Handling of Goods

By this I mean packaging of the goods and other activities involved.
What you sell influences the degree of difficulty in handling these.

The following could be the things you need to bother about :-

1) Boxes –Do not use just any old box for packaging. A shipping-type box is necessary. Do not use a shoe box or some other flimsy container. If you are shipping really fragile items, two boxes are safest. The outer box should be a couple of inches larger than the inner one to allow for extra padding.

2) Padding - Sending a few tough books without padding is safer than sending some porcelain dishes unprotected. You can use newspaper as padding of choice because it is cheap and readily available. However, be careful because the ink can rub off on some objects and detract from their beauty, so wrap these kinds of items in plastic. Cardboard can also be very effective as packing material. Bubble wrap is also a good option. (But, it costs more than the other materials so always look for bargains on this valuable product.) Save every scrap you get.

3) Other supplies - In addition, you need mailing tape, regular tape,
scissors, labels and a legible marker. I wrap everything in plastic bags just for
safety’s sake. Another precaution you might consider is to include an extra label inside the package. You don’t want your inventory sitting around one of those ghostly mail offices. If you reuse a box, cover up the old label or scratch through it with a marker. I sent a package to a seller that came right back to me. I thought the new address was quite obvious but apparently the Post Office didn’t.
Whatever materials you choose to use, be sure to pack your items securely.
Companies will sometimes contest an insurance claim if they feel you didn’t do an adequate packing job.

Shipping of Goods

The movement of product to your buyer is a demanding process. Your entire
auction business will fall on its face if your merchandise delivery isn’t prompt
and intact.

If you're like me, you probably hate packing and shipping the things you sell on eBay.

The following 7 steps will help make your job easier when it comes to shipping, as well as get rid of the stress of waiting for the item to be delivered to the buyer.

1. Professional Wrapping

When you wrap your item(s), wrap it professionally in nice, clean tissue paper. If breakable, be sure the item is wrapped with bubble wrap as well. Include a business card with your website information, name, address, or a printed statement showing the item(s) name, item(s) number, price paid, and a small hand-written note thanking the buyer for their purchase.

2. Insurance

Insurance is usually a good idea but in general, it should be an optional feature, with the decision left to the buyer. Remember two important things about insurance. First, insurance is VERY inexpensive. Therefore, in your description, you should state how much insurance would cost and recommend it. Second, you should also state in the description that if insurance is not purchased, you are not responsible for lost or damaged items.

3. Weighing

In order to provide accurate details and help in determining shipping costs, you need to know exact weights. The best option, which will save you many unnecessary trips to the post office, is to purchase a inexpensive quality scale for weighing your packages.

4. Postage

Instead of always running out of stamps or having to run to the post office to ship a smaller item, fill out the information located at stamps.com where you can print stamps directly from your home computer.

5. Post Office Freebies

If you use the Priority Mail option through your post office, they will provide all your supplies for free. This includes boxes, labels, and tape. Best of all, they deliver all these supplies directly to your door. Get them at your local post office or go to USPS.com request mailing supplies.

6. Ship-To Locations

Be sure to consider where you will ship to carefully. You will have buyers from around the world but you can limit where you will ship. Some people prefer to ship to the US, Canada, and European countries while others ship anywhere. The option is completely yours but keep in mind that there are some differences in how you wrap the package, the currency exchanges, and communication barriers between you and the buyer.

7. Delivery Confirmation

Unfortunately, some buyers will try to say they paid for an item but never received the auction item(s). When shipping, you should consider using delivery confirmation. This service is generally inexpensive and can end up saving you a ton, especially if the item(s) is higher priced.

Do yourself a favor and put these tips into action - you'll save yourself both time and hassles. Use the time you save to get more listings up, and watch your eBay income grow.

Most auction items in India are shipped through mostly Speed Post, Blue Dart, DHL, United Parcel Service and Federal Express.

