eBay Sellers - Protect Yourself From Buyer Fraud

As a seller on eBay for 15 years, I have experienced it all. This blog is short and brief. The purpose is to give some wise advice to sellers offering low volume / high end goods. My experience is that eBay and Paypal are on the side of the buyer. Both realize that small time sellers deserting their platform will always be replaced with new small time sellers.



As I see it, the only way to protect yourself as a seller from buyer fraud (such as "Item Not As Described") is to offer only a few choice lots at one time whose sales will close at approximately the same time. As soon as the money is deposited in Paypal, transfer the money out of Paypal into your bank account BEFORE SHIPPING.



Always keep accurate records of your listings, your photographs and your shipping receipts. Regardless of all the verbiage you include in your listings relative to shipping terms and conditions, as a seller you are the only one who may be lucky enough to collect on insurance. Remember, insurance is for the seller; not the buyer; if there's a problem, you will be stuck trying to collect insurance from the post office.