Sellers should learn not to say NO.

[inhawaii]

I need six  1" glass marbles for a project.

I came across a listing for 2 pounds of 1" glass marbles for $23.99 with free shipping.

I'm not sure how many marbles are in 2 pounds but i'm sure t's way more than i need. 

I messaged the seller and explained how i only need 6 marbles. If he would be willing to sell me 6,  let me know how much.

The seller replied with "sorry such a small amount is not cost worthy for me to sell".  Why would he say that without knowing how much i'm willing to pay for 6 of them?  Why not make me an offer?  6 marbles for $5 or 6 marbles for $10 or 6 marbles for $20 ... whatever he thinks is worth his time and effort?   But to just say "NO" is very poor business sense in my opinion. 

[upgradedendmills]

If I got a goofy question from a potential buyer like you asked the seller, I would probably either ignore it or wait at least 24 hours and ask the potential buyer why they thought I was their personal shopper.  There are probably a few sellers listing marbles in the small quantity you are looking for.  Do your own legwork!!!!!

[readabouthorses]

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@city*satins wrote:

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@readabouthorses wrote:

I've been interested in some of the candies you sell but I don't want to buy a whole bag of something only to find out I don't like it. Would you sell me just 2 pieces of something so I can try it?

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Did I miss the answer to this question?

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And this wasn't a trick question ... I have been looking at the OP's listings for candies for a long time but I'm hesitant to buy a whole bag of candies at those prices, with no returns, and then find out I just don't like them.  Just thought this particular thread would be a good chance to see how the OP would handle it since it seems to be important to them how sellers react to potential buyer requests.

[asdcr8w-0]

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@inhawaii wrote:

@dhbookds wrote:

We all have the right to run our business the way we want........at least in some ways.

The seller sounded polite, he answered your question......and no, he obviously didn't want to "make" a sale of lesser quantity.......

So why the resentment?

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You're are absolutely right. 

I see i'm not getting much sympathy here. LOL.

I'm just more in to customer service.  If i can do it (and make money doing it) i will.

This is a true story.  As a matter of fact it happened to me just the other (Sunday) night. I phoned in  a phone/take out order to a local Japanese ramen/curry shop.  One of the items i ordered was a mini curry with rice. The mini does not come with meat.  I wanted meat. I said i will pay extra for meat. I was told "no" we don't do that. After going back and fourth with the employee AND the manager, the manager eventually spoke to the owner who said $3.50 more for meat. 

At some point it becomes worth it for the seller to bend the rules.  In my opinion, the answer should never be no. 

I got the meat.

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As a general rule the real reason I won't bend the rules is because once that starts everyone wants a special deal and the line gets long quick, and long lines might seem like good business but from my perspective if the line is really long that can only mean someone is getting away with something for nothing.

After all, most people wouldn't stand in line for the same thing they can get elsewhere.

They can and will stand in line for good service, no doubt about it.

But they're not paying but so much extra for it, mark my words on that.

[monster-deals]

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@inhawaii wrote:

 But to just say "NO" is very poor business sense in my opinion. 

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This may just be me, but I'm not interested in more work for less money.

[asdcr8w-0]

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@inhawaii wrote:

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@mypostingid15 wrote:

So, you want the seller to create a new listing for 5 or 6 marbles, end the old listing, and create a new listing for the rest of the marbles along with new description and photos For $5? I wouldn't do that.

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Would you do it for $10?  Would you do it for $20.  At some point you would do it.  So the answer shouldn't be no.

That's like someone offering to buy your car "name your price" and you saying it's not for sale. 

Congratulations to you that business is so good that you can turn down a potential customer without even knowing how much you'll be making.

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Ok I'll play along if only because I have had this happen, more than once even!

Some complete stranger (no I am not kidding) walked up my driveway to ask me if some vehicle was for sale, and I said no and was ready to move on... This individual insisted that anything would sell if the price was right...

Here's the kicker, neither of them was ready to accept that simple answer and move on...

So I told each of these individuals this:

You are right, I would sell IF the price is right BUT you wouldn't be willing to pay that.

Case in point:

Since the first guy kept on and on...

I told the first guy 5 thousand for my 19 year old car (5g's was how much I had paid for it 8 years before).

The guy went on about "that's RIDICULOUS it's not WORTH THAT!"

Yup, the prostitution rests...

