OT: Ebay Seller Strike

[Archive]

Posted By: Joann

To me the answer is to place the cost of the buyers' protection measures on the buyers, and let them know that you are doing so.

I haven't sold a whole lot lately, but sometime in the last year I started requiring both insurance and signature delivery for any item that I expected to sell for over $30 or so for which the buyer used PayPal. I even said that I required insurance specifically because PayPal's generous buyer protection policies made me fully responsible for all shipping up until signed receipt could be proven.

A few paid by PayPal w/o insurance because it didn't show up in the standard cost. If I sell in the future I will build it into the cost, explain why it is there, and that if anyone wants to pay via check or MO I will deduct it.

PayPal can't complain because this is not an extra fee for using PayPal in the sense that I am trying to get the buyer to pick up the PayPal fees. That's illegal. I identify it as the cost of buyer protection, and price it at insurance cost so it can't be debated as to what it's for.

No complaints so far, and as a buyer I wouldn't necessarily complain either. The policies are clearly protective of the buyer, and the allocation of the cost of the protection can be part of the bargain.

I will probably add signature confirmation on all >$30 items now, even non-PayPal, and explain that because I can't leave a buyer neg this is to cover my risk of a shady buyer.

No problem. Charge for it and make it clear what it is for. The cost of risk has to be in the system somewhere - I can't see how sellers can just keep absorbing it. Let the buyers start complaining about the extra costs - at some point maybe they will get tired of paying more for everything just because ebay and PP won't face up to the fact that a few bad-apple buyers are a genuine problem for sellers.

And for what it's worth, I buy more than I sell on ebay, by far.

J