A few summary of answers:

• The zero feedback talk comes up often. There's guest accounts and also everyone starts at zero at some point. If you ship to the address provided, PayPal should cover it, even if it ends up being fraudulent.
• Shipping boxes - On a rare occasion Staples (& maybe Office Depot) will have a good coupon deal on shipping supplies. Any other day, the prices can be painful. Uline is also popular and they have every size you'd imagine. Their prices are typically better, but the shipping will make you want to barf. Oddly enough, the lower prices average out the high shipping cost, so I've used them the last few times. The link from Mizeur above has a lot more information.
• The Priority Mail boxes are sometimes handy (+ being free), but some of them are super flimsy. I fear the sets could easily become pancakes along the way. My first few sales, I did the flat-rate shipping out of fear of the unknown, being new to the whole size/weight game. I realized later how much the cost can vary from coast to coast and use the calculated shipping as flat rate is almost only ideal if the items are small but heavy (rarely applies to LEGO).
• I don't want to jinx it, but out of a few thousand sales, I can count the issues (returns, damage, porch theft, etc) on one or both hands so far (<1%). I only mention that to give relief that a "fruitcake" buyer or some other horror story is usually in the minority. The other 99% usually goes fine.

3 hours ago, lodibricks said:

A few summary of answers:

• The zero feedback talk comes up often. There's guest accounts and also everyone starts at zero at some point. If you ship to the address provided, PayPal should cover it, even if it ends up being fraudulent.
• Shipping boxes - On a rare occasion Staples (& maybe Office Depot) will have a good coupon deal on shipping supplies. Any other day, the prices can be painful. Uline is also popular and they have every size you'd imagine. Their prices are typically better, but the shipping will make you want to barf. Oddly enough, the lower prices average out the high shipping cost, so I've used them the last few times. The link from Mizeur above has a lot more information.
• The Priority Mail boxes are sometimes handy (+ being free), but some of them are super flimsy. I fear the sets could easily become pancakes along the way. My first few sales, I did the flat-rate shipping out of fear of the unknown, being new to the whole size/weight game. I realized later how much the cost can vary from coast to coast and use the calculated shipping as flat rate is almost only ideal if the items are small but heavy (rarely applies to LEGO).
• I don't want to jinx it, but out of a few thousand sales, I can count the issues (returns, damage, porch theft, etc) on one or both hands so far (<1%). I only mention that to give relief that a "fruitcake" buyer or some other horror story is usually in the minority. The other 99% usually goes fine.

Thanks!

I figure if this Lego obsession gets any more serious I will need to sell regularly or we will hit critical mass soon (meaning a large mass will be thrown at me by my spouse and I will be critically injured) ...I figure w/ a small sell I can enter the ebay waters on the shallow end to get my feet wet.

That happened to me, and everything was fine. ? As long as the customer paid, you should be fine. 

 

Hi All,

I just started selling on ebay and have a situation.  A buyer wants to return an item because it was damaged during shipping (pictures were provided).  I don't accept returns.  Any advice on how to handle this situation would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

 

 

Hi All,
I just started selling on ebay and have a situation.  A buyer wants to return an item because it was damaged during shipping (pictures were provided).  I don't accept returns.  Any advice on how to handle this situation would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!
 
 

If you shipped via priority mail you are covered up to $50 if you file an insurance claim through USPS. They usually process them quickly. I’d offer to refund the buyer and send them a prepaid label if you want the item back. Let them keep it otherwise, with the refund. EBay’s money back guarantee means you will take returns regardless of your policy. I’d do this to avoid a snad claim.


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51 minutes ago, Mark Twain said:

 

If you shipped via priority mail you are covered up to $50 if you file an insurance claim through USPS. They usually process them quickly. I’d offer to refund the buyer and send them a prepaid label if you want the item back. Let them keep it otherwise, with the refund. EBay’s money back guarantee means you will take returns regardless of your policy. I’d do this to avoid a snad claim.


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Thanks for your advice!  I'll refund the money and send him a prepaid label.

Hey guys and gals, first time selling a set on eBay and doing local pick up. Anything I should be concerned about? The customer has a ton of feedback 100% so not too worried about it. Thank you

Edited December 20, 20187 yr by Mgip21

19 hours ago, LegoPup said:

Hi All,

I don't accept returns. 

