How to safely buy and sell sneakers on ebay

Tips to Safely Buy Sneakers From eBay

Many in the sneaker community have all but blacklisted eBay as a reputable source for sneakers. This isn't to say that there aren't a plethora of reliable sellers and products on the site, there are plenty of great sellers left (ourselves included), but there is certainly reason for skepticism. Because of this, we are going to list some helpful tips to not get burnt buying on eBay.

Hypestew eBay Store Feedback Page

Tip #1: Check the Sellers Feedback Rating

eBay offers feedback for a reason, check it once. Check it twice. Read the feedback, observe the items that were sold, use your best judgement. Most scammers on eBay sell high grade replicas, which are good enough to trick the average consumer. However, if they sell enough fake shoes, they'll eventually be exposed. If there are more than a few negative feedbacks on a sellers page, especially those mentioning replica sneakers, they might be scamming.

Tip #2: Check the Seller's Inventory

When looking through a sellers inventory, you should see some variance. Albeit, some sellers might have 20 pairs from a recent release, it is unlikely they'll have 20 pairs of a more rare sneaker. So if you go to an eBay sellers inventory and see 20 pairs of Off White Jordan 1 Chicago's, chances are you're dealing with a scammer. The sellers inventory should be reasonable and inline with normal expectations.

Tip #3: What's the Price?

One dead giveaway to a scammer's page is price. If it seems too good to be true, it's because it's not. It's that simple.

Tip #4: Learn to Legit Check

We previously wrote  a guide to Legit Checking that you can find here. Learning how to spot fake sneakers is the best way to stop yourself from getting scammed. Knowledge is power!

Tip #5: Learn eBay Return Guidelines

Many people fear buying from eBay because they are confused by the company's return policies. If you receive a pair of sneakers that is a replica or that strays heavily from the pictures and descriptions shown on eBay you are covered by eBay's money back guarantee. This is true even if the seller has the item marked as "No returns." Request a return and provide sufficient photos of the flaws within the shoes, include any proof that the sneaker is a replica, the more information you provide the better your chances of getting your money back are!

Tips to Safely Sell Sneakers on eBay

Being scammed on eBay goes beyond just buying, sellers need to know how to protect themselves as well. E-commerce scams are at an all time high, but if you know what to look for you'll be safe. 

Tip #1: Avoid 0 Feedback Buyers on eBay

Most eBay members have established a reputation, they've had at least a handful of transaction and have garnered some feedback. If you see someone has 0 feedback, this means that they are a new account and they could be a schemer. Don't hesitate to avoid these buyers, they might be legitimate new members of the eBay community, but it's not worth the risk.

Tip #2: Require Immediate PayPal Payment

You can change this in your policies section when creating a listing. Make it your default. Don't let people make purchases unless they are prepared to pay upfront. 

Tip #3: If It Feel Suspicious, Wait 

If something doesn't feel right with a buyer, make them wait it out a few days. If they are using a hacked PayPal account, or a stolen credit card on PayPal they will rush you to send out the product as soon as possible. This is because they want to do it before the credit card company or PayPal  catch wind of the compromised account. As an eBay seller you have several days to ship out your order, typically it's good to get it out as early as possible (hello positive feedback), but in this case wait it out.

Tip #4: Always Provide A Tracking Number When Shipping on eBay

This is how eBay, Paypal and your customer know that your package has been sent. If you want to take an extra precaution you can photograph or film yourself sealing the package to provide some proof.

Tip #5: Never Ship to a Different Address than that Provided by eBay

This is a well known scam on eBay that a lot of outsiders might not be aware of. It is strongly recommended to only ship to the address provided to eBay. If a seller requests in writing for you to ship elsewhere, you will still be protected through eBay seller protection, however you are risking some serious problems. Additionally shipping to an outside address is against PayPal protocol, so even if ebay backs you, the buyer can create a claim against you on PayPal and win their money back that way! 

Tip #6: Don't Do Business Outside of eBay

If someone is trying to get you to do business outside of eBay, avoid them. Especially now that there aren't any selling or listing fees! Why take the risk?

eBay is a Trusted and Powerful Tool When Used Correctly

Don't hesitate to do business on eBay, if you ever have any trouble their customer service is always there to help out. If you follow these tips you should be able to buy and sell safely on eBay. Take advantage of eBay's 0% seller fees and rejoice, this should make building your collection easier and a whole lot cheaper. As always, feel free to check out our eBay store and our website below. If you love clean, lightly used retros we might be the shop for you. Also don't hesitate do follow our social media for more dope blogs and great deals!