Except for a few items, most of what I list is just an attempt to get the stuff out of my house. I would accept almost any offer, if prospective buyers only knew. I've found, though, that listing too low initially tends to not generate interest. Nobody wants pure junk.
Over the years, I've encountered very few problems, or even issues. I list as truthfully as possible and most buyers act accordingly. And of course, I don't welcome bad actors or negative feedback, but I don't really care, especially of late. I think of most of what I list as attempts to rehome items. I dislike throwing into the trash things that others may find useful or desirable. This is most true of those items that have been around for a long time. I must say that at least 70% of the stuff in my house was not purchased by us, but ended up in my possession for various reasons, as gifts or inherited belongings. When the time comes that these items are gone, I will no longer use Ebay, though I doubt if I'll be around that long. There is so much stuff in the house.
I like efficiency. I don't like problems. If someone has issues with a purchase, let's fix it. I refund, no questions asked. Easy solution. And there have been few instances, so I continue with Ebay, though I believe its days are numbered, in part because of super-high shipping charges and in even larger part because of the recent flood of community garage sale sites. An exception would be collectibles and antique or hard to find items. But in most cases, buyers can just peruse the sale pages and find almost anything, especially furniture, clothing, children's articles, and household goods, and can actually see what they're buying and pick it up, avoiding those exorbitant postage fees.
I said I've had very few "issues" over the years, but in the last 2 weeks, have had 4. Maybe it's because of the aforementioned reasons as to why not to buy on Ebay, but here are the issues, all of them rare and recent:
1) A buyer just didn't pay. So the automatic procedure took effect and the would-be buyer received a bad mark. If the buyer had asked, I would have cancelled. Nothing serious, but I prefer a smooth flow.
2) A buyer paid for an item, and then asked to cancel. I had begun to pack the item, which means that I had to search to find a suitable shipping container, which is never easy, for odd-shaped items.Fortunately, I hadn't shipped it yet, thus avoiding an even more refund procedure.
3) One of my listings was removed by Ebay for copyright infringement due to a protest by the VELCRO people. I'd used the term in a product description. I don't care, but there are scores of Velcro inclusive product listing on Ebay. I guess it must be a random check by the company "investigator."
4) And most irksome. A buyer complained, directly to Ebay, not me, that the item was damaged on receipt. No problem there, either. I would have refunded; it was a $3.00 sale. But here's the issue. She added, directly to Ebay (paypal) that the damage appeared to have been done BEFORE shipment. The item was a tin box, and I packed it carefully, but I know anything can happen in transit, and it was mailed Priority Mail, so the contents would have been insured for up to $100. I would have gladly refunded if she had played by the Ebay rules as I do. I told her so, and she closed her case. What is wrong with people? Moreover, the last item I mailed out is to a buyer who has left at least 7 negative feedbacks, So we'll see.
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