eBay is getting to me

I have an unfinished Sportster for sale on ebay. So I see questions. One guy is a disabled vet and wants me to finish the bike for him and he wiil send me 500 dollar payments pay for labor to finish and take the bus up from Baltimore and ride home.. Another guy wants to have someone pick it up and ship to Sweden . The ad states PICKUP ONLY. It also sates motor is rebuilt but bike needs final assembly, battery etc completed. I have an antique car project and a shovelhead project that I need the cash for now. Neither guy is listening to me. neither is a scammer as far as I can tell but I keep answering questions telling them politly no. Now the vet guy ebay emails he can feel the Karma and his is going to win the bike [ suddenly he has money]. I explained to both guys I'm not interested in these deals .I'm actually getting depressed about this. There is 21 watchers [although until they bid means nothing]. I wish someone would throw in a bid and stop the annoyingness. I find Harley guys don't bid until the auctions end as they don't show their cards. My nature is to be helpful but I told them both twice .I don't finance things and No shipping. I thought it would be so much easier than an ad in the paper . But Nooooooooo!

Shipping to Sweden sounds like it could be a scam. People who tell me things I don't need to know make me nervous, the people who have tried to rip me off the worst have either told me they were DVs or Christians, in either case if it is a business transaction I don't see what it has to do with anything. If they were someone I was working with or met in some social context it would make sense but when someone comes to buy something and the first thing they say is "I am a (whatever)" I tend to become doubtful.
Zach

To sell use Craigslist only and check the box that disallows e-mails and list your phone number. Scammers and tire kickers don't want to talk to anyone face to face. When you do get calls they will more than likely be serious. RB

Craigs list works. Just don't take e-mails or text's. CASH ONLY. I sell quite a bit on CL. I always getting these guys try to e-mail me asking the condition or if I'm firm on my price? Right in the ad I have put the condition. Then they will say I really like what you have and your price is fine and I will have a trucker pck it up due to me traveling or what ever. RIGHT!!! I allways put in ad no e-mails, no text and cash only.

I occasionally sell on eBay just to clean up my junk. I just discovered they are now chargeing a commission on postage.
Don't think much of that.

honestly they both sound like scammers,I would steer clear of both and couldn't agree more with MR.Hoyt.

I noticed that too. I believe on the majority of the smaller sale items it is 10% final value fee AND 10% on the shipping costs. I don't doubt most of that was because of a lot of overseas sales of starting an auction or buy it now for .01 or .99 and then charging 20 or 30 dollars for shipping. Makes everyone else pay more.

Sweden sounds fishy. After I had just about that happen with a buy it now on a pickup I quit listing anything but paper for sale outside the US.

Vet is a bit of a different story but I think you should be OK if you have in your listing that full payment is expected in a reasonable time, and item is as-is. Hoping that the Vet has figured this out and he has made other arrangements to see the bike finished. I know PayPal at least used to have a payment program where the seller got full payment at completion of the deal and the buyer payed them over time. Might not have that now as I haven't sold in maybe 5 years.

jm2cw

jt

The guy from Sweden may or may not be legit. If he actually has someone who will pick up your basket case and pay you in cash at that time, I wouldn't be concerned. Just check the guy out. There is a perverse interest in Harleys in Europe, and the guy may figure he might as well transport a disassembled motorcycle as an assembled one.

The "disabled vet" just wants to get something for nothing. Forget about him.

IF the guy is paying you cash and picking it up why would care where he is shipping it? If he says money order, run away.

Ebay and Craigslist isn't much different than putting something in your front yard with a for sale sign on it. You're gonna attract wheelers and dealers, scammers and hustlers, and OCCASIONALLY, an interested buyer who doesn't want to write his own terms. It's all part of the game. Just last week, I sold a trailer (on Craigslist) Listed it with a good price, said WILL NOT BUDGE ON PRICE. Also stated NO TEXT MESSAGES...WILL NOT REPLY TO TEXT MESSAGES. Guess what? I got 22 text messages, 19 of them asking if I'd take less. I knew going in what was gonna happen. I just ignored the text messages. About 3 hours after I posted the add, a gentleman called, sounded interested, got my address, showed up (with cash) and bought it without the first effort to beat me down on the price. It only takes ONE buyer even though you might get 100 calls.

Sometimes it takes every ounce of self control I have, but I TRY to ignore people who can't follow directions, or want to do things THEIR way when I'm specific about doing it MY way.

My friend sold an old rusty Mercedes on Ebay with the express instructions 'no international sales, local pickup only'. Some guy from Hungary paid a fortune for it and arranged all the logistics so my friend didn't have to do a thing except transfer the money out of Paypal into his bank.

(quoted from post at 19:32:07 03/22/14) To sell use Craigslist only and check the box that disallows e-mails and list your phone number. Scammers and tire kickers don't want to talk to anyone face to face. When you do get calls they will more than likely be serious. RB

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Those who list on CL, but will not answer Emails will never do business with me. I do not have the time or the patience to play phone tag with you guys.

It is easy to screen and delete or just plain ignore the scam emails, and if you use the CL contact feature, no one will ever know your true email address.

