Am I being unreasonable re: persistent buyer?

[noelani]

I recently had several items of custom made gold jewelry listed, one sold right away but the other pieces went unsold.  After they had closed I had an email offer for one of the items at quite a bit under my asking price.  The potential buyer told me he was disabled and that was all he could afford.  I told him it was not possible to sell him the piece as I had paid about $100 more for it but I would sell it to him on a buy it now at the original listing price but I would do free shipping.  Several days went by with no response so I assumed that he was no longer interested. Then this morning he asked me to do the buy it now with the free shipping, which I did.  Then this afternoon he sent a message that he would be charged over $18 in tax since he lives in Washington.  He asked that I split this extra cost with him.  I replied that I could not do this as I was already giving him a break on the shipping and the piece was really undervalued as it is.  I have had other buyers in the past ask for reduced prices because they are disabled or on a fixed income and I did make deals with them but lately I feel that I am being taken advantage of.  Am I being unreasonable?  

[bonjourami]

Not at all..your buyer is being unreasonable.

[loveyourimagination49]

If they are on fixed income they don’t need to be spending money on gold jewelry.

[dtexley3]

I would block the buyer and move on.  

[lamber9347]

No you are not. While I applaud your efforts to accommodate the buyer, and your empathy shows, they are just asking for too much. Unless you know the person, or a friend of a friend type scenario, there's no reason for you to be that much out of pocket for one individual.
I am a disabled person myself and feel comfortable saying the buyer has to pay their taxes, period. So does the rest of the folks purchasing online. This isn't an item that the buyer requires to make their life easier to deal with, this is a nice to have item only.
I suggest a nicely worded reply that there is nothing more you can do for them and wish them all the best. Make sure you keep all of these messages in case they do purchase and try for a refund or something fishy afterwards....

[vintagecraze50]

I get these types of sob stories all the time on here and I alway ask myself. Would walmart give a customer a big discount because they came to the checkout and said they were poor and on disability. The answer, most likely would be no. This site is kinda known for this type of stuff so just do what you have to do to make money and not loose money.

[vintagecraze50]

I think sometimes these people just do not have the money to buy stuff like this and maybe they really want it for a gift or something nice for themselves and I feel for them but you still have to watch your bottom line when you are in business.  I have given in to these requests in the past but now not much, if any.

[a_c_green]

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@noelani wrote:

The potential buyer told me he was disabled and that was all he could afford.  

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I assume we're talking about that $175 pendant here. It defies credulity that he can plonk down $175 on a decoration but somehow cannot manage the additional $18 for tax. I would stop responding, put him on your Blocked Bidder List (here ), and move on.

[chapeau-noir]

I would also not engage any longer.  I don't like being uncharitable, but can almost promise you it won't end well - it never has for me.

If someone on a tight income wants to spend it on gold  jewellery, that's their business, but they need to pony up for the taxes, too.

[sin-n-dex]

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@noelani wrote:

I recently had several items of custom made gold jewelry listed, one sold right away but the other pieces went unsold.  After they had closed I had an email offer for one of the items at quite a bit under my asking price.  The potential buyer told me he was disabled and that was all he could afford.  I told him it was not possible to sell him the piece as I had paid about $100 more for it but I would sell it to him on a buy it now at the original listing price but I would do free shipping.  Several days went by with no response so I assumed that he was no longer interested. Then this morning he asked me to do the buy it now with the free shipping, which I did.  Then this afternoon he sent a message that he would be charged over $18 in tax since he lives in Washington.  He asked that I split this extra cost with him.  I replied that I could not do this as I was already giving him a break on the shipping and the piece was really undervalued as it is.  I have had other buyers in the past ask for reduced prices because they are disabled or on a fixed income and I did make deals with them but lately I feel that I am being taken advantage of.  Am I being unreasonable?  

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Sorry, disabled is not an excuse to take advantage of someone who is in the business of earning a living for themselves.

I am disabled. If I lose my job there are many jobs I will not be able to take because of a physical disability. That being said, despite disability I have come close to earning 6 figures at my work. I do not tell people I'm disabled to get a discount.

C.

[wastingtime101]

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@noelani wrote:

I have had other buyers in the past ask for reduced prices because they are disabled or on a fixed income and I did make deals with them but lately I feel that I am being taken advantage of. 

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That's because you are. Set up firm business policies and stick to them. If you're willing to take lower offers use the make offer setting and set up an auto-decline price. When a buyer messages wanting a lower price tell them to use the offer function on the listing.

The buyer referenced in your first post is throwing out all kinds of red flags telling you they will be a problem after they receive the shipment. Don't be surprised if they make claims of damage to try and get further discounts... or worse.

[rosie247]

People on "fixed incomes" don't usually buy expensive jewelry. I would block and move on.

[this*old*attic]

You aren’t a charity.

Discounts are fine, even deep ones, but only after something has been up for awhile or you feel it’s time to just get your investment back and move to the next item.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Dear Buyer,

I regret I cannot accommodate your request, but thank you for your interest in my item.

Sincerely, 

Your Seller

[gracieallen01]

Dear buyer,

Thank you for your interest in my '________'.  I appreciate your generous offer, but I will pass.

Best regards,

Seller  (rinse and repeat, as necessary)

There are more sob sagas than the '7 Million Stories in the Naked City'.