Question on selling expensive item on eBay.

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Xellos2099

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I just sold a $1000+ item on eBay. The buyer is someone with nearly 2k rating. It took the buyer 2 days to actually pay and when I send the buyer if it is ok to change to ups ground shipping instead of priority there are no reply. Is there any causes for concern?

I initially was thinking it was a dead beat buyer since I didn't receive payment after 1 day. But I'm day 2 I received payment. I listed priority mail as the delivery method initially but after some thinking ups ground might be a better choice. So I message the buyer if he/she/it would be ok with me shipping ups ground. No response yet. I am debating should I ship out today or wait till tomorrow to see if there is respond from buyer. I mean there is not much I can do now since the buyer pay. All I can do is take pictures and film everything from showing the item and packing it.

 
Xellos2099 said:
I just sold a $1000+ item on eBay. The buyer is someone with nearly 2k rating. It took the buyer 2 days to actually pay and when I send the buyer if it is ok to change to ups ground shipping instead of priority there are no reply. Is there any causes for concern?

I initially was thinking it was a dead beat buyer since I didn't receive payment after 1 day. But I'm day 2 I received payment. I listed priority mail as the delivery method initially but after some thinking ups ground might be a better choice. So I message the buyer if he/she/it would be ok with me shipping ups ground. No response yet. I am debating should I ship out today or wait till tomorrow to see if there is respond from buyer. I mean there is not much I can do now since the buyer pay. All I can do is take pictures and film everything from showing the item and packing it.
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A few things:

Is the buyer drop shipper? When it's anything expensive, I always make sure to check the address and see if it's a drop shipping company. Sometimes they don't bother responding to questions or take longer because they're the middle man to whoever they're buying the item for. Another reason I check the address is simply to consider the facts of where I'm shipping the item. I sold a CIB Earthbound for $1,200 last summer and I was shocked I got that much because my copy was not in the best shape. But then I checked the buyer's address and they lived in in a $2m condo so I figured they could afford it.

Response time being slow might not be an issue. Like some people, especially older people, simply do not keep their phone around them or check their emails regularly.

And on insurance, I'd take the item to a UPS store and have them pack it. I think there's a higher chance of them denying you a damage/lost item claim if you packed it yourself. You can ask the UPS clerk to take pictures as they pack it. And obviously, make sure to get direct signature (or whatever it's called, where they only deliver it to someone at the address and get their signature) too. I would NOT trust the USPS with this...

 
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at that price I think it's worth paying a few dollars more to change shipping for your peace of mind (assuming it's only a few dollars difference).  I've sold a few high priced items on ebay and some buyers just don't respond quickly, I wouldn't worry too much about that.  Good luck!

 
Pretty sure Buyers get 2 days to pay. I usually wait 4 days tops if they havent messaged me about payment or ignore my messages. And as far as the shipping type, Ive NEVER had anyone complain that I didnt ship the item with the listed shipping type! Ive been selling on there since 2004 FYI.

 
I've sold some expensive collectibles on eBay and I've had great success being consistent and clear in my listings, terms and conduct.

I deliver and do exactly what I said I would do in the listing and do not deviate.  If the buyer asks for something during/after the transaction, I deal with on a case by case basis, otherwise, I stick to what I said in the listing, including shipping method.  My 2 cents.

 
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Xellos2099 said:
If i take it to the ups store then i cannot use the ebay shipping rate.
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Not sure how heavy/large the item is but if you wanna take a $1000 risk to save $x on shipping, it's a gamble you're talking. For me, the difference was only like $20 since it was a fairly small item and under 2 lbs once packed. It might be a larger difference for you if it's something large so you'll have to ask if you think the added savings are worth the potential gamble if there is a problem.

 
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