How do i protect myself on ebay?

can someone in great length explain this to me.

I AM ASKING FROM THE SELLERS POINT OF VIEW

i'm looking to sell some computer parts

Only accept PayPal. Always keep the shipping receipt. If it is expensive, force them to "sign" for the item.

Mark your sales settings with the following...

Block:

Buyers with a negative feedback score

Buyers with Unpaid Item strikes

Buyers in countries to which I don't ship

Buyers without a PayPal account

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A big part of this is keeping the buyers happy. If it is sold "as is" state it. Tell them when you will ship and be honest. IOW, I will ship 2 days after receiving payment. You should be tracking the shipment online. When you see they have received it, email them and ask them if they are happy with it. Settle any dispute before they give you a negative. Communication is a major key. Pack things well. Don't jack up the charges on shipping.

If you do not force them to pay immediately with PayPal (only available with a Buy It Now), the specify in your auction how long they have to pay.

State everything in your auction. Leave nothing to guess work. Tell them that you will ONLY ship to a "Confirmed" Address. IOW, don't let them talk you into shipping it to their brother in a different state. Make this clear upfront.

Don't ship anything unless you have cash in hand. Insurance generally does nothing for you. If you packed it well, and it is damaged, then and only then can you submit a claim and it is a long process and only worth the trouble if you are shipping something expensive. Either don't offer insurance for cheap stuff or include it in the price. You are just asking for trouble to have the buyer select to include and pay for insurance.
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Do all your conversations with the buyer through the eBay mail system.

A buyer can "dispute" the transaction through PayPal. For two reasons... one is that it was not received, and second if it was "significantly" different than what you claimed in your auction. PayPal (not eBay) will decide the dispute. If they win, they get a refund that does not include shipping price. If they paid PayPal, with a credit card, they can force a "charge back." PayPal must refund them the full amount, including shipping. However, PayPal will probably cancel their PayPal account unless they went through the dispute process.

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You have absolutely no control on negative feedback. The only exception if you both agree to have negative feedback removed.

Go through PayPal and you will be fine. Take no checks.

As a seller:

Block bidders with negative feedback (ex. -1,-2,-3)
If they paid with Paypal, only ship to CONFIRMED addresses
If you want to take Money Orders, ONLY take POSTAL MO's
Protect yourself and include Delivery Confirmation with EVERY order. Include INSURANCE if the item is worth more than you're willing to lose.

Remember, it is the SELLERS responsibility to get the item to the buyer. Delivery Confirmation and Insurance are your responsibility, not the buyers. Some sellers include it in their shipping cost, but don't use any of this "not responsible for items once they leave my hands" garbage. If the buyer pays with Paypal, it is a completely unenforceable statement. And, ebayers who know how things work will think you're a complete fool for having such rules....

Also, don't have more to your T&C"s than you do for your item description. That will make many hit the back button.

Go to ebay's answer center and take a lot of time and read. You will learn a lot and it will keep you from making foolish mistakes.

only accept pay pal and put on the auction that the buyer has to pay when the auction is over
and dont ship ANYTHING until they pay

You can't really, but a good way to find out if there trust worth is to look at their reviews.

What do you want to protect yourself from? In general it is good to follow good practices...

Make sure your descripttions are accurate, clear and true. This way people don't get upset for not getting what they expected.

Never promise what you can't deliver. Ebayers are good at leaving negative feedback when they are not happy.

Never,ever ship something until you have the money in your hand (or your paypal account). This is just common sense.

Always ship using a tracking number (UPS or Fedex) or a delivery confirmation (USPS). So that you can prove that they received the item. If they think you are dumb, they can just claim they never got it and ask for a refund.

Always check buyers feedback. This will tell you if they have failed to pay or paid late or things like that.

Always use your ability to block certain bidders from bidding on your item. I always block any bidders who have stricks for non payment. This way I don't have people bidding who have a habbit of not paying.

Always cancel bids that you are not comfortable with; ie: their feedback as buyers looks bad (too many negative feedbacks)

Always use common sense. Remember you are dealing wtih strangers. Feedback tells you a lot. And communicate with the buyer when possible, use the ebay messanger, it is fast and free.

I've been selling for 4 years and have only had one package lost in the mail and a few non payers here and there. I always report them and get my fees refunded by ebay.

Hope this helps.

Set a reserve price, if its not a hot item. I just sold a fireplace grate I bought at Christmas time for 114.50, and I got one bid for 0.99. lol

Also, get delivery confirmation. I had some guy win my auction for a $100 gift card to a restaurant for $19. He decides to write ebay and claim he never received it, and he wrote my actual name in a complaint on my ebay (he got my name from emails we exchanged.) The message said "where is my item (my name)... the money cleared 7 DAYS AGO..." Too bad for him, I got delivery confirmation and so I told him so, and he shut up after that. But the complaint is still on my profile!!! Ebay wouldnt do anything about him doing that since they said it might have been a mistake on his part, nor would they erase the comment he left on my profile.

Thats my only advice. I've gotten fleeced bad every time I've sold anything on there. I don't recommend it... at all. There are so many trolls around without jobs who lurk around ebay to take advantage of unassuming people.

just don't ship until one day after you receive payment.

use an eBay condom
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