 

 

Oh, but you do.

27 minutes ago, Mgip21 said:

Hey guys and gals, first time selling a set on eBay and doing local pick up. Anything I should be concerned about? The customer has a ton of feedback 100% so not too worried about it. Thank you

Bear in mind that if they pay by Paypal and collect locally you will have no proof of having sent the item. If they claimed against you, you'd lose. For this reason I would only ever accept cash for collection.

1 hour ago, Captain_chaos said:

Bear in mind that if they pay by Paypal and collect locally you will have no proof of having sent the item. If they claimed against you, you'd lose. For this reason I would only ever accept cash for collection.

This is an interesting topic...also applies to Paypal and Venmo purchases.  what if you take a picture of them holding the product on your doorstep? would that evidence win a case?

20 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

This is an interesting topic...also applies to Paypal and Venmo purchases.  what if you take a picture of them holding the product on your doorstep? would that evidence win a case?

I have had several Local buyers show up and want to pay via PayPal when they purchase more than intended when they see some of my stock (which is not much). What I do to protect myself and believe would be sufficient is write up a quick note on paper ie; "Joe Dirt is purchasing said items for X amount of $. This transaction is taking place at such location." I then have the buyer sign it and I sign it and take a picture of both of our ID/Licenses. I have not had any resistance from this and I simply explain to them it is to protect of both from scams. 

 

I also believe is someone pays with PayPal in person and they send it as a "friend/family" transaction, there is not a way for them to dispute it as they are not paying any fees associated with seller/buyer protection.

Edited December 20, 20187 yr by PringleNation

5 minutes ago, PringleNation said:

I have had several Local buyers show up and want to pay via PayPal when they purchase more than intended when they see some of my stock (which is not much). What I do to protect myself and believe would be sufficient is write up a quick note on paper ie; "Joe Dirt is purchasing said items for X amount of $. This transaction is taking place at such location." I then have the buyer sign it and I sign it and take a picture of both of our ID/Licenses. I have not had any resistance from this and I simply explain to them it is to protect of both from scams. 

 

I also believe is someone pays with PayPal in person and they send it as a "friend/family" transaction, there is not a way for them to dispute it as they are not paying any fees associated with seller/buyer protection.

I would think that a picture w/ a written contract and images of both IDs would be valid for almost all cases...except if the story is the wallet was stolen...in which case the ID image is no longer valid.  This is defintely playing devil's advocate but if it's a really pricey item(s) some thieves may take it that far.

Identity theft is so hard to catch...I think its penalty should be considered like littering...like a life sentence if ever proven type of thing...this should ward off like 99% of the casual thieves

There's no PayPal seller protection for in person pickup no matter what they sign or pictures you take.

So if they want PayPal rather than cash or bank check, it should be Friends & Family only. Or sign up for PayPal Here, Square or another POS service so you can accept cards.

38 minutes ago, mizeur said:

There's no PayPal seller protection for in person pickup no matter what they sign or pictures you take.

So if they want PayPal rather than cash or bank check, it should be Friends & Family only. Or sign up for PayPal Here, Square or another POS service so you can accept cards.

Yeah...I think the name of the game is to prevent fraud...cuz like a car accident, it doesn't matter who's at fault...it's a PITA for all involved

That said...As a CL seller, I see any and all personal information gained as equity to prevent fraud...obviously someone who is willing to give their cell phone number (altho google# are a concern), meet in-person, sign something, get picture taken (of themselves and/or ID) are all escalating levels of trust-worthiness...but Paypal's 180 days to file a claim thing is a bit un-nerving when selling expensive items.

 

all this to say: "Cash is King" 

All the info is great, thank you. But if all my listings are PayPal only and they already pay on eBay- not many options. Has anyone actually been burned by a local pick?  Thank you

8 minutes ago, Mgip21 said:

All the info is great, thank you. But if all my listings are PayPal only and they already pay on eBay- not many options. Has anyone actually been burned by a local pick?  Thank you

Never been burned on one picking up.  If you want to protect yourself and payment has already been made just mail them the receipt and upload the tracking (if it's substantial enough that you are worried about it).  Also will protect your on time score.