eBay experience bad or good?
- Thread starter kris-london
- Start date
Theres' an E-Bay section over at MSE
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40
which I often scan through just to remind myself never to do it.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40
which I often scan through just to remind myself never to do it.
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We went through a stage of selling our template agreements on eBay which worked out well for a while. The main problem is their high selling fees and the difficult to use account/user interface.
We had no trouble with having to do refunds for any of our templates but we could prove quite easily that the customer had received the files. A number of friends of ours sell physical goods via eBay and apparently a problem that is more common than it should be is that people say they never received the goods (even if they have) which means the store has to send out another one or do a refund. With eBay you are almost forced to use a registered delivery method for this reason especially if the value of the goods is quite high.
We had no trouble with having to do refunds for any of our templates but we could prove quite easily that the customer had received the files. A number of friends of ours sell physical goods via eBay and apparently a problem that is more common than it should be is that people say they never received the goods (even if they have) which means the store has to send out another one or do a refund. With eBay you are almost forced to use a registered delivery method for this reason especially if the value of the goods is quite high.
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M
Merchant UK
Thats the problem with ebay your selling something pretty cheap and then you lose out to the fees, paypal and shipping charges etc.. You add all those fees up and it comes to a fair bit from your profit
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So add more mark up on when selling on Ebay!
As much as it's fashionable to trash Ebay (& the folks who buy on there) I thank Ebay for providing me with my living.
I lost my job, I trialed some stuff on there...the stuff sold ok (not fantastic ...but enough to keep my spirts high)...I put more effort in, sold a bigger range of stuff, then branched out into Amazon, my own website & I'm now selling a fair amount globally ...income wise, I'm now back to where I was when I lost my job (with the potential to earn much more than my old job)....I'm now my own boss & the commute is from my kitchen to back office (that'll be the dining room!)...which is great on wet/frosty mornings!
Most customers are fine...I'd say only 1% to 2% are problematic. I'd rather give Ebay 10% of my sales for the massive exposure they provide (& therefore generated sales), than scour at their fees & not be on there.
I'd imagine most problems occur on Ebay when selling secondhand stuff (clearing out your house etc)....because describing 'used' goods is always gonna be contentious ....your 'good condition' is another's 'poor condition' etc....but selling 'new' products creates very little hassle.
Re dodgy buyers - I send most of my stuff out by standard post (don't even get a signature - average value about £15)...& I have very few chancers. I think I have such few problems, because I get my stuff delivered to them blisteringly fast (most Ebay buyers expectations are quite low!) & therefore most are so delighted to have got their order so fast, that they never think about giving me the runaround!
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Ebay customers can definitely be a hassle when it comes to specific details of an item if you do not have high quality photos. A good friend of mine sold a custom action figure and soon received it back in the mail with the buyer demanding a change to the item because the photo did not show the detail properly. Contact our legal team if you have more questions.
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T
toastking
As a buyer, I keep getting scammed then keep having eBay in combination with PayPal rule against me. I have been successful once and lost I think seven times. The win was because it was enough money to involve the fraud office. Within a week they had me getting my money back and criminal action happening.
My experience of paypal and ebay is that their buyer protection is more damaging than good. I have learnt through being scammed that its actually very easy to use the two systems to make a killing. I don't because ripping people off is not my style.
My experience of paypal and ebay is that their buyer protection is more damaging than good. I have learnt through being scammed that its actually very easy to use the two systems to make a killing. I don't because ripping people off is not my style.
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noo81
I use ebay as a customer and I have sold on there before. In both cases I have not had any real problems (quantity mistakes always solved quickly). I have had far more problems buying from big companies online with goods not arriving although they are usually quicker to deal with complaints and send replacements.
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M
MBE1
I think a lot depends on the items being sold, I would never deal in clothing, reckon a lot of that gets returned.
As for ebay fees, many ebayers get caught out, only realising after a fair while they have worked for a lot less than they thought, but as with any business it's down to the person to be professional and understand these things.
I found ebay good on the whole to get started, but they change things so often I got fed up not being in control, so prefer to sell direct, never had a single problem through my own site in years of trading, but ebay everything was sent by traceable means to cut down on the amount of claims, glad I'm not on it these days, but it has the instant traffic so many require.
As for ebay fees, many ebayers get caught out, only realising after a fair while they have worked for a lot less than they thought, but as with any business it's down to the person to be professional and understand these things.
