I’m no expert, but I’ve sold items online and in person a little bit.

Honestly selling stuff online isn’t bad. The couple of things I’ve sold have been used with no returns, and just making sure the shipping is accurate and you are comfortable with the shipping methods and such isn’t bad at all. I trust PayPal, maybe not as much as cash in my hand, but enough that using it over any other payment app like Venmo, Zelle, for Cashapp is worth it. eBay also specifies that you do not talk outside of eBay about the product, as it is usually a scam. Definitely do some research on scams before listing online as there is quite a variety out there, but eBay is not scary at all and usually the scams want you to talk outside of eBay with a phone number or email and such.

If I sell in Marketplace, it’s for cash only, local usually, and first come first serve. People have become way too comfortable expecting the same treatment they get at a store or restaurant.

For instance, here is what I’ve experienced when selling on Marketplace:

1. deliver two items I was selling, for 250 each, to Wichita KS, which is an 8 hour drive round trip.
2. been asked to trade multiple times for things, but when I asked what they were offering, they kept it vague to “stuff that would catch your eye” and did not provide pictures.
3. tried to meet with people only to have them not show up, which is fairly common.
4. had people become angry when I did not respond quick enough or did not agree to their terms for purchasing.
5. had many people ask to pay through Zelle, Venmo, or Cashapp which is a huge red flag for me.
6. have been asked multiple, in depth questions over a period of days, which I responded to with great answers, just to be asked that they wanted to pay with a personal check, through the mail, from a person I didn’t know, with no guarantee that they would not just keep what I shipped over Marketplace.
7. when meeting with a person to purchase an item 3 separate times, they kept wanting to deliver it to my house. They did not give me their address when I offered to pick it up there, but wanted mine to deliver it to me.

It may seem harsh to have strict rules for selling, and maybe its just me, but dealing with folks in general seems to have gone downhill. Almost from a yard-sale scenario to an online retail store feel. It’s honestly frustrating, and maybe your experience would be different, but that’s my two cents.

I wish you luck in your selling, and I highly suggesting following the other folks advice have commented for selling local, as the stuff I sell is in a different market than handbags.