India Post (www.indiapost.gov.in)
One indispensable item for successful auction selling is a postal scale. Mine
is measured in ounces because I usually deal in small items. Buy a scale that
is flexible enough to meet your needs.
Do make use of the postal calculator available at "http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Netscape/PostageCalculator.html”
Know your shipping charges in advance, have postage affixed to the package
and just drop it off at the Post Office.
Do make use of the pincode finder facility at http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Pin/Pinsearch.aspx. It might be a hassle initially but a sure shot way to get the exact pin code. It will help if you know the exact post-official name of the place.
Do include tracking for cheaper items, even though it may cost a little more. Always charge the buyer a bit of the extra that you spend for the tracking facility on every package, don’t request permission. It’s just included as part of the transaction.

Among the private providers I liked UPS with their advanced tracking system in which you can track the status of your parcel at their website at “http://www.ups.com/tracking/tracking.html”.

The other options are:-

Blue Dart - www.bluedart.com
DHL - http://www.dhl.co.in/

Since I have used only the Indian Post and UPS I wont be able to comment on the others.

Few Areas of Key Information

Here are a few areas you need to concentrate your record keeping efforts in:-

1) Payment - Big companies like PayPal or Visa do make mistakes so you have
to know the payment method(credit card, a money order, a check, PayPal) and
the payment. You need to know how you were paid and you should keep track of the
payment date at least.

2) Merchandise – You may be selling a lot of merchandise to different customers and
suppose out of the blue some buyer tends to revert back asking for some details
of, there is a possibility of you getting confused on that.At this point record
keeping about the goods helps a lot. Here is what you must record about your
merchandise.
- A description of the item
- The site where you listed it
- The auction dates -- both when you submitted it and the day it sold
- The auction number given to you by your auction site -- you can always
track an item if you have the number!

3) Buyer – Just in case a customer reverts back to you with some request without
giving full details of his, the information you keep of the customers then will
be of great help to you. You can keep information like name, e-mail id, address
to name a few.

4) Shipping – Your customer might be wanting to ask you a few details about the
mail/courier you sent. In such a scenario you must be able to give those details
to him. It also helps you to prove that you had done the delivery .

Keeping Records of Your Sale

If you are just going to do a sale here and there, you probably won’t need an
extensive record keeping system. Here are a few reasons for doing otherwise


1) Tax Purpose -. You certainly will have to pay income tax and want to
claim every single legitimate deduction. You need good records to do this so that you will have a complete list of every transaction you have made including who, what and how much.

2) Customer List - You are creating your own customer list in the process. If a person bought or bid on a certain item, he may be very interested in similar items in
the future.

3) Good service means happy customers - If you don’t keep good
records, you will soon be floundering and making mistakes. If you have
several auctions going, you will soon get lost and make pointless
and expensive mistakes. Learn from my foolishness and keep
comprehensive records right from the very first transaction.

4) Identification of profitable items – It lets you know which merchandise is
profitable and which isn’t.

5) Legal Protection - In the event of any future problems, you will have all your
Information at your fingertips.

After getting a successful bid for your product

Watch your auction listing in "my eBay" until the listing closes or a sale is made. After you get your first actual bid and there would be a super thrill in you. After overcoming the initial moments of joy, you need to get to know what needs to be done next. The following is a general procedure that you will have to follow after the successful bid by some buyer on eBay.

Here is how it goes ahead:-

1. Contact With Your Auction Site
You will receive an e-mail from the auction site. Both buyer and seller will receive a message with instructions to contact each other within three days.

2. Contact With Your Buyer
If you want your transactions to be 100% perfect, make sure that you
communicate completely and clearly with every single customer. Try to assume that everyone you deal with is a complete novice with no experience. Of course, this might not be the case at all but if you make this assumption, everything usually goes well. If you don't immediately receive PayPal payment, use "my eBay" to send the buyer of your item an invoice. On the invoice form, be sure to send payment instructions to the bidder if necessary.

Every communication with every buyer should always include the following
Information as far as possible (some are optional).

1) Congratulations - It may not be necessary but it is a smart thing to do. The friendlier and more professional you are, the better you will do in the auction business.

2) Purchase Reminder - Always specify what your customer bought. Many
people deal in multiple auctions and may have bought or sold dozens of items
that week. Remind your buyer of who you are and what he bought from you.

3) Item Number - Include the number of the item that was issued by the
auction site. There are 2 reasons to do this.
i) It will help your buyers to give you feedback because it is done by item
number.
ii) Some auctioneers keep comprehensive records. This type of
organization pays off, especially for tax day. In addition, they are able to get
confirmation from the auction site, if necessary.

