So long, eBay.... Hello again, eBay...

[Real Frantic One]

Well, as much as I hate to have to say this, it looks like I am going to have to resume selling on eBay. Although some other options have proven to be even more successful than I expected, it looks like I have no choice.

 

About a week and a half ago, I had a severe tooth fracture. After living with it for over a week, I had to get it extracted and have sinus surgery, which set me back about $640. Add the pre-op down time and recovery time to the cost, and I have one hell of a setback.

 

I have a lot of inventory that I need to move, and it is only going to sell by using eBay. As much as we all hate it, the fact that they have a large customer base allows them to dictate whatever inept policies they thrust on sellers and we just have to take it. They own the raw online comic market and seem to enjoy the opportunity to force sellers to continually jump through bizarre obstacles to sell there.

 

Therefore, I am going to make one adjustment to bypass their global shipping extortion program. No more international sales. Sorry Canadian customers...

 

Just out of curiosity, why not use the GSP? Yes of course its rough on the international buyers, but why not give them the option if they want to use it and pay the fees if they want your items? I don't think its any more hassle or cost to you as the seller.

 

Or is it the principle of it?

 

For me, the underlying problem with the GSP is that it's part of eBay's attempt to morph into Amazon, which isn't conducive to selling collectibles.

 

My understanding is that when I ship a package through GSP it goes to a mail center where it's opened to verify the contents. The problem I have is that the mail clerk probably isn't going to use the same care and diligence that I would in packing a collectible. To the mail clerk, it's just another eBay widget.

 

So if the item gets damaged in transit due to poor packaging, who's going to take the negative feedback hit for that? Not eBay, GSP or PB.

 

And that negative affects my ability to sell, so using the program does potentially cost me something in the long-term.

 

Once ebay has received your item at the Kentucky shipping center location, you as the seller are completely off the hook no matter what happens:

 

Any negative or neutral feedback that can be attributed to the Global Shipping Program from item handling during international transit will be removed. See details.

You aren't responsible for item loss or damage that occurs after the item is forwarded by the US shipping center. Once an item has been forwarded by the US shipping center, you won't be responsible for refunding the buyer if an eBay Money Back Guarantee or PayPal Purchase Protection case is filed against you for one of the following reasons:

A buyer claims an item isn't received or

A package is damaged in transit

 

Even if you can't be blamed through feedback, the buyer can still think you are responsible and won't buy from you again. Or they won't want to take the risk with the GSP even if they know you weren't responsible.

 

I had a long-time Canadian customer that wanted to cancel all his bids once he saw that I had "joined" the GSP due to his previous experiences with it. He thought that I chose to do this, but I had no idea until half of my auctions ending that day were over.

 

In terms of real time, have you checked your ebay settings here:

My eBay > Account > Site Preferences

 

Scroll down a little to "Shipping Preferences"

Here you can edit and opt out 100% of GSP. The tricky part is I suspect someone like you has a ton of listings and probably just relists. Whatever option is chosen in said listings might just automatically populate.

 

The one way for 100% certainty to opt out is actually revise or go into the listing itself and you can change it in the shipping section of the listings so that you control which countries it goes to and which shipping services.

 

What you should do is this. Go to the Site preferences section above and edit the GSP line. Than log out and log back in. And list a few auctions and see what happened.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll take a look and see if this works!

[Bills Comics]

Hey RFO, How did the Facebook groups work for you? Or did they not ?

[cstojano]

So I was using GSP also without knowing really. I figured it out quickly. So far no problems and I honestly don't understand how they move things so quickly. I did notice a hiccup. Most items I post to US only and as such don't bother with accurate weight and box size. This is mostly because I use Buy it Now all the time and wait to box an item and estimate shipping AFTER I get an offer. Well I sell something, get a quote of nearly 100 dollars to ship to Finland but it ends up going through GSP for less than half of that. This made me curious and I realized this was because the shipping info wasn't accurate. What does eBay do then? So far I have not been stung with an excessive overage charge to my account.

[Real Frantic One]

Hey RFO, How did the Facebook groups work for you? Or did they not ?

 

Thanks for all the info about that. It has been a big help and generated a substantial number of sales. Will definitely continue to sell there. Unfortunately, due to my recent circumstance, I can't leave eBay off the table.

 

The good thing, though, is that eBay is now going to take up a smaller section of that table.

[Ricksneatstuff]

Everything I list is via BIN, IMO the buyers who present problems are bidders who bid carelessly and don't have the scratch to pay for their winnings, after the auctions end.BIN buyers pay what the BIN price is, so they have actually considered wether they really want the book or not.

