Stupid Selling Methods

[kevincure]

After looking through a bunch of Dreamcast and PSX auctions, here's my suggestions to sellers on this board and elsewhere:

1) If the game is not sealed and there's no picture, I won't bid. Are you kidding me? No way do I trust the pawnshop sellers on ebay to give an accurate description of condition. What's made the situation worse is the "Muze" game descriptions and "generic photos" that you see everywhere on ebay now. I wish I'd thought of Muze's idea first, cuz they're going to make bundles doing what we at DP do for free, but I also wish that sellers would stop using it and neglecting to post photos of their item!

2) Give a fair shipping price. By fair, I mean the closest rounded amount to your actual costs for postage and packaging. 5 or 6 bucks to ship a game inside the US is simply not fair, especially since most of these sellers aren't even shipping priority. The other annoying shipping practice is the "Yes, we combine shipping, but it's 2 bucks extra each item." Are you kidding me? Unless you're selling 30 games, you can put them all in one free Priority Mail box.

3) Learn to spell. As a buyer, I correlate bad grammar and misspellings with Pawn Shops and 13 year old sellers. There's absolutely no excuse for the spelling I see online, especially given computer spellcheckers that will fix the mistakes for you.

4) Describe the condition of the disc. Any disc-based game over 10 or 15 bucks (any game period for me, but I'll be sporting) should have a detailed description of the disc condition. It's not that hard to flip the disc over and tell me how scratched up it is.

5) Your game is almost certainly not "Rare!!". Give it up. If the game is legitimately rare, sure.

6) Sell internationally. Require the buyer to pay for more expensive insured postage, but be sporting. I'm sure almost all of us have bought from the UK or Canada at some point, so return the favor. Some of my best (and my best repeat) customers are from overseas.

7) Ship within 2 days of payment. If you charge 4 bucks to ship, ship it to me FedEx or Priority.

I almost always get more than the average ebay price in my auctions because I do simple things like above and treat my buyers like customers. I don't understand why so many ebay sellers think they have to run their ebay storefront like a flea market.

[Sph1nx]

This may make me look like a dumbass.... but what is Muze?

[Cmosfm]

yeah Im lost on what "Muze" is also...but other than that I feel strongly about everything you say. Theres some that will argue about overseas shipping, but most people that do that are the ones charging 5.00 to ship an item 1.50 media cause they wont make any money.

[brykasch]

Well I agree with some of what you say, you are wrong on certain aspects.

1. I do not sell outside of the US. I used to but it became too much hassle (ie no tracking without using expensive shipping noone wants to pay) and I only use paypal, and I do not take payments from non-confirmed adresses.

2. I have no digital camera, or scanner, and will not be buying one soon. Muze is a great service, as it adds a picture and info about the game. I try to describe the condition as best as I can, and I usually am harsh, I won't say there is one ink spot on page 16 of a manual, that is too anal to me, I give a rating of 1-10 on each item of the game (manual, disc, spine cards, boxes etc). If a buyer has a specific question he/she is more than welcome to contact me. And occassionally they do

3. I offer great shipping. I offer 3.00 for the first game and 1.00 for each additional game. Systems I charge 10.00 plus 2.00 for insurance. I only charge for packaging, dc, and anything over 50 insurance. I hate high shipping as well, but I have no problem paying 5.00 shipping for a game I really want.

4. Spelling, and presentation is important. People who can't even use th html editor I have no use for.

Items I sell go for good amounts if not a litlle more than average. I ship 5-7 days after I get payment. I work odd hours, and can't always get to a post office. And I tell everyone if it is a time sensitive item (b'day gift etc) let me knwo and I will get it out ASAP.

[Lady Jaye]

There's a problem with the "unconfirmed address" thing with Paypal. You see, I'm registered on Paypal. I originally used my credit card with it, since back then Canadian Paypal users couldn't use their bank accounts. Anyway, I was recently asked by Paypal to enter a credit card info for confirmation of an address (that was legit, as I was in the process of paying for an Ebay purchase). Problem is, they wouldn't accept my credit card since it's already registered with the site, and I don't have another credit card in my name to make my address confirmed. So what the hell am I supposed to do when a seller insists on a confirmed address? I know I should address that problem with Paypal, but that just goes to show that I'm certainly not the only person in that situation regarding Paypal.

Also, regarding shipping to Canada? If the item is too expensive to ship with insurance via USPS, why not suggest to your Canadian buyers to opt for a courier like Purolator? The fees would be similar to the USPS and it'd be faster. Not to mention that it's trackable.

Anyway, it always annoys me to the highest degree when American sellers are inflexible when it comes to shipping to Canada.

[Achika]

I've noticed more and more that people are charging $4 for shipping, and actually sending the CD that is supposed to be in a crack-free case in a plain old bubble mailer, first class for $1.06.

Bubble Mailer: 89 cents
Postage $1.06

$1.95.....$2.05 overcharged. I don't mind paying like 50 cents over....but nearly $2? That's like lunch for me! NO FREE LUNCHES

[Cmosfm]

$1.95.....$2.05 overcharged. I don't mind paying like 50 cents over....but nearly $2? That's like lunch for me! NO FREE LUNCHES

At Jack In The Box that buys 2 tacos and a Jumbo Jack. Good meal!

[kevincure]

Muze is a service that puts a description of the game and an image of the cover in your auction. If you try and buy videogames on ebay today, a good majority of them (especially the bigger sellers) are using Muze. The problem isn't the Muze service, but that the sellers are using it as an excuse to avoid pictures.

Digital cameras are dead cheap today - my cell phone can take 640x480 which is 4 times the res I use on my ebay listings. If you're selling new, ok, no picture is needed. But if not, no picture, no bids. From a seller's perspective, you're losing out on free money if you have no pictures, since your auctions almost always end lower than auctions with pictures. I don't understand it.

As for shipping, what's the justification for an extra dollar or two per item? It costs no more to ship (if you're shipping priority mail) until you get to a pretty big amount of game, and if a customer is going to buy 20 games, I don't mind taking a hit and paying an extra 4 bucks for another Priority Mail box.

Lastly, international shipping. I understand sellers wanting protection, but the solution is to simply say that you will only send next-day international or FedEx international. It's a little more expensive, but you get tracking, so no worries.

[charitycasegreg]

$1.95.....$2.05 overcharged. I don't mind paying like 50 cents over....but nearly $2? That's like lunch for me! NO FREE LUNCHES

At Jack In The Box that buys 2 tacos and a Jumbo Jack. Good meal!

That much for 2 bucks? DAmn, i wish there were jack in the boxes around here.

[punkoffgirl]

There's a problem with the "unconfirmed address" thing with Paypal. You see, I'm registered on Paypal. I originally used my credit card with it, since back then Canadian Paypal users couldn't use their bank accounts. Anyway, I was recently asked by Paypal to enter a credit card info for confirmation of an address (that was legit, as I was in the process of paying for an Ebay purchase). Problem is, they wouldn't accept my credit card since it's already registered with the site, and I don't have another credit card in my name to make my address confirmed. So what the hell am I supposed to do when a seller insists on a confirmed address? I know I should address that problem with Paypal, but that just goes to show that I'm certainly not the only person in that situation regarding Paypal.

Also, regarding shipping to Canada? If the item is too expensive to ship with insurance via USPS, why not suggest to your Canadian buyers to opt for a courier like Purolator? The fees would be similar to the USPS and it'd be faster. Not to mention that it's trackable.

Anyway, it always annoys me to the highest degree when American sellers are inflexible when it comes to shipping to Canada.

Sarah, you'll have to do what I did, then: create a whole new PayPal account. That was the only way I could change my information to get a verified account.

[brykasch]

1. You may think digital cameras are dirt cheap, but for some of us (me) I don't have extra money to spend on it. If you knew how much I made you would understand. If ebay was my main source of income I could justify the money, but right now no.And my auctions always end with good prices. If you don't wish to bid on em there are always others who will:)

2. You try getting people to bid on high shipping charges, good luck on that. I just sold a copy of Mega Man II for GB (and it had a picture of my own) for 6.00 and they guy was wanting cheaper shipping and to pay by money order, when it says I only take paypal. I told him that the 3.00 shipping rate is non-negotiable. I mean its .50 for the packing, 1.00 or so for shipping, and .55 for delivery conformation. I mean sheesh. Plus time and gas, it adds up. My shipping fees are listed with the auction so there is no excuse

[Flack]

I don't bid on auctions that don't take PayPal anymore. If I have to leave the house for a money order, I might as well get off my ass and go shopping too. I like the "shop from the couch and in my boxers" approach.

[punkoffgirl]

@Flack: It's a good thing QVC doesn't sell gaming items very often then :)

[Flack]

@Flack: It's a good thing QVC doesn't sell gaming items very often then :)

I'd have to hock the couch and boxers then.

[punkoffgirl]

Lemme know when the auction for those boxers goes up ;)
I'll need them autographed.

[Flack]

Lemme know when the auction for those boxers goes up ;)
I'll need them autographed.

They already are. In brown marker. :eek 2:

[punkoffgirl]

They already are. In brown marker. :eek 2:

I suppose I asked for that one.