eBay Safety Tips for Buying & Selling

#46
This is a tip I swear by, unfortunately I don't think it's very popular, but I think it's important.

ALWAYS ask for more pictures. Always. It doesn't matter how many pictures they already have, ask for more pictures at odd angles. You see, if the seller refuses to give you all or any of the these pictures, it could mean the following:

- The item is not in good condition, or the condition described in the listing.
- The seller is using stolen pictures, and doesn't have a bag.
- The seller is selling a fake, using stolen pictures of a real bag.

So always ask for more pictures!
 
#47
kuruma said:
This is a tip I swear by, unfortunately I don't think it's very popular, but I think it's important.

ALWAYS ask for more pictures. Always. It doesn't matter how many pictures they already have, ask for more pictures at odd angles. You see, if the seller refuses to give you all or any of the these pictures, it could mean the following:

- The item is not in good condition, or the condition described in the listing.
- The seller is using stolen pictures, and doesn't have a bag.
- The seller is selling a fake, using stolen pictures of a real bag.

So always ask for more pictures!
Click to expand...

honestly i think that is unreasonable.. i take plenty of pictures of my items (around 10-15 per item), and after that I wrap them up and package them, put tape around the box and label the box, so once the auction ends, I can ship out that same day or the following day.

I would say that if you are unable to distinguish the condition of the item from the pictures alone and need to rely on a description, then asking for more pictures would be reasonable.

If there is no name tag in the pictures with the seller's user ID then asking for more pictures is also reasonable.

If you are unable to distinguish whether or not the item is authentic from the given pictures, then it would be reasonable to ask for more pictures.
 
#48
luxoleather said:
honestly i think that is unreasonable.. i take plenty of pictures of my items (around 10-15 per item), and after that I wrap them up and package them, put tape around the box and label the box, so once the auction ends, I can ship out that same day or the following day.

I would say that if you are unable to distinguish the condition of the item from the pictures alone and need to rely on a description, then asking for more pictures would be reasonable.

If there is no name tag in the pictures with the seller's user ID then asking for more pictures is also reasonable.

If you are unable to distinguish whether or not the item is authentic from the given pictures, then it would be reasonable to ask for more pictures.
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I know that it is a hassle for us honest sellers to take more pictures but the fact that we're posting items up on ebay means we are obliged to when they ask. I will always ask for more pictures mostly to make sure that they have the item I want. Too many listings include stolen pictures, or even stolen pictures which the seller watermarked with their id.

I've also seen listings with millions of pictures with marks that you could not see in the lighting they used... it wasn't bad lighting, it was just slightly yellow tinged lighting. In other words, the slightly yellow stain that was on the front of the bag could not be seen in this light.

I will always suggest asking for more pictures to make sure they have the bag, to make sure the bag is in the right condition, and to make sure the seller is a communicative one who will help me out throughout the transaction.

The main reason I ask for more pictures is to make sure they have the item though. I will never buy from a seller who doesn't provide me with more photos. It's too big of a risk with the scammers on ebay. I'd rather be safe than sorry.
 
#49
kuruma, you're so right!! i can't agree with you more...you can never be too safe on ebay, and asking for more pictures is definitely not unreasonable! in fact, i encourage buyers to e-mail me for more pictures.
 
#50
I agree with asking for more pictures. I've been watching a bag that the seller has relisted two times already. Each time I have asked for specific pictures to help me authenticate and they always respond that they will not send or take more pictures and that the bag is 100% authentic...yeah right. If they really wanted to sell the bag why not take 5 minutes to take some more pictures? Was a red flag to me, especially the second time...needless to say the bag did not sell.
 
#52
Hey all...wanted to add another tip. I recently put up two items on ebay that got bids. Unfortunately I forgot to verify my paypal account before the payments came through so the transactions weren't covered under Paypal's Seller protection policy. I had to issue refunds on both and am hoping my buyers will be understanding and will send new payments through once the refunds have cleared.

Be sure you are verified before your first ebay experience as a seller to ensure you are covered!
 
#53
kuruma said:
This is a tip I swear by, unfortunately I don't think it's very popular, but I think it's important.

ALWAYS ask for more pictures. Always. It doesn't matter how many pictures they already have, ask for more pictures at odd angles. You see, if the seller refuses to give you all or any of the these pictures, it could mean the following:

- The item is not in good condition, or the condition described in the listing.
- The seller is using stolen pictures, and doesn't have a bag.
- The seller is selling a fake, using stolen pictures of a real bag.

