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I'm new to this ebay stuff and so far i've setup both a sellers account on ebay and paypal account.
When someone wins an auction we both recieve an email correct? does this email have both our addresses on? i.e so i can send the object and they send payment?
also will my paypal details be given so they can pay me?
i know before they do i need to confirm postage costs...
Paypal has an automated invoicing system (auction tools) that makes managing many simultaneous auctions easier. Otherwise you need to manually send an invoice for each completed auction from your ebay seller's page -- an invoice button appears when auction ends. EBay's end of auction email will just say you both need to contact each other to complete the transaction.
A word of advice, either state you charge actual shipping in the description or use a flat fee. Some unscrupulous sellers will add a ridiculous amount when an auction item ends below what they wanted to get. As a result, many buyers, myself included, won't bid on auctions where the shipping costs aren't specified. It's OK to pad the price a little for packaging materials and "handling" as long as the buyer knows about it in advance. Best to avoid any misunderstandings; good communication is the key to a successful transaction.
some of the little details arent so clear! yes i did see an option for auto invoices but what if the bidder doesnt want to pay via paypal? or can they still use the invoice for reference and then send a cheque etc?
The checkout process lets them choose the payment method. Some users hate checkout though, which is why you still need to send an invoice. Paypal's invoices don't automatically include your mailing address; you have to customize the message text to include it. EBay's invoice and checkout systems always give the bidder your snail mail address.
Another few words of advice. If you encounter a problem bidder don't neg them with the feedback system. Good feedback is much more critical to a seller than a buyer and they could retaliate with a neg. Send a payment reminder and a couple weeks later file a NPB (non-paying bidder) refund request. After three NPBs ebay will usually NARU (not a registered user) them. So recover what fees you can and let them get pissed off at ebay instead. Every seller gets stiffed on a deal eventually and life's too short to worry about a few measly bucks.
thanks for answering my questions... but i'm still a little unclear on something...
when my item auction finishes i'll send them an email saying thanks etc and that i accept these payments, i.e paypal and cheque. so your saying it would be good pratice for me to send an invoice anyway rather them than going into 'myebay' and choosing a payment method there?
this is the format i was thinking of for a template email to send:
Hi, xxxxxx
Congratulations on your winning bid for xxxxxxxx.
I can send the goods to you by 1st class royal mail for xxxxxx, if this
is acceptable please make payment by paypal or make a cheque payable to xxxxxxxx for xxxxxxxx and send it to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Goods will be sent immediately upon confirmation of cleared funds.
Thank you,
Graeme.
does this sound ok? or am i missing anything important?
if i'm stating the facts here i wouldnt have thought i would need to send an invoice?
Some bidders might be suspicious of a payment request from an individual rather than ebay or paypal, but you can do it that way too. When you list an item you have to specify the payment methods you accept anyway, so there's really not much to sending an invoice, just click the button after the action ends. Only problem you might have is with snipers who don't wait for your email and proceed through checkout. I had a few people send me what they thought was fair shipping. One guy even sent me stamps with his check. I returned his check requesting a box, bubble wrap, a printed label and some tape. It's just easier to specify everything upfront IMHO, avoids problems.
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