I found ebay good on the whole to get started, but they change things so often I got fed up not being in control, so prefer to sell direct, never had a single problem through my own site in years of trading, but ebay everything was sent by traceable means to cut down on the amount of claims, glad I'm not on it these days, but it has the instant traffic so many require.
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Ebay is superb!
We trade on both Amazon and Ebay, they both have their ups and downs.
On Ebay you have to be prepared to accept the odd difficult customer, but these are less than 2%. Make customer service your highest priority and you will be fine. The fees (seller fees and paypal) amount to about 15%, but then you don't have to market, and customers are brought to you by ebay.
Amazon on the other hand takes a little less effort, but customers are more demanding. Amazon fees are slightly higher, but customers are prepared to pay a little more.
I think both markets are excellent.
We trade on both Amazon and Ebay, they both have their ups and downs.
On Ebay you have to be prepared to accept the odd difficult customer, but these are less than 2%. Make customer service your highest priority and you will be fine. The fees (seller fees and paypal) amount to about 15%, but then you don't have to market, and customers are brought to you by ebay.
Amazon on the other hand takes a little less effort, but customers are more demanding. Amazon fees are slightly higher, but customers are prepared to pay a little more.
I think both markets are excellent.
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If John Donahoe was on fire, I wouldn't let you pee on him to put him out unless he was holding my winning lotter ticket.
eBay isn't a problem because of the customers - it's a problem because of their management, policies, procedures and profit greed, IMHO.
Been a few years since I was a gold powerseller but they appear to have continued de-evolving since then and could be nearing enough mass to implode and form a star, a real company or maybe even a human.
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paul4uk
For me, eBay has been fine and dandy. My purchases vary from DVD's to clothes, USB sticks to naughty fizzy sweeties! (for the child in me).
Not once have I been scammed or received goods which require return. The only thing that gets my gripe is that people don't always leave feedback! I'm trying to increase my number to get my next groovy coloured star!
Not once have I been scammed or received goods which require return. The only thing that gets my gripe is that people don't always leave feedback! I'm trying to increase my number to get my next groovy coloured star!
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Hi Kris,
I've done a fair bit of ebay selling previously and learned a couple of things:
1. when you send something by post, send it registered (signature at the other end) - this way they cant say its not arrived and you can prove to paypal/ebay that you've behaved honestly
2. you can do quite well by reducing the price of your main product and adding that amount to the postage and packaging as the P&P is not included in the fee calculation (or wasn't when I last sold)
I sold a lot of high value items (iphones mainly) and also some really unique stuff (from japan) - didn't have any problems at all.
Hope that helps,
Paul.
I've done a fair bit of ebay selling previously and learned a couple of things:
1. when you send something by post, send it registered (signature at the other end) - this way they cant say its not arrived and you can prove to paypal/ebay that you've behaved honestly
2. you can do quite well by reducing the price of your main product and adding that amount to the postage and packaging as the P&P is not included in the fee calculation (or wasn't when I last sold)
I sold a lot of high value items (iphones mainly) and also some really unique stuff (from japan) - didn't have any problems at all.
Hope that helps,
Paul.
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B
ballista
I use Ebay reasonably regularly, not had any major issues though have read a lot about the 'item not received' and 'item not as described' scams to stay cautious. I tend to sell items that make in the £10-£50 range but have sold some more expensive items without problem but tend to be more careful with the potential higher value goods. Ebay still has it's merits. I also use Amazon. Just have to protect yourself as much as possible. Ebay has definitely made it more difficult for sellers with all the recent changes though.
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I think eBay is exactly what it says it is, most people (including myself at times) get angry with the systems they have in place but when you look at it from a business perspective I do think most of us would probably do the same. At the end of the day eBay is a great place to start your business, its easy to start with nothing (I started with about £50 a couple of years ago) and turn it into a thriving business, you then expand out of eBay because you don't need the hassle of the 20p profit margin.
Yes there are many scammers out there, I had a customer a couple of days ago who opened a dispute because they misread the listing, once I replied and explained it was clearly stated in the listing, they then added that the item had arrived broken, sent pictures and have clearly snapped it themselves. All you can do is play along, I will provide him with a full refund and take the hit. Its the price you pay for selling on budget sites. But as someone above said, its the volume of customers you get on eBay, normally its less than 1% of customers that cause problems.
