Your Experiences as a 'Seller' on EBay

[Andre Noble]

O.K. I'm going to TRY to reform why viewpoint in the future, perhaps with the exception of international sales. I feel the U.S. is populated enough to create good competition on any given item.

Additionally, with international sales you're introducing additional risk: a third party in the transaction, namely customs brokers w/ concomitant customs fees, longer shipping times, and "foreign credit cards"- I don't know exactly what risk the latter entails, but I know that many of the heavy volume professional photo dealers won't accept the foreign transactions/cards, so they must be NOT accepting them for a reason. Why wait to get burned to find out why?

PS, I'm outta bed Dan, and may even go into a Dark Room :-)

[John D Gerndt]

I think the key here is thinking about making money. It DOES take a lot of time to sell something on eBay. With the experience shared above, one can take the precations to allow for a smooth transaction. It cuts into the return rate to be so careful.

I sell not for profit but to try things out. I figure on loosing money and spending time. eBay has afforded me opportunities to learn by using that I never could have managed before because of the size of the market and because othersl like me are putting out equipment for sale at prices that do not support a living. It is a hassel to sell. Don't expect eBay to be helpful or even responsive. They are just a business sucking money, but their presence affords me a clear opportunity.

Cheers,

[Ole Tjugen]

As an "international buyer", I'd like to voice my opinion too:

I have bought several items from the USA, several from Germany, some from the UK, and even occasional items from France and Ukraine. One place I have not bought from on ebay is Norway, since the local market is too small to justify a local division of ebay.

Of course I know that shipping is expensive and takes time! I have even bought items where the shipping costs are significantly higher than the closing bid, only because these items are not available locally - or only available at a significantly higher cost.

I have no idea what is meant by "foreign credit cards". I have VISA and American Express; and if they are good enough for PayPal I can't see what the problem should be?

Best regards from Norway,

[Jim Galli]

I'll add one more tiny bit about international selling. I almost never say no. Malaysia and Nigeria etc. sorry, no. But when international folks ask, I simply insist that the item has to go via USPS Global Express Mail which costs about double. But it short circuits a lot of the customs wait and the package is traceable. 3 day service and even though it's pricey, usually everyone is happy. As an aside, once I told a Malaysian guy no and he apparently had a Malaysian US cartel bidding service bid and win the item. I shipped to the USA address and they shipped to him I guess. Only time I ever got over $500 for a f11 WA G-Claron in barrel no less.

[Capocheny]

Andre,

I wholeheartedly agree with Dan F... all the way! And with Juergen, Ole, David, Ted, and Jim...

There's always a degree of risk in dealing with strangers but that's not only on ebay!

"Non-U.S. bidders on auction where "US only" explicitly stated."

I can't tell you the number of times when this has been stated as a condition of the sale but, lo and behold, when they're asked if they'd send the item out of the US... guess what? 99% of the time...they answer in the affirmative! Frankly, when you're buying and selling on ebay... you're hoping to sell at the highest price and buy at the lowest...and this means exposure on a world-wide basis. That said, if you're happy with offering it ONLY in the US then that's fine. You can always say no if you're asked.

"Additionally, with international sales you're introducing additional risk: a third party in the transaction, namely customs brokers w/ concomitant customs fees, longer shipping times, and "foreign credit cards"- I don't know exactly what risk the latter entails, but I know that many of the heavy volume professional photo dealers won't accept the foreign transactions/cards, so they must be NOT accepting them for a reason. Why wait to get burned to find out why?"

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to fill out a couple of customs forms... concomitant customs fees? I believe US Customs is much like Canadian Customs in that they don't charge you fees for exporting; Nor do they charge you fees for importing. You must be talking about Brokerage Fees, taxes, duties and the like...but it's NOT a Customs Fee for exporting and importing items.

"longer shipping times?" You must be talking about items being held up in Customs for whatever reason! I've had items sent up from the US and there hasn't been delays whatsoever.