You can still run into the problem of buyer's remorse, which is not discouraged at all by current eBay policies. If a buyer finds another copy for less before, or even after, they receive the item, they can just return it because the eBay default assumption is that all sellers are scum.

 

The "my son got into my account and bought this" excuse has been used to death. I expect the following to be added to all buyers' excuse rolodex for cancelling purchases now:

 

"My cat walked across the keyboard and accidentally bought your item."

"I was possessed by the devil last night, and he made me buy 20 of your books."

"The ghost of Elvis hacked into my account and bought this."

"I misread your listing and thought I was buying crack instead."

 

It would be interesting to try putting these excuses to the test to see what eBay would actually do. I'm nearly 100% positive that they would find any of them valid since they want to appease buyers at any cost.

 

[Bills Comics]

Hey RFO, How did the Facebook groups work for you? Or did they not ?

 

Thanks for all the info about that. It has been a big help and generated a substantial number of sales. Will definitely continue to sell there. Unfortunately, due to my recent circumstance, I can't leave eBay off the table.

 

The good thing, though, is that eBay is now going to take up a smaller section of that table.

 

You are very welcome . Im glad it was able to help you .

As a seller I know we need as many outlets as we can get .

[vaillant]

Hey RFO, How did the Facebook groups work for you? Or did they not ?

 

Thanks for all the info about that. It has been a big help and generated a substantial number of sales. Will definitely continue to sell there. Unfortunately, due to my recent circumstance, I can't leave eBay off the table.

 

The good thing, though, is that eBay is now going to take up a smaller section of that table.

 

You are very welcome . Im glad it was able to help you .

As a seller I know we need as many outlets as we can get .

Just out of curiosity, where are the Facebook groups, and how do they work (I mean, without any feedback)?

[vaillant]

"Inflated" is an understatement. Also, the repackaging thing is one of the worst ideas they ever had. And they don’t even earn from it, as it’s done by third parties.

I understand your choice of opting out the GSP, but if it is possible, I would just allow foreign users to contact you via the messages. This way, at least, you could allow some people to bid upon request or give them an opportunity to buy.

 

On ebay I stick to US only for an assortment of reasons- but you make a good point.

 

A decade ago I used to sell Int'l and I liked shipping the occasional boxes to Italy, France and the UK (and a large box to Greece once).

 

Last month or so on a board sale I shipped a pair of nice ASM to a boardie in the UK - postage was "only" $28 (fortunately I'd accumulated a stack of those 'Gemini mailers' from buying on the board and the buyer was willing to forego the protection of a box and risk just the mailer and secure tape).

 

If hypothetically you asked to bid and I agreed, does ebay block you from bidding automatically since I'm set up as US only? Must I specifically allow non-US bidders (or a single non-US bidder)?

 

[i'd love to ship to Canadians but last month it cost nearly $40 just to ship a handful of Epic Ill. magazines so forget that, just seems too costly to justify modifying my K.I.S.S. policies simply to end up looking like a gouger.]

 

In many cases, even mere shipping kills everything right now. But eBay’s policy is really destructive for collectors buying US items from abroad. Well, not even the US: the GSP sucks badly even if you buy within Europe.

 

And yes, I believe you can either block a country or not, I don’t think it allows exceptions but one could ask. For sure I know that you can exclude PMs as well, and that is bad. I would leave at least the PM option open. Once I had to do a complicate workaround to contact a seller. And I bought the comic from his physical store thanks to a friend of mine working in USA, which lived nearby.

[grebal]

Thank you, Val.

 

Sometimes change sucks. It used to be so much easier back when . . .

 

[Edit: that should have said "Vail."]

[vaillant]

Thank you, Val.

 

Sometimes change sucks. It used to be so much easier back when . . .

I miss the time when eBay was eBay.com alone. And when Paypal was just paypal.com (no local subsidiaries).

A "global" solution maybe would have fared better?

[Real Frantic One]

Hey RFO, How did the Facebook groups work for you? Or did they not ?

 

Thanks for all the info about that. It has been a big help and generated a substantial number of sales. Will definitely continue to sell there. Unfortunately, due to my recent circumstance, I can't leave eBay off the table.

 

The good thing, though, is that eBay is now going to take up a smaller section of that table.

 

You are very welcome . Im glad it was able to help you .

As a seller I know we need as many outlets as we can get .

Just out of curiosity, where are the Facebook groups, and how do they work (I mean, without any feedback)?

 

You just search them out and join those that look like the best options for what you're selling. The problem that I've run into with it in some cases is trying to collect payment. I invoice through Paypal, which has worked fine in most cases, but I've had a few who I can't get to send payment.

