Ebay question

[69bronzeT5]

Okay, I already have an Ebay account. I'm getting a debit card soon (I assume you can use Paypal with a debit card?). I'm gonna try to set up a Paypal so I can sell and buy stuff on Ebay. However, my question is...how hard is it to set one up and is it really worth it?

[Todd Wilson]

Well its not hard at all to set up a paypal account.

I assume your debit card is coming with a checking account?   I use paypal all the time with ebay for paying for stuff. It comes right out of my checking account. I can also use a credit card if I want to. I only use my credit card on any really big purchases as you have some protection if things go bad on the transaction. You can protest the charge to your credit card and then let them handle it.  They claim paypal offers you protection as well but I would feel more comfortable letting the credit card company deal with it then be out the cash from the checking account while you deal with things.


Todd

[FLG]

I dont have much money in the bank so i use my debit card for purchases. Problem is, if i get screwed i have no CC company to back me up and fight the dispute.

[69bronzeT5]

I assume your debit card is coming with a checking account?   

[Landonsrt]

Ive used paypal for years. The only probelm I have is you use your checking account, paypal actually sends the seller a check which takes longer to go through as paid. If you use a debit card or cc, payment is received instantly.
Go that route!

[b5blue]

Use the card  I believe eBay now is taking over for PayPal in the $$ dept. (if something goes wrong) But yea it's a piece of cake to set up.

[defiance]

Actually, I strongly recommend you DON'T use your bank account directly to pay people with paypal.  You can connect paypal with your bank account and do instant transfers that don't have a waiting period (the echecks do), just as fast as credit card, and paypal strongly recommends that method.  DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!   If there is ANY possible way, whatsoever, to do so, use a credit card instead!!

If you pay directly from your bank account, you're relying on Paypal's buyer protection, which is completely useless.  They claim they'll protect you when you make a purchase, but that only holds true if the people you sent money to don't remove the funds from paypal.  COME ON!  If I'm a scammer, I'm going to remove funds the SECOND you pay me, duh!

And you can't rely on feedback anymore on ebay.  The majority of fraud isn't done by actual users, but by hackers that have taken over good users' accounts.


Example -
When I decided to get a PS3 a while back, I scoured ebay for a 20-gig (my entertainment center has ethernet, I had a couple extra laptop hard drives lying around, and lots of ps2 games, so the 20-gig was the best choice for me).  Found one on ebay, buy it now for good price, looked to be in good condition, user had a couple hundred feedback at 100% positive.

Bought it, paid through paypal, all seemed happy.

A week later, no ps3, no tracking, no response to emails, no answer to phone calls, and looking at the user's auctions, he had bought sold random things sporatically for a few years, then suddenly the day before I bought from him, he posts 40 PS3's for sale.   
crap.

So I tried disputing it with paypal.  They have their buyer's protection plan, right?  Sure, except the "seller" had withdrawn the funds as soon as I sent them, of course, and paypal's response is, well, there's nothing more we can do.  What kind of "protection" is that crap? 

Luckily, I'd used a credit card as the source for the paypal payment.  I called the credit card company, they removed the charge, done, easy. 

If I had used the bank account for the funding source, as I usually did at the time, I'd have just lost that money.

Bottom line, if you use the bank account, you're on your own, paypal's protection is worthless.  If you use a credit card, though, you actually have useful protection.



Actually, here's a question, though - if you use one of those credit-card branded bank cards as a credit card, does the credit card company offer the same type of protection?  Or does that count as an unprotected bank transaction?  Hm.....

[WingCharger]

What about if a debit card can also be used as a credit card?

[b5blue]

YUP

[69bronzeT5]

Well unfortentley, being 16...I don't really have a way to get or pay for a credit card

[b5blue]

Yes you do...AMSCOT and such "sell" credit cards you pre-pay the balance on...get one of those and just put on it what you need to. I do agree I never link anything right to my account. (incidentally someone in Spain tried to buy high end electronics with one of my cards and my bank noticed and declined the sale thank GOD!)

[Silver R/T]

easiest thing you can do...

[mikepmcs]

My take on it is this.  First of all, what are you selling and are you going to sell multiple things all the time.  If not I suggest just be a buyer.  "fee" bay and pay pal absolutely kill you in charges when you sell.   It is almost not worth your time to list it, sell it, pay all the ridiculous fees, package it, truck it to the post office, ship it, hope it gets there in a timely fashion, hope the buyer likes it enough to not leave poor feedback, etc......  It's not very gratifying if you are a part time seller.  Unless you are selling one big item or something that you made, with no overhead, it is not a very enjoyable experience.  EBAY is something for nothing.  I'm still trying to figure out how these guys can sell $.99 DVD's and even think about turning a profit.

[Silver R/T]

.99 DVD's come with like $20 shipping cost, so now you understand how they make profit?

[rav440]

as much as im disgusted with ebay right now it is still the biggest game in town . BRONZE if your going to sell do research first on the item your are selling , discribe it as best you can in your listing and take as many photos as you can list if its going to be a $$$ item EX: if your selling a run of the mill HOTWHEEL for $1.99 no need to take a bunch of pics but if your have a saleman PROMO 1969 road runner from 69 that is going to bring $$ then take the pics from every angle you can . antoher thing if your going to sell is get you self a $40.00 scale that will weight up to a 50lb item that way you can set up your shipping price .

selling isnt hard but with ebay changing the rules everyday it get frustrating .

ive done well on ebay over the years . i hope you have fun with it and make some extra cash in the process . just be honest and dont try to fool people and you will do well .

good luck . if you have any questions PM me ill give you my phone # and help you as much as i can

RANDY 

[jaak]

Ive noticed ebay's and paypal's fees seem like they went up, I dont like selling on ebay as much as I use to. but still do from time to time.

Jason

[69bronzeT5]

Okay finally got a debit card today. I've decided to start listing the smaller 1999-2004 Mustang parts I have on Ebay. Any tips about selling?

[captnsim]

Use a good pic with a full description.
Only ship with a tracking #.(this is a must do for coverage!!)
Avoid over seas shipping.
Read Pay Pal's long user agreement...If you follow there requirements for coverage to the letter, there Buyer/Seller protection works great.

[69charger2002]

my best advice is don't get lazy and use a one line description.. example:
up for bids a 1999 ford mustang taillight. thanks and good luck.

now that will work if you:
1. don't want to sell it
2. want to receive 100 questions and still not be able to sell it.

If you decide to put multiple pics of a cheap item, use a free photo service and link them in with html, instead of paying $.15 per photo after your first free one.

Also don't rape people on shipping costs, but as said before, have a scale set up for how much it will cost. Add about $2-3 bucks to the amount, and that will help cover the cost of getting tape, gas to the post office, and if any left over, maybe help absorb some of paypal's fees. On larger items it's much easier to absorb a few bucks for shipping, but on a small item, you better be close or you will get flack for it. IT would suck to sell an item for $10 bucks, charge $10 for shipping, it only cost $3 to actually ship, and then you get a negative feedback just for that.. anyway that's my advice.. OH and find your own boxes. don't pay for boxes, every time you find one grab it and take it home. you never know when that box may be exactly what you need. i have shipped literally thousands of items over the years, i have never spent a penny on a box.


an ebay "trick" that high volume sellers sometimes use is making the listing fees crazy low like $.99  but put shipping at 10 times what it should be to avoid extra ebay fees. i don't agree with this philosophy, and in fact, i usually purposely avoid those seller's items for that principle.
for example:
a new mustang taillight from one seller may be $99.99 plus $20 to ship.. where another seller lists his taillight for $20 BIN with 99.99 shipping. the way people search a lot of times they think oh man $20 that's a steal, and click their item. but in the end of course it's the same. just be fair all the way around and it will work out for you best in the end.
good luck i've had a ton of success on ebay, but i don't sell on there as much as i used to, the fees, paypal fees(can't take money orders anymore) etc have just gotten out of hand. if it's not worth over $20 i don't even waste my time with ebay, it's not worth it.

[ACUDANUT]

 A 16 year old with a Credit Card = Bad idea

[69bronzeT5]

A 16 year old with a Credit Card = Bad idea

It's a debit card....I can only spend as much as I put in my account. AND I'm 17.


Trav, thanks for the advice

[69bronzeT5]

So....how do I set up Paypal not just for Ebay but any Paypal thing?

[rav440]

So....how do I set up Paypal not just for Ebay but any Paypal thing?

if you already have pay pal you are good to go .

[69bronzeT5]

So....how do I set up Paypal not just for Ebay but any Paypal thing?

if you already have pay pal you are good to go .

I don't have anything set up Paypal wise yet....

[Tilar]

Just go here and sign up

The personal account is for just a few transactions, but if you sell more than one or two things in a years time they make you get a premier account anyway which really isnt any big deal. If you intend on actually selling on ebay thats the one I have and the one I'd suggest you do since it sounds like that's what you want to do.