Are fruitcakes running rampant on eBay lately? Selling, buying, listing, feedback, etc...

[Guest TabbyBoy]

1 hour ago, stackables said:

I had the buyer request and I accepted.  Pain in the butt.  I have to relist it again and now I have 0 watchers to send offers to.  My description literally said "if the box is important to you, don't buy this". 

I always describe boxes worse than they are and some fussy numpty still ends up buying it and moaning. I now have several "spare" eBay accounts for listing stuff like this and I make it as inconvenient as possible to return an item. For the most awkward buyer, I say "I'll send a colleague round who works nearby at a time that suits you to collect the item". 4 times out of 5, I never hear from them again which proves they are scammers. Of course, they're blocked too!

Due to the enormous fees, there isn't enough profit to handle many returns.

C'mon eBay.... levy a "buyer's premium" like they do at "proper" auctions or at least take the FVF off postage!

[$20 on joe vs dan]

3 hours ago, stackables said:

I had the buyer request and I accepted.  Pain in the butt.  I have to relist it again and now I have 0 watchers to send offers to.  My description literally said "if the box is important to you, don't buy this". 

did you confirm box condition prior to shipping?

When I started on Ebay ...the search function almost invites mis-understanding...many times the buyer may not read the description posted by the seller...takes extra clicks...I wised up when I won an auction for a minifigure...when I thought I was bidding on the set.  When I sell anything dscribed as "new" ..I confirm w/ the auction winner any "issues"

Edited March 3, 2019 by $20 on joe vs dan

[stackables]

1 hour ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

did you confirm box condition prior to shipping?

When I started on Ebay ...the search function almost invites mis-understanding...many times the buyer may not read the description posted by the seller...takes extra clicks...I wised up when I won an auction for a minifigure...when I thought I was bidding on the set.  When I sell anything dscribed as "new" ..I confirm w/ the auction winner any "issues"

Yes after accepting her best offer, I sent an message making sure they read the description.  The Barbie was even listed as "used". Apparently ebay fees are credited, not refunded?

[brickvoyeur]

18 hours ago, TabbyBoy said:

at least take the FVF off postage!

There is really a logical way for them to do this. They added the FVF on postage due to people selling an item for $1 and making the shipping the rest of the cost. There is no reason that they couldn't set the system to automatically subtract the actual amount paid through their label system from the fee total.

For example buyer pays $20 for an item and pays $10 for postage. You print and pay $8 in postage through their label system (which they can easily verify). Your FVF is charged on the remaining $22.

It will never happen though, as you never move backwards on fees when your client is all too familiar with paying.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

3 hours ago, brickvoyeur said:

There is really a logical way for them to do this. They added the FVF on postage due to people selling an item for $1 and making the shipping the rest of the cost. There is no reason that they couldn't set the system to automatically subtract the actual amount paid through their label system from the fee total.

For example buyer pays $20 for an item and pays $10 for postage. You print and pay $8 in postage through their label system (which they can easily verify). Your FVF is charged on the remaining $22.

It will never happen though, as you never move backwards on fees when your client is all too familiar with paying.

In the good old days, I charged actual postage, now I have to hike it by 10.8% for the FVF. It costs the buyer more, not me. I never use eBay's postage as there's not enough insurance cover and no drop off points near me. They make a killing on GSP so why should I give them the same opportunity for domestic?

[Guest TabbyBoy]

UK only

This isn't a fruitcake issue per se, but there's a disproportionate % of issues when sending to an ARGOS eCP:XXXXXXXX location:

Out of the last 158 parcels that I have sent via Collect+ and Royal Mail to buyers c/o ARGOS, 16 (more than 10%) of have them have been "lost" which is very concerning. Of course, I'm fully covered by sending to the correct verified address which is eligible for seller protection. eBay have removed my negative feedback, allowed me to keep payment and refunded the buyer. Of course, tracking goes only as far as the pick-up point, not the buyer, so the courier is without fault.

Could this be a new scam emerging from buyers or could ARGOS' handling of packages actually be getting even worse? (My money is on the buyer TBH)

As another safeguard, I no longer ship to ARGOS pick-up locations and this is mentioned clearly in my listings. I had eBay on chat and they accepted this as long as it's stated clearly. I don't like blocking buyers, countries and pick-up locations, but patterns are definitely forming.

 

[Villager Chris]

5 minutes ago, TabbyBoy said:

UK only

This isn't a fruitcake issue per se, but there's a disproportionate % of issues when sending to an ARGOS eCP:XXXXXXXX location:

Out of the last 158 parcels that I have sent via Collect+ and Royal Mail to buyers c/o ARGOS, 16 (more than 10%) of have them have been "lost" which is very concerning. Of course, I'm fully covered by sending to the correct verified address which is eligible for seller protection. eBay have removed my negative feedback, allowed me to keep payment and refunded the buyer. Of course, tracking goes only as far as the pick-up point, not the buyer, so the courier is without fault.

