To eBay or not eBay? This is the question.

I've been a long time user of eBay but for selling more than buying. Over the past 8 or 9 years my rating has tallied up well into the hundreds, closer to the thousands in fact and has afforded me the opportunity to interact with some very interesting buyers. It has at times been my best friend and my worst enemy and at others it has near destroyed me and I have vowed more times than I can count not to deal with eBay ever again. When I say interesting, I truly mean it, many of my customers have been quite frankly some of the strangest people I've ever had to deal with, they are after all just names on a screen and we all know we can do what we want and say what we want online can't we hmmm!!! They cover all extremes and there's a broad range of adjectives out there to describe them. After a comment on my post titled Online Shopping: The Good The Bad The Ugly reminded me that I hadn't listed eBay as a potential shopping site I felt that eBay indeed needed a bit more than just a few sentences, it needed a post of its own.

I started out selling vintage, rare and designer clothing and footwear and at one point I was making quite a business of it. I shopped at goodwill stores snatching up amazing labels and beautiful vintage finds and selling them on eBay. While at uni I needed a bit of extra income and this was a great way to rake in the cash. When I first started out, eBay itself was relatively new and the market for one of a kind, second hand vintage clothing was at an all time high. eBay had become a remarkable place to sell these unique and rare items that people once had to trawl through vintage shops far and wide to find and the listings weren't saturated with overseas sellers labeling their cheap and nasty goods as "vintage one of a kind, retro, boho" etc when they are none of the above. 100% of my items sold and at very respectable prices at that, the buyers paid on time every time and on the whole were very happy with their pre-loved, one-of-a-kind goods.

However, the overseas sellers invasion on eBay now means that selling your beautiful tan leather 1970's mint condition clutch isn't so easy when you have to compete with cheap copy versions that are neither leather nor vintage. Potential buyers now have to wade through hundreds of pages to find yours if they don't use the advanced search options. The chances of your item being diluted in a sea of cheap overseas products is high and their competitive price point means you're no longer guaranteed to make top dollar like I used to. It is hard to sell that vintage bag for $50 when there is a similar dodgy cheap and nasty version for 99c that looks like vintage and looks like leather if you stand about a kilometer away.

Our current economic times means buyers are more frugal and demand the highest quality for the lowest price and this has caused me more headaches than an 8 month old baby who wakes up three times a night. I recently sold my top of the line 3 wheeler jogger pram. It was a hard sell, I really didn't want to part with this item. It was my first ever pram purchase and this baby was top notch, you couldn't buy better and I had looked after it like a little glass ornament. If anything I had worn it in for the next owner, I'd done them a favour. They got a $1100 pram for less than half the price, there were no marks, no stains and I swear black and blue my son never wee'd in it, truthfully, he didn't, but I appreciate we all worry about wee and poo and vomit when we buy second hand children's things don't we? I had all the manuals, warranty card, rain cover, bug cover, SPF50 cover, bassinet, every single last attachment and add-on you could think of. I listed all the attributes, took 3 million photos from every angle, it was spit shined and ready to rock and roll.

The pram had at one stage, more than 30 watchers but failed to sell 3 times over and then the stupid questions started. I had one person ask me whether the wheels had dirt on them? Um, well yes, you dick of course they have dirt on them, the wheels have come in contact with the ground haven't they?! I gave them the benefit of the doubt and responded with a very nice "Hi there, thanks for your question. So, yes the wheels do have some dirt on them, the pram is second hand bla bla bla" thinking, are you for real, am I really answering this question. Then the questions about naming each and every single mark on the pram and how long and how deep it was and no, I'm not joking. I again gave this potential bidder the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she was a second hand re-seller and while I didn't name all the marks I gave her a general overview...no bids! I had one person ask me to bubble wrap and send the bassinet to her overseas- NO! And another ask me if they could come and inspect the pram before they bid on it- NO AGAIN! Others asked me for quotes on couriers, quotes to send parts of the pram via Australia post, it was beyond ridiculous and while I am sounding ultra hard work here myself, all I wanted was for someone to make a bid, come pick up the pram and take it away. I was in no place to be selling it for parts or parts of the sale via the post. I wondered what I had to do to get rid of this pram in one piece to one legit buyer. In the end I had to list the individual pieces separately and sold the pram alone and the bassinet with the additional extras and all for a lot less than I had wanted to. In short, it was the biggest run around I had ever been part of and again swore to be gone with eBay.