Also point to note that I think is quite cheeky, When you provide a refund Paypal do not refund all your fee's, they keep the 20p transaction fee (although I don't think they really tell you this). So when someone purchases something then requests to cancel AFTER paying then make sure you inform them that this transaction fee is non refundable. Most of my buyers have accepted this only one who said "I have done this loads of times and never been charged" (maybe he works for paypal lol)
Yes there are many scammers out there, I had a customer a couple of days ago who opened a dispute because they misread the listing, once I replied and explained it was clearly stated in the listing, they then added that the item had arrived broken, sent pictures and have clearly snapped it themselves. All you can do is play along, I will provide him with a full refund and take the hit. Its the price you pay for selling on budget sites. But as someone above said, its the volume of customers you get on eBay, normally its less than 1% of customers that cause problems.
Also point to note that I think is quite cheeky, When you provide a refund Paypal do not refund all your fee's, they keep the 20p transaction fee (although I don't think they really tell you this). So when someone purchases something then requests to cancel AFTER paying then make sure you inform them that this transaction fee is non refundable. Most of my buyers have accepted this only one who said "I have done this loads of times and never been charged" (maybe he works for paypal lol)
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Ebay is an almost perfect place to sell your goods, everything about it is fine, the fees are entirely reasonable for the volume of traffic you get, you can get 1 product and sell it (try doing that with your own website) immediately with great volumes of traffic.
The only problem with Ebay, and it is a BIG problem, is that the customers have you by the balls. If you receive more than 2 in every 100 customers leaving you bad ratings for DSR's (Detailed Seller Ratings) on 3 consecutive months then they limit your sales. You can quickly find that you have lots of stock to sell but you don't have an outlet to sell them. Effectively you have a big shop, are operating as a big business with the costs of a big business but have your sales limited to those of a small business. If you haven't got another sales outlet to your business then you are waiting to go bust at this stage.
So yes Ebay is great, but it should only make up part of your business model. That part of your business model should be a part that although you might not want to lose, it should be a part that you can afford to lose without your whole business going with it.
Chris.
The only problem with Ebay, and it is a BIG problem, is that the customers have you by the balls. If you receive more than 2 in every 100 customers leaving you bad ratings for DSR's (Detailed Seller Ratings) on 3 consecutive months then they limit your sales. You can quickly find that you have lots of stock to sell but you don't have an outlet to sell them. Effectively you have a big shop, are operating as a big business with the costs of a big business but have your sales limited to those of a small business. If you haven't got another sales outlet to your business then you are waiting to go bust at this stage.
So yes Ebay is great, but it should only make up part of your business model. That part of your business model should be a part that although you might not want to lose, it should be a part that you can afford to lose without your whole business going with it.
Chris.
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W
WorldofHampers
I have only had one problem customer on ebay, who was being exceptionally unreasonable. Although ebay could not take sides, their customer service was extremely good at helping me set my account up to ban people that did not meet certain criteria. Since then I have not had one problem with my ebay customers. As for the fees, I have tried Amazon and found the total cost of fees to be higher than ebay which meant that I would have to price myself out of the market in order to cover them. So all in all I am pro eBay.
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Doesn't eBay rank your listing higher now if it has free postage? (That way they get 10% of the final sale price and postage.)
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It depends on the value of the item you send. My average value of sale is about £20->£30 ...every day, I queue at the post office & pay retail postage cost .
Why?
Well, going this way I can claim up to £20 from Royal Mail if something doesn't turn up (that's £20 'cost to me'...so in actual fact that'd be something retailing around the £35 mark) - all you need to get your dosh back is proof of postage (which I get from the post office clerk)
Going this way, means you pay far less in P&P fees (vs. signed for), which makes it easier to offer free postage on Ebay (because basic postage eats into your margin less) ...if you offer free postage on Ebay you'll get more business (some buyers only search for those items where the postage is free)...also, offering free postage - in part - earns you Ebay Top Seller status (which gets you up the search results) in other words - a festival of win.
Of course if you send items which retail at say £40 or more, I guess it's not such a good plan of attack!
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In my opinion, Amazon offers a great alternative - for example, if you use their fulfilment service...you can go on holiday while they man the dispatch department! (meaning no loss of revenue while you sun yourself). Also Amazon can get you more competitive postage vs. the royal mail...most importantly they accept liability if the buyer doesn't get it ...Amazon FBA is a particularly 'seller friendly' model vs Ebay.
