First time selling on ebay...home collection?

FudgeCake

If I want someone to come and pick up the item...can I say cash on collection only?
If so...does that mean they can still bid for it, or does that go through PayPal? I'm so confused.

forgotmyname

Depends if anyone reports you andebay decide to cancel the auction.

I would word it cash on collection preferred, If someone paid with paypal i would refund them instantly.

Or items paid with paypal must be posted, Man with van charges £60 + £2 per mile.

If its a large item of furniture be prepared for people to bid and not collect, I bought a table off ebay
the seller had several large items and was still waiting for people to collect them.
Large wooden sideboard and dresser sold for less than £5 one item for 99p.

GabbaGabbaHey

You have to offer PayPal as a payment option - there is no way around this.

You can request cash on collection, but the buyer doe not have to agree.

If somebody buys and pays by PayPal, you can refuse to sell it to them (and risk getting Negative feedback and a Non Performing Seller strike) or you can sell it (and risk having them claim Item Not Received).

PayPal is not recommended for Collection only items, but you have to offer it on eBay.

FudgeCake

Oh, I didn't know I had to offer PayPal...thank you.
I've only ever bought on there and used PayPal to buy.
I'm just confused about them picking it up.

I don't mind them using PayPal and then coming to collect it...I just wasn't sure how it all worked.

It isn't a large item...is a Tiffany necklace which is quite expensive. It's just that I can't get out to post.
So, I can offer PayPal but still have PICK UP ONLY in the description? Here's what I have written...is this ok?

PICK UP ONLY and cash on collection preferred. Please could you pick up as soon as possible after transaction (up to 3 days). Thank you.
I just want an easy transaction, so if there are any problems please let me know and I'll do my best to help you.
Just to add again...please be aware it is PICK UP only. It will not be posted to you....you have to come and collect it.

Crowqueen

Gabba is right.

There are circumstances - from a buyer's point of view - where payment with Paypal would be preferable, for example the item is worth a lot and the buyer doesn't want to carry a load of cash around.

You are between the devil and the deep blue sea, but you need to be diplomatic about it. If someone pays by Paypal and you refund, you can't for instance open an NPB to get rid of a neg for non-performance. There are items which are riskier than others (baby items are apparently one area that are regularly scammed like this).

I would advise a buyer in this situation that it would be worth their while, if the item is inexpensive, to take cash, then they can walk away if the item is not as described without having to go through a complicated Paypal dispute. However, I've been in situations where I've had to carry a lot of money around, and I always hate it, and usually go and bank the cash ASAP, so for me that concern might lead me to pay for something through Paypal even if I was going to collect it, with no intention of filing a false INR.

It's up to you really, but if you do anything, do it tactfully (e.g. on a cheap item: "Would you rather come and inspect the item and pay then rather than buy it sight unseen?"), do it with the understanding of the situation from the buyer's POV, and don't be so inflexible you lose the sale and gain a nice red neg.

Also, if you have any more such items, use a site like Gumtree that is more suitable for collection only items.

EDIT: ow, we cross-posted.

I assume that's gone for a very nice price.

For that item, it would be worth you investigating a courier and paying someone to post it for you (or a courier would of course pick it up from your house), then accepting Paypal would be much more reasonable a proposition. The price you've probably got for it would be worth funding it from your own pocket, tbh.

FudgeCake

Thanks Crowqueen.
I haven't even listed it yet, as I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. I have 100% feedback from buying so don't want to mess up.

I've never used a courier..haven't a clue what to do, or what postage to charge (if I do decide to send it).
Do I have to get it signed for? I'm just worried about sending something expensive through the post. I wouldn't even know how to go about getting a courier.
Can the buyer pay by PayPal and also come and collect?

I know...so many questions. I have read the ebay instructions but am none the wiser. I blame my medication for my fuzzy head.

soolin

Personally I would not allow a pick up on a piece of jewllery as that is a highly scammed area. I would find a courier or someone to send it via the post office (special delivery) instead.

FudgeCake

soolin wrote: »

Personally I would not allow a pick up on a piece of jewllery as that is a highly scammed area. I would find a courier or someone to send it via the post office (special delivery) instead.

Oh right...I don't think of these things. I never know how someone could scam me.

