Insulting Buyer Vent

[literaryconundrums]

Hey, pro tip: if you're making lowball offers to buy something from an independent store, and the seller keeps declining your offers or countering them with a polite explanation, don't repeatedly ignore them and reply with, "I can get this book at B&N for $13, but I wanted to support you seeing as you're an independent seller." And then continue to make lowball offers.

Man, first of all, that's a lie. Books have this thing called an ISBN you can plug into Google. There, you can see the list price for every book with that number for sale on the internet, including Barnes & Noble. There's also a thing called "editions", so while you may be able to buy the current edition at a big brick and mortar store, it doesn't mean the first or second editions are the same price (or have the same content).

Second of all, how entitled?! I don't walk into places going, "Well, this item is going to be mine, so you'd better be grateful I'll offer you 30% of what you're asking for it. You may kiss my shoes now."

After the second or third offer, I knew they were going to expect their order to arrive with a complimentary plate of warm chocolate chip cookies and if I sold to them, it would be trouble. BLOCK. Nuh-uh.

Things have been slow this year, and I do not blame anyone for not buying expensive used/rare books. But the customers I do have are VERY happy. And my loves, you cannot act like that. Have a little respect for a fellow human being who works hard and is trying to supplement her income so she can buy groceries.

That's all! I guess I do have a question, though, because I know so many of you work so hard and still occasionally face this kind of treatment: How do you not take this personally? How do you detach yourself and forget about it?

Also, feel welcome to share your recent similar interactions.

PS: If you're going to say, "Well, you should have just accepted their offer! Our job as sellers is to become a carpet beneath our buyers' feet!", like, just don't. 

[chapeau-noir]

I understand the frustration, but wouldn't have gone further than one explanation, if that.  You can't take this stuff personally or try to reform chronic low ballers who have their little library of talking points (most of which we've all heard by now).  Just show them the door.

[creativecrisis]

You have some interesting books listed!

I'd suggest removing best offer from your listings if you're getting a lot of low-ball offers and it bugs you.  I've not found that accepting offers increases my sales at all. (Just my experience, and I don't sell books.)

When I've had the occasional ridiculous offer, I didn't take it personally because there's nothing personal about some stranger on the internet looking for a bargain. I could just say no, and I did.  

Don't let these people in your head. Life's too short. 🙂

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, sorry you got a numpty. Had to learn a long time ago that if one is a sensitive person, not to take business matters personally. A buyer looking for a deal is not a reflection on the seller personally.

Many customers have little understanding of the costs associated with internet selling, including shipping. So i do not expect them to always understand my pricing. One thing i do is set my price, without using Best Offer.

Or if low-ballers offend, set your automatic price parameters and let that decline for you and you’ll never have to deal with them. 

Hang in there!

[a_c_green]

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@literaryconundrums wrote:

That's all! I guess I do have a question, though, because I know so many of you work so hard and still occasionally face this kind of treatment: How do you not take this personally? How do you detach yourself and forget about it? 

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I generally reply with something like, "That does sound like a good price. You might want to grab that from the other seller before someone else does."

[maxine*j]

It's not insulting, because it's not personal.  It's just what passes for "business" among people who haggle and niggle and think they are clever wheelers and dealers. 

I never use Best Offer, and I seldom reply to anyone who goes ahead an makes an offer despite that.  Time is too valuable to waste with them.

That's my two cents.

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[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@literaryconundrums 

How do you not take this personally? How do you detach yourself and forget about it?

My basic life experience has helped LOL  I did flea markets years ago: low ball offers come with the territory, didn't take too long to realize it's just part of the business. 

One tip: If I'm going to decline an offer, whether it was a straight up dollar amount, or whether it came with a lengthy explanation about why I should accept, I just....decline. Sending a comment, an explanation, etc.....nope, I never do it. The less time I put into the response, the less impact the offer has on me. 

[toomuchstuffagain35]

I put these people in the same group as the buyers who, when a seller has made a mistake and sent a slightly different version of something than what was ordered, expect the seller only has 2 choices, refund or send the correct one. Never a mention of actually returning the wrong item. 

All you can do then is just shake your head and think "nope, not Target, Amazon or WM" and tell them to open a return request and send the wrong one back. Of course then you get the litany of excuses for why that's a total hardship and shouldn't be expected of them.

I agree with the poster who said tell them to jump on that price LOL

eta: paragraph spacing.

[itsjustasprain]

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@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

I put these people in the same group as the buyers who, when a seller has made a mistake and sent a slightly different version of something than what was ordered, expect the seller only has 2 choices, refund or send the correct one. Never a mention of actually returning the wrong item. 

