Dear Ina,

AMAZON SCAM ALERT. I've been selling on Amazon for 5 years, and this past week became the victim of a scammer using a twist on Retail Arbitrage. In reading some Amazon forum posts, it seems there has been a recent spike in this type of scam, but it may be an old game at play.

Here's how it works. The scammer lists the item on another platform (I believe my scammer was a Chinese seller on Walmart). When they sell my item, they then use me as a drop shipper to ship to their customer. I have received 5 orders like this (that ... Read More

Dear Ina,

I've been getting sales for items already sold for the last month or so. eBay charges me 30 cents per cancelation no matter whose fault. Am I the only one?

G.

Follow-up: Just got hit with another one. It was sold March 5, 2022. eBay states it was listed June 1, 2022. I found out because a buyer wanted to make an offer. Looked it up in my inventory and not found. Found it in my sold Excel file and also in Tereapeak.

At least it was caught before I got hit again. It's bad enough that I have been blessed by eBay to only sell ... Read More

Dear Ina,

As you know Etsy has a good number of problems with the Star Seller program. I just wanted to share my recent experience with you. 

A while back I received an email from Etsy as an "attaboy" and stated that only 0.5% of sellers had been able to maintain a star seller badge for six months. That alone should show them just how ineffectual the program is. If the top 10% of their sellers can't maintain it for 6 months, let alone 1% what exactly is the point?

In early May I had a customer contact me about an item that USPS had destroyed. I ... Read More

Dear Ina,

eBay violates their own money back guarantee. I had a package returned to (sender) me last week. The buyer filed an item not received claim. It was closed in my favor because the buyer gave an incorrect / invalid shipping address. 

When the buyer does this they are not covered by the eBay money back guarantee so it was found in my favor. 

Number of days later, eBay reversed the outcome for the item not received claim and stole my money and gave it all to the buyer. 

I phoned eBay (again) and explained they violated their own money back guarantee rules and policies. The rep. agreed ... Read More

Dear Ina,

Alas, Bookogs is now deceased.

Besides Abe Books (now owned by Amazon sheezzzzzzzzz) or eBay, are you aware of any other marketplaces for very old/rare books (1800s)?

Thanks!

Jim