The second guy I told him $800 for my tow trailer (once again that was how much I had paid for it just earlier that year), I almost regretted my "offer" the instant it came out of my mouth because how was I going to get another in some kind of order, not to mention registration and title fees and time were involved...

Fortunately this guy too said "that's too much, I can buy one new for that"

To which I said "OK" and I really wanted to say "why don't you then" but I was flat RELIEVED he didn't buy it.

Then he "offers" me $400

I was done, I told him to get lost.

So case in point, when a buyer asks for a special deal it is usually best to walk away.

It's a gamble, business owners like myself don't make money gambling.

Matter of fact we usually lose, and that's the REAL reason behind buyers who want something that's not on the menu.

Put another way:

If it ain't got a for sale sign on it, then it ain't for sale.

And if it does have a for sale sign on it, I'm not parting it out piece by piece.

[a_c_green]

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@inhawaii wrote:

How many candles per bag?  How much is a bag?  What is the shipping on a bag?  How many bags do i have in stock?  Besides the bags of 100, do i have any loose candles?

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CANDY, not CANDLE.

Darn that fuzzy monitor... 

[pburn]

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@blueeggsandspam wrote:

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This reminds of me of dealing with a local Chinese restaurant. They have combo dinners which come with pork fried rice. I tried ordering one with plain fried rice, because I can't eat the pork, but they steadfastly refused. No one up the management chain was willing to make the substitution for me, so I ordered from somewhere else. 

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I don't know if you knew this, but all Chinese restaurants are serviced by one company that has big tanker trucks that are sectioned off inside for dishes like beef and green pepper, almond chicken, kung pau beef, lo mein, etc. The tanker pulls up behind the restaurant, hooks a large hose up to a receptacle in the back of the restaurant, and dispenses each dish individually into vats inside the restaurant. Then they pack up and head to the next restaurant.

That's why they can't individualize orders. 

The end.

[siayan]

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@pburn wrote:

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@blueeggsandspam wrote:

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This reminds of me of dealing with a local Chinese restaurant. They have combo dinners which come with pork fried rice. I tried ordering one with plain fried rice, because I can't eat the pork, but they steadfastly refused. No one up the management chain was willing to make the substitution for me, so I ordered from somewhere else. 

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I don't know if you knew this, but all Chinese restaurants are serviced by one company that has big tanker trucks that are sectioned off inside for dishes like beef and green pepper, almond chicken, kung pau beef, lo mein, etc. The tanker pulls up behind the restaurant, hooks a large hose up to a receptacle in the back of the restaurant, and dispenses each dish individually into vats inside the restaurant. Then they pack up and head to the next restaurant.

That's why they can't individualize orders. 

The end.

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They can do it. If you want extra peppers they just have to wait for someone to return a plate that picked out the peppers.

[muttlymob]

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@inhawaii wrote:

The seller replied with "sorry such a small amount is not cost worthy for me to sell".  Why would he say that without knowing how much i'm willing to pay for 6 of them?  Why not make me an offer?  6 marbles for $5 or 6 marbles for $10 or 6 marbles for $20 ... whatever he thinks is worth his time and effort?   But to just say "NO" is very poor business sense in my opinion. 

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So here's your solution:

Call eBay Customer Service.  Tell them you really, really want something from a seller but he said no.  Ask that the CSR call the seller, and with a wink-wink-nudge-nudge "convince" the seller that communicating with you is in his best interest. 

Get it your way.  eBay style.

Based on recent blue posts, sellers just love to get these kind of phone calls. 

[muttlymob]

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@siayan wrote:

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@pburn wrote:

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@blueeggsandspam wrote:

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This reminds of me of dealing with a local Chinese restaurant. They have combo dinners which come with pork fried rice. I tried ordering one with plain fried rice, because I can't eat the pork, but they steadfastly refused. No one up the management chain was willing to make the substitution for me, so I ordered from somewhere else. 

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I don't know if you knew this, but all Chinese restaurants are serviced by one company that has big tanker trucks that are sectioned off inside for dishes like beef and green pepper, almond chicken, kung pau beef, lo mein, etc. The tanker pulls up behind the restaurant, hooks a large hose up to a receptacle in the back of the restaurant, and dispenses each dish individually into vats inside the restaurant. Then they pack up and head to the next restaurant.

That's why they can't individualize orders. 

The end.

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They can do it. If you want extra peppers they just have to wait for someone to return a plate that picked out the peppers.

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Now I'm hungry.

