eBay

dins9187 · ‎02-25-2018

Does anyone else been getting very low ball offers lately? Just recieved 5 offers from the same buyer - some for .99 when I offer free shipping. As you know shipping on a 4 oz. item would cost 2.66 why would I accept an offer that is going to cost me money? I wasn't upset and responded with a counter offer and then explained about shipping costs. This buyer is not a newbie with over 400 stars. Then I thought maybe if all the offers were close it what I wanted and could ship them together I could think about something better. Just never had a buyer make such low offers all at once. I did counter with offers but would have given her a better price if her offers were not so silly. Thinking maybe buyer had nothing to do last night. Hope the rest of you didn't get low balled.

thirry · ‎02-26-2018

Pix, if I feel insulted it's between me and myself. That, in itself, is not unprofessional. If I sent a blistering reply to the person who made an offer I didn't like, you'd have a point.

I treat my customers well and I'll go the extra mile to provide good service. So will pretty much all the people you'll find on the Board. We're here to learn something about our chosen field while particpating in a collegial group. To imply that the good people here on the Board are in any way unprofessional is, frankly, insulting.

pixzee · ‎02-26-2018

Maybe I have mingled advice with opinion? Please allow me to clarify. It seems that some folks are a little miffed by my comments. That's the point, not to insult folks but to point out that a professional doesn't feel insulted by such things. It's as simple as that.

There are people who aren't happy unless they have something to complain about, or to be angry about, or something to feel insulted by. In fact, considering how frustrating it is selling on eBay, I expect that certain people are selling here just for the opportunity to relish a good old bout of indignation. There is nothing wrong with that (heck, some people punch a pillow.) But that doesn't make it professional behaviour.

The professional knows how to divorce herself from those feelings of being insulted. I mean, who wants to walk around with the extra baggage of that emotion? But it's an easy game to get pulled into ("let's you and him fight"/"let's you feel insulted by him").

If you sell long enough we can guarantee you will run into a numpty, or several of them. How you take that in and deal with the numpty will suggest your level of professionalism. The professional anticipates that at some point there is going to be a numpty, and is prepared ahead of time to blow them off and not internalize it (feel insulted). When a 5 year old asks me why my feet are so huge, I don't "get insulted", I laugh it off, because I am the adult in the situation.

pixzee · ‎02-26-2018

@whering660 "You have a strange definition of loss leader." Thanks for pointing that out. I meant it as a simile, it should have been "Some tend to think that customer service is like a loss leader, something you offer at a loss hoping to gain future customers, and they aren't willing to take that gamble."

pixzee · ‎02-26-2018

@kpamber.
I am not talking about a code of ethics, I don't know where you got that idea. I am talking about how to handle yourself and your feelings in a professional manner. The phrase "It's not personal, it's only business" is a completely foreign concept to some people, but not to the professional seller. And but, for the sake of argument there actually is a code of ethics for sellers, read any of eBay's terms or policy pages to find it ("... we don't allow ... threats, profanity, or hate speech.").

"To compare a person who sells on ebay getting annoyed to a stewardess tasing someone is again, a bit of a stretch."

I disagree. The world is filled with nuance. All experience can be seen on a spectrum of similar occasions, examples like that are intended to show the far end of a particular spectrum in order to illustrate what spectrum we are talking about. We are talking about unprofessional behaviour. I am well aware it's a tender subject to some self employed people.

"I don't consider it to be my profession."

So, you're not a professional, that's fine. More power to you, and I mean that. Then you shouldn't have a problem with me pointing out what I believe is unprofessional behaviour for those folks who wish to learn to conduct themselves in a more professional manner. Yes, you have every right to "get insulted if I feel like it, thank you very much." But, how's that working for you, is all I'm trying to ask.

rubiano98 · ‎02-26-2018

I think, because of the anonymity of the Internet and Ebay, some people try to get away with stuff (extreme lowballing) that they wouldn't normally try face-to-face. Just a thought of mine.

thirry · ‎02-26-2018

Pix, I think you're defining "professional"/"unprofessional" using your own "lens" to look at others. You can define the attributes of your own "professional" behavior in the way you act and react, but you can't discount an entire universe of other possibilities that also qualify (or don't disqualify) as "professional" behavior. The rules you follow are not engraved in stone in some global guide to professional/unprofessional behavior. You are making reference to your own rules and insisting that your rules are the only possible definition of the terms. This is a fallacy you need to avoid.

