# Ebay is safety to the seller?



## yutos (Mar 19, 2010)

If I sell woodworking machinery in ebay, it is safe to me?


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## del schisler (Feb 2, 2006)

sure it is safe But i belive creig list would be better my thought


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## thistlefly (Dec 2, 2008)

I actually work for PayPal, part of the eBay "family." I typically sell items that I do not want to ship on craiglist rather than eBay, simply because buyers often don't seem to read the "WILL NOT SHIP, LOCAL SALE ONLY" disclaimer.

That said, I've sold a lot of things through craigslist, and have been amazed at the mix of normal people and total flakes that respond. I've had people grill me on the condition of a *free* item and ask if I can deliver it. I've had one or two of the scam contacts where they offer to pay more than you are asking, by certified check or money order (either of which is actually forged), telling me that "their driver" will pick up the item.

So, I would say that in terms of being scammed, you are far safer on eBay. If you're okay with relisting your item if a buyer turns out to expect you to ship your jointer/planer or whatever, I'd go that route. For craigslist, I would require cash only, and be prepared for everyone to offer 50% of your asking price, even if it is already a very fair price.

Good luck!

Bob


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Bob

I will 2nd your post, you are right on the button. 

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thistlefly said:


> I actually work for PayPal, part of the eBay "family." I typically sell items that I do not want to ship on craiglist rather than eBay, simply because buyers often don't seem to read the "WILL NOT SHIP, LOCAL SALE ONLY" disclaimer.
> 
> That said, I've sold a lot of things through craigslist, and have been amazed at the mix of normal people and total flakes that respond. I've had people grill me on the condition of a *free* item and ask if I can deliver it. I've had one or two of the scam contacts where they offer to pay more than you are asking, by certified check or money order (either of which is actually forged), telling me that "their driver" will pick up the item.
> 
> ...


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

I regard eBay, unless I'm dealing with someone I know, as moderately high risk. I've had several vendors string out correspondence then not deliver, only to find eBay doesn't want to know because they deliberately set a short time period for complaints, then offer you a complaints procedure designed to burn people off with all sorts of irrelevant questions and no way of telling them what you want to. I assume it enables them to run a one man and a dog cost cutting complaints department.

Cheers

Peter


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

bob and bob both make good points. my one griipe with ebay is the charges. by the time ebay & paypal get their cut, not a lot left over. that being said, the conflict resolution service is worth every penny.

craigslist is fast and cheap, but there are a few bad apples out there. set up a hotmail or aol email account that you only use for that purpose, and try to meet in public places if you have concerns. I've had some great transactions, and met some nice folks, but I've walked away from a few as well


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