Gotta love selling
Buyer buys/pays for a damaged item earlier today for $87.50 (listed as damaged, described damaged, pics, circles and arrows and written in the pics).
It's a heavy item, costly to ship.
So, I check buyers "left for others feedback" and can tell real quick...I might not want to do this.
I send a message asking him if he understands the damage, due to the shipping cost?
He replies with "How about $60?"...
I reply, "No, cost too much to ship"....
"$70?"
a minute later he follows that up with "???"...
I go ahead and cancel the transaction and block.
(now I'm just waiting on my feedback)...ugh
Some days, ya just gotta love selling 🤣🤣
28 comments
sextons-sweet-deals
·3 years agoyou did all the right things especially reviewing the buyer's status and full review feedback received & given.
You communicated with them to confirm they know what they are buying, but they avoided confirming along with playing dumb.
I wish other sellers would exercise this process and avoid getting burned.
So, I check buyers "left for others feedback" and can tell real quick...I might not want to do this.
I send a message asking him if he understands the damage, due to the shipping cost?
He replies with "How about $60?"...
I reply, "No, cost too much to ship"....
"$70?"
a minute later he follows that up with "???"...
luckythewinner
·3 years agoI send a message asking him if he understands the damage, due to the shipping cost?
Why bring up the shipping cost?
I go ahead and cancel the transaction and block.
If the buyer did not request a cancel, what reason did you use?
redlinear
OP3 years ago@luckythewinner . $87.50 item (shipped). Will Cost $35 to ship it. I assume it will cost me $40 more to pay the return.
SO, I asked the buyer up-front if he knew the condition of the item.
You would be shocked at how many buyers don't read the listings (and seemingly don't even look at all the pics).
I bet I average 5 messages a day. That the question they ask is answered in the item TITLE.
That my reply is a copy and paste of some of my description.
bamorris
·3 years ago@mam98031 it is a confusing post. It looks like the seller was trying to get some assurance from the buyer that they understood the damage to the item. And then the buyer started post-purchase negotiations. And the seller just canceled the transaction.
I think the buyer can leave negative feedback on paid and seller initiated cancelations.
@redlinear I was late to the party on finding out eBay changed their policies on calculating final value fees based on the total including shipping.
I had one item I was trying to sell and kept getting low ball offers. It was a "towel warmer". Large and relatively heavy item. I sold it for $100 dollars free shipping and the shipping cost was $75. I think I calculated that I would have made a net 15 dollars on that. But as it happened the buyer found it cheaper elsewhere and did one of those "buy->pay->request cancelation (reason:found cheaper)"
After I figured out I would have only made 15 bucks on it, I pulled the listing and decided to rethink my stance on shipping larger items.
In your case, I probably would have just shipped the item. Whenever I look at my buyers account status, I always feel like "I might not want to do this". Either the account was created the day they bought it, or the feedback they leave. I can always find a reason to get cold feet. But it sounds like you did your part with a quality listing, pics, circles, description, etc.
mam98031
·3 years agoHow were you late on Ebay charging FVFs on shipping? We have had to pay this for well over TEN years.
bamorris
·3 years ago@mam98031 my eBay account was created in 1999. I've been a casual seller up until a few months ago. And I never really paid that much attention.
Another thing that threw me is I keep seeing people listing items with crazy shipping rates. So I just assumed they were still gaming the system by inflating shipping rates.
I still see these inflated shipping rates and I've come to the conclusion that people just accept defaults and over estimate the weight on shipping items. So I'll see 100 dollars in shipping on a PlayStation when it should be around 20 bucks or go into a flat rate box if they want to do priority.
mam98031
·3 years ago@bamorris
Don't assume anything, especially because you haven't sold for awhile. That is an easy way to get yourself into trouble.
The first of the year, most carriers raised rates yet again. As a little example USPS raised their rates THREE times last year. In the raise in January they also took away some of the PM boxes. So you'd have to see if the one you are thinking of is still available.
Another thing to remember is that shipping isn't necessarily just the literal cost of shipping. It is fine to have a handling fee in there too. So it covers your shipping supplies and Ebay fees. If you don't put those costs there, you need to put it in the costs of the product you are selling and raise that price accordingly.
So the prices you see may not be so crazy afterall. Oh and USPS now charges by Zones. We have several in the USA, so there is that too.
moondogblues
·3 years ago"So the prices you see may not be so crazy afterall. Oh and USPS now charges by Zones. We have several in the USA, so there is that too."
I see CRAZY shipping costs all the time here. And gouging too. EBay seemingly does nothing about it.
redlinear
OP3 years agoCrazy shipping rates are for those that THINK it helps them in some way. Either with potential returns, or with fees.
In reality it does nothing except scare off buyers.
IF you buy something on ebay and want your money back. You WILL get it (if you push the right buttons). And the seller is the one that going to pay.
mam98031
·3 years agoYou are correct, Ebay will do nothing about them. It is up to the buyer to decide if they are willing to pay that amount for the product being sold. A seller will learn pretty quickly if no one is buying their stuff.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoHow could "inflating shipping rates" be "gaming the system"? You do know that the final value fee is calculated on the shipping fee as well as the item price and state sales tax, right?
bamorris
·3 years agoThat was what I was trying to explain. I lazily assumed that the FVF still did not include shipping.
I never looked into it with my sales. I just was happy with whatever my take was.
mam98031
·3 years agoYou are selling stuff without even knowing what the fees are you pay to Ebay?? That is not a good business plan at all. You need to know what ALL your costs are so you can price your times in a way that you can make a profit.
pcobra93
·3 years agoBack in the day people would charge $1 for an item and $99 for the shipping....only paid the FVF on the $1. This is why we now pay the FVF on the total.
mam98031
·3 years agoThat is about a DOZEN YEARS ago. I think it is pretty logical that no one should be thinking this anymore.
redlinear
OP3 years ago@bamorris
Yeah, I would have just shipped the item. BUT, the cost of shipping this item was considerable.
