posted on October 13, 2000 09:09:53 AM new
Ok, I've about had it with these penny-pinching buyers who are trying to get something for nothing!
I have for sale a BRAND NEW clothing item - WITH TAGS still attached ($100+ item). I have the starting bid at $15.
I just received this email:
Hi. I like this particular item up for auction, but I'm hesitant to bid because of the price...honestly. Are you at all negotiable? I would pay $15 if that also included shipping. Does that sound reasonable? I know I'm last minute (auction ends in 5hrs), but I would really like to know.
Aaaaaaaarrrrggggggghhhhhh!!!!!!
Do people realize this is an AUCTION?? Not a yard sale??
posted on October 13, 2000 09:39:44 AM new
that person does seem to be pushing it, but remember that buyers have no idea what you paid for an item. They are only trying to get the price THEY want to pay. So, for example, if I bought a new hardcover book for $25 and listed it for $2, that may be all my potential buyer wants to pay. Good luck on your auction, maybe the snipers will be out in force near the end!
posted on October 13, 2000 10:03:13 AM new
I get this a lot lately. Just had one a few minutes ago on an item with a starting price of $90.00 offer $70.00 as soon as the auction ended.
This item sold last month for $96.00 but bidder was a deadbeat.
I started selling last weekend at the local flea market and sold most of the items at above going Ebay prices for cash money and I don't have to worry about them getting it home and changing their mind.
posted on October 13, 2000 10:40:31 AM new
I wrote the customer back and told her I was insulted by her offer of $15 including shipping for this $100+ item that was brand new with tags.
She responded she was new and didn't know until she asked and said "I appreciate your timely response and will remember not to contact you again for any further inquires of this nature."
I told her it would be appreciated! LOL
I'm just so SICK of these people trying to get something for nothing!
posted on October 13, 2000 10:55:39 AM new
Telling the buyer you were insulted seems a little um....harsh. She only asked a question...she didn't demand. I can understand your frustration but it sounds like maybe you need a break from selling for a while. Or maybe it is the Howard Stern way of doing business.
posted on October 13, 2000 10:58:28 AM new
I *was* insulted! I think these people have no business asking questions like that. If they like the price, then bid. If they don't, then DON'T bid! It's that simple. I am a buyer AND a seller. If I see something that I think is too much $$ then I move on. I would never in a million years ask them to lower their price! It's just rude.
posted on October 13, 2000 11:05:21 AM new
Hello xxxxx,
Thank you for your offer of $15.00 for my xxxx. I'm sorry, but I cannot accept that amount for my xxxx.Also, it would not be fair to others to accept offers outside of this auction. This xxx is new, the price tag of $100.00 is still attached.My starting bid is very close to your offer,only extra is shipping ,which would only be xxx.I'm sure if you re-visit the auction, you will see that this is an excellent value. Thanks again, hope this helps.
posted on October 13, 2000 11:09:34 AM new
I would never write such a letter to someone who is insulting, rude, petty, penny-pinching, trying-to-get-something-for-nothing.... etc....
posted on October 13, 2000 11:28:43 AM new
Onsale..and the buyer is here to get a bargain.
IMO, the customer was not rude. She saw an item that did not have any bids and was almost ended. She wasn't willing to pay your opening bid (which it looked like no one else was either, since it had no bids) but was willing to pay a little less. So she asked you..note, she ASKED..if you would be willing to sell it for less.
All you had to do was politely decline her offer. But instead you were rude.
Just because you thought she was rude was no reason for you to exhibit the same behavior. Sounds like a case of the pot calling the kettle black
posted on October 13, 2000 11:37:14 AM new
As sellers, are we not out there, "trying to get something for nothing", just so we can sell it for big bucks on ebay. I welcome all emails from buyers and try to answer any questions in the manner they are presented. I got an email almost identical as the one you received on a clothing item last week. Not only did it sell, the person who emailed me bought it for almost full retail price. You can still catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.
posted on October 13, 2000 11:42:16 AM new
or same thing in reverse..
I posted to a specific collectable board last night, a desire to buy a widget. One or two sell a week on ebay and at a consistent price. I know people out there have these laying around to be rid of, and so my idea was to spare a seller fees and the trouble of listing.
So my mailbox is inundated with offers to sell and not one offer for less than THREE times the going price, plus shippinf of course. People are either delusional or think they (and 30 other seller's who posted me) think they have a sucker on the line. I can tell you one thing. I'll not bother again. Let 'em pay fees. It's all I can do not to re-post "cease and desist with the offers to sell XXXXX at whorehouse prices.."
posted on October 13, 2000 11:42:31 AM new...insulting, rude, petty, penny-pinching, trying-to-get-something-for-nothing...
I can see where you got "penny-pinching" and "trying-to-get-something-for-nothing" (not a big surprise, though- a lot of people come to auctions to find bargains), but I can't seem to find any evidence of "insulting, rude, petty" in her emails (at least, as you have related them).
We ARE here to make money, are we not?
One might assume we are, so it doesn't seem to be a good idea to chase away potential customers (especially new users, who may be disillusioned by their initial experiences, and never return). I think it's kind of hard to fault this buyer for simply asking a question.
You were upset that she wanted to pay less than $15 for a $100 item? If the auction was nearing the end and had no bids, there must not have been too many other bidders who shared your thoughts concerning its value.
edited to add...
This is an AUCTION!!!
Yes, and on every listing page, there is a link saying:
"ask seller a question"
[ edited by mrpotatoheadd on Oct 13, 2000 11:47 AM ]
posted on October 13, 2000 11:45:40 AM new
mrpotatohead:
Actually, I will relist the item for MORE and I'll bet you anything I'll get a bid! I've noticed that lately. I list something at a certain price, it gets no bids. I relist it at a HIGHER price and then I get bids. So "value" isn't the issue here.
posted on October 13, 2000 12:09:28 PM new
My, my, you were pretty harsh with that girl. From experience I know that first time Ebay users can be pretty intimidated. Especially since they are dealing with items they cannot see or touch in person. I think a little understanding is in order here. I, too, have emailed sellers (although not to haggle prices) with questions regarding their wares. I'm glad I didn't get the same response. I felt dumb enough as it was when I first started using Ebay. No, this is not a yard sale and yes, if you don't like the price you move on. I, too, sell on Ebay and don't intend to give things away. However, I would never be rude to a potential customer who may know other potential customers who may know other . . .you get the drift. My former professions deemed I deal with customers every day and some of them I would have liked to strangle especially those who wanted something for nothing so I can understand. However, how long would I have had those jobs had I sent those customers packing with a rude remark?
posted on October 13, 2000 12:24:45 PM new
Some customers have walked into our shop and wanted an item for less than our wholesale cost. We show them the "value" of the item by mentioning the quality of fabric, the design, etc. depending on what it is. Many times they walk through other shops and then return and buy the item from us at our asking price. Some customers are just not aware of why an item is priced as such. I believe it is the same on auctions. They may have to be told (nicely) why an item is priced as such. But I will say that some customers are "just cheap" and that is the way they are no matter what value they will be getting for their money.
posted on October 13, 2000 12:42:15 PM new
onsale:
If you think ebay is *only* an auction, then actually it is you who are a bit out of touch, not the person who emailed you. Yes, "officially" its an auction, but if you look under the covers (and you don't have to look too hard), you see yard sales, retail sales, links to web sites, and bazaar-like haggling going on, all "disguised" as auctions.
Auctions that end without any bids at all are fairly common, so the kind of "would you take this?" questions are pretty common. I suggest you figure out a more professional way to respond in the future.
posted on October 13, 2000 12:46:05 PM new
In adition to selling to make money, eBay Support always says in its canned responses something about keeping eBay a "fun" place!!
posted on October 13, 2000 01:01:31 PM new
I recently had someone ask if I would stop my auctions and sell him several of my books which have a common subject matter.
My response is below. My thought was to encourage him to continue to bid on my books. He may not bid on the books, but if he does, maybe it's because I made a good impression. I hope so anyway.
*******************************************
Hi,
I appreciate your offer and your bids on my books, but I feel more
comfortable just letting the auction run its course.
Thanks for your interest.
Victoria
posted on October 13, 2000 01:01:47 PM new
I can't believe I read through this thread. Yes, the terminology is correct, and "rude" is the word for it, Being a high volume seller, I welcome any and all offers from customers after the auction closes. We are in the business of SELLING ITEMS AND MAKING MONEY. If you bought a case of sweaters from Wal-Mart at clearance wholesale price, then if you make $5 profit, YOU MADE A PROFIT. Compared to the stock market, ebay is a godsend if you have room to store things. Remember that Christmas is coming up, these $15 items should fly off the racks if BIDDERS ARE MADE TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH A SELLER.
