selling high-end shoes on ebay...tips/advice on how to protect myself?

mancho

shoesnbagsnshoes
Apr 7, 2007
331
0
hello lovelies,
so as some of you may know, i bought a pair of christian louboutin mad marys a while ago, they are beautiful but too big! :crybaby:so i'm going to sell them on ebay... i have sold small, inexpensive items here and there on ebay, but this is my first expensive designer item that i will be selling and after hearing the endless ebay horror stories, i would like to do ALL that i can to protect myself from petty buyers and scammers. this is what i have so far on my "self-protection" checklist:

- shipping to paypal confirmed addresses only
- shipping with US and canada only
- shipping with insurance and tracking number (is a signature option necessary?)
- accepting paypal only, no returns/exchanges

is there anything i should add? any additional advice would be MUCH appreciated! i have already had then authenticated in the "Authenticate this CL" thread and also at TFS so i am beyond certain that they are authentic, but i'm scared that someone might try a "bait and switch". i know some of you put security tags/padlocks on your expensive handbags when you sell them, but is there something similar i can do for these shoes? i don't think these have been faked but it's always good to be safer than sorry. anyway i would love to hear from the ebay experts! thanks so much :heart::smile:
 
^i've thought of that but there really isn't anywhere to attach the tag.. on handbags you can easily do it with zippers etc but there isn't such a spot on shoes :S i guess i'll just have to do what i can and pray and hope for the best! thanks for your input though thuha :smile:

oh and i've just watermarked all my pics! :smile:
 
Not sure how much shoes like that cost, but if the total is over $250 you would need to include signature confirmation to be covered by paypal.

Good Luck!

ETA: I only ship international packages Usps Express Mail (thinks to the ladies on here).
 
oh ok, the signature confirmation is a good one. these shoes are for sure more than $250 so i will get the signature option. thanks ladies!

another thing: i was just poking around on the USPS site and should i get options like "Return Receipt"? i'm not very clear on what that is, actually. tracking and signature option and full insurance should be enough right?
 
and also for shipping within US, is Priority Mail Flat Rate Box (with additional insurance and signature confirmation) better than Express Mail? i'm not quite sure what Express Mail includes, just that it's faster :S sorry for all the questions, i'm really unfamiliar with the US postal system!
 
the shipping insurance includes delivery confirmation if shipped with usps. i always get a signature confirmation, no matter how cheap or expensive the item. you can just offer different shipping services to them with the shipping wizard. that way they can choose which way you should send it. us priority mail is pretty quick. i sent out an item and the buyer received it two days later.

can you upload some pics of the shoes? maybe i can help you figure out how to tag them.

also, since they are shoes you should make a stipulation in your return policy (if you have one) that you won't accept returns if the shoes have been worn. if the heels and sole of the shoes are different from when sent.
 
What about putting a sticker on the bottom of one shoe? Something that will come off, but the sticker will be ruined if they do. So they can't take it off and put it on a fake? like a lick and stick sticker of some sort.
 
^oh the sticker idea is a good one...! thanks melissa ann!

starryeyedjenn, i'm planning on stating NO returns or exchanges, at all. i'm going to be really picky with what type of buyers are allowed to bid--no international buyers (is this wise? i mean it will potentially save me some trouble if anything goes wrong, but maybe i'm throwing out a lot of business this way..), paypal only, no unconfirmed addresses, no 0 feedback buyers, no buyers with more than 1 negative feedback in the last 6 months (harsh?).. hopefully this will be enough to save me from the headaches that have plagued some other TPF members!

and my shoes are available for your viewing pleasure in the "post pics of your louboutins" thread :smile: enjoy!
 
Tell your buyer to try it on the carpet area to avoid rubbing the sole. If there is scratch or mark on the sole, you can't accept return. Simply saying all sales are final or no return/refund doesn't mean much to PayPal, seriously. Take picture of the sole to post on the listing as well, so they know what condition it is.

If you use the sticker, handwrite it on there, who knows if they can find the same sticker...
 
^oh that is an excellent suggestion as well, getting a blank sticker and writing something on it.... BAH i can't believe i have to go through all this crap just so i can sell a pair of shoes! it really is ridiculous how scammers have ruined ebay for everyone.

as for the no returns/exchanges thing... why wouldn't paypal take it seriously? i mean if the item is authentic and new and as described, the item is received (which i would know because i will have a signature confirmation), and stated in my auction no returns/exchanges and then even have a little sticker on the bottom to ensure they dont' do a bait and switch... i don't really see what sort of tricks a potential scammer can pull..?
 
^oh the sticker idea is a good one...! thanks melissa ann!

starryeyedjenn, i'm planning on stating NO returns or exchanges, at all. i'm going to be really picky with what type of buyers are allowed to bid--no international buyers (is this wise? i mean it will potentially save me some trouble if anything goes wrong, but maybe i'm throwing out a lot of business this way..), paypal only, no unconfirmed addresses, no 0 feedback buyers, no buyers with more than 1 negative feedback in the last 6 months (harsh?).. hopefully this will be enough to save me from the headaches that have plagued some other TPF members!

and my shoes are available for your viewing pleasure in the "post pics of your louboutins" thread :smile: enjoy!

ah smart idea with the return policy. shoes are always iffy when returned. its true, you probably are throwing business away by blocking all those type of buyers but it is for your own protection as the buyers could be potential scammers. its better safe than sorry. i mean, ive read auctions where the seller states that they prefer it that way to avoid the hassle and headaches associated with those type of buyers and that they would rather sell it at a cheaper price to an honest buyer than deal with abusive, scamming buyers.

if you do want to expand your buyer base, offering it internationally might be a good idea. you can send it usps express international. shipping insurance is included in that, i believe. you could also look it up at the usps website. im not sure if signature confirmation is available with that service. if it is, i think it depends on where it is sent internationally. but you might also want to add that service. you can't charge the buyer for it, only for shipping insurance/tracking so you might want to add the signature confirmation fee as part of your handling fees. its probably a good idea to do that anyways if you're just selling it domestically.

oh! also don't forget to watermark your ebay pics.

btw, i tried looking for your shoes but theres like 300 pages in that post :sweatdrop:
 
hey! thanks so much for your advice starryeyedjenn! i will for sure have signature confirmation. and i really would rather be safe than sorry but.. at the same time i don't want to shoot myself in the foot. so i haven't decided whether or not i want to ship internationally.. or just keep it within Canada and US... i have my listing all typed up and ready to list for tomorrow but i have to decide whether or not i want to ship internationally! ROAR such an ordeal.

oh and oops!! i forgot to tell you where my pics were located in that huge thread, haha sorry, total brain fart :P here is the link, they are somewhere near the middle. AND, they are watermarked! :smile: thanks for the reminder though! in the thread they're just watermarked with my TPF username but for my auction it will be watermarked with my ebay username.

http://forum.purseblog.com/christian-louboutin-shoes/post-pics-of-your-louboutins-72412-278.html

again, thanks for being so helpful :smile: