The eBay Shituation + How To Order

1. Attention eBay customers: (Skip to the part after the "~~~" break if you don't care about the move from eBay to email).
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3. As you may have heard, eBay is making sellers file a 1099-K once they've sold $600 worth of merch in a year, which causes an undue burden on part-time or "hobby" sellers like myself. That's down from $20,000 in years past! The same is happening to other gig workers who accept Venmo, CashApp or other online payment methods. That means the IRS is now watching our accounts so there's no getting around it.
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5. More on that here
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7. This is thanks to the cruelly named "American Rescue Plan" which is supposed to "help" cash-strapped Americans. Hence why you received my email address with your order. (If you're here from another redirect, welcome 👋🏽). I sent it with the confidence you won't scam me. If I'm proven wrong this will be the last time I do business with you here, on eBay or anywhere else. Nothing personal: just the standard warning because scammers are rampant these days.  
8. Paypal is my other payment option & they're running this ridiculous con too. There is one loophole: sellers can request payment via "Friends & Family," though that doesn't allow buyers to file a dispute if the package gets lost en route, is stolen or put in the wrong mailbox, etc. I understand that requires great trust on the part of both parties, so I'm willing to offer Priority shipping with tracking at an increased price on some bulky or expensive orders but there will be slowed turnaround compared to the speed you're used to on eBay (see details below).
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9. While PP Friends & Family is a common payment methods used by scammers and you're right to be cautious, the tiny amounts of product I sell & the money I make here are not worth the trouble it takes to type up this screed, let alone to put my eBay account--currently at 100% positive reviews--at risk. I've purchased large bulk amounts of codeine & diazepam from my overseas vendor via Paypal > Friends & Family for over 4 years with no issues, and my Paypal account is in good standing since 2005. It's all about the trustworthiness of the seller. I'm using this payment method solely to avoid the taxman, not to rip you off. It's the online equivalent of "under-the-table" payment. If you feel hesitant, make a small test order. No minimum order size required!
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11. eBay has made other nefarious changes recently, with payments no longer going directly into sellers' Paypal accounts but being held in limbo on the site until delivery is "verified" (sometimes a month or more!) & then put into our bank accounts, which also had to be "verified" prior to listing a single item. They take their cut instantly, of course. It all has a very Big Brother/pimp vibe & makes the site not worth it to use more than necessary. I can afford neither the financial nor mental burden of dealing with the IRS & trying to calculate net gains vs. losses, etc. Most years I don't even make enough money to file taxes PERIOD.
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13. THE GOOD NEWS: I can afford to lower prices since eBay won't be taking a giant cut of my sales, so the savings will be passed on to the customer. And no more sales taxes for you! There will also be an expanded product list & we can talk openly via email unlike eBay messages which are monitored. Win-Win-Win. 🥳
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15. Thanks for your understanding & feel free to email me with any questions you may have. I have a long, long history of online sales in this area that goes beyond even my eBay career. Inquire via email if you're curious.
16. Below are my payment/shipping options. To help ensure delivery, I don't ship to U.S. territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii, etc) or internationally. Please make sure your shipping name/address are exactly correct before ordering to speed up the process & include things like the last 4 digits of your zip code to prevent missorted mail.
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21. HOW TO ORDER: Ordering from Shtern Shtopn is fast, secure & easy. Email us at our (encrypted) Protonmail address at starstvff@proton.me & tell us what you want + the amount. I'll get your Paypal address or give you mine & we'll complete the transaction. Then just sit back & wait for your email containing a pic of your order, which I'll send once it has shipped. Easy! All orders shipped via USPS & go out within 12 hours of payment. When dealing with Paypal, ALWAYS LEAVE THE COMMENT SECTION BLANK. I know what it's for & anything you say can trigger their automated system to get our accounts shut down, even a simple "thank you". And NEVER just send me payment unprompted as this can also get us in trouble. They can't know I'm selling things or it gets taxed, hence "Friends & Family".

    1.   We're happy to address any questions or concerns you have with an item, payment or anything else so don't hesitate to email us!
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22. PAYMENT OPTIONS:
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24. - Paypal > Friends & Family. Must have a PERSONAL account; business accounts can no longer pay via"Friends & Family".
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26. With Paypal you can pay securely using your Paypal balance, a credit or debit card or directly from your bank account if you have a card or bank account linked.

    1. (I suppose I could also accept cash-in-mail sent with delivery confirmation or tracking if you feel comfy sending money that way, but it'll take longer & could get stolen en route if you don't hide it well enough in the envelope or whatever).
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28. SHIPPING OPTIONS: First Class is the default shipping method but Priority will be used for heavier or larger orders over $250. A Flat-Rate box runs about $10.65 as of early 2025. All First Class orders shipped within 12 hours of payment along with a photo of your package (sent to your email) when it ships.
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30. USPS Priority with Tracking - Up to 5-day handling time*, buyer pays shipping cost. (See here for Priority Mail packaging prices as of July 2023). USPS responsible for lost/delayed packages. Can track online once I've sent you the tracking number but USPS tracking is often sketchy/useless. This option will generally only be available for heavy or bulk orders over $250 but ask if you're not sure. Estimated transit time**: 1-3 days.
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32. USPS 1st Class w/out Tracking - 12-hour handling time, free to customer. Photo & email will be sent when it's mailed like I've always done on eBay. Buyer responsible for lost/delayed packages. I've never had a problem with this method, thus it's the default for items that fit in a standard envelope due to the lower cost, stealth & convenience. Estimated transit time: 1-5 days.
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34. *Handling time = time it takes me to package, address, ship order & email customer.
35. **Transit time = time it takes for USPS to deliver the package to customer.
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39. Again, you can reach me any time at starstvff@proton.me and I'll try to respond within 12 hours. If you can't reach me there after 10-12 hours, poke me on eBay messages & I'll reply via email. Username: star*stuff (ebay.com/usr/star*stvff). Just make sure not to say anything incriminating there as they DO monitor "private" messages. For even more secure communications, you can use privnote.com or securenote.io in your emails but it's not required. Protonmail is encrypted on my end but you can sign up for a free Protonmail account and use that for increased privacy on your end if you want. Totally optional.
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41. ✩ ༘𖦹･:꙳°✮ Gracias y recuerda: ¡todos estamos hechos de estrellas! ✩ ༘𖦹･:꙳°✮