Question:
I take US checks only with a 10 day hold policy. I’ve had 100+ clear with only one bounce. The bounce was such a hassle, I implemented the hold. Most of my sales are under $20 with about 15% in the $50 and up range. Bill Shaw toppsoft
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just wondering how many people take checks. We are starting to market Barbie Dolls which would most likely be a target audience of women in their 30’s-40’s who are collectors, investors, or resellers. I believe that the vast majority of all auctions will be less than $200 and most less than $100. Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
Response:
Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
The stuff we sell is all over the map, both categorically and pricewise. If I expect the item to sell to a high-risk group (kids, mainly), or to sell for over $50 or so, I don’t even offer checks as an option. I reinforce this in the "congrats" email, and point out that the bank says we have to wait three weeks to be sure a check is good, so please send something else. If they still send a check, I look at their feedback. I’m gonna be real leary of anyone with low or poor feedback who sends a check, especially with a low number or for a large amount. Then I have the option of waiting three weeks. — This is Usenet. The Real World is down the hall and a sharp left past your ego. — Dave Ratcliffe, on 7/4/00 in news.admin.net-abuse.usenet
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Just wondering how many people take checks. We are starting to market Barbie Dolls which would most likely be a target audience of women in their 30’s-40’s who are collectors, investors, or resellers. I believe that the vast majority of all auctions will be less than $200 and most less than $100. Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
I accept checks, money orders, visa, mc, and discover. Over the past year, I’ve had auctions close from 99c to $4000. My experience has been that Collectors are a great group to do business with. Very friendly and reliable. Most pay with checks. As for "wisdom"… just the normal common sense stuff. Be sure to fully disclose defects in your auction; Collector are picky! Wait for checks to clear. Pack things really well and ship fully insured. – Dan. — – South Jersey, USA, Earth <http://cronus.spaceports.com/~darmok – Life is a banquet – and most poor suckers are starving to death.
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First of all, certainly I take checks. In over 400 sales, I’ve had one bounced check. However, my bank charged me $20 and I didn’t find out about it until *after* I’d entered feedback (of course). Thankfully the Canadian buyer made good on the check AND the bank fee. All ended well. Electronic accounts cost you money. Checks do not (unless they bounce) If you only accept money orders it may turn potential buyers away from your auctions. Lois
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know this is a dumb question, but I’ll ask anyway: When you deposit a bidder’s check and it bounces, how do you get notified? I assume it’s by letter, and it’s within 7-10 business days, right? And is there some kind of penalty that your bank imposes on you for them processing a bad check? I don’t think I’ve ever tried to deposit a bad check, although a while back a few of my own have turned to rubber! Thanks! I take checks from anyone in North America. If they are over $25 and I feel iffy about the person, I make them wait 3-4 weeks (being in Canada, it takes longer to clear than normal). I’ve only had 2-3 bounce (out of several hundred … maybe more than a thousand) and only one of those wasn’t made good (he got a VERY nasty feedback!). — any numbers in my email address are SPAM blockers!
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I accept checks and have never had a bouncer. In my eoa note I state that ‘checks may need to clear.’ That gives me the option of waiting but I rarely do. Most are for under $20.00 anyway and I think the risk is low and worth it. Like others have said, if I have a funny feeling about someone or they have lousy feedback, I will hold it but for the most part it doesnt seem necessary. Pam
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Thanks for all the good answers. It appears that there is general agreement to take checks.
Not necessarily. Well, I mean, I know some of us don’t take checks. I don’t, for example, but with my future sales I might. Until one bounces, that is. You can always call the bank (if you don’t mind long distance fees) and see if the check has indeed cleared, but your own bank might not know the check has bounced until well after the 10 day "clearance" period and after the person already has the item. I am sure that a fair number of Grandmothers buy video games.
