Selling Stuff on Ebay and Craigslist is NOT for the Amateur!

My friend Doug asked me recently:


Dude-
I need your sound advice regarding cars. Actually tire wheelcovers.  It's a boring story but I ended up with an extra set of wheel covers that fit Nissan Leaf 2013-2017 model cars. Here's a link to a description. https://www.hubcaps.org/53089options.html These are factory Nissan parts. Like new condition - pulled them off a car that had 20K miles on it.

I could just throw them away. I don't want to hassle with Ebay as I've never sold anything there before. But maybe you want to list them and I could ship from here. Or, do you have any other advice on how to dispose of them. Trying to clean up the garage a bit.


Doug



I wrote him back.  Doug is a father of four. 


Ahh, getting rid of excess stuff.  My specialty. 

Dude, I wish I could sell this stuff for you on Ebay, but I can't.  Ebay is a complicated mess that takes up way too much time.  Selling something on Ebay consists of several parts, all taking lots of time and all frustrating:

1.  Listing the item.  Ebay has tons of rules, tons and tons.  It's like they don't really want you to sell your stuff.  They really just want you to buy.  See item 3 below.

2.  Actually selling the item.  Then you have to be a retail seller and the buyer can screw you over as much as they want.  Ebay always takes the side of the buyer.  Be prepared to be f*****d over by duplicitous buyers and by Ebay even more. 

3.  If you sell an item, then you have to figure a way to get the item to the buyer, and figure out all weights, items, shipping beforehand.  There's a ton of background info.  If you get one small detail wrong, then you are f****d if you sell the item.  The buyer will return the item and you will have to pay the cost of shipping the item to him and probably the cost of the buyer returning the item to you, along with a full refund of the cost of the item.  Ebay always, always, takes the side of the buyer.  Always.

Unless you are prepared to sell dozens of items close together in time, I would not recommend Ebay.   Huge learning curve.  If you list and sell just  a few items ocassionally,  you will forget all the rules, and will suffer emotionally as well as financially.  It's a ton of work.  It sucks. 

B/c of all the details, and b/c as a seller I rely on quick shipping, completely accurate descriptions, and a great feedback rating as a seller, it would not make sense for me to sell your wheel covers (why not call them hubcaps, for God's sake). 

But you should make your kids sell these for you.  They keep 50% of profits.  Good experience for them, seriously. 

I myself would sell them, or get my kids to sell them, on Craigslist.  Much easier.  But you have to deal with fools.  I will send you a series of texts detailing a buyer and my experience with him just yesterday.  He bought my Subaru tires for $60, but returned them saying I had made a mistake in listing them.  He then realized that the tires would indeed fit his truck, so he came and got them back.  The whole scenario took about 25 texts and emails, having to meet  him to give him the tires, then having to bring the tires in after he returned them, then putting them out again after he wanted them again. Total time wasted: about 2.5 hours. 

Regards,
Norb Wu

************

What a pain in the ass selling stuff is.  I’ve had three tires listed on Craigslist for several months.  This weekend, a buyer “Mike” contacted me and wanted to buy the tires.  I was happy to get rid of these tires.  But like many transactions, it turned into several hours of my time:

Mike met me at my off-site storage facility and bought my Subaru tires for $60. He later returned them saying I had made a mistake in listing them.  I had to point out that I had listed the tires completely accurately.  I put them back in storage in my garage.  He then realized that he was confused and the tires actually would fit his truck, so he came and got them back (I had to go back to my garage and take them out of storage again).

Total time and energy wasted: About 25 texts and emails, having to meet  him to give him the tires, then having to bring the tires in after he returned them, then putting them out again after he wanted them again.

Maybe 2.0 hours wasted, including time puzzling in front of my computer looking at my craigslist ad to see where I had listed the tires incorrectly, and even biking back to my storage facility to double check that I had listed my tire specs correctly.  Turns out I had listed the tires completely and absolutely correctly!


Here are the initial emails in reverse chronological order:

On Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 8:08 PM wrote:
Okay, i'll have cash $60. thanks

Sent from my iPod

On Jan 31, 2019, at 8:05 PM, N W wrote:
Hi Mike:

OK, I can meet you tomorrow at 10am.  The address is xxx Avenue, Pacific Grove.  It's across from the xxx, and three doors down from xxx Drive and xxx Avenue -- at the corner of xxx and xxx.  There's a tallish fence all around the property and I can meet you on the driveway -- garage with old yellow door is at the end of the driveway.

Please don't disturb the tenants -- see you at 10AM and thanks!

Regards,
Norb Wu
----------------------------------------
Norbert Wu Productions
USA

On Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 8:02 PM buyer> wrote:
Yes I know there old there for my work truck.
Yes 10:00am works great on PG.
Mike

Sent from my iPod

On Jan 31, 2019, at 7:56 PM, N W wrote:
Hi Mike:

 Would 10am work?  If not, give me a time that works for you.

You know that these are old, used tires, right?  Here's the text from the listing:

On Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 7:40 PM wrote:

Great, I would like to buy and pick up tomorrow is morning ok ?
Mike

Sent from my iPod

*************
I met Mike and he took the tires.  He gave me cash.  I biked home thinking “Great, nice to get rid of those tires, and nice to have that space in my garage now.”

Nope.  Within an hour, I got these texts from Mike:
+buyer phone : Here this is mike about the tires 9:51 AM
+ buyer phone : The tire are 215\65 not 215\75 11:06 AM
+ buyer phone : I returned tires to xxx your garage. Mike 11:21 AM

Me: My craigslist listing and my email to you said that the tires were 215/65. Never anywhere did I say that the tires were 215/75. I checked and double checked. Regardless, thx for putting the tires back at xxx. Send me your mailing address and I will send you a check for the $60. But seriously man, I don't think that this was my mistake. I thought maybe I was going crazy at first. 1:01 PM
Me: I sent you an email earlier with links to my craigslist posting and with my earlier email attached. 1:02 PM

+buyer phone : Ok. Mike xxx xxx st. Carmel ca 93923. Thanks. 1:04 PM
+buyer phone : Hi Norb, i can use the tires. sorry tuff day. But can I come pick up.thanks. Mike 5:51 PM
+buyer phone : I had gone to costco and the tire man got me totally confused. Now I'm okay and would like to pick up the tires. Thanks. Mike 5:58 PM

Me: Hi Mike: I'll leave the tires by the door at xxxx tomorrow. You can pick them up anytime tomorrow after 10am. I hope that works for you and 6:32 PM
Me: I hope that works for you and that you can confirm yes or no. The tires will be at the same place you left them. Things are too complicated now! 6:33 PM

+buyer phone : Thanks sorry for the mix up. 6:33 PM
+buyer phone : Yes will be there tomorrow Sat 10:30 am 6:34 PM

********
It all ended fine.  Yes, I had to grit my teeth.  Yes, I wasted two hours in front of my computer and biking back and forth to my storage space to make sure that I had listed the tire specifications correctly, and to move the tires out, then back in, then out again.  Yes, this was a huge waste of time for $60.  But it always feels great to get stuff out of my storage areas.