If the whole return question first arose because of a seller mistake - I as the seller might be a little more receptive to the buyers inconvenience. Depends on how much money is at stake - I might tell the buyer to keep the wrong item and send the correct one ASAP.

Keep in mind that the buyer has been waiting days for their order to arrive - then they open the box to find the wrong thing inside - how would you feel if you contacted the seller at that point and were told to send the wrong one back first. Unless we were talking huge amounts of money here I would probably ship the correct item and include a return label for the wrong item to be sent back in the same box. After all - the buyer in this situation did not set out to rip off the seller so you might as well be optimistic that the buyer will do the right thing. 

[femmefan1946]

We can set our Best Offers option to politely and automatically refuse offers under our set amount.

We can set our Best Offers option to politely and automatically accept offers over our set amount.

Those set amounts can be a penny apart.

So if you list a book at $100 with Best Offer, you can set the parameters at $89.99/90.00.

If the customer offers $88.88 he will be refused. If he offers $91.87 he will be accepted.

All you actually see is the notice of sale and the price that was accepted.

No need to take anything personally, and you don't need to communicate at all. You don't even know that the customer is haggling.
I haven't seen the refusal Message, but it is polite enough that a few customers have continued to haggle after the first or even third refusal.

[biggymoe]

My first instinct is to tell them to go pound sand.

However, that is not a good business policy, so I agree with  a_c_green .

I would respond, once only,  telling them they should jump on that lower price, since I can't match that price.

[terrycece62]

As others have replied to

its business doesn't take buyer's low ball offers personally if you know what the book is worth offer it at a price you can live with based on your research/knowledge of the book.

Either set up auto-reply accept/reject values so buyers can make their offers, but you will not personally have to be bothered with buyers who are making lowball offers can be rejected immediately.

Also, you may just want to follow the advice of those who suggested forgetting about considering offers and just setting a buy it now price this seems to be the best option for you since are taking these low ball offers personally.

Take care

[kitschy*loot]

This has happened to me and I returned the wrong book, and even paid my own money to return it. The thanks I got after I informed them the book was on the way; was them insisting they never owned a copy of the book I "claimed" to get, and they swore I was a scammer who actually did get the correct book.

The seller thought I was an idiot who would return a book without tracking, and was happy they'd get to keep my refund since the return was "off ebay", but of course I loaded in the tracking number ASAP and her joy was dashed lmaooooo.

Ebay is full of bad buyers, sellers, and cheapskates. There is nothing wrong with trying to score a great deal because sometimes lowballing works, every seller has the right to turn down any offer and every buyer has the right to lowball. I personally would not even bother to make an offer if someone had $100 and I'm only able to pay $40, but everyone is different.

[literaryconundrums]

I have set automatic refusals at a certain amount...and then I get messages from buyers saying, "Why do you say you accept offers if you reject every offer I send to you?" 

And then I feel I have to explain that yes, I do accept offers, and sometimes pretty generously, but you can't just throw the lowest number you think of out there and expect sellers to accept it.

I've also seen many sellers who do not accept offers say that they receive messages from buyers anyway asking to haggle, and sometimes becoming confrontational. Some people just don't believe in boundaries.

[chapeau-noir]

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@literaryconundrums wrote:

I have set automatic refusals at a certain amount...and then I get messages from buyers saying, "Why do you say you accept offers if you reject every offer I send to you?" 

And then I feel I have to explain that yes, I do accept offers, and sometimes pretty generously, but you can't just throw the lowest number you think of out there and expect sellers to accept it.

I've also seen many sellers who do not accept offers say that they receive messages from buyers anyway asking to haggle, and sometimes becoming confrontational. Some people just don't believe in boundaries.

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I get the unsolicited offers periodically - some make me laugh - listing everything *they* think must be wrong with the item (extra points for adding "even" to something 'Did you even test it?") and then saying "Will you take considerably less?"  I've gotten the sob stories (don't fall for them - beggars can never be pleased), the laconic "asking a little much for this, aren't you?"  and then the price matching "Another seller sold this for [insert stupid price] and I was hoping to get this one."

But, often someone just sends a pleasant and pretty good offer and thanks me for my consideration.  I'll haggle a bit if I want, or I'll just thank them and say I'm going to let it run for a while longer and I do run sales.  If I've had the item listed for a while and it seems reasonable, I'll send them an offer - they invariably pay right away.

Two sites I sell on have a lot of haggling, so maybe I'm used to it.  eBay is viewed as one big garage sale and people haggle at garage sales.  It's something that I don't even think twice about.  If people are rude then they get nothing, but so far it's been OK.