Numerous times, an item has not sold, and two days later, a buyer comes along and offers me 3x my start bid price to buy it outright. Fine with me, I say, KEEP YOUR BUY PRICES LOW, and go for the 100-200% profit. A $100 retail item will not go anywhere near that in an auction, hence the word AUCTION. I go to many auctions and bid $5 on a box lot of old glass for example. IF NO ONE WANTS TO PAY $20 for it, guess what? Believe me, the competition on ebay is far more fierce for items than a regular auction. 5 million page hits a day out of 4 million items is NOT BAD AT ALL
posted on October 13, 2000 01:11:37 PM new
I think what we're dealing with, for the most part, is utterly clueless people. (If you ever spent some time driving around Pensacola, you'd realize the cluelessness is NOT limited to bidding on ebay.)
We're dealing with an increasingly less-selective portion of the population. Four years ago, you had to have a modicum of internet savvy to even FIND ebay, for crying out loud. It was a rather small, self-selecting group with a higher-than-average education and income level, and a desire to (well, not really but) Explore New Worlds. Now my idiot brother can use WebTV (with apologies to genuine idiots and WebTV users), post a huge, blurry picture of a piece of certifiable junk with the description "picture speaks a 1000 words. No refunds" and actually get bids. This also means that he can use this same level of comprehension to PLACE bids, and to send emails such as our poor thread-initiator has received. It's deomcracy in action, for better or worse.
posted on October 13, 2000 02:40:25 PM new
This is how I respond. Selling an item while it is on Ebay, off auction by email to another person is illegal to Ebay's policies. It can get me suspended and kicked off Ebay. Sorry I can't help you, if you want the item you will need to bid on it. Also to my knowledge Ebay occassionally emails sellers annonomously (spelling again ugh!) to see if sellers will entertain this type of offer on items listed with them on auction. So I would not have anyway of knowing who you are...(Not sure this is true lol but it lets the bidder or non bidder in this case to know I am not trying to be mean) They might not be wanting to insult they just think that the seller isn't really looking to make the $100.
posted on October 13, 2000 09:24:49 PM new
NO WE ARE NOT HERE TO MAKE MONEY! We are here to help semi-moronic grown ups buy the toys they had when they were 2, the toys their parent's couldn't afford, to stroke them so they don't think we're con artists, and above all, to offer customer service that even no 1st-rate mail order catalog would ever dream of trying to offer. Above all, we must put any and all monetary losses below importance to the 45 year old that is griping because his Pee Wee Herman doll doesn't talk like on the commercial. At least, according to some of the goofy goody two shoes on these message boards! Actually, I have gotten 100% sick of buyers' petty, rediculous concerns. Despite the money, I sometimes cringe at what adults will pay for idiotic kids junk. I guess life in the USA is just so comfortable that people can worry about these kidns of silly things.
posted on October 13, 2000 09:31:56 PM new
CBlev65252, There are so many people on Ebay, and it is so anonymous, that even if this seller insulted a person or two every day it would be unlikely to ever hurt their business. Ebay really screwed up in this regard when they made it so that all feedback must be transaction related.
[ edited by skyscout on Oct 13, 2000 09:33 PM ]
posted on October 13, 2000 10:12:09 PM new"that even if this seller insulted a person or two every day it would be unlikely to ever hurt their business. Ebay really screwed up in this regard when they made it so that all feedback must be transaction related."
What? You would rather have the old system back so potential or possible bidders could leave a feedback comment, based on the results of an email exchange?
posted on October 13, 2000 10:31:20 PM new
No, I wouldn't want the old feedback system, but I can sure see how the new system doesn't really paint a true picture of sellers. I don't have many disagreements with buyers but I know that of those who are mad, maybe 1 in 4 leaves negative feedback, due to fear of retaliation. And, there were some genuine reasons to leave feedback for people who were SOB's even if you didn't buy something from them. I think they should require feedback from all buyers and sellers for each transaction. The screen would pop up before bidding or listing for selling and you'd be required to leave feedback before you could do your thing. Wouldn't happen if the auction only had minutes left, of course!
posted on October 13, 2000 10:36:53 PM new
When I get an email like that, I just don't reply. That way you're not rude to him, and he doesn't know your answer one way or the other.
If he really wants it, he can either bid on the auction or write you again after it closes (providing no one else bid on it). If it closes without any bids, you can then decide to accept or reject the offer.
