How can this possibly be fair? This situation happened to me a few weeks ago.

1) Customer purchases $85 item.

2) Customer does not pay.

3) Unpaid item dispute opened.

4) Customer still does not pay.

5) UPI closed. Final value fee granted. I can’t leave negative feedback – sellers are no longer able to.

6) Buyer leaves me negative feedback.

What is wrong with this picture? How can this happen? Here is eBay’s policy on non-payers and feedback:

“Enhanced protection for Unpaid Item: In addition to removing Feedback left by buyers who fail to respond to the Unpaid Item process, we now also remove Feedback when the buyer responds but it’s clear they did not complete the transaction—for example, if they state they bought the item elsewhere or had a family emergency. Sellers don’t deserve negative or neutral Feedback in such cases, and we now remove it.”

So, I am wondering if and when this will happen. In my opinion, I don’t think non-payers should be able to leave any feedback at all. They did not earn the right to leave feedback since they didn’t pay for their item. What do you think?

[Image Source: Flickr, eBay Coach Photos]

Post from: EveryJoe

Non-Paying Bidders Can Leave Negative Feedback on eBay

Unfortunately, eBay is famous for scams and shady transactions. Both buyers and sellers can be swindled, but there are steps you can take to prevent being scammed by a buyer or seller. The key is to take your time and research your trading partner before money or product changes hands.

If you are a buyer, take a few minutes to check out the seller whose product you are interested in. Don’t let price be the only driving factor motivating you to buy from someone. How long has the seller been an eBay member? What is his feedback like? Are the photos of the item clear? Do you understand his policies? Take your time and carefully read the listing before bidding or buying. Click here for more tips on how to avoid being scammed by a seller.

If you are a seller, be proactive in screening out undesirable buyers. State your policies clearly. Set your selling preferences to block buyers with poor trading records. Check out your buyer’s history and feedback. Never, ever ship a product before receiving payment. Always use delivery confirmation so that you can prove that an item has been delivered. Click here for more tips on how to avoid being scammed by buyers.

Both buyers and sellers have recourse if the transaction is not completed properly. Each can file disputes or claims against the other in cases of fraud, missing packages, or unpaid items. Know your rights as a buyer and as a seller. eBay won’t step in to help you unless you know how to initate the process and ask for help. Click here for more information about how to file a dispute on eBay.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Protect Yourself from eBay Scams

It seems that everything ends up on eBay. The latest hot item are tickets to Obama’s inauguration in January. In a report by Fox News, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, is creating a bill that would make it a federal crime to sell tickets to Obama’s inauguration. As of this writing, numerous inauguration items are for sale on eBay, including “Rent my apartment for Obama’s inauguration,” hotel rooms, and memorabilia.

Tickets to the presidential inauguration are free, distributed through congressional offices, and given to the press. So what’s wrong with selling them? One issue is security. Tickets in the wrong hands could mean a problem. Also, the event is meant to be a civic event for the people. If the tickets are sold rather than given away, the inauguration becomes an event only available to the wealthy.

What do you think? Should presidential inauguration tickets be allowed on eBay?

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Dianne Feinstein Asks eBay Not to Allow Obama Inauguration Tickets

The key to finding success on eBay is having information. Successful sellers constantly seek information and are proactive about learning as much as possible from other sellers, the eBay site, and from market analysts. Here is a list of some eBay resources that I find very helpful.

eBay Blogs

AuctionBytes: News and insight focusing on eCommerce and the online auction industry.

The Auction Rebel: “The blog meant to help serious sellers increase their income from eBay.” Gary Hendrickson is a full-time seller who earns his living selling on eBay.

Tamebay: The UK’s blog about eBay UK.

eBay Groups and Forums

eBay.com Forums: Forums found on the eBay site.

WAHM.com Forum: Community of work at home moms, and dads, sharing info on many work-at-home jobs. Specific section for on-line auctions.

Thrift Shopper Forum: Group of thrift store enthusiasts. eBay section. Excellent resource for learning what to look for in thrift stores.

eBay Learning Resources

Entrepreneur Magazine: eBay Center – how to start and grow your eBay business.

