Sell on eBay? Beware these items…

Posted by in ebay tips | 20 comments

I had a great phone call today with eBay’s “Top Customer Care” department* and as part of the talk the agent let me in on a few tips that I hadn’t heard before. Apparently there is a big trend right now where eBay is cooperating in a BIG way with local law enforcement to help track down people that are selling stolen goods on eBay.

Of course we all support that effort as legitimate business people, but…how can you avoid being mistaken for one of the bad guys?

The eBay TCC agent told me that you should always be able to prove that the items you are selling weren’t stolen ESPECIALLY IF the items are new (I guess there isn’t much theft of used items for resale on eBay).

I said, “What if I buy a new item at a garage sale – how can I cover myself?”

His suggestion was to always have an invoice with a signature from the source. Carry your own invoice book if you have to and get a signature from the seller of any NEW goods. I thought that was a great idea and had to share it with you.

I also asked specifically, what types of items are on the radar with eBay and local law enforcement right now?

According to TCC it’s anything that is :

  • Easy to shop lift
  • Pricey and small
  • NIB (new in original box)

If this describes anything you are selling consider covering yourself by tracking each purchase source with proof that the item wasn’t stolen.

According to TCC an invoice will do the trick if you are ever asked for proof.

*TCC or Top Customer Care is set up to answer the questions of experienced power sellers. As a Gold Powerseller I get access to them, but ANY seller can call eBay. (866)643-1588 is the number you can use and they will route you to the correct place if you aren’t eligible for the TCC team.

  • belinda consten

    Hi Jim: I guess you are going to get thousands of emails saying that what you listed above is the exact description of diabetic test strips…. are you trying to tell us something?

    (reply from Jim): Great question Belinda, but I’m not TRYING to tell you something…I’m flat out TELLING YOU something! There’s no need to shy away from selling ANY legal, legit product that eBay allows and this includes i pods, coach purses, test strips, name brand electronics etc. , BUT, be aware of what the “high profile” items are (as listed above) and be prepared to provide proof of legitimate purchase if it is requested from eBay. An invoice is proof.

  • Darren

    This is a good topic. I buy test strips locally and sell on Ebay. I had a guy start to call me regularly. After a few weeks, I was just certain he was stealing them. They were all the very best and he acquired way too many way too often. We discontinued business. To safeguard myself, I think I’ll just do a duplicate receipt for everyone I buy from so I have proof of my purchase.

    I’ve seem some items on Ebay selling for ridiculously low prices that I know are expensive in the stores (I.E. 20 packs of high end 5 blade razors) and could not possibly be purchased at such a great discount that they could be resold online profitably. Stores are having to put this stuff behind the counter more and more. Unfortunately for them, rings of shoplifters are very sophisticated. They can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

    (reply from Jim): Interesting that you mentioned razors…that’s another specific item that the TCC agent said was a good example of an easily stolen item that police are working eBay to track down. Who would have thought that razors would be hot?

  • D Smith

    I was listing some NWT artisan jewelery this week, and asked myself the ‘proof’ question before posting the auctions. I located my invoices prior to listing the pieces so that I could assure myself I would not have any problem if the question arose.
    I also recently adopted the ‘invoice book in the car’ philosophy.
    This was BEFORE reading your article. =)
    With so much emphasis from eBay on seller performance recently, it just seems prudent practice.
    Thank you for another great article!

  • D Smith

    Almost any item can be purchased legitimately at below wholesale. I find most of my products at local bankruptcy or inventory reduction/overstock auctions.

  • http://none Jim Lowe

    My training in your system said to be “very aware” of any test strip Sellers who have a hundred or more test strips to sell at One time to me because they may likely by stolen.
    I told a recent would be test strip seller who claimed he bought 176 boxes of strips from a supplier that recently went broke that I would be happy to buy all the strips from him IF he could show me a legitimate receipt for them.
    He Never produced a good receipt to show me so, even though it hurt to lose a great strip buy, I let it go.

  • Mary

    Excellent tips! Thank You!

  • http://Agoraphobia101.net Robert ODonnell

    Hey Jim,
    I’m pretty sure you remember me? I was the first to sell “test Strips” on Ebay about 6 years ago. I commented over the years about using caution when selling test strips.
    I only sell my quarterly overages as I am a diabetic. (10-20 boxes a year). I am also a 100%+ seller.
    Not only local, but the FDA is looking into prescription boxes being sold and a host of Medicare fraud.
    I sell my strips dirt cheap to help folks who NEED test strips. Things are getting very competitive so naturally I can see theft creeping in.
    Just my two cents but I’m getting our and sellers beware!
    Thanks Jim as always…Bob O.

