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Thread: My recent experiences as an eBay seller.

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    Key (Level 9) fishsandwich's Avatar
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    Default My recent experiences as an eBay seller.

    I've been selling a lot of video games lately on eBay and it's gone pretty well for the most part. I thought I'd share some of my experiences as they happen.

    Some background... I used to be a serious game collector. Now I'm not. I've got WAY too much stuff. A bought a house with a credit card a couple of years ago and now I've decided to pay off that credit card AND get rid of all this stuff I've collected over the years.

    Check here if you are interested...

    http://digitpress.com/forum/showthre...light=sickness


    Anyway, I've listed and sold a lot of stuff recently. Some things have sold for more than I expected, some things have sold for less than I've hoped. I've been selling the "rare" or "pricey" items separately and getting rid of the more common stuff in bulk. THIS IS A LOT OF DAMN WORK.

    Some of my more recent experiences...


    1. BUYER BACKTRACKS

    I sold a popular NES game for a little over $20. The guy has 3 feedbacks total so he's very new to eBay. I get this message a week after the auction ends...

    "i am having an issue with my credit card. it was stolen at a bar and i wont have a new one for 7 to 10 business days. is it possible to cancel this order. thank you"

    Ah yes, the old stolen credit card bit. I told him I'd be happy to wait until he gets his new card. No reply.


    2. PITY PARTY

    I listed a rare Megadrive game in "Buy It Now" and I get this message...

    "hi! my name is patti and I have a little boy who is very sick. he has be wanting this game forever!!!! i dont have a lot of money because of the doctor and stuff but he really wants this game. would you donate it to him? you can write it off on taxes. or maybe you could sell it to me really cheap. please let me know!! i look forwrd to hearing from you!!!! BLESS YOU"

    This is a favorite of mine. *Let's beg for a really obscure game using an imaginary sick child! Let's say "i look forward to hearing from you" so the seller will feel he has to reply! Let's drag in religion!* I have yet to reply. I did block "Patti" from bidding on anything of mine, though.


    3. DUBIOUS DISCOUNT

    I listed an uncommon game for auction. It was factory sealed but there was a tear in the wrapper on the front of the game. The tear did not extend to any corner. I disclosed all of this in the auction and took pictures. It sold for over $100, the buyer paid, and I sent him his game. I get this message a few days later...

    "I received the game, but the wrapper on the front is way more flawed than expected. It is missing the wrapper on nearly half the case. I don't think we can accept this."

    Great. Fine. Whatever. I'm pretty much screwed if this guy decides to file a claim. I respond with...

    "The auction clearly and accurately stated that the game's wrapper was ripped on the front and that the rip did not extend to any corner. However, I do accept returns and I want you to be happy with your purchase. Do you want my address to send the game back?"

    I never hear from the buyer again. A week later, I check my feedback and he has left the positive comment "great". That's all. I think the guy was trying for a discount. This clown likes to leave stupid feedback like "it's REAL NASTY copy of mario RPG, A+, awesome" or "kimbo slice" or "dubstep goes like WOOBLE WOOBLE WOMP WOMP, WOMP WOMP WOBBLE WOMP WOBBLE WOMP WOM" so I think I got off lucky with "great".


    RAINY RETURNS

    This is my latest adventure and it has yet to be resolved. I list a Megadrive game and it ends up selling for several hundred dollars. The buyer pays promptly. I box up the game and send it out with about 10 other games going to various buyers around the country. I decide to insure the game (at my own expense) since it sold for so much. I get this message yesterday...

    "Hey. Got the package today. I am a little beside myself thou. The box was wet and i figured maybe it was becuase of the storm that went through the area. Go to open the box and everything inside was wet. Not dripping wet but damp. Took the wet wrapping off the game and the whole game is just water damaged. The cartridge looks ok, haven;t tested it thou but the cover and manual are damp. I put them out on my table in hopes they dry out, but i think they are ruined. I don;t know what the heck happened but i am not really happy. I will be leaving for a business trip tomorrow and will be back in a week or so. I will have access to the internet. Do you have any insight on this?"

    I've NEVER had a package arrive WET. I think the Post Office does a fine job overall. This game went out with 10 other games that were delivered with no damage. What are the odds that the ONE game that I happened to insure ends up damaged in transit? I smell a fraudulent insurance claim. Yet it's at least POSSIBLE that the guy is telling the truth. I've emailed him back and asked him to take the game to the Post Office. We shall see.