4) Price - Don’t make any mistakes here. Mention the price correctly.

5) Payment Options - Even though those were included in your item
description, always review them. Many people forget and this is especially
important if you are going to hold a check for 10 days.

6) Your Address (if applicable) - The buyer needs your mailing address
so that he knows where to send payment. This is not an issue if you are using credit cards or third party payment methods.

7) The Cost of Shipping and Handling - You may or may not have
included the actual amount in your auction listing. If you did, repeat it. If you
have not, tell them the cost now. (My next blog will explain how to calculate this)

8) Insurance - I always let the buyer decide if he wants to pay for insurance
because he is the one paying for it (or not). Generally, though, the more
expensive the item is, the more likely the buyer is to desire insurance.
However, if the buyer does not pay for insurance, you will need to decide, in
advance, what your policy will be if the package is lost or damaged.
This can be a real sore spot between buyer and seller. Be careful on this.
If you are shipping through Speed Post(Priority mail), you automatically pay for tracking. In this way, you can prove that the package was mailed and you are
relieved of the responsibility.
If the merchandise is expensive, I suggest you insist on insurance or state
clearly that you won’t take responsibility for mailing. Raising the price to cover the
cost of insurance is not a good solution because the more your merchandise costs, the less likely you are to sell it. I think the best compromise is to pay for tracking, where available.

9) Buyer’s Address - Ask the buyer where he wants you to send the item.

10) Inclusion of the Item Number With the Payment - If your buyer is
paying with a check or money order, you might ask your buyer to please
indicate the name of the item on his payment. This can save you a lot of
time.

What if your goods don’t sell?

If an item doesn’t sell no matter what you do, don’t panic.
There was an interesting story in the Wall Street Journal about a couple who owned a gift shop in an economically-depressed town. Not only couldn’t they sell their merchandise. They couldn’t even give it away! They discovered eBay and are now, according to the “WSJ,” making $600,000 a year. They say that only 40% of their merchandise sells the first time around.

If an item doesn’t sell well enough, you have several choices like:

1) Re-list it. If you are selling a one-time item, this experimentation
may not be worthwhile. But for a repeat-seller you need to know.
Simply changing categories can make a huge difference because
your customer base is so different.

2) Lower the price. Knowing the value of any object is an art, not a science.
Your best method of research is to look at similar items but even that does not
guarantee exact conclusions. Sometimes, we have started too high and must
make the choice of making less money or no money. In other words, be flexible
in your assumptions.

3) Try a different auction site. If you are selling on a general site like
eBay or Amazon, try a specialized site, or vice versa. Some
expensive stuff that you are selling may not be appreciated by the
general public. In contrast, someone on a specialized site might be drooling
for them, ready to mortgage the house and take out a bank loan.
As well, some sites just don’t have lots of traffic. Others seem to cater to more
inexpensive items and your merchandise is too costly. There are a lot of
differences among sites and you may have to experiment to find the best match
for your interests.

4) Store it for a while and try again later. Hold it for a period of time
and try again. Rafts and snowshoes definitely have seasonal value i.e.
certain products are sold only on certain time of the year. And fads
come and go.

5) Group it with other merchandise. Include your unsold item with some
other merchandise, as part of a package. Many auctioneers can make more
money for three items included as a bundle than they make for the three sold
separately. And many buyers will purchase items because there is something
in the group that they really want.
It is a standard practice in the mail order business to include a lot of items for a
higher price because weight sells, believe it or not. Entrepreneurs are taught
that there is more money in bundling than in “cafeteria” selling.

Keep in mind that the market is inexplicable. There are items which sell really
well at one time, and very poorly at others. Who knows why. Even though we
should try to understand why an item sells, or doesn’t, there is simply just no
way to know for sure.
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Provide good and high-value content

We can now discuss about the content that we put up on our listings. There aren’t as many space limitations in the content section as the headline area. But that doesn’t give you permission to drone on forever. To create high-value content in your listing, you need to:

1) Be specific -- It is crucial to be specific with your words. There are details that are important and the answer depends on what you are selling, however here are some guidelines.
• Information and specifications like model numbers are important with technological products.
• Manufacturer’s name -- Many customers search for items by brands, rather than by category.
• Manufacture date
• Material -- For example, some people will buy shutters based totally on looks. It doesn’t matter if they are a laminate or plastic. Others, however, not only insist on wood but on a particular kind of wood.
• Country of origin -- This depends on what you are selling. A Swiss watch and Dutch chocolate mean something to many.
The more information you provide in your description, the fewer questions you will receive from prospective customers. The fewer e-mail inquiries you are required to answer, the more time you have to list other items, and generate income.

