eBay

turquoisetulips · ‎09-28-2018

Not really looking for advice ,, I just thought this was too humorous not to share . I have a living memory locket for sale[ one of many ] for 15.65 or best offer - free shipping . Basically the same as most of my inventory . Today I got an offer of one dollar on it . Of course I politely declined ,, but it had me wondering what this person was thinking . I guess its true what has been said that a lot of people don't understand shipping charges or have any idea what they cost . I guess they never purchase postage stamps or ship a package so they would have at least some idea . I can't rightfully call this person a '' buyer '',, not just because I declined his one dollar offer .Mainly because it would have cost me more than twice the amount he offered just for the shipping alone [never mind the cost of the locket itself ] which in turn would have made me the buyer lol . This is what I find so funny and now I'm curious . Anybody else have a story ? Tulips

robot-hands · ‎09-30-2018

@sam9876 wrote:
Best Offer is the same as shooting yourself in the foot.

Sure if you have a gun loaded with money, and the you were going to sell the gun too.

turquoisetulips · ‎09-30-2018

@myboardid wrote:
This happened a few days ago - Item listed at $27.50 with Best Offer. Offer is $30. What the heck, I took it, thinking I wouldn't get paid, but I had several more so at least the item would remain listed while I was going through the Unpaid Item process. We are now into the third day of the UPID. I'm betting on not getting paid.

That's really odd - did you check the buyers feedback ? not that it would matter but at least you could see if they ever make legitimate purchases . tulips

turquoisetulips · ‎09-30-2018

@soh.maryl wrote:
I agree with the others who feel that that person just thought, "What the heck -- he might just take this ridiculously low offer". It probably happens often enough to make it worth someone's while. And what does that person have to lose really? Have never done this intentionally, but some years ago, saw an item listed for $35 and thought I made an offer of $32, but turns out it was $23. When I was trying to figure out how to fix this, the seller accepted my offer.
When I messaged her and explained, she said, "OK, make it $26 and we have a deal". Maybe something like this happened to that person in the past.

I like easy going sellers as you described . I thought at first the one dollar offer might have been a typo like that too ,, but now since they haven't come back I guess it was legit . Tulips

turquoisetulips · ‎09-30-2018

And what does that person have to lose really? soh.maryl

Well , there are some sellers who will block buyers who make really low offers . I'm not one of them ,, but they are out there . tulips

rt_21_trading_co · ‎09-30-2018

"Well , there are some sellers who will block buyers who make really low offers . I'm not one of them ,, but they are out there . tulips"

This is absolutely true. At the very first hints of a problem from a buyer, whether it be a cheapskate, low baller, repeat messager, complaint about shipping cost posted, complain about sale terms, etc - then they are blocked with me.

I know all about trying to educate buyers and explain, but there are thousands of buyers floating on ebay to commit fraud in any number of ways, or to otherwise create problems even if no fraud is attempted.

Over the years I have tried it other ways only to have it jump up and bite me in the back of the leg or a little higher.

Explain about shipping fees, show them the actual cost. They agree and buy saying "wow, didn't realize cost was that high". Then receive the items and give negative feedback for shipping cost. Or neutral feedback because I supposedly badgered them into paying "outrageous shipping".

Constantly message me telling me I am charging too much, other sellers are selling for less for the exact item. Check ebay live and closed listings and the only listing in the last year from any other sellers was a broke item that was sold for parts for nearly the same price I am charging for one that is not broken.

Claim ebay sellers get it so easy because they file a bogus claim and I beat them. 7 times once I called and get a negative removed because it didn't have an relevance to the item or transaction. 7 times the buyer called and got it reinstated because ebay customer service is full of people with less than stellar english, less than stellar understand of ebay policy, less than stellar little first month weenie overriding a supervisors decision to remove the feedback, etc. I finally made the buyer mad enough to curse in a feedback follow-up and that got it permanently removed.

Ebay is the place where all this line of junk happens. Not on other platforms. And that's why a lot of sellers instantly block. We don''t need refunded sales.

The ones that get me are sellers that do charge outrageous shipping and still have 100% positive when they charge $ 25 to ship a 6 ounce trinket.

turquoisetulips · ‎09-30-2018

Constantly message me telling me I am charging too much, other sellers are selling for less for the exact item. rt 21 trading co -- unquote

In cases like that ,, it sort of makes you wonder why they want yours so badly then? . Some potential buyers will say anything true or not just to save a few bucks . Still I'm not real content with blocking buyers who make low offers because most of the time they come back with something more reasonable . Granted I don't expect Mr. One dollar to come back but there lies the exception . Tulips

spreadlovelikefire · ‎09-30-2018

I hate to say this but I have you beat on the bad offer table:) I once had someone offer $0 on an item that was $55 with free shipping. This is no joke, $0! I was shocked that that is even an option for buyers to do that let alone actually receive that.

dinpavent0 · ‎09-30-2018

My husband and I always get those people that message saying that our price is high, others are selling it this amount cheaper, etc. I just feel like saying then buy from that person! I think people have to much time on their hands.

turquoisetulips · ‎09-30-2018

@spreadlovelikefire wrote:
I hate to say this but I have you beat on the bad offer table:) I once had someone offer $0 on an item that was $55 with free shipping. This is no joke, $0! I was shocked that that is even an option for buyers to do that let alone actually receive that.

