Welcome
Hi everyone,
I live in Northeastern Pa., way out in the country. I love living out here, it's so peaceful, especially when everything is under a fresh blanket of snow.
I have a chocolate colored labrador, two cats, a parakeet, and some tropical fish.
I love flea markets, yard sales, auctions, and antique shops. During the winter, I enjoy crafts and sewing, but I can't wait for the weather to get better so I can get working in my flower gardens, strawberry patch, and vegetable garden.
While a new member to the eBay community, and because I always want to know the why and how of everything, I've spent a good deal of time learning all I can about eBay. Well, I thought that maybe I could pass along what I've learned, so that other "newbies" could get an idea of what eBay is all about. One member wrote; "Knowledge is Power" and "pass it along". So, I've decided to use my "About Me" page to help others make a good start.
(I've listed some helpful links toward the bottom of the page)
The most important thing to know about, in my opinion, are the "Scam emails", since these come from people (thieves) who are attempting to "take over" your bank account.
First of all, you should know that, neither eBay or Paypal will EVER request personal information, or, ask you to click on a link to "verify" or "update" information, in the form of an email. These emails can appear to be official, but they are NOT, they are SCAMS! The sender is trying to steal your identity. These "scam" emails often contain threats that your account will be closed if you don't give the information, but these are only threats.
Never give out "any" personal information; passwords, bank accounts, credit cards, SSI#, etc to any LINK in an email.
If you get one of these scam emails, don't answer it, don't click any links on it, just forward it with "full headers on" to: spoof@ebay.com.,or, spoof@paypal.com. Also, you should run a full system virus scan.
Spoof/Scam email & Identity Theft, And Reporting
O.K., now that we've covered the "spooky" stuff, lets get on to the "good" stuff, the auctions.
Have you found an auction that you're interested in? Great!. Now is the time to ask any and all questions, BEFORE you bid. Once you bid, you have entered into a 'legally' binding contract. Any question(s) you might have, ANY, contact your seller (ask seller a question link). If, the seller doesn't respond, don't bid. ( If you bid, and you win, you pay.)
Safe Bidding Info.
Also be sure to check the sellers "feedback". Most members will tell you not to bid if the seller has less than 98%, some say above 96%. That's good advice, but you also need to read the feedback that others have left, and, read the feedback they've left for others. Read carefully, and you can get a good idea of what that seller is all about.
Percentage wise, there are a lot of great sellers out there, but, there are some "bad apples", and you need to stay on your toes.
But what about brand new sellers, someone with say, less than 3 transactions? Well, everybody had to start somewhere, ask questions, make sure they know what they're doing before you bid.
Don't forget to check the shipping charge. If the shipping cost is not listed on an auction page, be sure you ask the seller BEFORE you bid. If you don't, you will be obligated to pay WHATEVER the seller charges. If you don't hear back from the seller, don't bid. If you don't agree with the charges, don't bid.
I've seen auction listings with a bid price of .99 and shipping of $37 - $49 on an item that really does 'not' weigh that much. Hello? Looks to me like somebody doesn't want to pay their ebay fees! Would I consider them to be honest? NO. Would I bid? NO. I'll pass. (This type of an auction is against eBay policy.)
Fee Circumvention
I've also heard of the shipping calculators not working correctly, it'll give some extremely high amount, so if you find one like this, contact the seller just to be sure.
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Shipping and Handling is not postage. Boxes, packing tape, peanuts, and bubble wrap cost money. Some sellers pay to have their items packed. Pick-up fees or gas to and from the post office cost money. These are the costs that make up the 'Handling' part of the S&H charge. |
O.K., so now that you've asked all the questions, you know how much shipping will cost, and you're ready to place your bid. (Keep in mind that you're probably not the only buyer "watching" this auction.) Decide how much you are willing to pay for the item, (you wouldn't pay a penny more). This way, if, you are "outbid", the other buyer paid too much. (You can increase your proxy bid amount simply by entering a new bid, for a higher amount, if you choose to.) Try to use uneven bid amounts to help prevent a tie, ($11.86, for example, rather than $11.50) Don't forget about the shipping charge.