Put your phone number on your ad and the whole world knows your phone number.

How do I know you will not give MY phone number to a scammer?

Rusty I am like you , use Cl reply with NO phone number in the add. Get 1 good response out of 5 to 6 replies but still works.

Me too, I got tired years ago of getting called by drunks in the middle of the night. I just use the email and if people don't want to communicate by email they send me their phone number and I will try at least once to call them.
Zach

Wonder why the "one guy" would feel the need to let you know he is a disabled vet. Maybe a friend of Old"s. Just stick to your terms and don"t let it go until cash in hand.

I sell on ebay all the time.
When you post an ad stick to it
local pickup only means local pickup only.
Other wise selling on ebay will drive you crazy.

(quoted from post at 02:18:54 03/23/14) I have an unfinished Sportster for sale on ebay. So I see questions. One guy is a disabled vet and wants me to finish the bike for him and he wiil send me 500 dollar payments pay for labor to finish and take the bus up from Baltimore and ride home.. Another guy wants to have someone pick it up and ship to Sweden . The ad states PICKUP ONLY. It also sates motor is rebuilt but bike needs final assembly, battery etc completed. I have an antique car project and a shovelhead project that I need the cash for now. Neither guy is listening to me. neither is a scammer as far as I can tell but I keep answering questions telling them politly no. Now the vet guy ebay emails he can feel the Karma and his is going to win the bike [ suddenly he has money]. I explained to both guys I'm not interested in these deals .I'm actually getting depressed about this. There is 21 watchers [although until they bid means nothing]. I wish someone would throw in a bid and stop the annoyingness. I find Harley guys don't bid until the auctions end as they don't show their cards. My nature is to be helpful but I told them both twice .I don't finance things and No shipping. I thought it would be so much easier than an ad in the paper . But Nooooooooo!

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I used to sell a lot of stuff on ebay. I stopped shipping stuff to other countries because of the hassle. I clearly stated in my listings that I'd ship to US addresses only. I'd still get emails from over seas buyers asking if they could bid. I'd tell them sure, but they'd have to find someone in the US that I could ship the item to. They would say that they didn't know anyone in the US, but invariably by the time the auction was over they would have found a buddy in the US for me to ship the item to.
Stick to your terms.
The Sweden deal might be ok. Tell the guy it must be paid for in cash within a specified time. If the guy wants the bike he'll find a way to make it happen.
You can block certain bidders. At least you could when I was a seller.
As for C/L..... If you really want to deal whackos list your bike on C/L. There are some legit buyers using C/L, but it seems like 80% are scammers or flakes. I figure any seller that won't answer emails is a scammer too.

I've always wondered what the difference in
destination countries was. I noticed some sellers
won't ship to Canada, but why not? All they have to
do is ship it via USPS and charge the extra it
cost. There's no tax or duty for them to worry
about. You can also ship it via Ebay's
international shipping program through Pitney
Bowes.

When I sell on C/L I request that They email their phone number, Then I call the ones that sound legit. I also do it in order that they come in.
As far as the Guy that told You that He is a Disabled Vet, The one's that start out with that are just trying to scam You.
If they are truly a Disabled Vet worth their salt, They have too much Honor and Pride to start off with that.

Steve A W

I see what you are saying but it is not a basket case . It is an 85 % complete bike rebult motor and trans . Motor inmstalled back in chassis with S&S E carb. I would still have to box up the generator and other loose parts. Even if the Swedish guy is painless I would still have to be home to meet the shipping pick-up in the day and if I'm working that's a no go.

My apologies, Doc, for calling your bike a basket case. I should have said "project".

It is kinda stupid on my part to not just finish it up and add a thousand bucks to the price but the shovelhead trans had water in it and the price of Andrews gears has gone sky high. I'm finding getting any Big Twin 4 speed parts a real pain. There is not much appreciation for old Sportsters but on the other hand the Shovels have good resale. here is the auction 380867744235

It looks to be well worth your asking price. Good luck.

Rusty, same with me, email to them or no contact. And email is only way I can do bussiness due to hearing problems. If have to call no other way then Wife has to do it.

Hi
I never sell on bay but have over 400 feedback buying. I think a few people want top dollar for things and don't want to work for it. I am in Canada. If i want something real bad i will ask about out of country shipping A guy can have bids or say no If you don't ask you don't know.

Right now I have guys shipping fordson parts from Australia, that were listed local pickup only no shipping!. i know what shipping costs and how much there is to do for customs forms in a few country's. So just ask if they are willing to do it at my costs. I think in over 400 things I have bought 5 guys wouldn't ship when I inquired before bidding.The stuff sold for nothing at the end to so their loss not mine, I just waited and found it else were.
I did here the other day that the U.S.P.S customs form is a nightmare now just short of being called a criminal.