Had he simply replied "yeah, I understand it's damaged. Ship it".
That's what I would have done.
Had he used some "tact", and replied.... "Oh, Sorry, I didn't see where it was damaged, BUT....I think I can still use the item. Would you take $75?"
Ya know, I probable would have done that.
But....the way it went down...NO, I really wanted no part of it. LOL
bamorris
·3 years agoWhenever I hear or see this happening, I can hear my late father saying to me. "What do you do after you close the sale, Brent?"
He was a salesman all his life. Selling intangibles like camp ground memberships and timeshares. Strange life, not one I would choose. But he taught me a lot about sales, and I think it's applicable here too as it works both ways.
Not trying to throw any shade your way. It's your store and you're in charge. But it's sort of an unwritten code in the sales industry to not talk after closing the deal. At least don't talk about the "deal". Say "thanks" or "shipped" or whatever. But asking the customer if "they're sure" after you have a bird in hand usually leads to deterioration of the deal.
In this case, it was on you.
Probably more analysis than you care for. And I hope it doesn't rub you the wrong way. I just heard my dear ol' Dad in my head and had a little chuckle to myself and thought I'd share.
😊😎
mam98031
·3 years agoIf your Dad had all that sales experience that he shared with you, he likely told you that one of the very basics of selling anything is to know the full costs involved with that item. Yet you don't by your own admission earlier.
There is also nothing wrong with communicating with a buyer after the sale as long as that communication is polite and professional. I do it whenever I see the need to do so and I've been doing this for about 25 years now. It will work out just fine if you approach your buyer in the right way.
bamorris
·3 years agoSure, you do you.
I just don't see how the buyer was oblivious to the "full costs". The OP published a quality listing that outlined the damage and also the shipping costs.
The issue was that after the deal was closed he went back and tried to get confirmation that it was a deal.
Once you get the order, you should pretty much ship. Or you end up with the buyer who already agreed to the price and terms trying to renegotiate a better deal. And the seller getting cold feet.
I'm not advocating silence but rather not discussing the terms. Really, after the auction or listing is closed and paid for. All that is really necessary is thanking the customer, informing them you did an excellent job packing, and that it will be in the delivery driver's hands in the next day (or whatever it is).
But like I said. You do you.
redlinear
OP3 years agoI cross my fingers and ship items every day. The uneasiness is getting worse as eBay gets more into the "interchange" business.
With car parts, when an order comes through.
More and More, the orders include a message "buyers vehicle info: 2002 Ford F-250 7.3L auto etc".
And I flat out know my item won't fit that truck.
And I flat out know what it cost to ship it there.
And I know the return cost I'll end up paying as well.
And I know there are quite a few buyers that KNOW they can buy it, look at it, and simply return it if it's wrong because it won't cost them anything.
SO, I'm every increasingly leery about shipping "certain" items without at least double checking to be sure they bought the right part.
Most buyers are actually thankful because Their work truck is going to be down another two weeks if they purchase something they can't use.
I do have a Significant amount of repeat buyers.
I just got a kick out of the buyer I started this post about. Paid $87.50, then offered $60, then offered $70. And the way he likes to leave neg feedback? I just wanted no part of paying for that. Just found it amusing and thought I'd share 😄
mam98031
·3 years agoWhen a buyer asks you to cancel a transaction and you do that using the reason that the buyer requested it, the buyer can't leave feedback for you, so you are safe.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoTherein lies the issue though. Did the buyer actually ask to cancel? According to the OP, I don’t believe the buyer literally asked that. But come on, what happens if the buyer ends up trying to negotiate price post sale for whatever reason? Some might say to at least reply with a rejection as it just might be the buyer “bantering†but still willing to follow through with the original price. I for one wouldn’t fault a seller for just ignoring the “post sale negotiations†and just cancelling the sale as “buyer requestedâ€.
I realize the OP messaged the buyer hoping for more clarity from the buyer or a cancellation request. Instead they got nickel and dimed. Don’t forget to block them.
mam98031
·3 years agoI think the OP will be just fine.
redlinear
OP3 years agoHe didn't actually ask to cancel. But, I did use that as the reason. I know that's wrong of me, but I've developed less and less patience for problem buyers over the years. And anybody trying to negotiate after payment? It's only going to get worse (after shipment).
house*of*paws
·3 years agoHey @mam98031
Is eBay currently verifying that a buyer actually requested the cancellation?
[When a seller (falsely) claimed that I requested a cancellation … I was able to leave feedback. It was via an indirect route (my feedback profile) but still possible. This was 8-9 months ago.]
mam98031
·3 years agoWhere did you hear that Ebay was verifying all cancellations using the reason that the buyer requested it?
I've been in many conversations on the threads with sellers that incorrectly use this reason and not a one has reported having any problem with Ebay.
house*of*paws
·3 years ago@mam98031
I didn’t say that eBay was verifying cancellations. I asked whether they were.
The reason I asked is that you said the buyer couldn’t leave feedback IF the buyer requested a cancellation AND the seller cancelled using ‘Buyer requested’.
My seller falsely claimed I requested cancellation … and I was able to leave feedback … so I wondered whether eBay checked my messages and saw that I hadn’t made the request.
Otherwise, that would mean you were mistaken about a buyer NOT being able to leave feedback if the seller cancelled saying ‘buyer requested’ … since I could leave feedback under those conditions.
mam98031
·3 years agoSorry, my bad, I misread that. I'm sorry.
You are also correct on the feedback. The buyer can still leave feedback, I was also wrong on that statement.