Could this be a new scam emerging from buyers or could ARGOS' handling of packages actually be getting even worse? (My money is on the buyer TBH)

As another safeguard, I no longer ship to ARGOS pick-up locations and this is mentioned clearly in my listings. I had eBay on chat and they accepted this as long as it's stated clearly. I don't like blocking buyers, countries and pick-up locations, but patterns are definitely forming.

 

I've had similar issues with convenience store collection points. Several shipments have been returned to me as the shop owner has refused delivery. I've had to re-post the sets to the buyers home address or refund. Luckily ebay have refunded the extra postage, but it takes several days / emails to get the money back. 

It's unnecessary hassle. 

[Captain_chaos]

25 minutes ago, TabbyBoy said:

UK only

This isn't a fruitcake issue per se, but there's a disproportionate % of issues when sending to an ARGOS eCP:XXXXXXXX location:

Out of the last 158 parcels that I have sent via Collect+ and Royal Mail to buyers c/o ARGOS, 16 (more than 10%) of have them have been "lost" which is very concerning. Of course, I'm fully covered by sending to the correct verified address which is eligible for seller protection. eBay have removed my negative feedback, allowed me to keep payment and refunded the buyer. Of course, tracking goes only as far as the pick-up point, not the buyer, so the courier is without fault.

Could this be a new scam emerging from buyers or could ARGOS' handling of packages actually be getting even worse? (My money is on the buyer TBH)

As another safeguard, I no longer ship to ARGOS pick-up locations and this is mentioned clearly in my listings. I had eBay on chat and they accepted this as long as it's stated clearly. I don't like blocking buyers, countries and pick-up locations, but patterns are definitely forming.

 

I think a major part of the issue is that the addresses eBay provides are incorrect. I had an issue using Parcelforce, so I called up their customer service and they confirmed that the addresses need to say 'click and collect'. Since then, I add this line to the address below the name and I haven't had a problem.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

24 minutes ago, Villager Chris said:

I've had similar issues with convenience store collection points. Several shipments have been returned to me as the shop owner has refused delivery. I've had to re-post the sets to the buyers home address or refund. Luckily ebay have refunded the extra postage, but it takes several days / emails to get the money back. 

It's unnecessary hassle. 

 

5 minutes ago, Captain_chaos said:

I think a major part of the issue is that the addresses eBay provides are incorrect. I had an issue using Parcelforce, so I called up their customer service and they confirmed that the addresses need to say 'click and collect'. Since then, I add this line to the address below the name and I haven't had a problem.

Thanks for your replies. I do put "Customer Collection" after the name and the rest get picked up without issue. Other collection points have been fine, it's just ARGOS. It's strange as everything I send is signed for and I get a signature which shows me that the package has been accepted at the collection point, but not a single one has been returned to me even though I stick the return address is on the underside of the box and inside. However, I do ship over 300 packages a month and I accept 1 or 2 cock-ups with that volume, but why only Argos? Do they know that I already hate them? ?

Collect+ and Royal Mail have been very helpful, but what can they do if a dishonest ARGOS employee creatively redeploys the item after it's been signed for? Of course there's no problem with Special Delivery as only the buyer can sign for it.

Yes, it's another hassle that we can all do without.

[stackables]

I have a package showing " Available for Pickup ".  Anyone ever get this message?  I just sent the buyer a message asking if they know what the situation is.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

ARGOS C&C update...

Collect+ gave name of person that signed for the item, I called that ARGOS/Sainsburys branch and nobody of that name works there, the package isn't in the C&C room eitheri, so it's simply been stolen. I'm going on eBay chat tomorrow to insist that THEY refund the buyer and not me - TBH they're pretty good. The buyer confirms that I used the correct C&C address and tracking shows it was accepted and signed for... by somebody else.

No more C&C posting for me! If the buyer's not present to sign in person, it's open to abuse. Now to work on a way to block these locations. It's already stated clearly at top/bottom of listings, but most buyers still can't read!

 

Edited March 10, 2019 by TabbyBoy

[Guest TabbyBoy]

A lot of issues arise via the eBay mobile app. Even if you state IMPORTANT info in the description, the app only shows a tiny portion of this (never the part you want) and, most of the time, the buyer is too lazy to click "READ MORE". I'm getting quite fed up of contacting every buyer of a higher value item to confirm that they've read and understood the entire description. The app needs a scroll-to-accept mechanism on the "Item description" field similar to that of software licences. It's not just LEGO, it's all items that I sell.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

On 3/8/2019 at 1:54 AM, stackables said:

I have a package showing " Available for Pickup ".  Anyone ever get this message?  I just sent the buyer a message asking if they know what the situation is.

In the UK, buyers normally get a ready-to-collect text with a code. As a seller, I've never seen this apart from "Item Delivered" if it's Special Delivery for example.

[MusiKyle]

Part of my normal sales routine is to take a picture of the package in the parcel drum at the USPS before I lift the handle and dump it to the other side.  1.) I then send the picture to the seller as a way of saying its shipped and its out of my hands now and 2.) I have a time stamp from doing so should anything happen.

That's all background story to this: I've been called a "dealer" for the first time... from collector, to reseller... to dealer...