Terapeak: Free and subscription levels. eBay research about best days and times to sell items, historial sales data, profitable products, and more.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Knowledge is Power on eBay

In an earlier post, I mentioned selling on eBay UK and asking eBay Trust and Safety before listing an item. You need to make sure that the item is allowed. I recently inquired about selling a product (that about 20 other sellers currently offer).

My question:

Hello, I would like to offer [PRODUCT NAME] on eBay UK. Is this item allowed? I see other sellers offering it, however, I wanted to verify that the product is allowed before listing it. Thank you!

eBay UK’s Response:

We appreciate you taking the time to ask whether or [PRODUCT NAME] you want to sell is allowed on eBay. While we’d like to be able to give you a definitive “yes” or “no” answer, please understand that we’re not in a position to do so. There are two reasons for this:

(1) We haven’t seen the item.

(2) eBay isn’t an expert in the legality or authenticity of specific items. Unlike a traditional auction house, we’re not involved in the transaction and we don’t see items before they’re listed. We simply act as a venue for buyers and sellers to meet. If reported to us, listings may be removed for breaching the law, a rights owner’s intellectual property rights or because they blatantly breach eBay listing policies. I recommend you review our listing policies in detail to help you decidewhether or not to list your item.

Copy these links into new browser windows for more information:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/policies.html

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/questions/prohibited-items.html

I hope this explains why we can’t give you a specific approval, and helps you decide whether to list your item. I sincerely hope your eBay sales run smoothly.

Interesting. We are supposed to ask first, but when we ask we don’t really get an answer. Hmmmm.

Post from: EveryJoe

Help from eBay UK

This question was posted on my Stay at Home Mom’s Selling on eBay Facebook Group:

“I wanted to start selling internationally too. I was wondering if you open a store on eBay.com and then list worldwide for shipping or if you go to another site, like the UK ebay and then list there. What is the best way to get the most exposure for your items. ”

Both strategies have advantages and disadvantges. Selling directly on another eBay site can be more advantageous as you have more factors in your favor through the Best Match algorithm as a direct seller. The users of that site will see the products in their currency, which they like. But, there are several more steps involved when selling on an eBay international site.

First, you will need to convert all of your pricing to the foreign currency. (eBay doesn’t do this for you.) The customers will pay you in that foreign currency, and you will need to convert the funds to USD once in your Paypal account. Any refunds will need to be made in the foreign currency. You need to understand the exchange rates (which change several times a day), to understand your profits and costs.

Secondly, the fees are different. Each eBay international site has a different fee structure for listing fees, final value fees, auctions vs fixed price, gallery photo, etc. You will need to study the fee structure to understand how you will be charged for selling your items there.

Third, the regulations and prohibited items are different for each site based on laws in that particular country. Verify that the item is allowed before listing it. (Don’t assume other sellers have done their homework on this one.) If you list and item that is not allowed, your listing will be ended. Too many of these, and your account will be closed.

You will need to understand what items are not allowed to be shipped into other countries. If you ship an item out, and the foreign country’s customs finds an item that is not allowed, it is not delivered to the customer and you won’t get the package back. You will be out the money (if you refund the customer) and you will be out the product. The rules for prohibited items change frequently and the laws in other countries are very different than ours in the USA. Click here for the USPS official list of prohibited items by country.

Also, educate yourself on customs fees. Understand the value that is exempt from customs fees for any country you ship to. As a general rule, the customers don’t know. If the value of an item is over a certain threshold, the customer will be charged a duties fee (sometimes more than the product cost to start with) – and they will probably leave negative feedback and think it is the seller’s fault for not understanding their system. So just educate yourself on the fees that your customers may incur.

Selling directly on the international site allows you to target your customers directly. For example, if you want to sell toys to the UK this year for Christmas, you would be better served to list your items directly on eBay UK. You are putting yourself in front of your audience, working with them in their currency, and basically selling to them on their turf instead of expecting them to find you on eBay USA.

