Lessons Learned From Selling on eBay

misterwheelermisterwheeler 8 Posts
edited March 2011 in Strut Central
Any advice for someone about to start selling records on eBay that you wish someone would have told you?

  Comments


  • finelikewinefinelikewine "ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD A VINYL." http://www.discogs.com/user/permabulker 1,416 Posts
    don`t do it. List it on discogs. Cheaper, faster snd hassle free.

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    [Regardless of how you do it.......pay your taxes.

  • BreezBreez 1,706 Posts
    DO NOT OVER GRADE!!! If anything, UNDER GRADE.

    -Ship fast. (even though alot of buyers take all the time in the world to pay, they will expect you to ship 5 minutes after they pay.)

    -THE SELLER ALWAYS GETS SCREWED if a problem comes up. This'll happen 99.99999% of the time unless you seriously know what you're talking about and call ebay direct to straighten out any problemes. Ebay can say what they want but things are usually always in the buyer's favor.

    -Unless a record sells for major loot, the buyer usually wants the cheapest shipping possible. These buyers will bitch like little girls over $1. But when the package takes the expected amount of time (which is usually long) they will message you constantly, "where's my item", "give me a tracking number" even though they paid the bare minimum for shipping.

    -If you're using paypal be prepare for hassles. Remember paypal is not a regulated bank so they can pretty much do what ever they want with your money w/o reason. I haven't had too many problems over the yrs but when I do have a problem it is usually a HUGE hassle. They have the right to hold your funds, including the shipping cost, until the package is a confirmed delivery. If this ever happens you will have to come out of pocket for shipping and that schitt can get out of hand pretty fast.

    -Also, a lot of times, depending on where you are and where the buyer is, some packages can sit at customs offices for weeks w/o getting delivered and the buyer will swear up & down that you did not ship it.

    Point blank, just be as honest as possible and you need major patience because as I stated above some buyers take forever to pay.

  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    finelikewine said:
    don`t do it. List it on discogs. Cheaper, faster snd hassle free.

    I do both and they really aren't comparable.

    Discogs is better for some things and ebay others. No way you're going to sell a $1000 dollar record on Discogs, and people on Discogs can be tools also.

  • HollafameHollafame 844 Posts
    Breez said:

    -THE SELLER ALWAYS GETS SCREWED

    This is pretty crazy to me, considering that sellers are the ones actually paying to use the site!

  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,782 Posts
    Have a friendly demeanor.

    I avoid sellers with 8 paragraphs of diatribe of why buyers suck and DON"T BID IF YOU.....

    Keep it simple and honest....

  • BreezBreez 1,706 Posts
    RAJ said:


    Keep it simple and honest....

  • The main things i'm looking to sell first are hip hop white labels that should go in the $20-$40 range. There seems to be some opinionated views between eBay and Discogs. Will it really make a difference for me with these types of auctions? I've never used Discogs and already have an established eBay account. I would prefer to stick with eBay even if there is a little larger upside for hassles.

  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    misterwheeler said:
    The main things i'm looking to sell first are hip hop white labels that should go in the $20-$40 range. There seems to be some opinionated views between eBay and Discogs. Will it really make a difference for me with these types of auctions? I've never used Discogs and already have an established eBay account. I would prefer to stick with eBay even if there is a little larger upside for hassles.

    This sort of thing is what I use Discogs for.

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    transfer all paypal moneys to your bank or if you have a paypal debit card, pull the money out ASAP...yes, you will have a negative pp balance if someone does a chargeback, but at least the cash is in your hand at the moment until the issue is resolved.

  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    The_Hook_Up said:
    transfer all paypal moneys to your bank or if you have a paypal debit card, pull the money out ASAP...yes, you will have a negative pp balance if someone does a chargeback, but at least the cash is in your hand at the moment until the issue is resolved.

    Paypal can take money out of your bank account, so you would have to empty your bank account as well.

  • I have had some negative experiences with Paypal which have lost me approx. $90, so I understand your pain.

    What is the best practices when it comes to covering your ass for shipping costs?

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Horseleech said:
    The_Hook_Up said:
    transfer all paypal moneys to your bank or if you have a paypal debit card, pull the money out ASAP...yes, you will have a negative pp balance if someone does a chargeback, but at least the cash is in your hand at the moment until the issue is resolved.