2) Be positive -- Just like in your headlines, accentuate the positive. Your customer needs a reason to buy from you. It’s a good rule-of-thumb to follow as long as you keep your description to a reasonable length. Leave out all the “You’ve got to have this or your life is ruined” stuff.

3) Tell the truth about any negatives -- Your customer must have a clear description of what she will be buying, both positive and negative. Be straightforward and honest with your information.

4) Be friendly and professional -- Be friendly. Wish your customers well and welcome any questions or comments they might have to share. Answer promptly. A twenty four hour turn-around should be the minimum time on the Internet. A response within two or three hours is better.

5) Be careful with your grammar and spelling -- Be creative. Make your reader want to read your content. But there are limits. Spelling errors and garbage sentences detract from your message. The shorter the message, the more prominent the mistake and therefore make it grammatically correct.
6) Add a Picture
You can auction an item without a picture, but it is not advisable. If you have a digital camera, take a picture of the object with a clean plain colored background. If you don’t have a digicam do some research and try to find the picture of the object , for example when I had to sell my printer when I had just started this online trade I used a picture of the printer model from the company’s website(When you find the picture all you have to do is right click it and select the option to save the image). Some items absolutely require a picture. You can’t imagine buying jewellery or art without seeing it.
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Marketing Skills for online trading

For successfully traing at eBay you need to have good marketing skills. In order to succeed in auctions, you have to think of your auction listing as your “Web site” and your sales copy as your “Web site salesperson”.
Know what your customer wants and then speak to him or her on a one-to-one level. If you are thinking that you can’t do this, I can assure you that it isn’t that difficult. The simplest, easiest method to figure out what your customers want is to constantly study winning and losing auctions!

Often two sellers will offer identical or almost-identical products, but one will be a smashing success and the other, a dismal failure. Whenever you find such a situation, examine the listings carefully to understand the difference.
For example, I auctioned a printer, and the results were just OK. I relisted the item with one adjustment to my previous ad -- I put the retail price in the headline. This time it was a smashing success. Obviously, my buyers wanted a bargain.
Your ad should be an attention grabber and the most critical attention-grabber is the headline or title of your auction listing. You have to grab your customer’s attention and make them want to read more. Be honest. Veteran auction users become annoyed if you make extravagant claims for your item. They will decide for themselves if they can live without it.
Avoid mixing capitals and lower case letters in odd ways. Decide for yourself if the headline is harder to read than the regular way of writing.
Marketing experts know that changing the headline of an ad can increase its power exponentially.

The following can be considered to be of some help while making headlines.
• Offer a Solution to a Problem
This is the pain and gain headline. By offering your customer a solution, she
automatically recognizes her problem
• Promise a Major Benefit
Increase Your Computer’s Speed For Only Rs.250.00!
• Ask a Question
Creating curiosity so as to tempt the customer to read further.
Lose 80 Pounds In One Month? Guaranteed?
• Use a Testimonial
These kinds of headlines are rare on auction sites except when used for
selling work by famous people.
Tendulkar personal model signed Bat

These are just some of the ideas of making successful listings. All you need to do is adapt things to the way that suit you.
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Things to look out for while selling.

It is imperative that every seller be honest about the condition of whatever she is selling. If it is chipped, say so. If it is stained, say so. After all, the buyer will see it sooner or later and an unhappy customer is fatal to your success in the auction business.
The auction sites are like small towns in many ways. People do talk. Your reputation as a honest seller is beyond price and once it is tarnished, you may be handicapped forever. I can’t emphasize this point enough.

Return Policy
What is your return policy going to be, if any? Don’t wait until you have unhappy customers to make this decision. No auction rules force their sellers to have a return policy. However, having a liberal one, and letting your customers know about it, can create more business. It signals to your customers that you care about them and stand behind your merchandise, even if it costs you money.
There are only two possible kinds of return policies, unconditional and
conditional.

