Selling on ebay

I always pay cash when I buy and collect - and get a receipt. Similarly when I sell and say collect only.

If the object is really desireable purchasers will travel some distance. DD recently sold a 'collect only' object to someone living in Devon (she lives in Bedfordshire and we have journeyed from Oxfordshire to both Cardiff, Honiton and Hereford to collect things. When it is a distance we treat it as day out, we will take in a stately home or similar and have a nice lunch out.

Nanthewiser is correct. I have sold loads of stuff on ebay. An item like a bike should be collection only, and insist on cash on collection. Have a receipt ready for the buyer to sign and date and give them a copy. If they pay by PayPal and then collect, at least you will have proof they collected. Some people do pay with PayPal and then after collection claim they never got the item. If that happens, eBay and PayPal will refund them from your account and you can't appeal against it.

For someone as astute as you, @GabriellaG54, I am surprised at your lack of knowledge. It's a well-known fact that if an item is collection only,then cash on collection is the only safe method. While a seller is obliged to offer PayPal on listings, cash on collection is always preferred, in order to protect the seller from scammers, who could claim a refund for non-delivery when there is no proof of such.
(From a long time seller/buyer).

I quite often sell things on eBay but only clothing. It’s quite straightforward as they pretty well tell you what to do. I’m not sure about selling such a large item. You’d need to do some careful homework on the cost of posting or limit it to collection only. I would probably use a local selling/auction site to make it easier but then I like an easy life.

EBay takes a very small cut of whatever you sell so ask for cash on collection otherwise uiu can use Gumtree or sphock we have sold lots of items on sphock really easy as well

Sold a Hostess trolley I hadn't used for many years, to make way for my piano.
It was in v good condition but we were still surprised when it was quickly snapped up for £80!

A dd uses Gumtree a lot and has found some fantastic bargains locally, esp. a really nice big kitchen table, like new,
and a set of v nice kitchen chairs for relative peanuts.

Try your local Gumtree first ...I have bought and sold on Gumtree, without any hassle. One piece of advice , stipulate 'cash only'

If you are on Facebook there is something called Marketplace, where you can upload pictures of things you want to sell. You choose the price, though often people will haggle. It isn't an auction, you generally sell to the first person that asks and comes round with the money. You don't have to post stuff, and people can come and see it and buy. I have used eBay, some people pretend stuff hasn't arrived or that it was broken and want there money back, I feel much safer on Marketplace

Juliet27
Nope.
I've never found it from that day to this, and I am in the process of gradually sorting, tidying and organising every nook and cranny of my flat, so you'd think that it might have shown itself.

That certainly happens, but in the 10 years DH, DD and myself have been trading we have never experienced this, possibly because we are rarely, if ever, selling anything worth more than £100, most of it is much less than that.

I must say I would never sell anything modern, desirable and expensive on any of these sites - cars, electronic equipment, bikes etc.

The rule applies that has applied to all sales sincetime began: Caveat Emptor, Buyer Beware. (and seller for that matter)

One piece of advice - there is a scam where the buyer says they are sending somebody in their stead to pick up the item. After the item is collected they then say they haven't received it and demand refund. PayPal will not cover you if this is the case. Cash on Collection is best and have another person present.

MissAdventure...I remember reading that you’d mislaid a coat you were going to put on eBay. Did you ever find it?

Bluebelle you say the items you don’t sell are automatically relisted. Do you know that there is a fee (I think) for this. No fee if you relist it yourself

I sell regularly on e-bay First you need a really good Foto. Take a proper camera amd adjust to daylight and place your object outside in nice surroundings - near a tree or a rose bush etc.
I often hang blouses and jackets on a patio partition which is covered with ivy.

Up to now I have sold everything but you can't expect a lot of money. The most I got was for a book used for medical studies.
Clothes go well when they have a label inside and the same goes for handbags and shoes.
I don't send anything until I have received the money on my bank account.
Good Luck

You could also try Shpock and Preloved, both have apps. These are for local, you can put collection only, how much,photos etc. They message you and then make arrangements when to come round. I have used these a lot but mostly for cash on collection.

No no no...Ilovecheese
Payment ONLY through PayPal. That is the best way to sell and better and safer to meet buyer away from your home if possible.
I both buy and sell on eBay and always do a full description and excellent photos.
A catchy description usually gets more interest and higher price than a bare bones blurb. Take pics in your garden on a sunny day if you can and show all angles.
Good luck
It's a great way to make money from stuff you don't use.

A charity that I support used to hold tombolas a couple of times a year for fundraising. I send them competitions prizes that I don't want. Now they sell everything on ebay instead and it is much easier and lucrative. I don't use it myself, but it does seem to really fill a need for a lot of people.

I prefer to sell on Gumtree or Facebook marketplace, and advertise that buyer collects. They come and collect from you and pay cash, and there are no charges.

Check what other are asking for a similar item, Don't accept too low an offer, as it is almost brand new. Some people offer insultingly low amounts. I usually agree a small discount on the asking price, if they will come straight away and collect.

Whatever you do ,Cash only on collection, and if they try to turn up with less then agreed send them packing had this tried on me.
We sell on local site's and always have a back-up buyer.
On of the main things we were advised by a friend is only give your full address on the day they are coming.

sell it

I’ve just bought an e- bike ..... brilliant! Just a small piec3 advice IF you’re keeping it in garage you’ll probably find house insurance will not cover it. First thing I did was call ins company for clarification and had to insure it separately. Costs about 80 pence a month. Peanuts for peace of mind. How about a simple Card in the newsagent window, but no address just your phone number given. It still works believe me.

I have sold on Ebay many times and done very well with the results,make sure you state collection only and cash on collection also then mark your ebay selling page as collected.
Also I would make sure someone else is with you when buyers arrive for safety reasons.
Good luck with your sale.

I have sold on Ebay - easier than I thought.
As someone else suggested - specify collection from your home only. Also, make sure the payment is confirmed before you arrange the collection time - it's easy to set up a pay pal account and you can also use it for buying other things online.
Does your local area have a buy/ sell facebook group ?

I buy and sell on eBay all the time and I was looking at electric bikes about 2 months ago for my daughter. I had a problem as they were all collect only, I am disabled and hardly ever leave my flat so they were no good for me and I don't have anyone who could collect. If I have to pay for a courier/ man and a van it vastly adds to the price. It is easy to sell on eBay, click on 'sell and item' and follow the instructions. you will need clear photos of the item.

We've done both ebay and gumtree. Ebay has changed a bit recently and when I listed clothes I felt pressured to put their suggested price depending on the make thus I sold for less than I thought the items were worth. However, they sold and someone got a bargain which was what I wanted. The money went straight into my paypal account.
Good luck with the electric bike. I'm sure it will be popular!