I've been selling on Ebay for years now, and after a few thousand transactions, there's some things I've learned; things I wished I knew a few years back that would have saved me a lot of money and headaches. This guide is to help any new sellers out there... maybe this can help you avoid some future pitfalls.

As a seller on Ebay, you must protect yourself against scams that a bidder may perpetrate, but more often than that, you must cover your bases when misunderstandings between you and your bidders arise. Here's something to consider: the more you sell, the more probable it is that you will make a transaction with someone who simply cannot be pleased. Did they pay at 11pm last night and are writing you at 9am this morning wondering where their item is? Did they not read your description thoroughly and now are furious about your item's condition? As you sell more and more on Ebay, odds are you'll cross paths with a bidder who may act this way, or even worse. Here's some examples of how things can typically go wrong and what you can do to prevent it:

1. Describe what you sell with full disclosure, and only sell what you can fully describe. This should be obvious, but sometimes it's not - Whether it's a car part, a toy, a book, whatever, thoroughly document the condition. If it's something that should be sold As-Is (an electronic item which may not work, a piece of furniture with a certain flaw, etc), make that apparrent. Does that mean it will sell for less? Possibly, but you'll not be misleading anyone, and you will be blamless in the future should there have been a misunderstanding. Furthermore, if you're selling something you feel you can't fully describe, do some more research or don't sell it - being ignorant of your product will inevitably come back to get you.

2. When shipping in the US, always always always use an Ebay and Paypal approved tracking system! I can't stress this enough: it is a fact that there are bidders on Ebay who seek out sellers who don't use this, and take full advantage of them. How, you ask? Ok, you sell the item, you ship the item, the buyer claims they never received the item, and because you did not use an approved tracking number, you HAVE to refund the buyer their money. Now you're out your item and your payment. Think that's worth the 60 cents for Delivery Confirmation through USPS? This can get even worse and can put your seller's account in jeopardy. Please understand I am not asserting that your buyers are all scammers: 99% of the time when these disputes happen, an item may be lost due to some mistake by your shipper. However, the end result - you being out your item and payment - is the exact same, unless you have that tracking number!

3. When Paypal is concerned, the seller has the burden of proof. Just because Ebay and Paypal are jointly owned, don't assume Paypal will take into account your record as a seller. Got 100% positive feedback? Are you a Power Seller? These things do not necessarily matter when dealing with a Paypal dispute. Again, all that matters is that you have that tracking number. Though, sometimes this isn't even enough - be aware of Verified Addresses - if an address is unverified and seems suspect for whatever reason, have your bidder verify the address with you. Yes, it's an extra step, but you can never be too thorough.

4. Got a dispute with Paypal? If a buyer opens a dispute with you and you do have your tracking number, you have a very limited amount of time to plead your case. After this window of time closes, you can have every fact in the world, and it will be of no benefit. And again, realize that Ebay and Paypal rule seperately and often times differently than each other over the same dispute. Consider an example which happened to me: a bidder buys an item from me, but does not pay until long after I've sent the matter to Ebay's unpaid item process. The moment the bidder pays, he opens a dispute with Paypal claiming he never received the item. Yes, even though it had been minutes since he'd paid, and he'd waited over 2 weeks to pay, he was within his rights through Paypal to do this. Being that I was at the time ignorant of Paypal's rules, I assumed that once he'd received the item and I could track through USPS that it had been received, the matter would automatically close. Not so - I should have immediately filed the tracking number, even before it had been received. Since I waited for the buyer to get the item, that window of time through Paypal closed and I was forced to refund the payment. Don't let this happen to you!

Those are some of the main points I wanted to address; if you remember to use an approved tracking system and thoroughly detail your items and have all your shipping info organized, you'll eliminate a huge chunk of the typical seller's pitfalls. You'll still run into a few unruly and unreasonable people here and there, but at least you'll be protected!