So, my word of warning here is, don't expect your top notch item at rock bottom price to always sell. Expect that selling something more than just a few measly dollars will result in your buyer being mega picky and mega fussy and mega bloody annoying over parting with their hard earned.

And then there was the story about the weirdo who harassed me when I was trying to sell a new iphone and the strange circumstances that surrounded the sale. I had bought it from eBay but when I got it I decided that I didn't really want an iphone and preferred my Nokia after all (don't worry I have since learnt the error of my ways). The wrapping had been removed, but the phone itself was brand new and never used. I listed it on the higher price side compared to other previously listed iphone's but wasn't in a hurry for it to sell, all I wanted was to recoup my cash plus a little extra. A few days into the listing an online iphone reseller contacted me telling me he thought I was ridiculous for selling the phone for the price stated and that I would never sell it to anyone, no one would be so stupid to buy it. WTF? I was sure to give him a piece of my mind once I picked my jaw up off the floor in some pretty colourful language at that. The phone did actually sell, someone bought it with the Buy It Now price and we arranged a day and time to meet to swap money for phone. The buyer repeatedly pushed to meet us at home to pick it up. Given that it sold for $600 and given that the arranged pick up day resulted in us not being at home, we decided to meet at a McDonald's car park down the road, out in the open, less chance of a snatch and run etc etc. Again, he pushed to meet us at home and it all started to become a bit weird and a bit dodgy. He refused to meet us anywhere other than our home address and it just stank of a potential home invasion. He never met us at McDonald's and I decided that it was just safer to bite the bullet and keep the iphone for myself. Another lesson learnt.

Other strange but true stories include the time I sold a very large box of mixed clothing items to some weirdo who claimed she never received them but when I called her local post office was told she had in fact come to pick up the box. This dirty thief opened a case against me through Paypal claiming that she never received her goods and the amount was deducted from my Paypal account. I lucked out by nearly $100 and was all sorts of mad. I had not sent the item with any form of tracking and the receipt from Australia Post for lodging  the item as well as them stating she had in person picked up her item, wasn't enough evidence for Paypal- no tracking number, we no help you! She had found a loop hole in the system. Essentially anyone can claim through Paypal that their item hasn't been received if the buyer has no proof, doesn't send the item registered or has any form of tracking on the box. I vowed never again to send anything as regular mail. Each and every single last item would have tracking and anything purchased above $50 would have the full rigmarole attached- tracking, registered, signature, person-to-person, you name it, I wasn't going to be duped again.

My stories with the crazy people of the nation don't end, I have had non-paying buyers leave me negative feedback which is totally out of line given they didn't fulfill their commitment to pay. One recent circumstance had me spend hour upon hour talking with eBay staff over the circumstances surrounding the sale. Essentially the buyer was told not to pay until I gave her a postage quote for a large box of children's clothes. Despite the listing stating that the winning bidder would need to wait for a postage quote once I knew their post code she decided that wasn't on and left me negative feedback when I told her postage was going to be $20. It made no sense and she had no right to leave negative feedback under their extortion policy. After more fussing and back and forth emailing the negative feedback score was removed and my 100% perfect record returned.

Right about now you're probably thinking eBay doesn't sound all that glamours and well no, it isn't at times but to no fault of their own. With every 5 items I sell at least one person fails to pay and I end up needing to relist the item only once the mandatory 5 day wait is up after an unpaid item case is opened. I always follow through with the unpaid item assistant, it means I get back my listing and final value fees and the little pests who fail to pay get a strike. It's a very minor slap on the wrist. While you can put in place provisions so buyers with more than 2 strikes in 1 month can't bid on your item, once the month is up the provisions no longer apply. The non-paying, argumentative buyer is always the most time consuming with their back and forth emails. I have spent hours reiterating the same 2 pieces of information to buyers who can't seem to grasp the fact that I don't do freebies and I won't accept their out-of-eBay offer which mind you is against eBay policy. These are my worst nightmare and they are the most persistent of them all. eBay no longer lets you leave negative feedback for people who don't pay which I think is ridiculous because it leaves a very one sided perspective of pest bidders. You can cancel the bids of dodgy bidders or bidders with really low feedback scores but deciphering who is dodgy and who isn't is hard and I have never gone down this path although a lot of my listing descriptions state I will just for scare tactics.

