Most are yard sale buyers. Must be perfect and dirt cheap
If the item is 2 years old, I can understand them wanting it to be perfect. But if the item is over 100 years old, minor defects should be expected especially of its a book or some other item that has been handled a lot. . I'm just glad for the 10% that are good buyers. Otherwise, I would have quit a long time ago.
10 comments
soh.maryl
·2 years agoIt doesn't matter whether the item is 2 years old or over 100 years old, the seller is expected to describe any/every defect. If he does not do this consistently day after day, sooner or later he will have a buyer who's not happy. Finding a problem that was not mentioned in the listing does not make anyone a bad buyer.
martin2001
·2 years agoA single photo can 'describe' an item better than 999 words.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoSome can. Some are too low in resolution. They often have too much white space in order to meet the 500 pixel requirement, and have glare obscuring parts of the item.
There are plenty of photos on Ebay which fail miserably in describing the item. Check out the OP's images and see how many of his succeed.
kathiec
·2 years agoIt can but only if the seller uses the photo to actually show the items flaws, not just assumes the buyer will see them in a long shot. I buy vintage and antique dolls and doll clothing. I love when a seller includes both a macro shot of a flaw and a wider shot of the flaw in the clothing item or doll.
And I would dispute that those who look to eBay for vintage pieces are 'yard sale buyers'. I've spent several thousand dollars on a single item, more than once. If a seller has the attitude that their buyers are just looking for bargains and don't thoroughly detail an item's condition I'm going to sail past their listings.
yuzuha
·2 years agoThis is exactly what I do whenever I have an item with a flaw. I have yet to have a single buyer complaint.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoA conscientious seller, however, will not rely on a single photo to describe an item that has flaws.
He will make sure the flaws are pictured in the photo and will also describe in detail any flaws.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoUse of condition grades is meaningless to many buyers who are not collectors.
The grade should be consistent in each listing. VG+ in the title and Fine in the description is an invitation to disaster. Most non-collectors expect a Very Good condition item to be Very Good which booksellers and collectors use when the condition is not particularly Good.
See image for condition is a cop out, safely used when you have identified major defects in the condition notes or identified the condition as poor or acceptable.
Much of what you and I sell only sells to people who have a strong desire to own the item. I have few issues with my buyers about condition. Maybe the 99% of my buyers have only left so few good buyers that only 10% of the good buyers are available for you.
Maybe you are attracting ungood buyers by accepting offers on almost all of your listings. My buyers pay the published price and the cheapskates and marginal buyers search elsewhere for a bargain.
Buyer psychology is complex. I like most of my buyers, particularly the repeat buyers. But I do my best to discourage certain buyers.
I also have a different standard for my images. They are usually scanned. They are closely cropped. And they are of sufficient resolution that a buyer could use them to know the condition if I did not describe it. No rulers in my images. I measure each item for sale.
You are not a newbie. You have success on Ebay. It could be that life could be more pleasant by improving your listings. Feeling that only 10% of your buyers are good buyers must be painful.
simba6
·2 years agoWith mail order defects need to be described with care and good photos. You are right, in a venue like this, buyers are not looking to pay retail prices. Flea-markets are places to move merchandise sellers are tired of tripping over and just want it gone.
ittybitnot
·2 years agoif the item is over 100 years old, minor defects should be expected especially of its a book or some other item that has been handled a lot.
@john_wade
As a buyer, I would expect any defects to be included in the description and illustrated in the photos. Condition statements such as "great condition for its age", or "good vintage condition" are misleading and basically useless.
Same goes for "see pics for condition". You don't have to worry about me being a bad buyer who relies on the eBay MBG, for having to return something for undisclosed condition issues is annoying and a waste of time. I would not buy it in the first place since my 'expectations' may not be the same as yours.
ed8108
·2 years agoDedication
If 10% happen to be good buyers, & it's not quitting time ?