Hi, I was wondering if anyone had some advice for me on selling some of my Transformers. I was thinking of using ebay, but I am worried of getting scammed by buyers who will just make something up and file a paypal dispute and screw me over. Should I just sell on these boards instead?

I havn't sold anything before, and I am just looking for some advice.

Thanks for your time and take care.

 

Most buyers on here are trustworthy.
But there are a few that cause problems.

Basically, if you're not sure about a buyer, read the feedback thread for them, if there is one.
Which there should be.

 

If you don't already have an eBay account, I wouldn't make one now. You'll look like a mark, and the scammers you fear will take advantage of you. You're better off making a thread in the forum here.

 

Additionally, eBay charges a 10% fee (yes, even on the shipping cost! I understand why* they do it, but it's still bananas). No fee on the forums!

*Before fees were charged on shipping costs, people would sell items at very low costs, but have really high shipping costs, essentially having the shipping cost be the price of the item, but not have to pay fees on it. It didn't help that eBay has been slowly raising fees. It wasn't 10% when I first started selling... Anyway, eBay figured this out and now takes fees for all of it.

 

I have an account, but it has been only used for purchases. Some other questions I have are:

1) Should I give someone a chance that doesn't have a feedback thread? I know it was said the buyer should have one, but everyone didn't have one at some point.

2) What is the best way to go about shipping? I don't have shipping boxes (I have some of the ones the figures came in), and was wondering if I should just get them from a Postal Service/UPS, and etc? Is there a better way? Should I cover shipping or the buyer?

3) Which options under Paypal should payment be done in? I know that sounds weird, but I am basically referring to the friends and family/gift/default payment options for having a payment sent (I don't know what its called).

4) Should I just list everything on the forums and take pictures for those that request them, or take all the pictures at once (thats A LOT of pictures).

Sorry for all the questions, but basically explain it as if I was a child (basically am when it comes to selling).

Thanks for your time and take care.

 

Honestly, I got way more on eBay than I do here, even with the fees taken out. Same thing with Facebook groups. I'll throw stuff up here for sale every once in a while to help out other collectors, but if it doesn't sell here I will usually get at least 25% more on eBay, usually more. Yes eBay has risks, but so does Favebook and even here. Most that tends to happen here is I will accept someone's offer and they don't pay.

 

You could still be subject to scam here or anywhere else assuming you're using Paypal...but I guess the biggest difference is the people here wouldn't want to ruin their reputation where eBay is more anonymous.

And this it true. I would expect to make less here than you would on eBay. Basically, if you want eBay prices...sell it on eBay. And I wouldn't be overly concerned about getting scammed on eBay. Sure it could happen, but odds are fairly low. If you're concerned, document everything. Videotape the item you're selling, its condition, and you packaging up said item. If a scammer pulled something, hopefully your documentation would expose them.

 

For a buyer? Sure, everyone starts somewhere. Just don't ship the figure until you've got the payment in hand.

Flat-Rate boxes from USPS are expensive to ship with, but you can get around the flat rates by wrapping them in brown shipping paper. One big roll will cover you for a while. I often repurpose Amazon boxes or boxes from other sellers that I've bought from.

Buyer should always cover shipping. It's part of the transaction, they're paying for the figure and the transportation.

If you're able to work out the price of fees, always do goods and services/the seller option. It gives the buyer extra protection.

List everything out and take individual pictures. It's a lot of work and a lot of pictures but it's the best way to showcase what you have so the buyers know what they're getting. Use a site like Imgur to host them so you don't have to upload them to the forums and just link them in the thread.