Not just buy, but play. Almost every "Nintendo Power" magazine I saw showed some letter to the editor thingie where a retired person wrote in saying they loved playing their own Nintendo. Stacia * The Avocado Avenger * Life is a tale told by an idiot; http://world.std.com/~stacia/ * Full of sound and fury,
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I don’t see how anyone can know their target audience and why would you need it for selling on Ebay. Your target audience is wrong. Go to a Doll Show and you’ll see almost as many men as women collecting Barbie. Also, barbie collectors range in age 9 to 90. I doubt there are any "investors" looking for used out of box barbies..they’re very common. I’ve taken checks for a long time and have never had a problem. lorrie Lorrie
Then your "target" audience is Barbie collectors. It’s not what differentiates them from each other that you targeting; it’s what they have in common. ELF
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Thanks for all the good answers. It appears that there is general agreement to take checks. On the issue of having a target audience, the following is my opinion and you can take it or leave it, but it may be food for thought too. It is not my intent to offend anyone by what I say rather through any assumptions I make or through saying things that people feel they already know. Most businesses try very hard to know who their target audience is so that they can gear their ads directly to that audience. That doesn’t mean that you design an ad only with that group in mind. The tv networks work very hard to build a lineup of shows geared to specific audiences because . . . the ad producers want to show their ads to specific audiences that are most likely to purchase a specific product. I am sure that a fair number of Grandmothers buy video games. I know my Mom bought each of our three sons video games at Christmas. Should the video game producer have made generic ads that merely stated the description of the product, or ones that gave a coolness factor for the kids that would be playing them, or one that was geared to the Grandmother that bought them? Keep in mind that Grandmother would have never bought the games if her grandsons had not asked for those specific games. The only reason to care about a target audience is that you want to direct an ad to fit the desires and needs of the people who are MOST LIKELY to buy your product. I think it is a given that women and men will often view things differently. A common belief is that women tend to be more appearance and visually oriented. Compare the various women’s magazines with most men’s magazines ( I don’t want to get into the whole stereotype issue here but consider Redbook and Field and Stream). The women’s magazines tend to focus more heavily on the look and aesthetics. Additionally, ads that are geared for children are very different than those for adults. Compare Contact magazine with People. You mention that nearly as many men go to the shows as women, however, I think you will find that the majority of people buying, are women, or are men buying for women. When I go to a show, it is with my wife. However, I am not interested in the dolls myself, even when I am at a show. Yes I agree that there are collectors that are men and that there are collectors that are 9 to 90. However, most of the people I have met that are into collecting and buying barbies seem to be women in that age group. Certainly not all, but most. A quick perusal of the vendors that we have bought from revealed only one man. The mall shows have all been women (while the sports cards booths were all men). A quick look at alt.collectibles.barbies show the vast majority to be women names, business names, or ones you can’t tell. I guess what I am saying is that I would try to direct ads a target audience as long as I don’t believe it would offend anyone else. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I don’t see how anyone can know their target audience and why would you need it for selling on Ebay. Your target audience is wrong. Go to a Doll Show and you’ll see almost as many men as women collecting Barbie. Also, barbie collectors range in age 9 to 90. I doubt there are any "investors" looking for used out of box barbies..they’re very common. I’ve taken checks for a long time and have never had a problem. lorrie Lorrie
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I don’t see how anyone can know their target audience and why would you need it for selling on Ebay. Your target audience is wrong. Go to a Doll Show and you’ll see almost as many men as women collecting Barbie. Also, barbie collectors range in age 9 to 90. I doubt there are any "investors" looking for used out of box barbies..they’re very common. I’ve taken checks for a long time and have never had a problem. lorrie Lorrie
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I know this is a dumb question, but I’ll ask anyway: When you deposit a bidder’s check and it bounces, how do you get notified? I assume it’s by letter, and it’s within 7-10 business days, right? And is there some kind of penalty that your bank imposes on you for them processing a bad check? I don’t think I’ve ever tried to deposit a bad check, although a while back a few of my own have turned to rubber!
Depends on the bank. It took about three weeks for them to notify me of a bounced check. Most banks do charge a fee for being unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a bad check – in my case, $6 – some banks are much higher.
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says… Just wondering how many people take checks. We are starting to market Barbie Dolls which would most likely be a target audience of women in their 30’s-40’s who are collectors, investors, or resellers. I believe that the vast majority of all auctions will be less than $200 and most less than $100. Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
I take checks, only had one bounce out of hundreds. I just reserve the right to hold shipment until clearance, though I almost always ship immediately upon receiving a check. I only hold it in cases where I have some suspicion (ie, it’s a "beginner’s" check or other very low number, the person has spotty feedback or – unfortunately – if I seem to be dealing with a teen/college age kid). Just use your instinct, and be prepared for the fact that if you run enough auctions, you are likely to get a bad check (and you will definitely have non-paying bidders). You should also consider taking as many payment options as you feel comfortable with – I take checks, money orders, billpoint and paypal, which I find covers the bases pretty well. Also consider the opening up to the foreign market – I’m told that some recent limited edition Barbies fetch very good prices in some overseas markets (notably Japan). For what it’s worth, most of my sales are of collectibles under $50, with some in the hundreds when I get lucky. My one bouncer was for a measley $9.
