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Your geographical experience on ebay as a seller?
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:39 pm    Post subject: Your geographical experience on ebay as a seller? Reply with quote

Hello.

I'm selling lenses on ebay only for 3 months, and had so far 25 transactions. I think, it will be interesting and educational if I share my experience and observations.

Most customers from: USA (Also highest source of instant payment)
Most cash flow from: Germany (All my sales with ZEISS in name, went there)
Most problematic buyers: CN/RU/TW/HK/KR (in descending order of problems encountered)
Most unresponsive buyers: UK/EU (Especially UK)
Most responsive buyers: AU/NZ

Out of 25 transactions, feedback received on 6 of them:

2 from USA
1 from Germany (and also one INR case, which was sorted out and case closed)
1 from HK
1 from KR
1 from CN

Sales geography: US, DE, FR, NL, UK, IT, HK, KR, CN, TW, AU, NZ


PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My experience:
-My most rare, historical or "cult" items went to China and HK (at good prices)
-Most clients trying to bargain - China (but nor for "cult" items) and UK
-The easiest transactions - Germany
-The only returned item, for "I don't need it anymore", was in UK. I've lost £20 on shipping due to the British return laws.
-Most buyers -UK, China,Germany, EU
-Most problematic buyers - UK
-Most unresponsive buyers - UK
-Best communication - with USA, EU and AU buyers
-Most of my "inventive" objects and adaptations went to USA and France.

I had no clients from Africa and only one from South America(Chile).


Last edited by dan_ on Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:16 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 5:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks!


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 6:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dan_ wrote:
-The only returned item, for "I don't need it anymore", was in UK. I've lost £20 on shipping due to the British return laws.

What are those British return laws? And how do they apply to you, since you are in Romania?


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am selling on ebay.co.uk. and I have to obey the UK legislation even if I am located in Romania.
When I've asked ebay about this return they told me that, in accordance with the UK legislation, the buyer can return an item in 14 days no matter for what reason and I have to support the initial shipping costs which, in my case, were £20(for real). The buyer should only pay for the return shipping cost. And this applies regardless of the return policy specified in your item description. I don't know what law is this but that was the answer given by ebay.co.uk.
I don't think it is correct that if the buyer changes his mind and returns an item because of the "I don't need it anymore" reason, as it was in my case, the seller should support any shipping costs.


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dan_ wrote:
I am selling on ebay.co.uk. and I have to obey the UK legislation even if I am located in Romania.
When I've asked ebay about this return they told me that, in accordance with the UK legislation, the buyer can return an item in 14 days no matter for what reason and I have to support the initial shipping costs which, in my case, were £20(for real). The buyer should only pay for the return shipping cost. And this applies regardless of the return policy specified in your item description. I don't know what law is this but that was the answer given by ebay.co.uk.
I don't think it is correct that if the buyer changes his mind and returns an item because of the "I don't need it anymore" reason, as it was in my case, the seller should support any shipping costs.


This sounds highly unfair, indeed. Does this apply to private and business sellers alike?


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am a private seller. I don't know if this applies to business sellers as well, but probably it does as ebay didn't mention any exceptions in their answer.
It is unfair, indeed. Not to mention that ebay automatically took their fee for that sell, ~$100, and is only refunding the money as a credit to my next mouth payment to them.


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dan_ wrote:
I am a private seller. I don't know if this applies to business sellers as well, but probably it does as ebay didn't mention any exceptions in their answer.
It is unfair, indeed. Not to mention that ebay automatically took their fee for that sell, ~$100, and is only refunding the money as a credit to my next mouth payment to them.


Goodness! Maybe the way around this is to charge UK buyers (sorry, chaps Smile ) a handling fee equal to the cost of shipment, to be refunded after the 14 days pending positive feedback? Sounds rough, but you're seriously out of pocket as it stands.


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting....

I'm selling on ebay.com and offer international shipping, which means that my items will appear on regional ebay websites too. So if my UK customer decides to return the item just for no reason, I should accept that?


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

CuriousOne wrote:
Interesting....

I'm selling on ebay.com and offer international shipping, which means that my items will appear on regional ebay websites too. So if my UK customer decides to return the item just for no reason, I should accept that?