[blueeggsandspam]

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@pburn wrote:

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@blueeggsandspam wrote:

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This reminds of me of dealing with a local Chinese restaurant. They have combo dinners which come with pork fried rice. I tried ordering one with plain fried rice, because I can't eat the pork, but they steadfastly refused. No one up the management chain was willing to make the substitution for me, so I ordered from somewhere else. 

---

I don't know if you knew this, but all Chinese restaurants are serviced by one company that has big tanker trucks that are sectioned off inside for dishes like beef and green pepper, almond chicken, kung pau beef, lo mein, etc. The tanker pulls up behind the restaurant, hooks a large hose up to a receptacle in the back of the restaurant, and dispenses each dish individually into vats inside the restaurant. Then they pack up and head to the next restaurant.

That's why they can't individualize orders. 

The end.

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LOL

I couldn't grasp their logic.  They have plain fried rice on the menu. 

[pburn]

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@muttlymob wrote:

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@siayan wrote:

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They can do it. If you want extra peppers they just have to wait for someone to return a plate that picked out the peppers.

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Now I'm hungry.

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LOL! In the spirit of full disclosure, I live in a heavily ethnic neighborhood, with all the riches that come with it, including fabulous Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and African restaurants. I patronize everyone of them and bow my head in shame for mocking my Chinese restauranteurs.

[city*satins]

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@pburn wrote:

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@blueeggsandspam wrote:

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This reminds of me of dealing with a local Chinese restaurant. They have combo dinners which come with pork fried rice. I tried ordering one with plain fried rice, because I can't eat the pork, but they steadfastly refused. No one up the management chain was willing to make the substitution for me, so I ordered from somewhere else. 

---

I don't know if you knew this, but all Chinese restaurants are serviced by one company that has big tanker trucks that are sectioned off inside for dishes like beef and green pepper, almond chicken, kung pau beef, lo mein, etc. The tanker pulls up behind the restaurant, hooks a large hose up to a receptacle in the back of the restaurant, and dispenses each dish individually into vats inside the restaurant. Then they pack up and head to the next restaurant.

That's why they can't individualize orders. 

The end.

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Eons ago, my first husband and I drove across the country from west coast to east coast. Once we left Vancouver in Canada, we drove south until we got to I-90 and then headed east.

I don't know about today, but back then, I-90 suddenly slowed down when you reached Wallace Idaho.  We stopped for lunch and there were signs everywhere about the grand opening of a Chinese Restaurant.  Yippie Skippie!  It was a big to-do and there was a line at the door. We weren't on a schedule and although normally we didn't line up for much of anything except maybe a movie or concert, we decided to see what all the excitement was about.

First thing we notice when we got in was that everybody serving was caucasian.  Likewise all the customers.  Then we saw the menu....kind of odd.  Maybe 10 dishes. Chicken fried rice. Pork fried rice.  Egg foo yung. Chow mein (uh oh!) Sweet and sour pork.  Hmmmm....

Our server took our order. We had a couple questions which she was completely unable to answer.   Our plates arrived.  All flash frozen stuff. Basically Chun King stuff.  We looked at the mess in horror.  Was this a joke? Were we in an episode of Candid Camera?  Was Allan Funt going to appear?   We looked around.  No cameras.  Everyone was digging into this awful stuff and going MMMmmmM!   Wow!  So good!

We paid, left a tip, and headed out and went to McDonalds.

I hear Wallace is actually much more interesting than that but we were in a hurry to leave.

Sorry....wool gathering a lot lately.

[kathieskorner]

Personally, if I have no interest in whatever the shopper is offering,  instead of saying No - I just don't reply.    Too many people get bent out of shape trying to read between the lines of an email. 

If I want to haggle with buyers, I'll have a yard sale or set up at a flea market.  It's too much work to split up items in an active listing, but sometimes I will do so if it expires unsold.  

[mg152]

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@hegre_51 wrote:

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@inhawaii wrote:

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@mypostingid15 wrote:

So, you want the seller to create a new listing for 5 or 6 marbles, end the old listing, and create a new listing for the rest of the marbles along with new description and photos For $5? I wouldn't do that.

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Would you do it for $10?  Would you do it for $20.  At some point you would do it.  So the answer shouldn't be no.

That's like someone offering to buy your car "name your price" and you saying it's not for sale. 

Congratulations to you that business is so good that you can turn down a potential customer without even knowing how much you'll be making.

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Frat boy: Come on baby, say yes. Say yes! 

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Sorority girl: You’re gonna be a father. 😂