Edited March 10, 2019 by MusiKyle

[Val-E]

57 minutes ago, MusiKyle said:

Part of my normal sales routine is to take a picture of the package in the parcel drum at the USPS before I lift the handle and dump it to the other side.  1.) I then send the picture to the seller as a way of saying its shipped and its out of my hands now and 2.) I have a time stamp from doing so should anything happen.

That's all background story to this: I've been called a "dealer" for the first time... from collector, to reseller... to dealer...

Maybe they got their DM´s mixed up.

2 hours ago, TabbyBoy said:

In the UK, buyers normally get a ready-to-collect text with a code. As a seller, I've never seen this apart from "Item Delivered" if it's Special Delivery for example.

Do Paypal have your back when you don´t deliver to the buyer´s nominated address? I was under the impression they didn´t.

[LegoBro]

USPS has a package I sent to a buyer stuck on "In Transit, Arriving Late" for the past 7 days. Should have arrived 4 days ago. Buyer can step in in 3 days and have EBay handle this problem. How screwed am I in this situation? I dont want to refund yet if buyer may receive tha package a few days later. At this point buyer has just asked where the package is at. I've sent the tracking..sympathized with them and let them know USPS is in charge of that package at the moment. How would you handle it? Thanks in advance for any responses.

[fuzzy_bricks]

26 minutes ago, LegoBro said:

USPS has a package I sent to a buyer stuck on "In Transit, Arriving Late" for the past 7 days. Should have arrived 4 days ago. Buyer can step in in 3 days and have EBay handle this problem. How screwed am I in this situation? I dont want to refund yet if buyer may receive tha package a few days later. At this point buyer has just asked where the package is at. I've sent the tracking..sympathized with them and let them know USPS is in charge of that package at the moment. How would you handle it? Thanks in advance for any responses.

Have you signed up for the email/text update on the USPS site?  This used to get the package moving again. 

[LegoBro]

Have you signed up for the email/text update on the USPS site?  This used to get the package moving again. 

Yes. Did that yesterday. Will look for movement. Thanks.

[Huskers1236]

1 hour ago, LegoBro said:

USPS has a package I sent to a buyer stuck on "In Transit, Arriving Late" for the past 7 days. Should have arrived 4 days ago. Buyer can step in in 3 days and have EBay handle this problem. How screwed am I in this situation? I dont want to refund yet if buyer may receive tha package a few days later. At this point buyer has just asked where the package is at. I've sent the tracking..sympathized with them and let them know USPS is in charge of that package at the moment. How would you handle it? Thanks in advance for any responses.

Probably a weather delay.  I had a BL order in this state for 2 days before showing up.  About all you can do is tell the buyer to be patient as it's (truly) out of your hands at this point.  7 days is a lot, though.

[LegoBro]

Probably a weather delay.  I had a BL order in this state for 2 days before showing up.  About all you can do is tell the buyer to be patient as it's (truly) out of your hands at this point.  7 days is a lot, though.

Yeah it is. Which makes me think it may be lost

[Guest TabbyBoy]

3 hours ago, Val-E said:

Do Paypal have your back when you don´t deliver to the buyer´s nominated address? I was under the impression they didn´t.

PayPal don't have your back - period! I used to only deliver if it stated VERIFIED and ELIGIBLE for seller protection. eBay have been pretty good, but PayPal often try to make things as awkward as possible. I no longer accept PayPal, it's now BACS, IBAN or Credit Card via my WorldPay portal. Fees are <1% unlike PayPal.

[Mgip21]

1 hour ago, LegoBro said:

USPS has a package I sent to a buyer stuck on "In Transit, Arriving Late" for the past 7 days. Should have arrived 4 days ago. Buyer can step in in 3 days and have EBay handle this problem. How screwed am I in this situation? I dont want to refund yet if buyer may receive tha package a few days later. At this point buyer has just asked where the package is at. I've sent the tracking..sympathized with them and let them know USPS is in charge of that package at the moment. How would you handle it? Thanks in advance for any responses.

I’ve had it happen twice on eBay and just the other day on BrickLink. Once I called and opened a case it got moving all 3 times. A pain in the rear but it made it every time a few days later. 

[CosmicSpeed]

I received an offer on my TLM2 BHz....an offer to buy both sets of 4. Seller has 98% feedback but is located in HK. The delivery looks like it would be sent to Oregon. Is this something I should be wary of?

[brickvoyeur]

4 minutes ago, CosmicSpeed said:

I received an offer on my TLM2 BHz....an offer to buy both sets of 4. Seller has 98% feedback but is located in HK. The delivery looks like it would be sent to Oregon. Is this something I should be wary of?

There is a big exporter out there. I've sent a ton of stuff over the years to " 18432 NE Sandy Blvd " in Oregon, never had a bad experience.

[iahawks550]

19 minutes ago, CosmicSpeed said:

I received an offer on my TLM2 BHz....an offer to buy both sets of 4. Seller has 98% feedback but is located in HK. The delivery looks like it would be sent to Oregon. Is this something I should be wary of?

Its legit