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Amazon selling. Selling limits and potential scams.

2

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  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,440 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    As I said before I’m probably not the best person to ask about Amazon selling , but personally i don’t think it is the place for selling 2nd hand household or electronic items . The fees were always higher that eBay for small on/off sellers and  that’s before you ignore the fact that eBay are currently very generous in giving out cheap FVF days. On Amazon as well you are signed into their return policies, so will be accepting change of mind returns without any option. Your items will be mixed in with all the big business sellers , any extras you offer may well never be seen by a buyer as you can’t add your own photos. 

    For items like that I think eBay is best. 
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,440 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Just to add, if you are worried about scams and fraudulent returns just take the phone and anything else they will accept to CEX. That way they inspect they pay you and you walk away with no chance of anyone trying anything funny.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • soolin said:
    Just to add, if you are worried about scams and fraudulent returns just take the phone and anything else they will accept to CEX. That way they inspect they pay you and you walk away with no chance of anyone trying anything funny.

    Not an option given the prices they pay. I'm going to give Amazon a try. I believe the fees are around 7.5% + £1 for each sale for things like mobile phones / routers, tablets etc. That is not too bad assuming these sections are not "gated" in some way.
  • RFW
    RFW Posts: 10,273 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    If it's a high value item, I'd consider sending it to FBA (fulfilled by Amazon).
    That way Amazon cover the shipping and customer service and you could cover the extra fees in the sale. An item shipped by Amazon usually sells quicker than one that isn't. The chances are that the fulfilment fees would end up about the same as using any kind of signed for delivery yourself. If the buyer claims non delivery, it's Amazon who sort that out.
    That's assuming you can use FBA, as far as I know you should be able to.
    .
  • onesixfive
    onesixfive Posts: 495 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 19 August 2022 am31 9:31AM
    Why dont you try Facebook Marketplace? There are no fees involved there.
    Plus you call the shots, it could be a cash transaction.
    If you didn't want house callers you could meet elsewhere.
    (I used eBay & I reckoned about 20-25% went in eBay & PayPal fees, not including postage bags etc - I know they paid their own postage, but that was a big chunk out of profit).
    Alternatively try local selling groups (no postage costs with no potential scam losses).
    Finally you could just sell phones using https://www.compareandrecycle.co.uk/ but read the (bad) reviews beforehand
  • onesixfive
    onesixfive Posts: 495 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 19 August 2022 am31 9:30AM
    soolin said:
    Just to add, if you are worried about scams and fraudulent returns just take the phone and anything else they will accept to CEX. That way they inspect they pay you and you walk away with no chance of anyone trying anything funny.

    Not an option given the prices they pay. I'm going to give Amazon a try. I believe the fees are around 7.5% + £1 for each sale for things like mobile phones / routers, tablets etc. That is not too bad assuming these sections are not "gated" in some way.
    CEX will likely pay you more than  https://www.compareandrecycle.co.uk/ 
    It's immediate, it's cash, and no hassle ?
  • CEX will likely pay you more than  https://www.compareandrecycle.co.uk/ 
    It's immediate, it's cash, and no hassle ?

    Thanks, but on ebay I was one of the more mean sellers. I generally tried to get the highest price possible with "buy it now" but then the items I sold were generally in very good condition.

    I deactivated my Facebook account a few months back, but I prefer to sell anonymously. I've already sold one item each through Shpock and Vinted but am going to try Amazon in the next couple of weeks.
  • I thought I would give an update on Amazon as I have finally registered and listed items. It seems that Amazon have agreed with some manufacturers to block listings of used items unless the seller can show they are an authorised dealer, or have a letter of permission from the manufacturer. For anyone selling a single used item this means they cannot list without getting permission. Amazon doesn't seem to be a user friendly experience for those selling second hand goods.

    In my view this means that for online sales of used items ebay have a monopoly depending on the category. I am able to list some brands on Amazon without restrictions, but not others so I am still hoping I will sell something. Overall it's not a great situation as I don't sell face to face and can't think of any serious contender to ebay apart from Facebook. As I mentioned in the other thread I have tried Shpock and Vinted, but I don't think these are anywhere near as good as ebay.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,822 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I preferred Yahoo auctions and it still exists in some countries.  But they closed their doors in the UK and pushed everyone
    towards Ebay.

    Seemed like everyone and their dog went out and bought ready to run auction software to try and compete.  Problem most of the
    people had no clue what they were buying and how to keep the users and themselves safe.  Who does not take precautions to
    stop users registering with the site owners own details?

    You know its not worth fighting Ebay when 2 old farmers in their 70's tell you to check ebay for series 1 LandRover stuff, surprised
    they could get a decent dial up internet connection to use Ebay, Farm was in the middle of nowhere.

    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • RFW
    RFW Posts: 10,273 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker


    In my view this means that for online sales of used items ebay have a monopoly depending on the category. I am able to list some brands on Amazon without restrictions, but not others so I am still hoping I will sell something. Overall it's not a great situation as I don't sell face to face and can't think of any serious contender to ebay apart from Facebook. As I mentioned in the other thread I have tried Shpock and Vinted, but I don't think these are anywhere near as good as ebay.
    As you point out there are other options, they're just not as good, so it's not Ebay's fault that they have the run of certain categories. No one has to use Ebay. I used to make a decent living on Ebay but rarely use it these days, as there are better options for me. They really aren't a monopoly in any sense.


    .
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