@zorloth that’s very interesting. It’s something I didn’t mention in my question but I was wondering if somebody had really ever been caught doing something similar. I highly doubt eBay has an employee checking private messages flowing, that’s clearly unfeasible. It makes sense they have automatic mechanisms for detecting such situations.
If something similar happened to anyone else I’d be interested to know other stories.
@gottaketchumall your message is gold lol. I’m in the exact same situation and exact same feelings. Since I’ve made an instagram with the same name, literally only one person was smart enough to contact me there about an item in the first place and it was actually a very successful sale for me. Tbh I’m surprised nobody notices the IG name I have put on my page description. If I wanted to do what these people are doing that would be the first thing I’d check. I feel like the problem is that most people are unaware that asking those kind questions puts the seller in a tough spot, or maybe they are simply lazy bastards as you are saying lol.
I’ve had some people want to use Venmo instead of Paypal G&S which is a red flag since Venmo has no buyer or seller protection. Avoid those and you should be fine.
To clarify my initial point: I do not have anything at all against making the deal outside of eBay, that’s not the issue. If I saw something I wanted from any of you guys I would definitely send you a PM on e4 directly. What I don’t like is when people literally send me messages on eBay like: “can we make the deal outside of eBay” or “I offer you X amount of euros payed via PayPal f&f”. The reason I don’t like them is simply because that might cause you trouble with eBay policies.
I’ve figured that there are only two solutions:
IMO it’s safe if they contact you directly outside eBay (i.e. IG) since there’s no way for eBay to find out that the buyer initially found the item on eBay. There’s just simply no evidence. You can argue that eBay is not your sole platform and you sold it elsewhere.
However, if any form of contact detail is shared on eBay messaging (even an IG handle) may pose some risk. I’ve had those work before but still, there’s always the possibility that eBay catches on eventually.
I only buy on ebay and I’m always looking to get the deal done away from ebay, so both parties can save some money.
But I don’t know how good ebay’s detection system is in detecting such messages and I don’t want the other party or me getting into any trouble, so I don’t ask for IG or emails in ebay messages.
Some people have their IG name in the item description. Which, for me, seems like an invitation to contact them there. I also search for the ebay name on IG if their ebay name is specifically about pokemon or cards. I don’t know though if ebay has a system in place that penalizes you for writing your IG name in the description. But if you look to sell away from ebay that may be the best option.
Venmo absolutely has seller protection. There is no way to reverse a venmo payment without the direct and explicit authorization of the receiver of the funds. It’s basically a bank wire. I would accept venmo any day of the week. As a buyer, I would not pay via venmo unless it was someone I absolutely trusted.
eBay policy is against sharing contact information with a potential buyer before the purchase. Since in this case there isn’t any exchange of contact information in the first place, I think it’s objectively fine.
I don’t know how their system works either. However, explicitly asking a seller to close the deal outside of eBay in relation to a certain item seems super easy to trigger an algorithm to me. I’d much prefer receiving a PM not related to any specific item asking for my contact information, that would be more subtle at least. Having someone contacting me on IG in the first place would be the best scenario for sure.
I’ve seen some people providing that information in their listings. That’s a bit too obvious exchange of contact information to me, though it might very well not be detected by eBay. I thought writing my IG name in the description of my store page would have been a bit more subtle but still do the job, but it seems like my strategy has failed miserably lol.
That’s what I do too.
Those people know they’re being unethical, and there are way too many good folks in the world for me to resort to dealing with cheats.
It’s that unethical to deprive a multi-billion dollar corporation of a 10% cut on a few of your sales? I don’t lose any sleep over it.
Unethical for buying outside of ebay?
Pro tips for taking people off platform for your sales:
I had someone give me their email to contact them about “questions about the item”. I knew what they really wanted and sent an email anyways (I have no issue avoiding Ebay fees if possible).
Unfortunately, it was just an attempt for the buyer to try and scam me with the old “I live in Canada, but I am working in the USA and I will have movers come pick it up for me”.
I see no problem giving the buyer a discount and making a few extra dollars that would have went to fees. Like always, use your best judgement.
If someone contacts me with their email/IG/efour name and wants to buy a card outside of eBay, I’ll typically establish contact with them outside of eBay, and additionally send a message via eBay along the lines of “Sorry, but I don’t do business outside of eBay. I’ve also decided to hold onto the item in question for the foreseeable future and will be removing it from my store.” just to cover my ass haha.