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Yes, I accept checks and have never had a bad one in about 60 transactions ranging from $1 to $850. In fact, if the selling price is less than $10, I suggest the buyer not bother with a money order since that would be an added expense for them. I have purchased about 30 items on eBay and only used a money order once. I was hoping to get faster shipping, but it turned out the seller didn’t ship for ten days anyway. FWIW, my sales have increased since I started using PayPal two weeks ago. Last seven sales in fact. Roln (rolnatt) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
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I know this is a dumb question, but I’ll ask anyway: When you deposit a bidder’s check and it bounces, how do you get notified? I assume it’s by letter, and it’s within 7-10 business days, right? And is there some kind of penalty that your bank imposes on you for them processing a bad check? I don’t think I’ve ever tried to deposit a bad check, although a while back a few of my own have turned to rubber! Thanks! I take checks from anyone in North America. If they are over $25 and I feel iffy about the person, I make them wait 3-4 weeks (being in Canada, it takes longer to clear than normal). I’ve only had 2-3 bounce (out of several hundred … maybe more than a thousand) and only one of those wasn’t made good (he got a VERY nasty feedback!).
– any numbers in my email address are SPAM blockers!
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I take cheques (Canadian Spelling 
) for items from $1 to $2000, if it is a large ticket item (over $300-$400) I will take a look at the buyers feedback, if it is low or non existent I will hold the item, if it is decent I will send the item off, I have only been burned 2 or 3 times for a total of less than $50 and customers seem to appreciate the quick delivery. — David Saad Muzo Mine Emerald Co. Click here to search our auctions: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/davesaad/ Just wondering how many people take checks. We are starting to market Barbie Dolls which would most likely be a target audience of women in their 30’s-40’s who are collectors, investors, or resellers. I believe that the vast majority of all auctions will be less than $200 and most less than $100. Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
Checks are fine, we hold all checks for 10 business days then ship UNLESS the customer is a repeat customer then we ship immediately upon receipt of the instrument. Never a bad check in over 1800 auctions. — Friends, Howard and Kelly Lute eBay Rating: 878 LPFM Page: http://pw1.netcom.com/~optcamel/fmradio.htm
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I take cheques (Canadian Spelling ) for items from $1 to $2000, if it is a large ticket item (over $300-$400) I will take a look at the buyers feedback, if it is low or non existent I will hold the item, if it is decent I will send the item off, I have only been burned 2 or 3 times for a total of less than $50 and customers seem to appreciate the quick delivery. — David Saad Muzo Mine Emerald Co. Click here to search our auctions: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/davesaad/
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just wondering how many people take checks. We are starting to market Barbie Dolls which would most likely be a target audience of women in their 30’s-40’s who are collectors, investors, or resellers. I believe that the vast majority of all auctions will be less than $200 and most less than $100. Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
Response:
I take checks from anyone in North America. If they are over $25 and I feel iffy about the person, I make them wait 3-4 weeks (being in Canada, it takes longer to clear than normal). I’ve only had 2-3 bounce (out of several hundred … maybe more than a thousand) and only one of those wasn’t made good (he got a VERY nasty feedback!).
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My auctions range from $10 to $40 only, so this may not interest you. But it seems to me that amounts aren’t important when my numbers are so good, and I’ve never had a single returned check in about 200 transactions (about 1/3 of them checks). — "If he’s – the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a – is a noble institution I would – I would strongly reject that assumption – that John Ashcroft is a open-minded, inclusive person." – President GW Bush, NBC Nightly News With Tom Brokaw, Jan. 14, 2001
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just wondering how many people take checks. We are starting to market Barbie Dolls which would most likely be a target audience of women in their 30’s-40’s who are collectors, investors, or resellers. I believe that the vast majority of all auctions will be less than $200 and most less than $100. Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
Response:
Just wondering how many people take checks. We are starting to market Barbie Dolls which would most likely be a target audience of women in their 30’s-40’s who are collectors, investors, or resellers. I believe that the vast majority of all auctions will be less than $200 and most less than $100. Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is. If you have any additional wisdom, please share it as we are just starting to sell stuff on eBay.
I am not really a high-volume seller. I generally sell computer equipment and VHS/DVD videos.. I accept checks, have received about 10 (from $5.00 to $250) and have not had a problem with any of them.. —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–== Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–
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Just wondering how many people take checks. We are starting to market Barbie Dolls which would most likely be a target audience of women in their 30’s-40’s who are collectors, investors, or resellers. I believe that the vast majority of all auctions will be less than $200 and most less than $100. Could you respond saying whether you take checks, what your auctions are generally worth, and who your target audience is.
Most of my bidders pay by cheque, I usually wait the full week for the cheque to clear unless the item is small, on
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