Crowqueen

FudgeCake wrote: »

Thanks Crowqueen.
I haven't even listed it yet, as I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. I have 100% feedback from buying so don't want to mess up.

I've never used a courier..haven't a clue what to do, or what postage to charge (if I do decide to send it).
Do I have to get it signed for? I'm just worried about sending something expensive through the post. I wouldn't even know how to go about getting a courier.
Can the buyer pay by PayPal and also come and collect?

I know...so many questions. I have read the ebay instructions but am none the wiser. I blame my medication for my fuzzy head.

As Soo says, it's much safer if you charge postage costs for a courier.

You might also want to look at alternative venues for this as eBay is not necessarily the best place to sell expensive jewellery. Partly because of the issue of Paypal, collection items, potential fraud or getting "lost in the post", and partly because it has a reputation for fakes and you might get problems if people don't think it is genuine (speaking from the other side of the fence). Out of this kind of context, it can be difficult for buyers to tell the difference. A better place to look at selling it might be an offline auction house or to a jeweller. If you haven't listed it yet, then hang on and find alternative venues: for the kind of money it's likely to fetch you really don't want to do yourself down by listing it on eBay along with all the possible fakes and tacky costume stuff.

If you intend to sell it online rather than at an offline auction house though, have a google and find a courier that is knowledgeable about jewellery or specialises in it or something like that. If it is expensive enough then postage costs are going to be dwarfed by the price the buyer will pay.

FudgeCake

Crowqueen wrote: »

As Soo says, it's much safer if you charge postage costs for a courier.

You might also want to look at alternative venues for this as eBay is not necessarily the best place to sell expensive jewellery. Partly because of the issue of Paypal, and partly because it has a reputation for fakes and you might get problems if people don't think it is genuine. Out of this kind of context, it can be difficult for buyers to tell the difference. A better place to look at selling it might be an offline auction house or to a jeweller. If you haven't listed it yet, then hang on and find alternative venues: for the kind of money it's likely to fetch you really don't want to do yourself down by listing it on eBay along with all the possible fakes and tacky costume stuff.

If you intend to sell it online rather than at an offline auction house though, have a google and find a courier that is knowledgeable about jewellery or specialises in it or something like that. If it is expensive enough then postage costs are going to be dwarfed by the price the buyer will pay.

I listed it about an hour ago. I did put a pic up and they can see it has Tiffany hallmarked into it...plus the box.

I will have a look at a courier though. I always though cash on collection was safest. I know nothing about selling...I usually just give everything to the charity shop but this seemed a waste.
Thanks for all your help. x

Edited to add...I just ended the listing, until I know what I'm doing. The necklace isn't a hugely expensive item...cost £200 but is brand new and unopened. I was going for the £100 mark (ish). I'll look up about couriers and try and work it out.
Is Royal Mail recorded delivery best?

Crowqueen

plus the box.

We've had someone here recently saying that they are trying to sell jewellery/designer label gift boxes on eBay and they were highly sought after - before being removed because the people buying them could be doing so in order to try and prove a fake is the genuine item. I'm not saying yours is faked, I'm more saying that some people on eBay are very cynical and suspicious because they've had run-ins with fakes, and the designer label companies themselves don't like stuff being sold on eBay because it has a reputation for fakes. I personally won't buy any kind of designer item because I took the bait on a Kookai watch a few years ago, and it was a cheap fake which fell apart in my hands when I was just taking it off normally. I only lost £10 (yeah, I know, too good to be true ), but it was a case of...never again. I can understand you've gone to great lengths to make your buyers sure that it's the original item, but it's just too easy to fake something that if I wanted genuine, I'd go through a genuine reseller rather than to eBay.

How much is the starting price? If you don't have any bids on it, you can revise it or cancel it.

Cash on collection is safe -- for you at least -- but as I said, I would be loathe to carry hundreds of pounds on me, and would insist on Paypal ...which isn't safe for you. You have to accept Paypal anyway, so that part of it is still a risk for you that I just wouldn't be prepared to take on this kind of item.

Since we aren't on an eBay-owned website, I would still say --- I think you are taking a big risk here and I would still look at alternative venues. Sorry to finger-wag but if it really is quite valuable I really don't think eBay is a good idea.