  • chris

    Razors are an item you can get almost for free at stores if you’re an experiened couponer then turnaround for profit. Just because it’s expensive out in town doesn’t mean it can’t be resold profitably online at a discount.

  • kevin

    I’m a top rated powerseller & just now got an email about an item I sold on ebay reguarding it doesn’t work? It was old new stock. I was a hard to find TI printer. It cost me over a 100 bucks to ship. This was in the origional manuf. packing. I told him if I was to test it first. I couldn’t call it new. I told him that he has good feedback & didn’t think he was scamming me? I hope we can come to an agreement. I the past I was scammed so many times. I had to start taking serial# & marking w/ an ultraviolet pen. They keep mine & send me their crap back instead. That got old & still got scammed.

  • http://www.megaclickz.com Simon

    I dont think the razors are all stolen .Theres also the copy gillete mach 3 and the like that come from china.they are cheap to buy and onsell.you know you have one when you go to shave it usally is of rally poor qulaity yet looks the same as the original packaging.
    Im sure mobile phones will be a good example of goods they will look at too.

  • http://www.TheAutomaticPowerseller.com Eruwan Gerry

    Hi Jim,

    Thanks for the update. This is a very important change in event by eBay.

    Your updates are always the best. This truly shows that you’re an insider in eBay.

    Thanks a bunch!

  • Jason

    Alot of the sellers of strips are leary of selling them because they got them free through the mail. Many sellers are concerned if selling them is legal. Requesting a signed receipt would be a deal breaker in many cases.

  • http://www.marieang.com Marie Ang

    Hi Jim,

    Not long ago the Australian Federal Police raided a warehouse with AUD$4 million worth of cosmetics stolen from shopping centres. The stolen items were listed on Ebay and the seller had well over 15,000 feedback. Cosmetics name such as Estee Lauder, Lancome, Clinique etc were selling for very cheap prices. The listings were taken off and of course all the buyers were out of pocket unfortunately. Thank you for bringing awareness although admittedly it would be quite difficult to detect whether the seller is selling items that were obtained legally… I suppose a case of buyers beware then.

  • Ken

    I got a call recently from a guy saying he wanted to sell me 100 boxes of (name brand) strips. He only wanted $1/box. I asked him where he got so many boxes. I couldn’t believe it- he said he’s on drugs and he stole them and he needs $100 fast. I called the local police and gave them his phone number and name.

  • http://www.lingerieexposure.com Jessica the Lingerie Gal

    Good advice! This covers a lot of items, so I’m sure there are many sellers who fall under these descriptions. I agree with your advice, just keep invoices and you won’t have anything to worry about.

  • http://www.toploadpress.com Fabrizio Van Marciano

    Brilliant advice, I started off my ecommerce business on eBay and afer a few years I just couldn’t deal with the number of lost sales through scam customers, never again.

  • Charlene

    That’s good advice, Jim. Thank you.

    Charlene

  • jay

    Great info guys, i came across 4 boxes of indate test strips and tried to resell them on ebay, only to get pulled…..didn’t understand? thought maybe you have to be certified or something…..my seller rating is over 400 and have 99% feedback? is ebay cracking down on this?

    [reply from Jim]: eBay is not “cracking down”, but they are being forced to be picky about using photos from manufacturers websites. Perhaps that is what happened? This is a serious business for those ready to take it seriously. The full course on “test strips” is here: http://www.mysilentteam.com/public/474.cfm

  • jason s

    i received a call from eBay about this. the eBay rep was very nice about it, but he wanted to know where i got all these strips. his concern(s) were what if they are stolen, are they expired or counterfit, and where is the paper trail. he said i was one of the top ten sellers of strips, which did surprise me. like i said earlier, asking for a receipt or invoice would scare off at least 1/2, maybe all, the strip sellers. looks like i may need to sell somewhere else, which would not be hard. but even if i do sell somewhere else, i still may need a paper trail….

    so this call from eBay just goes to show that they ARE watching.

    i brought up the strip manufacturers are probably behind this whole push, as they want people to heave to pay $130 at Walgreens instead of $60 on eBay. He said that was not the case, the reason is retailers are complaining about stolen goods being fenced on eBay. really? why is J&J combing eBay and having listings taken down for a stolen picture, and haw can the say it is stolen in the first place???

    this has REALLY got me thinking about throwing in the towel on strips…

    oh well. maybe i need to try my hand at clickbank or something.

  • Vickie

    Will my receipt book be proof enough? or do I need an actual invoice? I buy test strips from individuals, a few have asked me if I needed a receipt and I have said yes. So is that proof enough?

    [reply from Jim]: The receipts should do, but if you can get a phone number and/or address for each sale that would be best. The more proof you can supply them in an audit the better off you’ll be. It seems like they are backing off a bit now…haven’t heard as many stories lately.