If you sell on the USA site and offer international shipping, that works, too. Plenty of interntional customers come to eBay USA to make their purchases. You don’t have to worry about converting any currency.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Selling on eBay International Sites

In Atlanta, gas is scarce due to the after effects of Hurricane Ike. Lines are unbelievable. 1 1/2 – 2 hours waiting in line, if you can even find a gas station that has gas. It is estimated that only 20% of the gas stations here are receiving gas right now. The problem is similar in North Carolina, Tennessee, and other states in the Southeast. As soon as gas is delivered, it is sucked up by people who are panicked that they won’t find it again.

I am lucky, this isn’t affecting my eBay business very much. I have USPS carrier pickup scheduled every day so I don’t have to drive to the post office. My inventory is already here at my home, or within a mile so I am lucky that I don’t have far to drive.

How is this situation affecting your business, if at all?

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Is the Gas Crisis Affecting Your eBay Business?

I have recently released my Fall 2008 HotList of items to sell on eBay. This list provides detailed information on hot products to sell on eBay right NOW, where to find them, how much they cost, and how much profit can be made selling these 13 specific items.

I received an interesting comment from a seller who purchased the book. She seemed to think that the book was going to give her a secret location to drive to and purchase these items all at once and make hundreds of dollars on eBay in one day. (I never promised that.) The items are located at places like WalMart, drug stores, grocery stores – places you might drive by every day. Her complaint was: “It is not worth my time and effort to spend $20 on something just to make $10. I would rather spend $2 on something and make $50.” Wouldn’t we all?

Excuse my sarcasm, but good luck with that. You may find the occasional thrift store or garage sale item that falls into this category, but as a general rule, $48 profit on one item isn’t the norm on eBay. One of my pet peeves are these “internet people” who spread around the idea that eBay is just sitting in front of your computer taking orders for your drop shipper to send out – then watching the money roll in. Nothing could be further from the truth.

eBay is work. eBay is doing research, looking for items, listing items, shipping items, and corresponding with your customers. eBay is a convenient lucrative way to make money from home, but it is a job and requires dedication and hard work to see the profits.

My question to you is, how much do you normally spend on an item to make a $10 profit? My general rule is that if I can’t make at least $10 on an item, I’ll pass. Some sellers will spend $200 to make $50. Others won’t spend more than $5 on anything. What is your rule?

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

How Much Do You Spend to Make $10 on eBay?

Spelling words incorrectly on eBay can be the kiss of death. Goodbye to your sale and your profits if buyers cannot find your auction due to a spelling error. Many listings simply expire without any bidders because the items do not show on searches.

As an eBay buyer, you can find bargains and save big money on purchases by making a beeline directly for the misspelled titles. But how do you find them? By using these websites:

Fat Fingers

Auction Bloopers

Typo Hound

Auction Speller

For example, go to Fat Fingers and do a search for Ralph Lauren. You will see hundreds of listings with the words spelled incorrectly, either because of typos or because the seller just spelled the word wrong. (And some of the spellings are pretty bad.) Use these tools to pick up bargains – the holiday season is coming!

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay Spelling Errors and Typos – Other Sellers’ Mistakes Save You Money!

eBay selling as a home business can work in many situations: for stay at home moms, retirees, college students, young couples saving for a home, and even Alzheimer’s caregivers. Not that a caregiver of any kind needs more to do, that certainly is not the case. But, part of Caregiver Syndrome is stress, anger, depression, boredom, resentment, and loss of interest in life.

eBay is as a hobby or income-producing home business has become popular for the “sandwich” generation who are looking for other ways to bring extra income into the home. This income may be to supplement retirement or to care for a parent or spouse.

eBay can be a viable option for caregivers or the homebound because sellers it offers a link to the outside world, an interesting hobby, and a fun pastime. Sellers interact with customers on a daily basis, can participate in groups and forums and communicate with other sellers, and all of this helps with the isolation factor experienced by caregivers. Furthermore, eBay gives the caregiver another focus outside of their caregiving responsibilities, and many caregivers are able to manage both.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay Selling for Alzheimer’s Caregivers