Dumb Question About Selling On eBay...

[Wildaugust]

This may be a dumb question, but having never sold or even listed anything on their site, I thought I'd ask some of you guys who have sold stuff there. How do they pay? For example, if I list a part for sale and it sells for $100, does eBay mail me a cheque? Do they credit my eBay account for $100 toward my next purchase? Do they credit the $100 to my PayPal or credit card balance? I'm just wondering how I would be paid.

 

[69CoronetRT]

The most common payment method anymore is PayPal (PP). You get immediate payment to your PP account. You don't wait for a check and you don't wait for a check to clear before sending the item. You can accept probably just about any form of payment you want but each has it's up and down side. You'll also pay eBay a percentage on the sale so watch your margins.

As a buyer, I get my items faster when I use PP BUT...if you as the seller use PP, you pay PP a percentage for handling the transaction. If margins are tight or if you need XXX on a certain item, using PP and eBay will cut into what you actually receive.

 

[Fratzog]

Most sellers have Paypal accounts. I bought 100's of items over the years and can't remember paying with anything else.

 

[Big_John]

I believe you have to have a Pay Pal account to sell on Ebay. Even if you don't have to, you won't do well without it.

The buyer pays to your account, you get an email. The money goes into your paypal account where you can use it to buy things or you can transfer it to your own bank account. IIRC, there's a little delay in the transfer. It's pretty simple to use.

 

[bluefury361]

A PayPal account is required to sell on ebay, but any payment method can be accepted. On the average, with the insertion fee, (if there is one), the final value fee on the item and shipping, (yes, ebay takes a cut on the shipping), and the PayPal fee, (also a ebay company), You can figure it will take approx. 20% off the top of your sale.

 

[72Fury]

And I might add the little delay can be a fair amount of time. You will wait sometime to get your funds. I sold some parts on monday & paypal is releasing the funds on 1/04/2016. So you end up shipping without any usable payment, until it clears sometime down the road. I bought some parts in Australia and the seller wouldn't ship until the payment cleared, which was something like 3 weeks in that situation.

 

[commando1]

And don't forget the fees.

 

[The Horvaths]

And don't forget the fees.

That's is why I only list when eBay offers me "free" listings.

 

[saylor]

buyer has advantage in disputes
seller pays fees on transactions
paypal can hold your money that is in your PP account
wait to ship until the funds are in your account
disputes are some rigged up **** and ive been screwed as a buyer, and a seller

 

[amazinblue82]

This may be a dumb question, but having never sold or even listed anything on their site, I thought I'd ask some of you guys who have sold stuff there...

The FCBO team is spot-on with all the posts so far...I'm just jumpin' on the pile with ONE add.

Sellers CAN'T leave negative feedback for buyers, but buyers CAN ding-up sellers with negative feedback. Kooky asymetrical set-up to me when they first did it.

I know why Ebay did it (must have been 6-7 years ago now)...sellers logically want MONEY before they ship of course, in return they gotta be accurate in description/depiction of what they have for sale, and their "customer service" level is critical.

Ebay will remove negative feedback a seller really didn't deserve but only in the most limited, clear-cut cases.

For example, I sold a guy something, he used it for 3 weeks, then wrote Paypal to say he didn't even receive it, Paypal reversed his payment I had long ago transfered to my bank account as SOON as the buyer complained, sending my Paypal account negative, THEN the buyer left me negative feedback on top of ALL that.

It ALL got turned around BUT after an ordeal (proof of shipping, digitally dated photos of what I was selling, etc.) that lasted two weeks..but geez. Always horror stories like the one I just told, but on the other hand MOST deals turn out fine for all involved.

Again, folks are givin' ya good advice here. Good luck if you decide to "jump in da' 'Bay" ;)

 

[livininharrow]

i have never sold anything on ebay mostly because i like keeping ****. i have bought a shitload of stuff including cars and have had nothing but good experiences. maybe i am just lucky or careful with whom i deal with. but there is always the risk factor.

 

[bluefury361]

I have learned several ways to manulipulate ebay, mainly from being screwed as a seller by them. To date I have gotten more from them then they have from me. Best method I use is to put as much contact info in a site as possible and end the auction 12 hours early. Serious buyers will make a contact and ebay is left swinging in the breeze.

 

[crv]

Usually it only takes 24-48 hours, I've bought parts from a USA supplier once, the problem there was that even though the funds cleared, he didn't 'get around to it' for weeks, received the parts 2 months later! By the way, this fellow is a 'respected' supplier of Imperial parts specifically.

 

[Wildaugust]

Thanks everyone for all of the information and the tips.