why are sellers to be trusted, but buyers are not?

Is the AI slop necessary is answering every question?

@herman 

Don't let the tough guys on this site get you down! I think this is a great topic and you are doing a great job as OP.  

If you have been selling online for 20 years you were aware of the rising costs affecting sellers as is typical in a capitalist society. From my start on eBay in 2001 to now it was a constant sucking of profits year over year from eBay, PayPal, and all the shipping companies. Mind you, nowadays, shipping companies raise prices an average of 5% every year, year over year. UPS and the likes of them tout all the upgrades to their business model as to why this must be endured by their customer base. They (UPS; Fedex; USPS) have grown into a monopoly similar to a utility company. They are practically working together to ensure fast service and faultless tracking.

It is true that a lost package is really rare nowadays, but those shipping companies claim technological advancements to justify a rise in pricing. I believe the act of raising shipping prices really accelerated around the year, 2015. You can probably find time parallels with cheap Chinese goods infiltrating our economy as the starting point. America welcomed global shipping and got much higher rates nationally because of it. In reality, they were upgrading their global footprint and charging everyone in America for it. 

My belief is that we have reached margins that do not allow for lateral movement within the structures that have been laid out via sellers like eBay and Amazon. One may refer to this dynamic as "reaching the end of the road", or late stage capitalism. 

@lalitk @goodlistening64 

Excellent perspectives.

Whenever I make a purchase, I use VISA, PayPal Goods & Services, etc.   I never use PayPal Friends & Family.

Why?

A. This puts me on EVEN FOOTING with the seller.   

B. Sellers receive income and are responsible to PAY INCOME TAX on the transaction. 

The 'Money First, then Ship' paradigm reflects a profound selfishness of sellers.  These sellers insists that buyers take ALL of the risk, while they take none. 

The 'Money First, then Ship' paradigm also encourages illegal, un-taxed sales (because sales are not tracked by a third party).

I encourage everyone to always buy from ETHICAL SELLERS who accept payment from credit cards, PP Good & Services, etc.

Perhaps we will help with a revival of HiFi Stores, and used-goods like The Music Room (no affiliation).  They could use the sales!

FYI - 

"For the 2026 tax year, there is no minimum dollar amount at which personal, person‑to‑person sales automatically become taxable. All income is taxable regardless of amount — but the reporting rules (Form 1099‑K) depend on the platform and the type of transaction."

FWIW, very few of us “audio hobbyists” owe any tax on audio equipment sales because, even if we occasionally end up on the positive side of selling price vs. purchase price, the aggregate of our purchases cost us more than the amount we receive when we eventually sell the same stuff.  IOW, for most of us, there is no gain.  However, the issue of whether any tax is owed is different than the requirement to report so, keep good records.