When you start getting into how one handles anger you're treading into psychotherapy. Even if you are/were/will be a psychotherapist -- which I assume you're not because you're apparently a professional dealer in antiques and vintage items -- you'd know better than to evaluate or treat a psychological condition through the medium of an internet bulletin board.

Ultimately, passing judgement on others is intrinsically unprofessional on your part.

Are my feathers ruffled? Am I ticked off? Nope. I'm too professional to indulge your narrow-minded view.

kpamber · ‎02-26-2018

Well said, Thirry!

I always enjoy a spirited discussion with articulate people!

Pixzee, I read those pages that talk about rules for sellers. Nowhere does it state that I can't feel insulted by lowball offers. Nor does it say that ebay sellers have to have a course in public relations!

And, it is working for me just fine, because on the odd occasion that it happens, I think about it for a minute or two. Then, it's done. Like a mosquito biting an elephant.

Wondering...if you want to apply for a mortgage, and the bank wants to know your employment, would "Professional Ebay Seller" qualify you? It's a made up title! I hate to sound like a snob, but does a barista at Starbuck's claim to be a professional barista? Does an airline attendant claim to be a professional waitress in the air?

thirry · ‎02-26-2018

Kudos, KP

pixzee · ‎02-26-2018

@thirrywrote:
Pix, I think you're defining "professional"/"unprofessional" using your own "lens" to look at others. .... The rules you follow are not engraved in stone in some global guide to professional/unprofessional behavior. .... This is a fallacy you need to avoid.

When you start getting into how one handles anger you're treading into psychotherapy. ...you'd know better than to evaluate or treat a psychological condition through the medium of an Internet bulletin board.

Ultimately, passing judgement on others is intrinsically unprofessional on your part.

Are my feathers ruffled? Am I ticked off? Nope. I'm too professional to indulge your narrow-minded view.

I'm sorry if I ruffled your's or anyone's feathers. I call em as I see em. I assure you, my view of how to emotionally handle the idea of being insulted as a seller, "don't take it personal", is not narrow in any way; It's the number one rule for customer service according to most authorities. I am sorry if you are unable to see that, but you certainly have the right to doubt it and debate it. I do hope you have success regardless.

Under your definition of psychotherapy, giving the advice to "Let it go, let it go
don't hold it back anymore," would tread into too deep a psychological territory to include as advice in a lowly Internet board?

I provided my opinion and advice. You disagree with it. I expected that. But if I have been able to help even one seller today to better handle it when a buyer makes a lowball offer, or any such irritating thing, and that seller is able to better deal (without kvetching) with what would otherwise have erupted into indignation and resentment, and therefore has a better day and better attitude because of it -then I have done what I set out to do.

rubiano98 · ‎02-26-2018

What is the Ebay definition of "professional seller"?

I have my own definitions of lowballers, the people that want to get something for 10 cents on the dollar, when the price is very fair and/or already low.

pixzee · ‎02-26-2018

@kpamberwrote:

.. does a barista at Starbuck's claim to be a professional barista? Does an airline attendant claim to be a professional waitress in the air?

There is a difference between acting professionally in your job and calling yourself a professional, dear. If I were a manager at Starbucks, and one of my barista's treated a customer rudely, I would tell that employee to "act professionally", if she wore inappropriate clothing I would ask her to "dress professionally" for work. Why do I have to explain language usage?

The fact remains, it is professional to not "take it personal" nor become insulted at the drop of a hat. That's the point. If, you think it is professional to take everything personally and become insulted at every oddball client, then more power to you. And if you are insulted by my claims, that's your God given right, I guess.

kpamber · ‎02-26-2018

Okay, everyone has a right to their own opinion. We're arguing semantics here.

Acting in a professional manner, regardless of the job, is acting with respect towards others, and doing the job in a manner that isn't offensive.

I'm not offending anyone when I look at an offer and say to myself, "OMG, what an idiot"...

I am not insulted by your views, but your saying it as you see it is your opinion, and I don't have to agree with it.

I say it as I see it, too!

In the meantime, lowball offers are and always have been a pita. So are people who try to get a partial refund for some nonsensical reason, claim not received, or remove the valuable pieces from a lot and return the rest.

So, if people do take it personal(ly), they are perfectly justified in doing so.