@pburn wrote:
How would you know what your buyers are doing with their purchases after they receive them? Do they message you and say, "This is really a gift, but I want you to send it to me first. Then I'll inspect it, pay for postage again, and send it on to my recipient myself."
I find that difficult to believe.
The majority of my sales are items from my personal collections, which is mostly mens' clothing and the majority of my buyers have traditionally male names. They are likely purchasing these items for themselves.
I also contact each buyer after their purchase thanking them for their business and informing them that I am taking their item to the Post Office that same day or the next day at the latest. Most respond very positively to this and reply to my message either a.) thanking me and stating that they can't wait to wear the item b.) thanking me and stating that they hope their husband/boyfriend/son likes the item.
After they receive the item, many buyers often send messages stating that they are very pleased with the items and because I sell a lot of discontinued and rare items, they often ask if I have other ones in different colors or if I am able to get other styles. This indicates that they are indeed purchasing for themselves, not as a gift. I also have several frequent buyers. One buyer purchased 6 pairs of jeans, a few days later they purchased another pair, and a couple months later they purchased 11 more pairs. Another buyer bought several hats, then less than a week later they bought several more hats. It's obvious that these buyers are purchasing for themselves.
@pburn wrote:
@anthonydelillo wrote:
Personally, I would rather confirm the gift is as described and send it myself rather than potentially inconvenience the gift recipient. If you are fine taking that risk, that is great.
Well, that would appear to be one of the many differences between you and me.
Another reason that I would like to have a gift sent to me before the recipient is for the same reason that @stephenmorgan mentioned: the personalization. If I am gifting someone something, then I care about that person and I want their gift to be special. The eBay seller isn't going to write a personal note to my sister or mother nor are they going to package it particularly well, but I can, once I receive the item and inspect it to make sure that it is as described.
@pburn wrote:
You do realize an item sent directly to a gift recipient has the same buyer protection under the MBG, right?
Once again, I already addressed this. Yes, the item is still covered under the Money Back Guarantee but it becomes a hassle having to drag the gift recipient into the return process as opposed to the gift giver dealing with it on their own.
