More free stuff on ebay part two

You have bought your stuff before the Christmas and love it dearly, but maybe you would love it more if it were free.

As paypal clawbacks can go on up to I think around three month, ( you will have to check, as I cant be bothered searching back through the dribble,) then you still have the chance to ask the seller if there is a reason your item has not turned up.

The reason for this is due to the fact most sellers on ebay are small cottage business' or just people selling their old stuff, and most will not have held onto their postal receipts and their tracking numbers. They may know you have received your item but if they can't prove it then they have no option but to pay you back your money, or you can go to paypal and ask them to do it.

Even if you have left them glowing feedback, it does not matter, as in most cases I have been involved in paypal has not even read the writing in the comments of the claim.

The buyers defence against this is to hold onto all receipts up to the time limit or at least three to four months.

They can also add you to their block bidder list, what good that does, as what is stopping you opening a new account to bid on their items in the future? NOTHING...

Writing this one as I have had several of the messages through ebay from different buyers, so assume it must work, as they would not be trying it. So take it as a heads up and make sure you hold onto your postage receipts.

If you are attacking your competitor, as I know so many of you love to do on ebay, then this one is another great one.
Item not received through ebay, negative feedback if you have not left it already and zero stars, and the paypal clawback will all damage the sellers standing.
Also some added benefits with this one if you try it before the seller starts trading again, as they may have cleared their paypal account, which will make paypal take the money from their bank account. If there is no money in the bank account, then you could have cost them up to forty pound in bank charges, depending on the bank, and paypal will be a little miffed that they are unable to pay you back, so could start holding there funds.
As a lot of ebay sellers are struggling on ebay at the moment due to the poor quality of buyers that seem to want everything for nothing, then this may be likely.

You may not get your money back if they do not have it, but it may be worth the loss.

Another benefit is that most sellers on ebay work as a team of man and wife, or some other relationship, and you have just added a lovely little row into their loving relationship, as the one who deals with the postage is going to get it in the neck.

Free stuff is always good or is it? part one

Not all is as it seems, when you look at age old systems, some that claim to be adapting and others that just have no idea, that there is more than their own view of the world.

Three of these systems that have been around for a while, one for what seems to be an eternity, are the subject of my first blog on here, as thanks to their systems, there is possible goodies galore for most if not all.

Most people on ebay UK know that royal mail is not perfect and were possibly surprised when ebay/Paypal started offering RM postal services through paypal but should it have been a surprise, as each of the companies seem to work as if they are the only affordable or feasible option, so it turns out that they have a lot in common.

Now how does this give you the opportunity to get free stuff?

Ebay allows the user to sell their goods, and until a few years ago they basically stayed out of the trade, allowing the community to police itself but then they bought paypal and decided to take a more active role in the policing of the trade, as it was more profitable to do so.

Now as they made the changes, each of them, trying to tackle dishonest sellers, but with each most found it had little effect on the dishonest seller but did make it more difficult, and often insecure to sell on ebay. Possibly by chance more than anything else they also started making ebay more money but only in the short term, as the difficulties started to hurt sales for the sellers.

Now back to the free stuff.

If you live outside of the UK and take a look at the ebay UK for any products that are being shipped by Royal Mail, International signed for or Airmail, then that little notifier really means FREE. The other Airsure may also be free, but I have yet to see it tried, but if you look at paypals demands for postage, then it should, as it is not signed for, which paypal requires.

So find your item and pay for it through paypal, give them a week or so until the item turns up and then go into paypal and claim the item did not turn up, as the seller is unable to prove the item was posted then you will be fully refunded the full price and the postage.

Now how is it so if the buyer paid for International signed for or even Airsure?

Basically because RM is a selling a false service with International signed for so there is no covered postage method from RM, outside of the business post they offer, which most sellers on ebay could not afford.
The international signed for is sort of a RM scam, as if you ask them where it is or who signed for it, then they will not be able to tell you, as they stop tracking it once they hand it over to the other countries postal service.
That fact will also mean the sender will not be refunded for any loss, as RM do not see it as their fault once they have handed it over to overseas postal service.

Now for those inside the UK it is not that simple, and it is not always guaranteed that the item will be free, as occasionally RM staff do actually do the job you paid them to do, but only occasionally, so it is always worth checking the item has been tracked.

If you are UK based look for the RM first class on any ebay listings, that also means FREE. RM recorded can be just as free, but it is more as an afterthought, so can't be guaranteed.
After you receive the item, even if you signed for it check the tracking number on the RM website and see if it is has been tracked, if not it is FREE.

Now why would sellers on ebay do this, as it does not make any sense?

Basically they are being pushed to offering low or even free postage by ebay, as to not offer it, can mean that their items will be shown further back in the search, which means they will be less likely to sell their items.

Also the problem for most is what RM knows, and that is that most ebay sellers can't sell enough to get business post discounts, so RM basically have them trapped in a Monopoly style situation, of "So don't use us if you don't like it." They really have no other option for a postal service.

And this is great info for those that like to attack their competitors, as you can also start an item not received through ebay. What this will mean to the seller is that you are able to strike them so many times that they will be spinning by time you're done, and how do I know most of this, most of it has been done to me at one time or other.

The item not received on ebay has been said to be worse than a negative feedback and is effective from the day it starts.
Then you have the negative feedback. What can they do about it?
Then you can leave the one star, which is ebays super bad seller rating.
Then the paypal clawback, that is a great one as each time it is used on the seller, then the closer they come to having any payments held by paypal.
They may also try to recoup their fees from ebay, in a request that you have both agreed to cancel the transaction. Just say, no I do not agree, and they still pay the fees.

This is all going to make them drop back in the search and also damage any chance of receiving a discount from ebay on their fees, but better than that from the destructive sellers point of view, it will eventually break them, either through cost of the lost sales or the price of the damage to a persons spirit.

Then you leave RM to do their bit for you, as they have their own system ready to smack the seller about.

Royal mail have an ebay box on the lost item form. If the seller selects this then they are basically saying to RM, go on rip me off as well, as RM will only pay them for the item price and will not refund them the postage they have paid back to you, or the postage they have paid to RM.

If they do not select the ebay box then they have to show the value of the item, normally with a receipt, and if they can't they may just get a pack of six stamps. Remember if RM contact you, you should mention that it is an ebay item even if the seller says don't.


Not sure how well these work for those postal services from other countries, as it may just be a RM, UK thing and may not be possible, as most other countries have a proper postal service that is there for their customers and able to adapt to the market needs rather than, like RM just ignore their customers needs and continue to enjoy their Monopoly.

Now this actually started as a mocking look at selling on ebay, while using RM, that has always been based on trust, but it is all possible, and not mentioning it is not going to stop it happening but mentioning it may force those in charge to make some changes, so if you are a seller or buyer on ebay that thinks this is wrong, then contact the companies involved, that are making it all possible and in some cases are making it impossible for the seller to find a way to protect themselves from those people that wish to make use of all that listed above.

Or you could just ignore it all and take advantage of the freebies.