I am not sure. My ebay account is recorded on ebay.com as well, hence my ebay fees are in US$, but I'm accessing ebay.com.uk and I'm selling from there and make my items visible to other ebay sites as well. I do it because if I'm selling from ebay.com I'm forced to ship my items with US companies and at unreasonable prices from my location(too little for shipping to US and too big for EU).
So, in my case I have posted the item on ebay.com.uk and my buyer was from UK as well. That's why I had to obey to the UK legislation. It may not be the same case if you sell from ebay.com to an UK buyer - probably the US legislation applies.

konicamera wrote:
...but you're seriously out of pocket as it stands.

When the UK buyer payed for my lens my future Sony A7II camera seamed very close to me, I could almost touch it and even, from time to time, I had the illusion that I could see a pale R after 7 and before II Smile
Unfortunately, when I had to make the refund everything faded out Crying or Very sad ...


PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I over above 1000+ sales, remarkable nation is Japan only, prompt payment always, no issues ever, rest of them are same , no big differences. I don't sell throw auctions, fixed prices are helps to avoid from trouble makers.


PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 2:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I'm selling from ebay.com and have no enforcement on shipping company selection...


PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't chose chose from ebay.com "Posta Romana" as a shipping company and then print the shipping label. If you can't print the shipping label with ebay or paypal you can only have your money after 21 days.
Regardless of the shipping company I chose ebay.com has max. shipping costs for some categories (ex. roll film holders) if shipped in USA.


PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

konicamera wrote:
dan_ wrote:
I am a private seller. I don't know if this applies to business sellers as well, but probably it does as ebay didn't mention any exceptions in their answer.
It is unfair, indeed. Not to mention that ebay automatically took their fee for that sell, ~$100, and is only refunding the money as a credit to my next mouth payment to them.


Goodness! Maybe the way around this is to charge UK buyers (sorry, chaps Smile ) a handling fee equal to the cost of shipment, to be refunded after the 14 days pending positive feedback? Sounds rough, but you're seriously out of pocket as it stands.


We have this law in Norway as well, and probably more contries too (Sweden, Denmark perhaps?), but this doesn`t count for private sales for sure. eBay is an effective marketplace, but I think they are too expensive together with PayPal, but what can we do Surprised


PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nordentro wrote:
konicamera wrote:
dan_ wrote:
I am a private seller. I don't know if this applies to business sellers as well, but probably it does as ebay didn't mention any exceptions in their answer.
It is unfair, indeed. Not to mention that ebay automatically took their fee for that sell, ~$100, and is only refunding the money as a credit to my next mouth payment to them.


Goodness! Maybe the way around this is to charge UK buyers (sorry, chaps :) ) a handling fee equal to the cost of shipment, to be refunded after the 14 days pending positive feedback? Sounds rough, but you're seriously out of pocket as it stands.


We have this law in Norway as well, and probably more contries too (Sweden, Denmark perhaps?), but this doesn`t count for private sales for sure. eBay is an effective marketplace, but I think they are too expensive together with PayPal, but what can we do :o



We have a similar law in Italy, but here too -as far as I know- it is only for professional sellers.


PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It may be interesting to look at
https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds
regarding UK circumstances.

The "problem" with eBay lies in the way its terms and conditions are drafted. The UK legislation is not actually aimed at private vendors, but we are all entrapped by the way the eBay system works. It seems to make a mockery of the "No returns accepted" condition.

I've only sold around 200 items over several years but I've never yet had an "unfair" return. The nearest was a man who, depsite my advice to check if a Sigma lens would actually work on his older EOS, moaned that it didn't and that he hadn't seen anything about it on Canon's website. I told him to return it and he left "glowingly positive" feedback for me. Perhaps I've been lucky.


PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 2:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm selling from ebay.com, using GEORGIAN POST as postal service, and as far as I receive money on my paypal account, I can transfer it to my CC in couple of minutes. But sometimes it takes long. Say if I transferred money on Saturday evening, I will get it on card only on Monday evening, but if I transfer it say at Monday morning, I will get it on my card in couple of minutes. What's interesting (just noticed), that payment comes from PAYPAL UK.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't say I've had a problem with any country. I send only to buyers in countries covered by ebay's global shipping program. The only problem I've had is damaged parcels. Not the buyers fault but ebay's. What is good enough for Royal Mail is no good for the GSP. I use lots of extra packing.

I did have a guy return a lens because it was 'too big'. I refunded his return post (I had to its automatic on ebay in UK) and got a positive feedback.