Let's get proactive about LEGO scams on eBay.

[pickleboy]

Insurance will protect you if it gets lost.  Doesn't it also force them to sign for the package and declare at damage at time of receipt?

[emes]

This is going to sound a bit negative, but as a community I think we need to get ready for an onslaught of posts like this going into the holiday season. Get ready for lots of posts such as:

 

1) This one, where someone thinks low feedback or low activity on eBay automatically means scam

2) People hitting overall selling limits and specific category limits on eBay

3) People not reading/understanding how seller protection works

4) People selling things internationally that don't intend to

5) People selling things internationally and attempting to use really inexpensive shipping that doesn't qualify for seller protection

 

Don't get me wrong..I think it's fine to be helpful, but there's a fine line between being helpful and pandering. I have very little sympathy for someone who gets into eBay selling and doesn't take the time to read the voluminous amount of information available on what to do, how to do it, and how to protect yourself.

[emes]

Insurance will protect you if it gets lost.  Doesn't it also force them to sign for the package and declare at damage at time of receipt?

 

Not necessarily. Also it can take a while to get an insurance claim processed.

[pickleboy]

I'm impressed by anyone who has no questions about ebay experiences.  I am also impressed by those who read everything about ebay prior to diving in. 

[Fcbarcelona101]

emes has a good point. What would you guys think about having one unique thread for eBay selling/buying questions like this? It would help keep things in one place and avoid clutter while still having a place where new members can look for help.

[pickleboy]

I thought that's what the ebay thread was for.  To talk about and ask questions about ebay?

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

Actually, the forum did that automagically.

 

I know I was being sarcastic. I forgot to put the font to comic sans. lol.

[emes]

Insurance will protect you if it gets lost.  Doesn't it also force them to sign for the package and declare at damage at time of receipt?

 

Also if you ship Express Mail International it comes with $100 of insurance automatically.

[Quacs]

Emes- I'm almost ready to start on a "beginner's guide" shipping blog article, so that should be coming soon.

I started doing some research for the eBay limit article and their information is incomplete, so I may try to call them for more info. The limit question will make a good Personal Blog article once I get the scoop.

[pickleboy]

Also if you ship Express Mail International it comes with $100 of insurance automatically.

Totally forgot about that... 

[pickleboy]

Emes- I'm almost ready to start on a "beginner's guide" shipping blog article, so that should be coming soon.

I started doing some research for the eBay limit article and their information is incomplete, so I may try to call them for more info. The limit question will make a good Personal Blog article once I get the scoop.

I just talked to them last week about getting my limit raised and if I remember correctly they said they have the ability to raise it by 50% (Value and number of items) once every thirty days.  They review the account to make sure everything is good and you haven't had any issues and then raise it if everything checks out.  Hope that helps...

[emes]

I'm impressed by anyone who has no questions about ebay experiences.  I am also impressed by those who read everything about ebay prior to diving in. 

 

I'm really impressed by anyone who has no questions about making pickles. I'm also impressed by those who read everything about making pickles before diving in.

 

Point being, both posting on eBay and making pickles are activities that require knowledge and skill. Knowledge that is readily available, and skills that can be learned. I'm not going to just try to make pickles and see what happens and hope for the best. It seems much smarter to me to read something about how to make pickles first before asking the equivalent of "should I eat these pickles".

 

I'm not saying people won't have questions...they will. Questions about "how should I ship things internationally" should have been answered before a listing was ever posted on eBay.

 

People shouldn't dive into things they don't understand. That's how people get burned, which is exactly what I'm pointing out. There are buyers out there who prey on people exactly like the OP.

[Quacs]

Great info, PB. Thanks for the 411!

[Clambo]

Well I'm not exactly new to selling on Ebay with almost 2000 feedback, but I thought I'd see if anyone else thought this one was suspicious before sending an invoice.As you point out, low feedback isn't necessarily a red flag, but if it's all for $.99 items or over 90 days old and then suddenly they spend $150 on three identical Lego sets I'm a bit suspicious.

[akohns]

I usually ship items like this with ebay's Shipcover insurance as long as ebay allows you to print the label through their site (some international shipping options and destinations have been excluded). 

Emes. Do you usually use this? I've had excellent service when I've had to file claims. As long as the buyer respondes to their emails and confirms the item was damaged or lost I get money within a few days.

[akohns]

I just had 4 super hero sets sell to four different usernames in The Russian Federation. All have the same shipping address. Now that's fishy. 0-3 feedback and all accounts were opened on April 4th 2013. They paid over $600 (of someone else's money I'm sure) for the items. 

[Clambo]

I know I was being sarcastic. I forgot to put the font to comic sans. lol.

It is pretty funny what the new forum software will do. I got bleeped for saying something that most definitely was not a curse word.

[emes]

I usually ship items like this with ebay's Shipcover insurance as long as ebay allows you to print the label through their site (some international shipping options and destinations have been excluded). 

Emes. Do you usually use this? I've had excellent service when I've had to file claims. As long as the buyer respondes to their emails and confirms the item was damaged or lost I get money within a few days.

 

Really almost never...as long as you follow seller protection rules you'll be ok in most cases. In those rare cases when we offer insurance we make the seller pay somehow.

 

One of the items that we sell are really expensive purses. We usually insure those because it's worth it. Last month we sold a Chanel purse for about $2k. The buyer had zero feedback and created their account on the same day they bought the item. Following seller protection means that you require them to sign for the package over $250. On something that expensive (we had about $1k into it) we add the insurance because the cost of insurance is worthwhile.

[emes]

I just had 4 super hero sets sell to four different usernames in The Russian Federation. All have the same shipping address. Now that's fishy. 0-3 feedback and all accounts were opened on April 4th 2013. They paid over $600 (of someone else's money I'm sure) for the items. 

 

I agree that's fishy. I also suspect if you escalate to PayPal/eBay they will tell you to complete the transaction anyway.

 

We sold a really expensive Logitech remote the other day, and just as my wife was about to ship it PayPal held the funds because the transaction was suspicious. I was really glad they did this before I went to the trouble to print the shipping....

[comicblast]

Hi Clambo,

Often there are just low feedback buyers who, as many LEGO fans, just want the LEGO bricks. I do admit, that there can often be eBay members who will scam and not sell the item, etc. But this is often the seller who does this. In my experiences, give your item a tracking number, and you should be good to go. Is this your first time selling internationally? If so, I understand why you might be a little more cautious of the circumstances. Would you mind giving us the link to the buyer? I think you have nothing to worry about, but if you would like, we could take a look at their eBay profile for any signs of fraud.

 

Thanks, Comicblast

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

It is pretty funny what the new forum software will do. I got bleeped for saying something that most definitely was not a curse word.

 

For sure. Actually a funny story: My workplace was creating a forum for our customers. We were tasked to try and break it (which I love doing) so we could work out all the bugs. One of the guys took it upon himself to test the profanity filter. It was hilarious. Just seeing posts from him that had some of the most random words bleeped out in between some of the dirtiest things you could ever utter. I love my job.

[emes]

I started doing some research for the eBay limit article and their information is incomplete, so I may try to call them for more info. The limit question will make a good Personal Blog article once I get the scoop.

 

They're real cagey about the limit thing.

[Clambo]

Hi Clambo,

Often there are just low feedback buyers who, as many LEGO fans, just want the LEGO bricks. I do admit, that there can often be eBay members who will scam and not sell the item, etc. But this is often the seller who does this. In my experiences, give your item a tracking number, and you should be good to go. Is this your first time selling internationally? If so, I understand why you might be a little more cautious of the circumstances. Would you mind giving us the link to the buyer? I think you have nothing to worry about, but if you would like, we could take a look at their eBay profile for any signs of fraud.

 

Thanks, Comicblast

I'm cautious because I've had a couple of bad experiences in the last year with USPS First Class International. I've already dropped it from most of my listings. I tend to sell lower value items and just considered the once a year loss as the cost of doing business. But their service has really really fallen apart since late last year and I feel the scammers are on the rise. I don't have much experience with using other shippers which is why I asked who the sellers here preferred for their larger shipments.

[LegoFink]

Unfortunately, the other thing you need to worry about these days selling on ebay is someone buying too many of your items, receiving said items, and then within 90 days placing a hold on the paypal transaction.  I've had it happen to a friend of mine several times.  They file a dispute with paypal for whatever reason they want and it holds the funds hostage in your account until you can get it cleared up or get the items back. It usually doesn't end well for your items.

 

I personally don't ship internationally anymore because it's usually more trouble than it's worth.  I will do it if someone asks me and they have a high feedback, but I typically will check the no international shipping box and list that in the description as well.

[LegoFink]

Oh and if you do ship to this person, take the time and take pictures of the packaging before sealing the box.  That way if you need them for any dispute you can prove they were packaged well.