So always ask for more pictures!
Click to expand...

i totally agree with you. i always asked for more pics when i am buying expensive items espcailly those that are fakes...Seller should post the pics of item that buyer cna use ot determine if items is real or fake...:tup: that why buyer wont ask for pics
 
#54
Jen Loves LV said:
Insurance is for the SELLER, not the buyer! Be on the safe side and include the cost of insurance in your shipping and handling fees, USPS can be brutal with packages.
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Actually, the seller, unless otherwise stipulated, is not responsible for carrier 'mishaps' (items lost or damaged under transport).

It is still a good idea for a seller to require that buyers pay for insurance though, as it makes disputes a lot easier to sort out.
 
#55
Here's a good tip I found in another thread...before bidding or selling check eBay users on www.Toolhaus.org--this would have saved me much grief back in February when I purchased Gucci shoes from seller who, now that I see them on toolhaus, is less than legit (has habit of selling items that are not as described or takes REALLY long time--or never--contacts buyers)
Thanx Margaritaxmix!
 
#56
how about selling to a buyer with only 1 feedback? They joined like 2 or 3 months ago? They're international...

I haven't really sold internationally before so am a little worried!
 
#59
cpster said:
I agree with asking for more pictures. I've been watching a bag that the seller has relisted two times already. Each time I have asked for specific pictures to help me authenticate and they always respond that they will not send or take more pictures and that the bag is 100% authentic...yeah right. If they really wanted to sell the bag why not take 5 minutes to take some more pictures? Was a red flag to me, especially the second time...needless to say the bag did not sell.
Click to expand...


while i understand why you do this, i am a seller and have frequently declined to take additional pictures. while it might not seem like a big deal to you, as a seller, i have a whole process for taking pictures in a studio and it takes much longer than 5 minutes to process new pictures. not to mention, i have other many other tasks to handle throughout the day and that would require stopping my work flow to take pictures for a buyer that may or may not purchase the item. i am not selling a handful of items, but hundreds of items at any given time so these requests and the time add up. i have 100% perfect feedback on thousands of transactions on authentic goods and i feel like my feedback speaks for itself, not to mention i have already included lots of high quality pictures in the listing with watermarks of my userID. i actually find it somewhat insulting when a buyer is adamant i take additional photos to prove authenticity when there are other factors such as a perfect feedback score and glowing feedback comments to substantiate my claims of authenticity. i suppose i may lose some sales because of this, but in the past when i have obliged, i have found that most of these requests to jump through hoops don't result in a sale, but a massive waste of time. my last straw was a buyer that had me take a series of dozens of photos in various lighting again and again over a period of a month and then came back and tried to buy for a much lower price than i was asking. incredibly frustrating considering all the time wasted that could have been saved had the buyer been upfront about wanting a lower price that i was unwilling to sell for. again, i understand why buyers want extra pictures, but i wish some buyers would give established sellers with glowing feedback on numerous high dollar transactions the benefit of the doubt. i think its very easy to tell who is a known seller of authentic goods and who is not, however, i think some of the posts in this thread do established sellers a disservice by scaring off potential buyers when the seller does not want to take additional photos. some sellers really do have just reason for not providing additional photos. just because a seller doesn't want to take additional photos does not mean the item is not authentic, nor a "red flag"....

obviously everyone has a right to make their own decisions as to what they will and will not tolerate from a seller, i just wanted to provide an alternate perspective as to why some sellers, myself included, generally will not take additional photos.

on another note, if a buyer were to send an email and say "i absolutely want to buy this at the price you are asking and i am committed to buying and will pay immediately, however, i am having some concerns and would like an additional picture of ____ to ease my mind", i would be much more likely to spend the time taking photos to insure the sale. i would imagine most sellers decline to take additional photos because 9 times out of 10, it does not result in a sale.
 
#60
Hi everyone
I have been advised by the fabulous YSL experts to ask for advice in this forum. I am new to everything purse-fetish-wise :smile:and I joined eBay so I could acquire some bags I loved. I bought a bag recently that had been verified by the YSL forum and the vendor is well regarded and good to deal with. However the bag was described as a large Patent Downtown bag on eBay and I bid on it as that. When it arrived here I discovered it was a medium!

I have checked the codes with the YSL experts here and mine is a medium and I have been advised there is a large patent available (the vendor responded to my query that the largest size it was only produced in was the medium).

I had to go on holiday in South Africa the very day the bag arrived (16 days ago) and had infrequent email access so I haven’t been able to ask you before now.

I want to ask your expert advice as to what a fair request would be to the seller. I have read in past posts that sellers sometimes offer some sort of refund, so it may be possible to request some money back. :sweatdrop:The seller is a power seller with 100% feedback.

My feeling is that I bid as high as I did thinking I was bidding on a large Patent Downtown and that the large was more expensive than the medium. I mean at the moment I have a used bag at the price I could have got a new Medium on sale for in a store which isn't the best deal. :crybaby:

Best
 
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