Most members will tell you to place your bid in the final days of the auction, some say, be the first to bid, but that's up to you. Also, there are buyers who will snipe an auction, by bidding in the final minutes. I don't recommend doing this until you've had some experience with bidding. You're internet connection speed will be a big factor in this type of bidding.
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Did you know? If you bid on an item, let's say, a book, you place your bid for $5.03, but then John Doe comes along and out bids you, $5.50. Now, you are second highest bidder, and you've decided you're not going any higher.
( But wait, the auction is not over yet!)
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If, John Doe retracts his bid, YOU would then become the highest bidder ( at $5.03 ), and you would be obligated to fulfill that contract. The moral of this story is, don't place bids on more items than you are willing to pay for.
Remember..., ask any questions you might have about the item or shipping before you bid.
So... let's say... you've won the auction. Keep in mind, you may not hear from your seller instantly, you'll
sometimes need a little patience. Not everyone is at their computer at the same time, (thank goodness, what a 'traffic jam' that would be :o), they may be at work, or just out for the day.
eBay suggests 3 business days to make arrangements for completing the trade: send invoice, confirm payment, etc.
After payment is confirmed, communication between buyers and sellers is not a requirement. So, for whatever reasons, a seller may not contact you at all, and your item just "shows up" seemingly from nowhere.
By the way, the lack of communication is not a reason for less than positive feedback.
(More about FEEDBACK toward the bottom of the page.)
A seller has 30 days from receipt of payment to ship an item per the FTC rules, but, for a seller to be covered under Paypal's SPP (Seller Protection Plan), shipment is required within 7 days of payment. Don't forget to consider weekends and holidays.
If, for some reason, you don't receive your item by day 28, after payment, you really could have a problem with your seller, (location might have something to do with it), and you'll need to follow the appropriate actions.
Don't wait longer than 28 days to contact your seller, you'll have deadlines for filing your complaint.
The buyer needs to pay within the time frame set by the seller on the TOS (Terms of Sale), or the seller can file a UPI, "Unpaid Item" Process with eBay. A few of these and the buyers time on eBay is over.
Help > A-Z Index > Unpaid Item Process.
If the seller doesn't send the item, and the buyer has paid according to the TOS, the buyer can file an SNP, "Seller Non-Performance" report with eBay. A few of these and the sellers time on eBay is over.
Help > A-Z Index > Seller Non-Performance
So what about insurance? The seller IS responsible for your receiving your item as described in his or her TOS (terms of sale). IF, and that's a big "if", something should go wrong, contact your seller.
I've seen a lot of posts by sellers regarding "refunds". The seller didn't do their homework BEFORE listing the auction, then along comes a problem: "I stated that insurance is optional. The buyer didn't pay for it! Why should I have to refund their money? It wasn't my fault it got damaged."
It is the sellers responsibility to "make sure" that the item is insured, unless they are willing to "pay out of pocket".
Now, this one kind'a stinks: USPS does not consider a package "lost" until 30 days from shipping date. Okay, but, I've also read where a seller stated that he has sent out thousands of packages, and never had 1 lost. (Those are pretty good odds if you think about it.)
So what about DELIVERY CONFIRMATION? "DC" is an online way to track your package. The seller would then know exactly when the package arrived. If the seller uses PAYPAL, and wants to remain under Paypal's protection, they need to provide an online tracking number, AND ship to a CONFIRMED ADDRESS. A buyer really should have a confirmed address because some sellers absolutely "will not" ship to unconfirmed addresses. (It's easy to have your address confirmed, just log on to your Paypal account, and follow the steps.)
Feedback seems to be a controversial subject, when to leave it, what to leave, etc., so I've decided to use this way of doing it:
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
If someone does me wrong, okay, I get mad, I'm not perfect, but, I don't need to resort to 'name calling' or YELLING, just stick to the facts, and the truth will come out in the end.
Also, take a look at *silly_snipers* Me page, you'll find some more great info. about feedback. (You'll find the link below.)
Don't forget, you have 90 days in which to leave it.
So, now that you know "The Rest of the Story", and I'm totally out of breath, go out there and have some
fun!
Happy Bidding!
Meet some of my Best Buds...
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