The rules and requirements for selling on Ebay are very different from walking into a shop and buying something or even from your local Saturday morning garage sale.
If the purchaser doesn't like the item for ANY reason, even if you have described it accurately and included a photo, he can demand his money back. This is more serious if you have accepted a credit card, assuming you have eftpos facilities. By contacting Visa for example and asking for his money back, Visa will deduct up to $2000 without even contacting you. You will only find out when you check your bank statement.
Visa, Amex, etc have advised me that up to 80% of overseas sales on Ebay with credit cards are by con men. It is therefore very important to use a safe system such as personal or bank cheques ( wait for clearance ), paypal, paymate, money order, direct debit if you have confidence in the purchaser and maybe a few other methods.
How do I know this? Since giving up full time flying, I now run a packaging and freight business and have numerous Ebay customers. Very few have problems selling or buying in Australia, it's the overseas deals you have to watch especially if credit cards are used. Unfortunately using credit cards is a wonderfully economic and easy system but only if the other person is not a crook. Remember anyone can give you someone else's card number over the phone or by fax or by email and your eftpos machine will accept it but it does not tell you whose card it is.
So be careful! If you're near the Gold Coast I can arrange your freight!!!