"...foreign credit cards?" - Yeesh! As far as I know... a Mastercard whether issued in the US or a country such as Canada makes no difference to either the buyer or seller. I've used my cards on numerous occassions and have had no challenges whatsoever. The seller (if they're a merchant) will ALWAYS phone for authorization anyway. Sure, there are credit card scams all over the place... in AND out of the US!

If you've encountered ALL these problems in your first 5 sales... YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG!!!! Or, unfortunately, you're terribly unlucky!

I've had a couple hundred transactions and haven't had ANY of the issues you've mentioned...

I've only had 3 issues and guess what? They were all with folks from the US. The first was with a company that sold backdrops... it was an item that was shipped in "less than satisfactory condition." The second was with a yahoo that bought an item from me and he decided he wanted the cost of shipping included in the bid price after it ended! The last problem was with a purchase from a photographer in LA who declared the camera mint but it wasn't! Bottom line? All of these problems could have arisen even if I lived in the US and purchased them there.

Oren,

Dagor77 is one of the best sellers on ebay, bar none! I've had transactions with him and they've ALWAYS gone absolutely smoothly. He answers his email quickly and responds in a totally honest and straight-up fashion. I wouldn't hesitate dealing with him again. (BTW, I have no connection with him in any way, shape, or form.)

BTW... I've had successful transactions with some of the posters above (Greetings Michael, Frank, and Doug) and everything went smooth as silk! So... international transactions can AND do go smoothly!

Cheers from Canada,

[Andre Noble]

Henry's.com in Canada? Thanks for the Bronica accessories. Nice price.

Cold shower has been taken. Coincidently, one of the 'problem' guys has since phoned me, and he sounded like the nicest guy in the world - I felt so gulity for misinterpreting his "non-communication". Reason why he didn't email was that he wanted to speak to me on the phone and buy additional items!

Still, I have had problems shipping to Canada. I'm not trying to blame it on the Prime Minister, but customs turned back a flash head sent via expensive USPS Epress mail. (I'm out $37 on that one) without explanation On the re-ship, it clears customs but then takes11 days time total for UPS ground service (L.A. to Saskatoon!). Amtrak's fater than that.

Just beginner's luck, I guess.

[Oren Grad]

Dagor77 is one of the best sellers on ebay, bar none!

Henry -

Yes, I've completed several transactions with Andrew too. He's an honorable seller who stands behind his products, and his wit and wisdom provide vast entertainment value to boot...

[Capocheny]

Andre,

I wonder if the reason it was sent back to you was because the paper work wasn't filled in properly? I purchased a number of filters from a seller on Photo.net and he sent them through to me via UPS. When I received the package, I was charged $80 plus dollars tax and duties on the purchase. I paid much, much less than that for the filters. After inquires with UPS and the seller... it turned out he had filled in the forms incorrectly. After the forms were filled in correctly... I was refunded the majority of those dollars paid!

Most of the time, I ask the seller to use USPS Express for shipping my winnings and they've always been great! No hassles whatsoever... unlike UPS! And, with the purchases I've made... delivery was quick and never a damaged item (cross me fingers and knock on wood!)

Oren,

Yes, I agree... Andrew's postings always left me in stitches too. It's unfortunate that not more sellers are like him on Ebay!

The funniest listings use to be those where he came up with these incredible stories of some old person contacting him about a bunch of LF equipment, which they found in the basement. Invevitably, the cache of gear always included a number of 8x10 Dorffs in mint condition! Lucky stiff! And, after the transactions, when he went back to the addresses... poof! They've vanished!

Cheers

[Oren Grad]

Henry -

But what has happened to the comely Artara? She's been scarce lately...

[Capocheny]

Oren,

I think she went onto that reality show, The Bachelorette, and hit the big times. She's now retired and living in The Grand Caymans...

But, if Andrew is really nice about how he asks, she may make guest appearances in the future!

Cheers