EBay Help

Omeks

I'm trying to make sure I'm not walking into a scam here. I've been selling on eBay for a year now.

I just put up a copy of Ducktales for the NES last night. It has the game, the box, the manual, a sleeve and the styrofoam insert, pretty much CIB except for adverts that have been since tossed. I put it up for $60.00, Buy It Now, which I didn't think anyone would go for but I usually set things high then gradually bring them down.

This afternoon a guy in Canada messages me. Here is the message:

I will buy this now if you ship to Canada outside of the global shipping program because they are trying to charge an extra 30 dollars on your auction. There is no custom charge for items this cheap.

Thanks,

[username withheld]

Does any of this sound fishy? Could I be walking into a scam, or at minimum, be hit up with unknown shipping charges or something? I'm not familiar with shipping much to Canada. I didn't expect someone to take interest in this item so quickly at the price I set it at.

DivideByZero

I'm no eBay expert but generally every other horror story I hear from sellers starts out with "This buyer emailed me and asked me to bypass [insert standard eBay/Paypal procedure here] and I did and now I think I'm screwed."

So, probably best to err on the side of caution? It's been up for one day, what's your hurry.

bsjezz

it does look like the global shipping program adds unnecessary duties onto items which would otherwise pass beneath local tax threshholds. i think the guy's probably legit and don't see how grand a drama it could create as long as you get payment for the item plus shipping before you ship it, but it's your call.

DivideByZero

However if ebay has a policy like "you must participate in the global shipping program to gain buyer protection XYZ" be prepared for them to fuck you directly in the eye socket if this guy turns out to be not-so-legit.

bsjezz

the global shipping program is more of an optional ease-of-use thing rather than a specific protection. it's basically 'if you're too lazy to ship internationally and don't mind lumping some extra fees and taxes on your buyer, here's an idea to expand your market!'

edit: which gives me an idea - if you selected global shipping program as the method for international postage, and you want to sell to this guy, the safest way might be to relist without the global shipping program and instead a regular international postage option if that's possible. it means you won't be going off-the-map and all normal protections will be in place.

MushroomStick

If you let the guy circumvent the global shipping program, there will be absolutely no seller protection. Like if he were to make a paypal claim, you would automatically lose.

MichaelLC

Yeah, if it involves not doing it the eBay way, you're definitely going to get screwed if things go wrong. Only most l likely to get screwed if you do.

Is $60 to low? Think the new DT release would have generated more interest. Just my thought, no research to back it up.

Omeks

Generally I just don't do international shipping for the fears of scammers saying they never received the package, or even the package just getting lost in the mail. I even block all countries outside of NA but since this is Canada it puts a wrench in things.

MichaelLC, I'm not too sure if $60 is too low or not, but I usually base my prices on completed auctions and similar items (with box, manual, etc.) seemed to go for around $40.00 at most. I generally do Buy It Now and inflate the price a bit, then gradually bring it down until someone bites. Usually that takes a good while (a month or more) which is why I felt it a bit suspicious that this guy jumped on the game so quick at what I felt was a price few if any would buy at.

Fun fact: Ducktales 2 is crazy rare apparently. I sold my copy (cartridge only) for $200.00 a few months back. Yeah.

darqness

Just relist it without the Global Shipping Program if you want to sell it to the guy. Frankly I wouldn't, as you'd need to ship it USPS Express with signature confirmation to protect yourself from "I didn't receive my item".
I LOVE the GSP: if the item doesn't arrive or is damaged while in the hands of Pitney Bowes, then eBay refunds the buyer and protects you from a negative feedback.

bowen

Yeah I'd just respond with "I know it's high, but I don't want to get fucked over because someone claims this is damaged."

Gilbert0

As a Canadian, he might just be trying to get a lower price. Sellers in the US are usually WAAAY cheaper but then shipping/duties kill that.

As a buyer, he's just asking (no harm in that, right?). If I was a seller, totally send it with GSP. It's there for your protection.