An unconditional policy means that your #1 goal is a satisfied customer and you will take back the merchandise for any reason. This doesn’t mean, however, that anything goes. The merchandise needs to be returned in excellent condition and there can be a time limit.

With a conditional return policy, you specify the conditions. For example, if the
merchandise isn’t as described by you or it was damaged in shipment, you will
accept its return.
Buyer’s remorse isn’t an excuse, nor is finding it cheaper elsewhere a
legitimate reason.
Many sellers make a mistake with guarantees. They create a fabulous guarantee but then they don’t reveal it unless they have to because they are afraid someone will take them up on it. If you decide on a powerful unconditional guarantee and if you’re going to assume this liability, get marketing mileage out of it..

Duration and Timing
Your next decision is how long you want your auction to continue. On eBay, for example, auctions can run three, five, seven or ten days. Most of them last a week.
If you have a hot item, and there is any sniping, it will occur near the end of the auction. You want the biggest possible audience for that event.

Selling Internationally.
The two biggest auction sites, eBay and Yahoo, have sites in multiple countries. Paying and shipping between different countries can sometimes present special problems. Decide in advance where you are heading with your Net auction business.

International Payment
“How much do I owe?” The first problem is figuring out prices in another
currency. eBay has a really terrific Universal Currency Converter at…
http://pages.ca.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/currencyconverter.html
It works beautifully. Simply insert the amount and highlight your own currency
on the left. Put the currency you want to know about on the right. Click your
mouse and you have an answer.

• Transfer of Money Safely Between Currencies
Fortunately, there are some payment options which are worldwide…
Visa
http://www.visa.com/
American Express
http://www.americanexpress.com/
Master Card
http://www.mastercard.com/
These three biggest credit card companies accept payment all over the world.
Western Union
http://www.westernunion.com/
Western Union will send money orders all over the world.

In addition, all four of the companies above will accept online payments. So a
buyer in Thailand can pay in bahts and a seller in Austria will receive her
payment in schillings. What happens with sellers who don’t accept credit
cards? American Express will send money orders that are good anywhere.
PayPal can also handle international transactions.
Sellers and buyers can, of course, sell on the eBay and Yahoo sites of other
countries. A German is certainly free to sell on eBay Japan and depending on
his merchandise, may have a strong marketing reason to do so.
Anyone wondering about whether they want to participate in international
auctions might want to check out eBay’s International Chat Board at...

http://chatboards.ebay.com/chat.jsp?forum=1&thread=41

Think through your transaction before you list anything. When you are testing,
it is OK to make only a small amount of money at Net auctions or even break
even. But that is definitely not the long term goal of participating in auctions.
You want a high profit-generating business.
You are on your way to becoming a really sophisticated seller.
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eBay Buyer Protection Program

While the vast majority of eBay transactions are trouble-free, there are occasions when transactions do not work out as expected. When buyers face any transaction problems, our Buyer Protection Program can be of great help.

Buyer transaction problems could be of the following two types:
• Paying for an item and never receiving it; or
• Receiving an item that is significantly different than what was described, such as winning a solid gold necklace but receiving a copper one instead.

Features of the Program
• Buyer Protection Coverage Limit
• Eligible Transactions
• Non-Eligible Transactions
• How to request Standard Buyer Protection
• Escalating a Dispute to a Claim
• Important timelines
• Leaving Feedback after requesting Standard Purchase Protection

Step-by-step guide to buyer protection

Most common issues can be resolved by communicating directly with the seller, even before using buyer protection programs. The following steps are recommended:

Steps	Details	Timeframe
1. Check the item listing.	Review the seller's terms of sale, item description, and shipping and payment terms. Have you allowed enough time for the seller to receive and confirm payment?	First 10 days after the listing ends
2. Email the seller.	If you’re still concerned, email the seller with your questions. You can request the seller’s email address or use the "Ask seller a question" link on the item page.	First 10 days after the listing ends
3. Check your email spam filters for messages from the seller.	It's possible that the seller is trying to email you but your spam filters are blocking the messages.	First 10 days after the listing ends
4. Check your own contact information.	It's possible that the seller is trying to email you but your contact information is incorrect. Go to the Account tab in My eBay and click "Personal Information." Make sure your email address is correct.	First 10 days after the listing ends
5. Call your seller.	Request the seller's contact information and give the seller a call.	Any time after completing the first four steps
6. Resolve your problem through the eBay Resolution Center or PayPal Resolution Center	If you're not able to work it out directly with your seller, you can go to the eBay Resolution Center, which helps you start and track problem resolution with your seller. Important: You can open a case only through the eBay country site where you purchased the item.	10 to 60 days after the listing ends
Or, if you paid for the item with PayPal, file a claim with PayPal.	You must have a PayPal account in order to file a PayPal Buyer Protection claim. If you paid for the item with PayPal and didn’t create a PayPal account, you’ll be asked to do so before filing a claim.	First 45 days after the listing ends
7. Contact your credit card company.	Credit card companies typically provide some level of identity and purchase protection. Contact your credit card company to learn more. Note: If you paid with your credit card through PayPal, we encourage you to try PayPal’s Buyer Protection process first.	First 45 days after the listing ends
8. Leave Feedback	After you file a case, we encourage you to leave Feedback for the transaction. Please be honest, fair, and factual. This will make other members aware of your experience and help keep eBay a safe place to buy and sell.	After you’ve closed a case or requested reimbursement through a buyer protection program and up to 60 days after the listing ends

Launched in October 14, 2003, the PayPal Buyer Protection program is available in all categories. eBay buyers will be eligible to receive coverage up to $500 on all purchases of tangible goods, from verified PayPal sellers with a proven track record on eBay.


Under this program, PayPal will introduce a Buyer Protection logo that will be displayed on all qualified sellers’ listings. A qualified seller is categorized by his rating, and must have at least 50 feedback points and a 98% positive feedback. The seller must also have a verified PayPal account and be based in the United States or Canada.
Increased security is provided through the new Buyer Protection Program, by covering non-delivery of items, or products that are substantially not as described, all with no processing fee. For transactions that do not qualify under the PayPal Buyer Protection program, eBay will continue to provide its standard protection feature of $200 coverage, with a $25 processing fee.

Through its partnership with PayPal, eBay ensures privacy of information, as the buyer’s financial information is never shared with the seller. PayPal maintains one of the best online fraud prevention systems in the world, ensures that sellers are paid instantly and makes the transaction process convenient and easy.
Here is a link for PayPal terms on buyer protection:- http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/paypal-protection.html


Note:-The information from here on is provided by the Indian subsidiary of e-Bay and is applicable to Indian users.

Buyer Protection Coverage Limit
• Up to Rs. 50,000 in case of PaisaPay payment (minus Rs. 50.00 for processing costs)
o Note: PaisaPay buyer protection will be applicable to all completed transactions paid through PaisaPay. Learn more
o Note: Buyer can claim full refund on a PaisaPay within the timelines to report that the item was not delivered. Learn more
• Up to Rs. 10,000 in case of other safe payment modes (minus Rs. 50.00 for processing costs)
• Coverage for the amount which you have paid using eBay Gift Vouchers would be paid in the form of eBay Gift Vouchers only.
Learn about the safe payment methods on eBay
Note: Retain the photocopies of the Cheque / Demand Draft / Bank Deposit slips and all offline correspondence with the seller.

Eligible transactions
Under the Buyer Protection Program, the following transactions or items are eligible for protection coverage:
• The final price of the item is over Rs. 50.00. Multiple listings cannot be combined into one claim to become eligible, even if purchased from the same seller. Items purchased through Multiple Item Auctions (Dutch Auctions) are eligible, provided the combined value of all items purchased through a single listing is over Rs. 50.00
• You paid through PaisaPay and the time to confirm that the item was delivered or not has elapsed.
Note: You will not be eligible for protection if you have already raised a refund claim with PaisaPay. Learn about eligibility criteria for PaisaPay protection
• You are a winning bidder or fixed price buyer of an item listed on the eBay site.
• Both you and the seller had a Feedback rating of zero or above at the close of the listing.
• Your item is legal and in accordance with eBay's Listing Policies and User Agreement.
• Payment was sent to the seller in good faith and proof of payment can be documented.
• You have not exceeded the three claims per six-month limit.
• If you paid with a credit card (either directly to the seller or through an online payment service other than PaisaPay) you must have already contacted your credit card issuer and sought reimbursement from the issuer prior to filing a claim.