[Bills Comics]

Hey RFO, How did the Facebook groups work for you? Or did they not ?

 

Thanks for all the info about that. It has been a big help and generated a substantial number of sales. Will definitely continue to sell there. Unfortunately, due to my recent circumstance, I can't leave eBay off the table.

 

The good thing, though, is that eBay is now going to take up a smaller section of that table.

 

You are very welcome . Im glad it was able to help you .

As a seller I know we need as many outlets as we can get .

Just out of curiosity, where are the Facebook groups, and how do they work (I mean, without any feedback)?

 

Facebook groups are not perfect. They are policed though . Those of us who run groups are also in a few secret groups .

In those groups we bring attention to those who have scammed others. Some evidence must be provided . Usually in the form of taking pics of PM conversations . Questions are asked and things get clarified . Sometimes things get resolved . When a scammer is found it is up to group admins to decide to kick them or not .

You can also ask about references for a potential buyer or seller in advance of a deal . Paypal is used so a buyer has protection . Its up to both parties to do their due diligence .

This is a group I admin .

https://www.facebook.com/groups/293850394117162/

My group isnt the biggest or best , but its active .

The way it works is you post what you have for sale. Show pictures and prices , provide as much info as you like .

Most comic groups are casual and most times people do not list a grade. But if that is important you can certainly ask . To some its not so important. I know that may seem silly to a lot of people here . Most of the people i find buying just want the book and can usually tell by the pics if its decent .

If you are looking for a book you can just type ISO and what you seek.

Once someone is interested in your post they will usually message you to ask questions, Hammer out details, negotiate etc .

Please feel free to message me and i can answer most questions you have . Message me here or on Facebook

[vaillant]

Thanks Bill and RFO.

I see, not so easy to navigate it seems, unless you are continuously checking.

But of course, that is the only structure allowed by Facebook.

[Bills Comics]

Thanks Bill and RFO.

I see, not so easy to navigate it seems, unless you are continuously checking.

But of course, that is the only structure allowed by Facebook.

 

You are very welcome .

 

I dont know about the FB groups being uneasy to navigate . Just like here , people should watch and learn a bit before jumping in .

Just like anything the more time you can invest , the better the results .

After you make a post , when someone comments on your post. FB lets you know .

Plus nowadays people have the FB app on their phone . So you wont have to check randomly. Your phone can let you know.

I also forgot to mention each group sets their own rules . As far as how many sales posts you can have. Which items are allowed , etc . . You can glean this info on the right side under description . Or at the top of the group page . There is usually a pinned post stating the rules of the group .

[Real Frantic One]

Just a few words about my experiences with Facebook after trying it out.

 

The Good:

I had one large sale of $500+ to a buyer that went great!

 

The Bad:

Some buyers take so long in sending payment that you start to get seriously concerned that you will need to have a descendant (probably named something like Zortron-3000) complete the transaction.

 

The Ugly:

Two buyers backed out of transactions (with "cat walked across my keyboard and I accidentally bought this" excuses) totaling $160 in the last two days.

 

Bill is definitely right - get familiar with it before fully relying on it to work out.

[vaillant]

The Bad and the Ugly makes me think it’s not for me…

 

Just a few words about my experiences with Facebook after trying it out.

 

The Good:

I had one large sale of $500+ to a buyer that went great!

 

The Bad:

Some buyers take so long in sending payment that you start to get seriously concerned that you will need to have a descendant (probably named something like Zortron-3000) complete the transaction.

 

The Ugly:

Two buyers backed out of transactions (with "cat walked across my keyboard and I accidentally bought this" excuses) totaling $160 in the last two days.

 

Bill is definitely right - get familiar with it before fully relying on it to work out.

[Bills Comics]

Just a few words about my experiences with Facebook after trying it out.

 

The Good:

I had one large sale of $500+ to a buyer that went great!

 

The Bad:

Some buyers take so long in sending payment that you start to get seriously concerned that you will need to have a descendant (probably named something like Zortron-3000) complete the transaction.

 

The Ugly:

Two buyers backed out of transactions (with "cat walked across my keyboard and I accidentally bought this" excuses) totaling $160 in the last two days.

 

Bill is definitely right - get familiar with it before fully relying on it to work out.

 

Now you have a better sense of if that kind of thing will happen though . You can tell by the persons attitude if its going to happen, which will save you time and effort .

Just come at each possible sale with a casual approach. Try to use the " here is the deal ". " Here is the total price" Then, "Let me Know " .

Kind of like fishing, you dont want to scare the fishy away . If that fishy dont bite there will always be another .