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I've had my fair share of bad and good on eBay. I frequently sell there as a business seller though I have my own website too for the long run. The problems I experienced was in the beginning, mainly with high value items like iPhones. I had an international customer in Portugal return an iPhone 5 cause it was apparently "opened" yet was returned in the same condition I sent it in, not only that, the SIM cards I sent with it were missing when it was returned to me. And other annoyances like bidding then not paying but I've managed to cut that down to a minimal. I agree with the person who said only 1 2% of eBay buyers give you problems. And as for eBay fees it's understandable as it's all set out for you. I dont agree with charging fees on postage though
Sent from my HTC One using UK Business Forums
Sent from my HTC One using UK Business Forums
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- Original Poster
- #30
I cannot believe it. Today I am forced by eBay to issue a refund for customer who want to keep the item (we posted wrong size but I think its good for customer because she don't want to post it back for refund). They say it will be better customer experience :/
At the end of the day: BUY ON eBAY AND GET YOUR MONEY BACK is going to be real.
At the end of the day: BUY ON eBAY AND GET YOUR MONEY BACK is going to be real.
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I guess you will take more care on what you post out in future. Not sure you have much to grumble about there.
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P
Pound2Sell
We are a new auction Internet site that charges £1 to sell any item over £10 and you can have up to 8 photos included in your £1 fee.
If your item is £9.99 or less then you only get charged 10%.
Once you up load something you get a home page feature of your item.
We appreciate it will take a long time to get established so to help, your listing can be displayed for up to 2 months which is also included for your £1 fee.
Advertising is due to start the first week of December, although its not national as yet but it's a start. After all we are just a husband & wife business or should I say wife & husband business!!!
Since we are just about to commence advertising we require items for people to look at. So if there are any businesses/shops out there that would like to take this opportunity to have free listings of their goods for 3 months then please drop me a line and I will arrange free fees for 3 months. This will show items for sale on our site for people to view when the advertising starts so in return we won't charge a penny for the 3 months.
Regards
Graham
Pound2Sell
If your item is £9.99 or less then you only get charged 10%.
Once you up load something you get a home page feature of your item.
We appreciate it will take a long time to get established so to help, your listing can be displayed for up to 2 months which is also included for your £1 fee.
Advertising is due to start the first week of December, although its not national as yet but it's a start. After all we are just a husband & wife business or should I say wife & husband business!!!
Since we are just about to commence advertising we require items for people to look at. So if there are any businesses/shops out there that would like to take this opportunity to have free listings of their goods for 3 months then please drop me a line and I will arrange free fees for 3 months. This will show items for sale on our site for people to view when the advertising starts so in return we won't charge a penny for the 3 months.
Regards
Graham
Pound2Sell
Upvote
0
P
Pound2Sell
We are a new auction Internet site that charges £1 to sell any item over £10 and you can have up to 8 photos included in your £1 fee.
If your item is £9.99 or less then you only get charged 10%.
Once you up load something you get a home page feature of your item.
We appreciate it will take a long time to get established so to help, your listing can be displayed for up to 2 months which is also included for your £1 fee.
Advertising is due to start the first week of December, although its not national as yet but it's a start. After all we are just a husband & wife business or should I say wife & husband business!!!
Since we are just about to commence advertising we require items for people to look at. So if there are any businesses/shops out there that would like to take this opportunity to have free listings of their goods for 3 months then please drop me a line and I will arrange free fees for 3 months. This will show items for sale on our site for people to view when the advertising starts so in return we won't charge a penny for the 3 months.
Regards
Graham
Pound2Sell
If your item is £9.99 or less then you only get charged 10%.
Once you up load something you get a home page feature of your item.
We appreciate it will take a long time to get established so to help, your listing can be displayed for up to 2 months which is also included for your £1 fee.
Advertising is due to start the first week of December, although its not national as yet but it's a start. After all we are just a husband & wife business or should I say wife & husband business!!!
Since we are just about to commence advertising we require items for people to look at. So if there are any businesses/shops out there that would like to take this opportunity to have free listings of their goods for 3 months then please drop me a line and I will arrange free fees for 3 months. This will show items for sale on our site for people to view when the advertising starts so in return we won't charge a penny for the 3 months.
Regards
Graham
Pound2Sell
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R
RepricerExpress
I could find you as many people who swear Amazon is terrible and love eBay. Honestly, everyone is differentdifferent buyers, different sellers regardless of the marketplace. That's why there's room for Amazon, eBay, Play etc. Whichever rocks your boat and makes you some money, stick with it, but there isn't a typical eBay or Amazon buyer from my experience.
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