    More to come...


    !
    Thanks for indulging my gaming habit when I was young, Dad. You were the best. I miss you. ~David Barnes 1926-2007~

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    Alex (Level 15) maxlords's Avatar
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    I'd have immediately asked for pictures of the water damage to the game. It'd be quite obvious and no one would be willing to purposely soak a game like that
    scooterb: "I once shot a man in Catan, just to watch him die."

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    That wet game guy sounds exactly like a guy that tried to scam me out of a Bandai Pippin I sold a while back. I packed the item very well, and made sure it was protected, added insurance, and sent it off. The guy then emails me saying that the Pippin was cracked and crushed. I told him, okay, let's file an insurance claim. I tell him to file the claim, and I do all the legwork on my part - I get a receipt, printouts of the item as it was when ilsted, a printout of the auction itself... you know, documents that prove the value of the item. And I hand them over to the postmaster.

    But, I also told him about the emails I was sending to the guy, and warned him that the guy might be trying to scam the post office, since he never sent me any pictures of the damage and refused to answer my questions.

    I never heard from Pippin guy again, so... I guess he never filed the claim.
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    Pear (Level 6) wingzrow's Avatar
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    I've had so much trouble with eBay that I may be losing my store subscription soon 9 we will see come the 22nd ) but basically if I receive ONE 3 star or under rating for my shipping speed on a single item this month it's over for me.

    Then on topic, there's always the scams, and even if you get past those there's the horrible "we side with the customer every time" bs that comes with eBay. I've lost cases on more than two occasions where I've listed games as (CASE & MANUAL ONLY ) only to have someone file a case against me claiming i was a scam artist when they received no disc/cartridge in the mail. Same goes with broken "AS IS" videogame systems.

    I've got tracking, printed stickers through eBay, & even a fragile & do not bend stamp to work with now but it's getting harder and harder to sell on the bay these days. It's getting to where you have to be super competitive 100% of the time or your items don't sell due to lack of search exposure.

    Also, dropping off your items each day in a mail box instead of going to the post office each day is a gift from god. USE IT.
    Last edited by wingzrow; 03-25-2011 at 12:52 PM.

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    Strawberry (Level 2) Lanzo's Avatar
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    One time I won a lot of 15 boxed genesis games and a single genesis game genie cartridge. Well anyway it the post office left it at my door all day and it rained all day and they did not put a bag around the package. When I opened it 10 of the boxes were wet including under the plastic and the artwork so they were ruined and I shit you not the game genie had water dripping out of the cartridge. I was pretty upset because most of them were ruined from that and to this day I still have not tested the game genie. I still left the seller positive feedback obviously but sometimes shit happens.

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    Key (Level 9) fishsandwich's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by maxlords View Post
    I'd have immediately asked for pictures of the water damage to the game. It'd be quite obvious and no one would be willing to purposely soak a game like that
    An excellent idea. I asked him for pictures and I've not heard a word from him since.

    I must give props to ebay PayPal shipping... it is truly easy if you are sending small packages in the USA. I have to drop off the bigger ones at the PO but that's pretty easy, too.

    I wish the international shipping was easier.
    Thanks for indulging my gaming habit when I was young, Dad. You were the best. I miss you. ~David Barnes 1926-2007~

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    Strawberry (Level 2) Lerxstnj's Avatar
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    Default It's a buyers market

    I am curious how a seller can make a profit?
    The listing fees are somewhat better now and you can list 50 per month for free starting next month. But... The final value fees are going up! And they include a percentage of the shipping now! Then the PayPal fees and shipping, handling, etc. Can a seller afford to deal with all this and the scammers above? I agree with the OP, yes, it's a lot of work and little profit!
    Now that Ebay charges a final value fee including shipping, sellers are not going to make any money. I guess it was to stop the sellers with low listings/high shipping from paying less fees. But now what? It's getting tougher to cover the fees. A seller needs to do more than just break even!
    WANT LIST:
    http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/...older=Wishlist

    ALSO WANTED: Dreamcast Sports Edition empty box

    FOR SALE/TRADE:
    http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/...r+Sale%2FTrade

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