After dealing with many buyers and seeing the same problems I decided to make this post.

1. Tell the seller your real name before you send money. When you send the money add a note including your screen name so the seller can associate all communication. I have had transactions where communication methods included text message, email, phone call, PM or reply to a post. Very confusion when the info is scattered.

If you are using someone else's Paypal account ( wife, girlfriend, etc. ) tell the seller your name, the Paypal account holders name, and address and where you want it sent if different than the address on file in Paypal.
If it is coming from a company name tell that ahead of time too. When a payment is sent it includes a real name of the account, mailing address and shipping address. NO link or info to your screen name to your screen name is in the Paypal info. Tell the seller who you really are.

2. Tell the buyer exactly what you are paying for in a Paypal note. Not "Thanks!" I sell many small items and it is a pain to figure out who is sending the money and for what items if not specifically stated.

3. Make sure your address in Paypal is correct or add the shipping address in the note field in Paypal email so the seller has all the info in one place. If it is sent my PM or email it is one more thing to the seller to remember when sending the package. Keep it simple and all in one spot or the chances of things going wrong is increased.

Once had a payment sent from a U.S armed forces member. His last address in Paypal was in Japan where he had not been for 6 months. His parts went there as he never said where he wanted them shipped. They came back in 6 more months. Not my job to know where you live.

3. Your address is not included where sending money as Friends & Family. If you choose to send as friends and family be DO NOT put the address and description of what you really paid for in the notes for Paypal. Send your address in a different email or PM it. Since you are supposed to be sending money NOT for goods your address is not included.

If you send money as F & F be aware you have no recourse if there is any problem with what you are buying as you supposed to just be sending money. NO refund, no lost coverage unless it is insured through the shipper.

I never ask for F & F payment. If you want to do that it is your call. I would rather pay the fee and use the service honestly. Paypal provide a very useful service and while I do not like fees it is a fair amount (3.75%) for the service. Credit cards charge large companies 3%.

4. Don't be stupid. If you send as F & F do not add a note in the Paypal that says. "Thanks for the parts, ship them to this address". This gives Paypal what they need to close down your account for violating the terms of agreement and trying to cheap them out of the fee amount. So, don't be stupid.

5. If you live outside of the U.S. let the seller know that early in the communication so they can calculate the correct amount. Large packages have restrictions and may be prohibitively costly to ship.

6. If you live outside of the U.S. and don't want to pay the required customs fees required by the country where you live, DO NOT ASK ME to under state the value or send as a gift. This is asking the seller to violate the laws of the country in which he lives because you are a CSOB. I think Rob Sime would agree with me on this. I will not send as a gift. Be aware that if it is lost or damaged it can only be covered by insurance for up to the declared value.

7. When you send money ask the seller to confirm receipt of payment. Tell them when it was sent. I have had many cases where the sender got the email address wrong and it went money to no one. He thought he sent it and I see no payment.

That's all for now. Back to your regularly scheduled programing.
I will probably think of more stuff later.

Feel free to suggest other rules or suggestions.
No single person is the target of this post. After many years of selling I have to share my experience.
The idea is to make the communication and transactions clear, simple and complete.
Bruce

Well put Bruce.

This should be a sticky in the classified section.

All of this is very common sense to anyone who has ever run a business that sells goods to the general public. Unfortunately many people have never run a business, or even regularly sold items online. So for those people, these issues are something they're completely ignorant of, through no fault of their own however. Great to make light of this info!
A day in the life of a small business owner...

Thanks for posting this, it should help all for better transactions.

Cheers
Engelbert

Bruce
Right on except you missed one and this is probably on sellers as it has happened more than once despite advising sellers...( I swear people just don't read details)
Tell buyers how you intend to ship. USPS does not deliver mail my company street address ( which is where I get things ) ...I have been lucky post office holds stuff but not always. Obviously UPS doesn't deliver to PO Box so it can bite both ways.
Thanks
TOT

Good point. Yes they do not read or remember the important details. We all missed some of the info some of the time. There of course shipping restrictions. For example FedEx does not deliver to P.O. boxes for example. I generally say a shipping amount and use USPS or FedEx depending on several factors. such as :

1. What shipping method does the buyer want?
2. When do they need it?
3. Cost.
4. How much of a hassle is it to ship the way they want?


Non U.S customers should state the preferred shipper as they should know the best way to bring in goods to them.

All of this is very common sense to anyone who has ever run a business that sells goods to the general public. Unfortunately many people have never run a business, or even regularly sold items online. So for those people, these issues are something they're completely ignorant of, through no fault of their own however. Great to make light of this info!
A day in the life of a small business owner...
[/quote]

Yes it is common sense and thinking things through.

Excellent post, Bruce. Also, I learned some good info. from it regarding the F&F option. I agree, it should be a sticky thread.

6. When asking for a shipping quote provide more info than just a zip code. A complete address and if it is a biz provide that info too.

Another good point. FedEx is cheaper to a business. If shipping an engine or pallet size freight it is cheapest if there is a loading lock at the destination.

Sticky in the classifieds. It's all common sense but Bruce stated it so well.

I understand your frustrations and agree with a lot of the things you said; I've bought and sold things using paypal for 20 years also.

If you are so busy you cannot keep track of who is buying what, why don't you send a paypal invoice for everything you sell? Also, the only way buyers have your email, cell phone, etc is if you give it to them. Keep it simple and use only one method of communication.

Yes, it is a pain in the ass to figure out the transactions. I have had to endure the procedure. Additional point about using F & F is the seller can not print postage from PP. You have to go to USPS, creating more paper work.

and I agree with everything Bruce said also. I too sell a lot of items and use paypal for 99% of my transactions. Being a "one man band" when it comes to boxing & shipping it does take up a lot of my time, but that is the price I pay for not working a regular 9-5 job anymore.

I don't know, I kind of like the added stress

Totally agree. I am likely out 245 dollars to blackbird( not spelled right in hopes of a good outcome)for a f&f payment sent a while ago.. I have never ever been burned in 15 years or so and this would be the 1st.. That said lesson learned.

BTDT, yes you can send me money to my PayPal, but it gets really confusing when I only have your screen name.

Very helpful, thanks for putting this together Bruce. Admins should put this is the Classics......

As a seller. You pay the PayPal fees. Don't flip it back to the buyer.