PROTECT YOURSELF!!!! Don't accept PayPal on local pickup items!!!!

I'm sure any of you who sell on ebay know they drastically favor buyers.

This is understandable to a point. Buyers need to have confidence they will get the item they paid for and that its what was advertised. Ebay so heavily favors buyers though that buyers can basically renogotiate the deal after winning teh auction and you as a seller have no recourse.

My biggest issue though is that they force you to offer paypal on all auctions, even local pickup items. However when you deliver an item or have an item picked up you have no tracking number. Basically all a buyer has to say is they never got the itme. Ebay will ask you for a tracking number, you wont be able to provide one and the buyer will keep your item as well as get their money back.

rulesforrebels.com/2011/01/dont-get-burned-by-ebays-flawed-policy.html

Not that ebay will do anything about it but I suggested to them they do something to remedy this or at least stop forcing sellers to accept paypal.

Frankly I haven't had that experience and hope I never do, but you could do this.

Photograph the exchange of cash taking place for the item at pickup time. You could even photograph the license plate of the person picking it up. Naturally some tact would be necessary in this taking place. You don't want to alienate this person in the process.

Frankly I haven't had that experience and hope I never do, but you could do this.

Photograph the exchange of cash taking place for the item at pickup time. You could even photograph the license plate of the person picking it up. Naturally some tact would be necessary in this taking place. You don't want to alienate this person in the process.

In ebays policies they basically state in a roundabout way you have no protection. They even say a signed contract by the buyer acknowledging they recieved the item won't be considered proof.

As for a picture not only will the buyer probably not let you photograph them but really what does that prove? Ebays customer service isn't exactly teh best, its not like anyone will ever look at your pic. Plus even if they do they don't know what the buyer looks like, you could just as easily stage that whole thing with a buddy of yours and take a pic of you giving a buddy the table.

One idea would be the buyer has a password upon you delivering the item they tell you hte 4 digit passcode, you text that to ebay and get a confirmation text immediately telling you its correct and that proves you delivered the item. Something like this would be really easy and cheap for them to set up but they wont do it.

What really annoys me though is they force you to accept paypal. If you were allowed to say b/c this is local pickup cash only that would be fine but ebay will take down your ad. Your not allowed to solicit cash or only accept cash. Ebay forces you to take a payment method that leaves you open to getting ripped off everytime.

In my local pickup eBay listings I say in the payment section.

Payment is made upon pickup in a manner used thousands of years before PayPal was ever invented.
I also might say something like "payment is made in U.S. currency upon local pickup"

As I said in my original post, taking photos would require some finesse. Customer relations is important of course.

In my local pickup eBay listings I say in the payment section.

Payment is made upon pickup in a manner used thousands of years before PayPal was ever invented.
I also might say something like "payment is made in U.S. currency upon local pickup"

As I said in my original post, taking photos would require some finesse. Customer relations is important of course.

I try to do the same thing as you but no matter how you phrase it if someone reports your listing it gets taken down

And it goes right back up with different wording.

I used to love eBay, but very rarely list anything on there myself anymore.  I let somebody else do it and take their cut so I don't have to deal with the headaches!  Worth every penny to me!

Well, I buy things like an ocscilloscope at the flea for $30 or so and sell them on eBay for $100 or so. I think that's better than reselling it at the flea for $40 (a $10 profit) and then see the flea buyer put it on eBay and make the $70.

This is true of good quality tile cutting machines (not Harbor Freight) and any number of other items I could mention. I really think eBay is a winning proposition. Where else can you expose an item to millions of potential buyers? Craigslist can't do that, local newspaper ads can't do that, a flea market can't do that.

The only venue I don't use for selling is the yard or garage sale and that's because I'm selling at the flea market where the crowd is MUCH larger.

The exposure to the largest possible audience works for me and eBay offers that and attracts specialized audiences for specialized products.

I get what you're saying, and I do get my stuff sold on eBay, it just cost me a percentage (typically 35% of what I have listed).  But, you seem to be averaging four units a month, and I'm trying to do 12-16, so I don't have the time to take care of all the small stuff myself.  I would rather pay somebody to put my stuff on eBay and do the things I enjoy doing like going through the boxes and listing and selling the "big stuff" on Craigslist!

I get what you're saying, and I do get my stuff sold on eBay, it just cost me a percentage (typically 35% of what I have listed).  But, you seem to be averaging four units a month, and I'm trying to do 12-16, so I don't have the time to take care of all the small stuff myself.  I would rather pay somebody to put my stuff on eBay and do the things I enjoy doing like going through the boxes and listing and selling the "big stuff" on Craigslist!

Can you consistently buy 12 to 16 units a month, month in and month out?

My costs at eBay run at 10 to 12% because I list them myself.

Pretty consistently actually.  I bought seven the week before last, and I ended up with 5 last week, so there's 12 right there.  I have another auctions Wednesday and Saturday this week for sure, and maybe a few others.  Even with all the extra traffic, it doesn't seem to be a problem to get units.  I go to a lot of auctions, and when the prices are right, I'll pick up 4 or 5 in a day.  I have the infrastructure in place to move the stuff and I've got the means to get it units cleaned out quickly and sorted, and a place to store it.  I'd still like to do more though! 

Buddy of mine just sold an old Honda Del Sol on ebay the other day, took $500 up front immediatley through paypal and remainder when car was picked up.

Guy came to get the car, tried renegotiating price after he bid, won and paid a deposit. Didn't have a complain about car nto being described accurately just decided he didn't wanna pay what he bid.

My buddy finally got him to pay full amount guy ran home and opened a paypal claim. Should be easy to prove as they went to currency exchange and my buddy has documentation on title transfer and everything but that really means nothing when your dealing with ebay and or paypal so we'll see what happens. Will report back.

Buddy of mine just sold an old Honda Del Sol on ebay the other day, took $500 up front immediatley through paypal and remainder when car was picked up.

Guy came to get the car, tried renegotiating price after he bid, won and paid a deposit. Didn't have a complain about car nto being described accurately just decided he didn't wanna pay what he bid.

My buddy finally got him to pay full amount guy ran home and opened a paypal claim. Should be easy to prove as they went to currency exchange and my buddy has documentation on title transfer and everything but that really means nothing when your dealing with ebay and or paypal so we'll see what happens. Will report back.

Dollars to doughnuts.. he'll loose the 500..

If they paypal and do local pick up, mail them something, anything, a copy of the auction, with tracking.

You have just preformed a CYA on the "I didn't get it" claim. paypal does not care what you sent them. you sent them something.

  Hey Rules
 What ever happened with Your Buddy and Not Your Pal ?

Hey sorry been absent for a while. Basically my buddy wound up losing the deposit. Anything in person only take cash, some people will refuse but just take the bad feedback they will leave you. Generally there's no reason why someon would need to use paypal vs cash in an in person pickup scenario.