Sounds like a kid messing with mama's computer . lol - or like someone just mentioned some people just have too much time on their hands . Tulips

annadryl · ‎09-30-2018

Someone offered ten bucks for 70 DVD's. I think I was asking $50 which is pretty good but they didn't sell and I kept lowering the price and threw BO in there. I should have known better. I eventually donated them to the senior center. $10 wouldn't even cover shipping.

And they ALWAYS want free shipping. I think places like amazon have people conditioned to think that shipping is literally free. Or a just a 50-cent stamp. Or the government pays for it. Or angels do it. Maybe leprechauns.

Some buyers don't know we pay fees.

And there are apparently some folks that have actually made it through life without ever sending anybody anything...

lightlily_arts · ‎10-01-2018

I've never had an offer so low, but I do try to set my auto decline limits. Sometimes I forget and that's when I do see the lowballs or they circumvent my Best Offer option to make their ridiculous offers. As I price things fairly low already I don't have much wiggle room and generally won't accept offers asking for more than a 20% discount. I have gone and looked at the offers that were automatically declined and seen some for 10% of my posted price. When people make offers I usually don't decline, and send a counter offer instead of what I will accept with an explanation that I can't sell below my cost and still have fees to pay as well. Sometimes I get pushy people who think I will change my mind or tell me some story how they can get it cheaper elsewhere. Being that's the case I encourage them to go ahead and buy elsewhere as each seller has to decide whether they want to make a profit or not. I get the sob stories too about how it's all they can afford and couldn't I just help them out. So sad but I'm a business not a charity. You wouldn't go into Walmart with that story and expect them to give you a handout.

I had a fellow that wanted to buy a guitar bag from me at nearly 50% off. He stated he could get the bag on Amazon for his offer with free shipping. Except it wasn't even the same bag with mine being a different high end deluxe model and the Amazon bag a basic no name, no frills with no padding cheapie. He was advised to go buy the Amazon bag if that's all he wanted to pay. I was ranting yesterday because I've been trying to sell a Brand New Rabbit cage that I paid $120 for with a 25 liter bag of bedding. The total value was $143 and I was selling it for $75. It was also local pickup only due to the size and weight. Yesterday I got an offer for $30 and they wanted it shipped. This time I declined and pulled the listing as I'm just going to advertise locally so that it's understood they have to come and get it. Also, I can just ignore offers. I think a lot of people just don't think that we are here to make money and not everyone wants to negotiate a price. As I do have a store I will run sales with discounts anywhere from 10-25% and people still come in trying to get a bigger discount off my sale price. If it's on sale there won't be any further discounts. I don't offer free shipping because it's not free to me. I prefer to keep them separate so that offer are for the item price only. I get a number of people who try to negotiate the shipping too. That I always decline and tell them shipping isn't free to me so I can't offer that to them. I don't mind pointing out the cost of doing business on eBay and that not everyone want to haggle. I'm fine with buyers declining my counter offers too.

redfashiongurl · ‎10-01-2018

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm not paying to get rid of my stuff"

Then they think you just throw it over your shoulder and it lands in their mailbox.

eBay needs to change it from FREE Shipping to "Seller Pays Shipping".

softersilk · ‎10-01-2018

@dinpavent0 wrote:
I tell the buyer flat out it costs me 3.50 to ship, I don't print my postage, i go directly to post office and I have free shipping on all my items. Alot of my items are around $10 so I am only making like $5 an item already on those type of listings and I get $1-$5 offers all the time on stuff I already have very lolw to begin with and free shipping. I decline and just up front with them. I had a person do that send me a dollar offer and I told them that I couldn't do that I would lose money and how much it cost me just for shipping not including fees, then came back with $1.50. I just blocked them at that point. Very annoying. I don't mind giving deals at all, but I can't give out free items plus cost myself more by paying for shipping. Ridiculous, so no you are not alone ....lol

Why aren't you printing your own postage? You're losing a ton of money (and time) going to the USPS.

willyb15020 · ‎10-01-2018

I think they have the idea that just because China can sell for those prices Us sellers should as well. Its rediculous. I also think they believe that some of us sellers are so despreate for a sale that we would entertain the idea of selling our items for 1.00. Its kind of like a garage sale mentality and man I hate having garage sales lol

castlemagicmemories · ‎10-01-2018

So sorry that happened to you. That is just rude, in my opinion. Obviously your beautiful lockets are not going to be had for $1.00, I don't know what that user was thinking (or even if they were, LOL!)