That will pretty much close canada from the U.S buying.on top of ebay royally adjusting everybody over now wanting a % of shipping on top of the commission for selling and using pay pal.
Regards Robert

Hi
Not trying to start an argument with you
was just wondering from your comment how you would answer my dilemma right now. I am a genuine collector of fordson tractors. I have 2 rarer ones i want parts for. Guys have been paying nothing for them here in Canada and shipping them for mega profits.
Would you rather me say I was looking for parts to restore my tractor for my private collection/maybe add pictures to the email I send you of my tractors I want parts for, or be the guy saying nothing, buy the parts/tractor from you for nothing ripping you off, and then ship them away for $5000 profit. As has happened here in the last few years.
I figure somethings can be helpful like that by being honest. I get guys phone me wanting odd parts or tractors I don't usually sell tractors unless it's a spare i don't need.
I can usually figure out the lying cheating exporters from the genuine guys out there.
The genuine guy gets help if I can. The exporter don't get far with me I can't stand the lies some tell for there own gain.
Regards Robert

I build parade wagons for a hobby and have advertised on ebay. About 3 years ago I sold a wagon to a buyer in Sweden. He paid me via Paypal for the wagon and paid me extra via Paypal to haul it about 125 miles to a gathering site in Indiana where it joined a crawler he bought from someone else. That's where my responsibility ended. Both the crawler and the wagon were then trucked to Baltimore at his expense where they were loaded on a ship bound for Stockholm. He paid me via Paypal for the wagon and the 125 mile haul before the wagon left my yard. It worked out just fine.

Well unless yours is unlisted then it's in the phone book. They can get all the phone numbers they want right in the phone book. I'm not talking cell phones, I'm talking land lines. I got 50% scammers when using e-mail , ZERO scam and ZERO problems when using phone number. The buyers I have dealt with have all been phone one on one type people. Some don't even have computers and have had a relative do CL search for them and they do the follow up...by phone .Works for them and works for me. You do what works for you. My stats show you to be a minority. I will continue to do what works for me.

(quoted from post at 15:40:37 03/23/14) I've always wondered what the difference in
destination countries was. I noticed some sellers
won't ship to Canada, but why not? All they have to
do is ship it via USPS and charge the extra it
cost. There's no tax or duty for them to worry
about. You can also ship it via Ebay's
international shipping program through Pitney
Bowes.

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I'm not familiar with ebay's international shipping program. I don't do much selling now. When I was selling a lot they didn't have that feature. There are or at least were two different customs forms and it seemed which form was the correct one depended on who waited on you at the post office. Maybe it wasn't that bad but t sure seemed like it.
Then there's the fact that most Canadian buyers wanted us to falsify the customs forms because they had to pay taxes when they received the item. I would estimate at least 80% of Canadian buyers asked or told us to do that....even after we told them we wouldn't.
We ran into a snag shipping frog spears to another country. Apparently you can't ship weapons to whatever country those went to. I had to convince the postal clerk that frog spears were tools and not weapons.
Then there's the shipping cost.....which EVERY buyer from Europe complained about. One guy begged me to let him bid on an automotive shop manual he needed for a vintage car. As I recall the manual sold for around $20 and the shipping cost $22!!!! Of course the buyer complained to me and threatened negative feedback but I only charged him what the USPS charged me. Then another European buyer wanted me to ship a manual the cheapest way possible. I did just that. He complained that it took two months to get the manual. The delivery hold up was due to his country's postal service.
In the latter years that I sold on ebay we could print the shipping labels and schedule the packages to be picked up, rather than having to take them to the post office. We couldn't do that with international sales. They may be different now.
International sales just weren't worth the hassle so we stopped.
My wife recently sold something on ebay. It was the first thing she sold there in a long time. She specified no international sales. Someone begged her to let them bid so she gave in. Of course that buyer won the item. I don't know what the issue was, but there was an issue with ebay's invoice system in regards to international sales. They were able to work out the problem satisfactorily. It was just the typical hassle that comes with international sales on ebay.

As I stated in an earlier post we used to sell on ebay a lot. We haven't used it much for several years until recently when we listed some shop manuals.
A "buyer" from Finland wanted to bid on a manual. In a moment of weakness I said ok and gave him a shipping price. A few hours before the auction ended he asked about combined shipping for two manuals. I gave him another shipping quote. He ended up winning the second item but not the first. He sent a message saying he needed the first manual and the second was just a bonus, but since he didn't win the first one he didn't want the second.
That was the reminder I needed to never sell internationally.

(quoted from post at 00:21:50 03/27/14) As I stated in an earlier post we used to sell on ebay a lot. We haven't used it much for several years until recently when we listed some shop manuals.
A "buyer" from Finland wanted to bid on a manual. In a moment of weakness I said ok and gave him a shipping price. A few hours before the auction ended he asked about combined shipping for two manuals. I gave him another shipping quote. He ended up winning the second item but not the first. He sent a message saying he needed the first manual and the second was just a bonus, but since he didn't win the first one he didn't want the second.
That was the reminder I needed to never sell internationally.

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Why would that sour you on international buyers? Someone in the next county could pull the same deal.

Why would that sour you on international buyers? Someone in the next county could pull the same deal.

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Because in my experience a high percentage of international sales on ebay are a hassle in one way or another. I broke my own no international sales policy for this guy then he flaked out. He just re-affirmed what I already knew.
There are plenty of others that are willing to deal with the hassle.