Uncomfortable with ebay question

Crowqueen

fuzzgun19 wrote: »

I'm not too worried it's a scam, just that I'm uncomfortable with someone coming to my home, or meeting me somewhere.

That's fine, but the buyer might equally be uncomfortable with spending £200-300 on a camera without being sure that it worked. I know I have buyer protection on a postal sale paid for via Paypal, but on something like this I'd rather see it working before I buy rather than after and have to go to the hassle and expense of returning it. I'd buy from somewhere local, but to make a successful sale I'd still reconsider.

I'd bypass eBay tbh and go to the shops - but for precisely this reason, because I'd rather not get something used that was going to give out on me.

You might find that it pays more dividends to agree to the request; otherwise you might not sell it for quite as much as it is worth since this would also preclude using a small ad or a shop window ad to sell it locally since that would be a face-to-face transaction.

Your choice, though. You're missing out IMO on someone who's very keen.

hermum

Can't you get someone to be at your house with you? It could be that when the buyer realises where you are that they won't be interested.
You could end up getting a lot more for it by allowing someone to take a look at it first.

MissGivings_2

I personally would rather lose a sale than allow anyone to come to my home even with a friend there, for them to see how isolated it is - and especially after our burglary.

OP, go with what you're comfortable with and Best Wishes

ThinkingOfLinking

One thing I'd never do, (call me paranoid), is I'd never tell anyone on the internet if I lived alone. For obvious reasons.

Crowqueen

MissGivings wrote: »

I personally would rather lose a sale than allow anyone to come to my home even with a friend there, for them to see how isolated it is - and especially after our burglary.

OP, go with what you're comfortable with and Best Wishes

Yeah, but on the other hand, you're the one listing the item, you presumably want a buyer for it, if not allowing this person to bid means you are stuck with a lower price...then there's no point in listing it in the first place.

No risk, no reward. On this sort of sale, as I said and will keep on saying, the buyer needs to know they are going to get their money's worth. It's not always all about the seller - there are two halves to every transaction.

If the seller won't let me view an item costing me a couple of hundred quid, I'll just go elsewhere - so will most other people, as likely or not - and then the OP may be as safe as houses (so to speak) but can't get what they want for the camera.

It's called an opportunity cost.

There are times when caution is good - but also, realistically, all the OP's potential buyers might want to view and inspect - and then OP is faced with the issue as to whether or not they can actually sell the item for the amount they want while keeping buyers at arms' length.

They are paying the listing fees - they should be able to assess whether the risk is actually worth it.

MissGivings_2

Crowqueen wrote: »

Yeah, but on the other hand, you're the one listing the item, you presumably want a buyer for it, if not allowing this person to bid means you are stuck with a lower price...then there's no point in listing it in the first place.

No risk, no reward. On this sort of sale, as I said and will keep on saying, the buyer needs to know they are going to get their money's worth. It's not always all about the seller - there are two halves to every transaction.

If the seller won't let me view an item costing me a couple of hundred quid, I'll just go elsewhere - so will most other people, as likely or not - and then the OP may be as safe as houses (so to speak) but can't get what they want for the camera.

It's called an opportunity cost.

There are times when caution is good - but also, realistically, all the OP's potential buyers might want to view and inspect - and then OP is faced with the issue as to whether or not they can actually sell the item for the amount they want while keeping buyers at arms' length.

They are paying the listing fees - they should be able to assess whether the risk is actually worth it.

I agree if we all gave in to every little worry or potential risk, none of us would sell anything at all!

It's amazing the amount of stuff I've managed to sell on eBay without it being examined first in my home.:)

Put it down to my exceptional communication skills?:D

kazwookie

Why not meet them with a couple of friends / relations in a local cafe / coffee shop?

If they do buy direct from you, accept cash ONLY, no paypal as you won't have proof of postage.

Hammyman

MissGivings wrote: »

I personally would rather lose a sale than allow anyone to come to my home even with a friend there, for them to see how isolated it is - and especially after our burglary.

Because everyone in the country is a burglar or a sex offender, right?

Crowqueen

kazwookie wrote: »

Why not meet them with a couple of friends / relations in a local cafe / coffee shop?

If they do buy direct from you, accept cash ONLY, no paypal as you won't have proof of postage.

This might work for the camera, but if the item needs to be plugged in and shown working, it might not be a feasible idea for others.

It's probably easier to conduct business like this where that can happen, otherwise you will end up with an annoyed buyer with no recourse to buyer protection except theoretically through the courts.

Use common sense, don't be at home alone, keep valuables etc out of sight or reach - but remember this sort of sale is as much a risk for the buyer - in different ways - as it is for the seller and think of the money you wouldn't have got otherwise.

fuzzgun19

Ok, I replied this morning to the email explaining and offering more photos or questions. I do have a photo on the listing of the camera turned on to show it working.
I haven't told them I live alone though, so I'll see what happens.