Listing items however has become much easier over the years. There are templates for well known items with all the item specifics e.g. the dimensions of a McLaren Stroller so you don't have to get out a tape measure and scales to provide all that useless information, a stock photo is also provided so if you don't want to take a photo you don't have to. The first couple of listings per month for each seller are also free and listing photos no longer costs a small fortune as they too are free. I find the best time to list an item is so that the sale finishes in the evening e.g. 7pm onwards when people are home on their computers ready to follow the sale and put in their final bids in an all out last seconds bidding war. Listings that end on a Friday night after most of the country are home and relaxed after a few TGIF wines and eager to spend a little cash is invaluable although these types tend to be the ones that quite often fail to see the sale through and pay, perhaps they wake up in the morning after a tipsy evening and regret their purchase? One might never know.

As for postage, the option for local pick up will definitely weed out the serial pests as postage has become so ridiculously overpriced it is criminal. If someone is willing to come and pick it up then they tend to be pretty genuine, it saves you going to the post office, waiting in line and avoids any issues around non-receipt. Always sell your items with tracking on the package and always try your best to wrap the items at home with paper, garbage bags, masking tape, old boxes, large paper envelopes etc. Australia Post capitalise on their post packs, packing materials and satchels which are a massive rip off and really misleading. First off they provide no protection for your item as they are easily ripped and because they are so convenient you can be mistaken into just throwing in even the lightest and smallest of items thinking it is just easier, cheaper and more convenient but essentially even if your item only weighs 1g you'll still pay for postage on the item as if it weighs 500g and if it's more than 500g you'll pay the same postage on a 501g item as you would on a 3kg item and there is quite a considerable difference. So sending a small item in a A4 envelope you wrapped and addressed at home that only weighs 100g will be about $2 compared to the $8 satchel. Unless you are going to stuff that satchel to near breaking point within the weight limit then it isn't worth it. Bunning's has free boxes in every size and shape imaginable so don't pay $5 for a box when you can get one for free.

When it comes down to buying on eBay my experience isn't as broad as selling however these are my findings. Career eBay sellers with eBay stores tend to be less competitive in price and I have found there are generally cheaper stores elsewhere online. I have been able to find a few random items on eBay that I couldn't find elsewhere but I am frequently burned by poor quality, grossly over or undersized items compared to Australian sizings despite their sizing charts and measurements and with a lot of overseas sellers claiming to be selling original items which aren't original but copies, you have to be careful about who you give your money to. I know of a number of Ergo Baby carriers sold on eBay that have been fakes, eBay sellers claiming to be re-sellers for Asics, selling their top line Kayano sneakers for close to RRP that aren't original Asics and designer children's clothes that aren't so designer. It pays to go through feedback scores, question the seller before you buy and take note of the origin of the item e.g. the country it is being sold out of in the postage instructions. If something is claimed to be Australian Made but the item location is in China then one might be lead to believe it ain't actually Aussie made after all.

I know I haven't painted a great picture of eBay but I also know I am not alone. I have many friends who sell on eBay regularly and have had hundreds of different issues over the years. Accounts being hacked and losing all their feedback scores, disgruntled customers not willing to follow through the appropriate avenues for returns and refunds, accounts being suspended for often ridiculous reasons and lengthy waits for assistance with site issues, rectifying problems with suspect buyers etc. If you're selling name brand clothing you must be very careful to respect intellectual property rights and copyright. I recently had a listing banned and removed for unknowingly using wording similar to the wording a particular clothing company used to sell their jeans and was warned that if I did this once more my account may be suspended or cancelled.

eBay is a great way to compare products and prices, their advanced search function which shows "sold items only" is great for getting an idea of how much your item might sell for and is currently worth before going through the process of listing and allows you to determine whether it's worth listing or just donating your goods and there are many genuine bidders and sellers out there who I should make note of but bidding and selling does come with all the above warnings.

I no longer trawl through vintage and goodwill shops looking for amazing finds to sell on eBay, I don't have the time nor the patience and have been burned far too often. I now resort to eBay for getting rid of my larger house hold items such as old desks, old furniture, outdated and no longer used baby swings, rockers, old clothes and shoes etc. It is cheaper to list and sell something on eBay than to take things to the dump half the time. I sell our old clothes and the kids clothes in bulk lots to reduce the headache of listing individual items, make all items available to be picked up and have very strict guidelines for purchase. Looking out for designer clothing swap meets is far more fun than selling on eBay and you can even snap yourself up something in the process, other sites such as Gum Tree and the Trading Post have often turned out to be better avenues for buying and selling large items and I have found both to sell items remarkably cheaper than eBay.

Occasionally eBay comes up with the goods but sadly that is for me becoming more and more of a rarity. Happy Shopping but please....be careful!