Non-eligible transactions
The following items are not eligible for protection coverage under the Buyer Protection program:
• Items which are not significantly different from the item description (the value of the item is not affected)
• In case of a PaisaPay payment, if the timeline to confirm that the item was delivered or not has not yet elapsed.
• Items paid for with cash or instant money transfer services such as Western Union
• Items damaged or lost in shipping
• Items that have been altered, repaired, discarded or resold
• Items which are picked up or delivered in person
• Intangible items, such as services or digital items
• Double payment or overpayment
• Shipping and handling fees
• Buyer's remorse (items bought by mistake or if you change your mind)
• Items purchased with BidPay: Please contact your credit card provider to file a chargeback

How to request Standard Buyer Protection
1)Report an item not received or significantly not as described To do this, please go to the dispute console in My eBay. This online communication tool helps you track, discuss, and resolve a dispute as quickly as possible. If the dispute can’t be solved and after a certain timeframe, you can close the dispute and request buyer protection. (Between 10 to 60 days after the transaction date)

2)The buyer can escalate the dispute to a claim. From My eBay, click the "Dispute Console" link. From the Dispute Console, click the relevant dispute. On the View Dispute page, click the link to the Standard Purchase Protection Program claim form. Fill out the form and click "Submit" to file your claim.(If the seller does not respond to the dispute within 10 days OR Anytime after the seller responds to the dispute and at least 30 days after the item listing closed )

3)Submit proof of payment - An eBay claims administrator may contact you via email, asking you to provide proof of payment. Proof of payment may be provided in the form of a photocopy of the demand draft, receipt, cheque, etc. In case you have made the payment through PaisaPay, you may not be requested to provide your payment proof.(Within 14 days of submitting your claim)

4)Submit Letter of Authenticity (if applicable). If you would like to avail the claim for a significantly not as described item, an eBay Claims Administrator may contact you for a Letter of Authenticity or Appraisal.
The Proof of Authenticity must include the valuation of the item and contact information of the authenticator (name and telephone number) on the letterhead of the authenticator. This information can be mailed or faxed to eBay. (After an eBay claims administrator contacts you)

Points to remember:

* A dispute can only be open for 90 days after the transaction date.
* If the buyer has not closed the dispute within 90 days, it will be automatically closed.
* When a dispute is automatically closed, the buyer is not eligible to submit a claim under eBay's Buyer Protection Program.

Escalating a Dispute to a Claim
Here are the steps to escalate a dispute to a claim:
1) Sign in to your eBay.in account.
2) Click My eBay at the top of the eBay homepage.
3) On the left-hand side of the page under My eBay views, click the “Dispute Console” link.
4) On the Dispute Console page, select “Item Not Received or Not as Described” link and click the “View dispute” link to check your dispute status.
5) In case you haven’t received an item within 30 days from transaction date, you may choose the 3rd option to escalate to a claim to receive Buyer Protection.


Important Timelines
* Buyers can open an Item Not Received or Significantly Not As Described dispute between 10 to 60 days after the transaction date (the date when the listing closes and the buyer commits to buying the item and the seller commits to selling it).
* File a Buyer Protection claim after 30 days but not more than 90 daysfrom the end of listing
* A dispute can only be open for 90 days after the transaction date. If the buyer has not closed the dispute within 90 days, it will be automatically closed and buyer may not be able to avail Buyer Protection Claim
* Remember to fax the payment proof as early as possible from the time you file a claim
* Help us to proceed with your claim by responding to an eBay Claims Administrator's request for information within 72 hours.


Leaving Feedback after requesting Standard Purchase Protection
After you file a dispute, we encourage you to leave Feedback for the transaction. Please be honest, fair, and factual. This will help make other members aware of your experience and help keep eBay a safe place to buy and sell.

For tips please visit the following web page:-
http://pages.ebay.in/securitycentre/mrkt_safety.html

Note: If you have made your payment through Bank Deposit or Online Bank Transfer, also provide us with the following details:

* Seller’s bank account number
* Seller’s bank account name
* Seller’s bank name
* Seller’s branch name