Potential buyers who are cherry pickers... how do you deal with them?

[billythekid16]

I had a few of these types over the years who wanted to buy one particular item out of a complete set on a listing.

I find it very annoying.  And bold on their part to eBay message me asking if I could do that.

If you were that desperate for a sale, would you actually oblige?

Do you think over the consequences of breaking up a set or lot? For instance, if you pull that item of interest out, the rest of the lot may never find a buyer.  This part truly crosses my mind.

I was wondering how you deal with these cherry pickers.

[ebooksdiva]

 It's your item you are selling as a set. If you want to sell separately it's up to you. 

But this would be how I would handle that: 

First, I would invite them to purchase the entire set , because it is a set. If that doesn't satisfy them, I would ignore and delete.

If they become really annoying there's the Block Buyer option. 

[1tuna]

its actually quite simple

when they ask "will you do this"

you tell them "not today"

sell things the way you want to sell

other wise you will have left over stuff and no wants that building up

most buyers are familiar with this way of selling

"if you want this then you have to take that also"

@billythekid16 

[bamorris]

Great responses so far.

I would just add that you might consider their request. If the single item is worth the sale and the other included items in the lot are generally undesirable, it's worth the consideration.

Previous completed listings will guide you in your decision. You might also simply lower the price on the "lot" to make it worth completing the listing.

For instance, if someone wants the Tony Stewart hat out of your lot of 10 mixed baseball hats. https://www.ebay.com/itm/195474486256 - what are they willing to pay? 10 dollars? I'd take the 10 bucks, maybe even throw in the Quaker State hat for free in the box as a bonus for the customer. It'd be difficult to find a potential buyer to take the remaining 8 hats for 20 bucks.

I'd take the 10 bucks over difficult to move inventory such as the rest of the lot of hats.

Just an example. Money talks.

[refdef]

I have no idea what specific item you're referring to, but if I had a set or lot of items, I'd gladly sell a single item of the set to a buyer for the price of the set.  That's predicated on me doing the due diligence of researching the market value of the set, of course.  I'm not going to sell the most desirable item at a discount and be stuck with the other items of the set.   

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

I oblige when it makes business sense to oblige, I decline when it doesn't. That depends on what the lot consists of, and how much the buyer is willing to pay for the item or items he wants.

There are times when the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts, and there are times when that isn't the case.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@billythekid16 wrote:

I had a few of these types over the years who wanted to buy one particular item out of a complete set on a listing.

I find it very annoying.  And bold on their part to eBay message me asking if I could do that.....

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Well, clearly the intact set/lot hasn't found a buyer yet.

For me, it would depend on whether it was a set of items that belong together, like a tea set, or just a lot of random related stuff, like 10 baseball caps of various designs.  I wouldn't break up a tea set for somebody who wanted just the sugar bowl, but I'd definitely redo the hat lot if somebody just wanted a few of them or maybe even just one.

In my own experience, I sometimes see lots in which I'm only interested in one or two items, and some of the other items in the lot are heavy which will significantly increase the shipping cost, making purchasing the whole lot not workable for me.  I might consider asking the seller whether they'd break up the lot for me, or even just leave out the unwanted items so I could save on postage. If you don't ask, you don't get!

[pargran3]

Just keep in mind when considering this that you would have to create a new listing with just that item. And then cross your fingers that the  buyer actually follows through and buys it. I have done this with a 24 hour time window. No purchase. End it and put the lot back up.

[josephb555]

I don't deal with cherry pickers. If I allowed someone to buy a particular item out of the lot that wouldn't be fair to other protentional buyers who wanted to buy the entire lot.

[policequilts]

Personally, for me - blocked them.

Otherwise :

Respond that at this moment it is sold as a set. 

( Make sure you have pictures in the listing of all the items that you can see everything . . .

. .

. . .

A fellow seller here had sold a lot of Barbie doll clothes ( detail pictures in the listing )

The buyer wanted to return the lot and when she received the lot, it was short 4-5 pieces of doll clothing.

She contacted them and asked why they were sending the items in 2 different packages and where was the 2nd package.  They admitted that they wanted only some items.  No refund issued.

.

The above happened about 7 years ago before eBay really rules everything. 

For me, I wouldn't chance it with this buyer and block them.

[dhbookds]

You obviously view the buyer as negative...........  I just consider them as wanting the "ONE" thing, not the rest......  Most of the time I won't break up the set/group.....but I have on occasion.........not because I'm "desperate" for a sale, but because it works for me..........

[bamorris]

I think it's important to look at your inventory and think like a customer. Sometimes as sellers, we get tired of listing things individually and would prefer to just move inventory. I have a Disney VHS lot I am trying this with. But so far it's been a bust.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/195474486256 is a great example. There's a Nascar hat mixed in with likely unsellable hats. Who wants to pay 30 bucks for a Nascar hat and throw the rest of them away?

I think the OP should have listed the Nascar hat individually instead of mixing it in with their used hat inventory. Used hats are a tough sell. Maybe I'm wrong here and someone just wants 10 random adjustable used baseball hats for 30 dollars. I doubt it though.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@josephb555 wrote:

I don't deal with cherry pickers. If I allowed someone to buy a particular item out of the lot that wouldn't be fair to other protentional buyers who wanted to buy the entire lot.

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I'd rather have a real buyer, than imaginary "potential buyers".

Which brings up an additional consideration: How long as the lot been available? If it's been over a month, and it's a lot that could be broken up (e.g., random hats rather than tea set), then I say go with the bird in the hand.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

some good posts!

I have had the same issue in the past and recently. 

I have listed items individually and then in bulk and vice versa.

I try to entertain a buyers offer on a bulk listing until they try to play the break down cost game on the items they only want and willing to pay for. 

As a seller, this would require me to create a new listing. That takes time creating a new listing, photos, & description to meet the buyers purchase and eBay selling. Then you contact the potential buyer and it becomes a 50/50 if the bid or buy. 

[maxine*j]

First, don't be annoyed.  It is not an unusual or unreasonable request.  And not everyone who makes such a request is cherry-picking, either.  People often are looking for just the one or two titles they're missing in a book series, or they need only the paring knife from a kitchen knife set, or they can complete their collection of beer coasters with just one they spied in a mixed lot, or whatever.

Just respond with something like, "Thank you for your interest and your offer, but I don't wish to break up the set."  If they message again, don't get into any back-and-forth but just ignore and block.

Unless they're actually rude or demanding, don't ever be annoyed with potential customers.  Take an opportunity to appear the professional and thoughtful seller they'd like to deal with in the future.

Thus endeth the sermon.

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