    Paypal can take money out of your bank account, so you would have to empty your bank account as well.

    My paypal is tied to my savings account, I move the money to the linked checking account to keep the amount they can take low.

    Do you think they can take money out of my checking account?

  • leonleon 883 Posts
    Horseleech said:
    The_Hook_Up said:
    transfer all paypal moneys to your bank or if you have a paypal debit card, pull the money out ASAP...yes, you will have a negative pp balance if someone does a chargeback, but at least the cash is in your hand at the moment until the issue is resolved.

    Paypal can take money out of your bank account, so you would have to empty your bank account as well.


  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,952 Posts
    Weren't you banned from here for reasons we all know?

  • J i m s t e r said:
    Weren't you banned from here for reasons we all know?



    You must have me confused for someone else.

  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    Horseleech said:
    The_Hook_Up said:
    transfer all paypal moneys to your bank or if you have a paypal debit card, pull the money out ASAP...yes, you will have a negative pp balance if someone does a chargeback, but at least the cash is in your hand at the moment until the issue is resolved.

    Paypal can take money out of your bank account, so you would have to empty your bank account as well.

    My paypal is tied to my savings account, I move the money to the linked checking account to keep the amount they can take low.

    Do you think they can take money out of my checking account?

    They can only take money out of the bank account that you have linked to your Paypal account.

    If your checking account isn't linked to your Paypal account, then no, they can't.

  • lesson = sell not with the primary intent of making $$$

    if you make it, sure it's great.....but having that emotional investment could turn into devastation if things don't go as planned.

    discogs and ebay both have their place....

    like rock said, pay your taxes! and keep things simple

  • tokyobeats said:
    lesson = sell not with the primary intent of making $$$


    What other primary intents are there?

  • misterwheeler said:
    tokyobeats said:
    lesson = sell not with the primary intent of making $$$


    What other primary intents are there?

    basically i mean that if you are selling online, you are going to encounter shit! there's always a void between the virtual and physical, and being that vinyl is physical.......the virtual will make up for it on the other side!

    i'm all for making $$ on a record i bought for cheap, but have learned it's better to focus more on building a personal for the interest of oneself, first and foremost...thats all

  • LaserWolf said:
    My paypal is tied to my savings account, I move the money to the linked checking account to keep the amount they can take low.

    ha, i don't sell on ebay nowadays but i used to do this too, moving money around from one account to another. and i had 100% feedback and wasn't shady at all! made me feel like a dirty money launderer just to protect myself from a potentially dishonest buyer.

  • Options
    It is best not to start.

    It takes too long.

    If you think an online eBay experience would be good for you, then try it as a buyer.


  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    herbacios tweed said:
    LaserWolf said:
    My paypal is tied to my savings account, I move the money to the linked checking account to keep the amount they can take low.

    ha, i don't sell on ebay nowadays but i used to do this too, moving money around from one account to another. and i had 100% feedback and wasn't shady at all! made me feel like a dirty money launderer just to protect myself from a potentially dishonest buyer.

    Nothing to do with the buyer. For me.
    I have read paypals user agreement.
    I am taking steps to protect myself from paypal.

  • Mr_Lee_PHDMr_Lee_PHD 2,042 Posts
    Cosign on the selling via Discogs.

    Way less hassle.

  • Options
    And you dont get the benefits of having a physical store.


  • erobertseroberts 36 Posts
    my biggest regret on ebay is listing the type of records you're describing. go with discogs - they'll do way better there.

  • KineticKinetic 3,739 Posts
    In 2011, selling hip-hop vinyls on the interwebz = discogs.

    Just do it.

  • Breez said:
    some buyers take forever to pay.

    And that just makes no sense to me. As a buyer, my most frequent positive feedback is "FAST PAYMENT" I'm thinking... what are they waiting for? Should they be bringing items to a virtual checkout if they aren't prepared to square up?

    The only time I wait is if I am also bidding on an auction that's like 5 days away (and not just planning to snipe, but have a bid in) and I wanted the schitt shipped together. Surely, something to consider if you are a seller with various auction end times or a mixture with "buy it now" items.

  • As a buyer, I found that discogs had the dodgiest grading on all items, and very little emphasis on feedback or communication. So this is probably less hassle for sellers.
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