This is what I do, I buy and sell stuff on eBay. Mainly memory cards and other data storage devices. I've dabbled in cool collectables, like toys and steampunk stuff too. I've been doing it for about 8 months and It's going good. I'm not going to quit my day job just yet though because a. This only takes up a few hours a day and b. My supply chain isn't the most rubust.
Seeing as I have a soapbox, I'd like to point out the insane bias in the media toward 'the dangers of buying on eBay'. As with many scare stories in the tabloids that concern people being stung by new technologies, It's bogus. The fault lays with the Idiots who send £10,000 wire transfers to Nigeria for a motorbike they have never seen (actual story). Rather than headlining these kind of stories "Gullable Idiot Gives Cash to Stranger" They tend to go with "eBay Hackers Make off With Thousands". Another tabloid trend which annoys the hell out of me. Calling anyone who uses a computer to commit a crime a hacker. Grrr. asking for idiots bank details and them giving them to you is not hacking.
Anyhow, there is a massive skew in favour of buyers on eBay. I get it, eBay wants the public to feel safe and prevent crooks from cheating people, but over the past few years, perhaps in response to these stories, eBay has shifted the power away from the seller to such an extent that, as a seller you really are at the mercy of the buyers honesty. If they say an item didn't arrive, I can't argue because even if I have proof of posting and show eBay I'll get negative feedback if the buyer so wished. Even if they gave me a mis-typed address or the post office loose it, still my problem, or face negative feedback and eBay force me to refund.
I've caught people out before, they were clearly lying and the best I can hope for is to refund them and hope for no feedback. There is no protection of feedback from eBay, I've asked and all they say is, We can't block feedback from being left, once it is left we will review it and if it is in breach of rules we can remove it. The rules are against swearing and revealing personal details. "TERRIBLE SELLER, AVOID!!" breaks no eBay rules, even if I did nothing wrong. In return I can only leave positive or no feedback. It's not the fairest system in the world.
Moral of the story: Seller and Buyer beware on eBay.
Related Thing
(The judge had NEVER HEARD of eBay - and he's a judge.)
2nd Day, 2nd post. Hope I can keep it up.
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