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Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

codenerdz.com

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Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#121

Post by DanBlake »

MBCook wrote: post #60
DanBlake wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gazelle is worthless and preys on the poor and uneducated. You get less than 50% what you would from selling on ebay. http://www.gazelle.com/iphone/iphone-4s/at-t/iphone-4s-64gb-... vs http://www.ebay.com/sch/Cell-Phones-Smartphones-/9355/i.html...

I sold my iPhone 4 on Gazelle. I know I could have got more through Craigslist or eBay, but it wasn't worth my time. With eBay I have to photograph it, write it up, list it, answer ridiculous questions about shipping it to the 3rd world and take payment in the form of casino chips mailed to me in a few months. Then I have to deal with the buyer, ship it, and the whole time I have to be worried about scammers. All the…

If you were willing to take $250 less for saving 5 minutes time, by all means. Most of your complaints are made up though (casino chips, third world, etc.. )

I dont use craigslist, so I cant answer to that. I find the eBay process mostly fine, with the exception of not being able to specify who can bid/buy. If they did that it would be a way more reliable experience.

Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#122

Post by chris_wot »

tjr wrote: post #26
joaorj wrote: post #19

Everyone who's been in the internet for a long time know that there are dozens of sites for people to go tell their "got screwed by paypal" stories. Why paypal has always been the most used site for online transactions? That i don't know.. I know i would never use it.

Maybe because people who have bad experiences tend to want to publish them more than people who have good experiences. I sold a damaged iPhone 4 (listed as such) on eBay+Paypal earlier this year. I got paid, the buyer was happy, and I did not write a blog post about it.

Seems to me that those good xperience come down to old fashioned luck. Don't use PayPal or eBay - simple!

Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#123

Post by rorrr »

DannyBee wrote: post #78
codenerdz wrote: post #38

OP here. Interestingly enough, my conversations with Paypal became more and more surreal and I felt more and more powerless with every one in the end. I had a trail of information and there was evidence of multiple fraud, but I never felt as powerless as I did after my phone calls with Paypal. I am in contact with the police captain in the small town where the item was shipped, but I have very little faith in their a…

If you really want the money back, sue the guy. File a miscellaneous action in Ohio and then use subpoenas to acquire his real address/billing info. Contact the state AG and local federal AG's as well, just for kicks. Note that if you go to file a small claims action, you will actually have to be present in Ohio. They require in-personam jurisdiction. (You do have the option of filing in local federal district court…

Sue Paypal. It's an obvious scam, and they are, for some strange reason, ruling in favor of the scammer.

Sue them for your money, for the time you spent dealing with them. Check out small claims court limits in your state, and sue them for the maximum.

I bet you will win with all the documentation you have.

Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#124

Post by jack-r-abbit »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #85
jack-r-abbit wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious why you think you should see the buyer actually withdraw from an ATM? If I was a buyer and the seller asked to follow me to my ATM, I'd be concerned.

I actually probably wouldn't do that, but it would be a pretty good hedge against receiving counterfeit currency.

ah... I had not thought of the counterfeit money angle.

Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#125

Post by DanBlake »

The absolute, 100% way to solve this is to let sellers decide who can bid/buy on their items. If I can say "Only users who have been on ebay X months/years with Y feedback" that is such a major awesomeness. It also puts the control back in my hands. Maybe I dont get as much money when I sell a item, but I have way less risk of getting fucked.

Also, it would not stop new ebayers from being able to buy things. eBay could 'eat the risk' or make them guarantee if a seller set up his auction that way.

Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#126

Post by codenerdz »

cmwelsh wrote: post #79
codenerdz wrote: post #38

OP here. Interestingly enough, my conversations with Paypal became more and more surreal and I felt more and more powerless with every one in the end. I had a trail of information and there was evidence of multiple fraud, but I never felt as powerless as I did after my phone calls with Paypal. I am in contact with the police captain in the small town where the item was shipped, but I have very little faith in their a…

Has PayPal gotten their money back from you yet?

Not yet, but im risking it big time with collections.

Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#127

Post by ansible »

I'd recommend contacting all the carriers that this phone is compatible with, and tell them that the phone has been stolen. Give them the IMEI number, serial number and whatever else.

If you can get law enforcement interested in the case (highly unlikely, but who knows), they should be able to issue a search warrant, and get the location of the phone from the carrier. If they can track it down to a residential address, then they may be able to find the actual person.

It would be helpful if the other sellers also had remotely trackable items. Regardless, you'll want to be coordinating with them on the item descriptions.

Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#129

Post by Zircom »

ZoFreX wrote: post #115
rorrr wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ebay works great for buyers now, it just sucks for sellers. I buy on Ebay all the time, you can find all kinds of things there really cheap.

Have you ever tried to get your money back after getting scammed as a buyer?

Several times, and for each and every one it was as easy as filing a complaint and having the money refunded to my paypal within a few days.

Re: Thinking of Selling on eBay using Paypal? Think Again

#130

Post by joonix »

angryasian wrote: post #89
tlogan wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course. If you look their website now and their SEC filings, it is clear that eBay is not any more "garage sales on internet with auctions". It is more like discount store. Are there any of YC companies building "garage sales on internet"?

just wondering how would you expect or how do other companies currently avoid fraud. The costs associated or added with constantly investigating fraud would almost seem like a deterrent in making a system useful.

Chargebacks are a part of doing business any time you accept credit cards, whether paypal is your merchant provider or not.

The problem here is Visa/MC/Amex etc. Since you almost have to accept credit card payments these days, you're stuck with their terms. Since the banks all provide credit through these card providers, there's very little competition.

There are numerous ways to virtually eliminate CC fraud but the card providers aren't interested in taking those measures, and neither are the big retailers. They are happy to accept the ~5% loss on chargebacks, because credit card users spend something like 30-40% more per transaction than cash payers.

What we need is a competitor that disrupts credit cards altogether, not just merchant processing. Eliminate VISA and MC, who are basically skimming 2.5% off our retail economy. Cards are obsolete anyways. The processing side is obsolete, we don't need terminals that dial into a central processing machine, we can use the internet. The credit side (banks provide the credit line you get on your card, not Visa/MC) will take a bit more work, but we can combine it with the rise in peer to peer lending: you seek a credit line from a crowdlending site, not Chase bank.

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