eBay safety - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

shane_c · 05-13-2018, 04:34 PM

I'm looking to sell a camera lens (Canon 400mm 5.6L) and think I might have better luck on eBay (with a reserve price) than trying to sell locally on Kijiji.

What's the best way to sell on eBay to ensure that I don't get ripped off? I think PayPal is probably the safest but please let me know if there's a safer way. Is there a set amount of time that I should wait after I get the payment before shipping to ensure it doesn't get reversed?

shane_c · 05-13-2018, 04:51 PM

Nevermind. Have been reading some stuff online and it doesn't seem like it's worth the risk because a buyer can just claim it's not as described and get their money back. I'll go the Kijiji route and deal with those people and do cash sale only.

Cecil Terwilliger · 05-13-2018, 04:56 PM

They can’t do that but if you prefer kijiji then go for it. Biggest eBay drawback is the fees.

Jordan! · 05-13-2018, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shane_c

Nevermind. Have been reading some stuff online and it doesn't seem like it's worth the risk because a buyer can just claim it's not as described and get their money back. I'll go the Kijiji route and deal with those people and do cash sale only.

This is wrong, you're being pretty paranoid to be honest. But if you want Kijiji for a quick sale go for it.

shane_c · 05-13-2018, 05:46 PM

I read several posts online about buyers getting ripped off by sellers claiming it wasn't as described and eBay siding with the buyer 99% of the time. Paranoid , I suppose. Looking to get 1000+ for it so want to make sure I actually get it.

Jason14h · 05-13-2018, 06:50 PM

Not as described they have to send the item back ...

mikephoen · 05-13-2018, 08:06 PM

PayPal will side with the buyer pretty much 100% of the time. I just dealt with a case where the buyer claimed to have not received two packages from us. After asking some questions to the buyer, he talked to his parents and found out they had put one of the packages in the recycling. He found that one, but still claims the other one never arrived. PayPal gave him his money back.

If you ship something expensive on eBay, make sure you use a tracked service, with signature verification. Then you should be covered.

Flamenspiel · 05-13-2018, 08:22 PM

^^I'll second that, you need signature verification, especially if you allow overseas buyers.
For camera stuff if you can sell it locally Kijiji is much better. Calgary has a pretty vibrant camera buyer/seller community.

ah123 · 05-13-2018, 08:28 PM

There is also a local group on FB (“Photographer’s Garage”) which caters to buying and selling of camera gear

blankall · 05-13-2018, 11:33 PM

I've been scammed multiple times on eBay. Multiple times with an item that didn't have signature receipt. Also with a hacked PayPal account. The risk with eBay is definitely there, although not huge. I'd say about 1/100 of my sales results in a scam, but it's very frustrating each time. The response from eBay/PayPal is essentially "prove it". Even when one time that exact same item (which was individually serialized) was being later sold by someone from the same small town in Quebec.

The safest way, money wise, is obviously receiving cash.

Flashpoint · 05-13-2018, 11:56 PM

I use EBay regularly for both buying and selling, and have never had an issue. I use PayPal for it.

Fundamentally the site is built on the understanding that most people are honest, and want to exchange goods. Buyers and sellers are rated on each transaction so you can see the history of reliability.

Going online of course all you will see are the horror stories. In my hundreds of transactions, I’ve never posted to a forum to say “yeah, everything went as expected.”

Well, until now I guess.

Iceman90 · 05-14-2018, 09:06 AM

eBay isn't the "wild west of the Internet" it used to be. With another marketplace (Amazon) breathing down their back, they have done a lot to add checks and balances to the system, so nobody gets ripped off.

Canehdianman · 05-14-2018, 09:19 AM

I haven't bought anything on eBay in years. There used to be some decent deals there, now everything has ridiculous shipping costs.

Iceman90 · 05-14-2018, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

I haven't bought anything on eBay in years. There used to be some decent deals there, now everything has ridiculous shipping costs.

eBay is on a big campaign to encourage sellers to offer Free Shipping, and items with Free Shipping show up higher in best match.

blankall · 05-14-2018, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

I haven't bought anything on eBay in years. There used to be some decent deals there, now everything has ridiculous shipping costs.

There was recently a huge bump in cross-border shipping costs from America. Ebay also takes fees on shipping now.

Canehdianman · 05-14-2018, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceman90

eBay is on a big campaign to encourage sellers to offer Free Shipping, and items with Free Shipping show up higher in best match.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blankall

There was recently a huge bump in cross-border shipping costs from America. Ebay also takes fees on shipping now.

Well, only one of these worked. I don't think I'll end up buying anything from eBay again, unless it is a very specific item I can't get elsewhere easily.

Iceman90 · 05-14-2018, 10:47 AM

With the rise of AliExpress, DX.com, BangGood, etc. a lot of the items that used to be what you'd go to eBay for can now be bought directly from a wholesaler for cheaper.

TopChed · 05-14-2018, 11:07 AM

I have bought a few items on the Ebay Deals page recently, all without a hitch as either brand new or refurbished products.

I also recently sold my first item, a phone with a cracked display. I received the payment but the shipping address was to a third party delivery service. Since it was my first time selling, the money is still on hold in my paypal account, so I'm hoping I won't have any issues. All in all, it definitely seems way less sketchy to sell in person on Kijiji, but the phone I was selling couldn't be repaired properly in Canada so I didn't want to screw over anyone local who bought it.

Iceman90 · 05-14-2018, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopChed

the phone I was selling couldn't be repaired properly in Canada so I didn't want to screw over anyone local who bought it.

I have to ask what model of phone this was.

TopChed · 05-14-2018, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceman90

I have to ask what model of phone this was.

It was a Samsung S8, but it was an American version of the phone (unlocked from Verizon).

Every certified repair shop told me that Samsung would not allow them to fix out of market phones. One of the guys was saying they would risk losing their certification with Samsung by performing a repair on it. Apparently they have to run the IMEI number and it has to match the same model as the replacement part. Since they only have access to Canadian parts, the numbers wouldn't match up.

I could have gotten it repaired at a non-authorized place, but it would have actually cost more and it would not have retained the original water/dust resistance.