Weird responses and suggestions

[bigdeals.etc]

What weird responses and suggestions do you get from people when they find out you sell on ebay?

There was this one postal carrier I see sometimes at the docks who found out I sold clothing on ebay. He made it his mission to tell me something I absolutely need to sell. It was a really long winded story about him and his wife on a vegas trip that didn't get to the point until the very end. He passionately told me the shirt he saw was a random t shirt a guy at the blackjack tables was wearing. I mention here what the shirt logo said because it was profanity. I just kept nodding and said "okay thanks" trying to get the heck outta there asap. He still asks me about it from time to time... thinking he just threw me a million dollar idea.

Then there's the ones who need to tell/show me something they just bought online and tell me I should get it for pennies from "the supplier" and make a ton of money. No matter what the item is they bought... it seems to always cost only pennies from the unknown "supplier".

[chapeau-noir]

I just tell people I do online sales.  Once I said "Logistics".

But I had a really nice relative (my family are truly good people and mean well) ask me if I had thought about going to garage sales and getting stuff to sell?  Well, yes, after all these many years I have (the garage sales here are mostly junk because the garage-owners have already shopped out the good stuff on Craigslist, Fakebook, eBay, etc). 

I do NOT tell anyone I take consignments, though - the last time I did someone piled so much unwanted junk on my front stoop that they had to bribe me with a big bag of food to get me to take it.  Good thing they were good cooks.

Other people look down their noses at me, though, when I tell them I sell pre-owned clothing.  "Oh, I would never wear used clothing!"  Get the stick out of your backside, little dude, it's a BIG business and driving part of the future in etailing.

[buyologist-3]

Accused of selling junk, etc?  You can thank the general public. So much so, that they even joke about ebay on Big Bang... Remember Raj had his phone break apart?  The gang asked what he was going to do with it and he said, "Sell it on ebay, of course!"  Big laughs!!  Between scammers (Both sides) and policies that defends scammers, no one should want to 'talk about it' anymore.  I think it's too far gone: The Party's Over...  sniff.......

[wastingtime101]

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@buyologist-3 wrote:

Accused of selling junk, etc?  You can thank the general public. So much so, that they even joke about ebay on Big Bang... Remember Raj had his phone break apart?  The gang asked what he was going to do with it and he said, "Sell it on ebay, of course!"  Big laughs!! 

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They also had a classic buyer doesn't read the listing tale on that show. Leonard thought he was buying a mini replica of the Time Machine movie prop, but he bought the actual life sized prop.

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

Well since I'm watching big bang right now, I'll chime in.

  I knew a wonderful gal here in town that had the most drool worthy collectibles  ever. Old advertising, McCoy  cookie jars, defunct California diner dishes to name a few. Well she bought a house out of town and wanted me to list some of her treasures on ebay. 

     4 boxes she brings over, yikes! She told me I could pick out one good thing that I wanted ( which was hard cuz I wanted everything) so I did and she was OK about the ebay portion. I sold most of it on the bay, the one thing I had the most difficulty with a buyer was a sterling baby cup from 1800s, This buyer from Kavikastan ( something like that)  wouldn't stop bugging me but got thru it.

     It was a good experience and I still have the 50s diner piece that is very very rare!

    Now laughing at Sheldon getting drunk!

[femmefan1946]

That's why the Selling Assistant Program (whatever it was called) failed.

Buyers could not understand why they were getting only 20-40% of the selling price back and sellers could not afford the do the work for less than 60-80% of the payment.

And that was before the Internet (state) sales tax.

[gjs_16]

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@bigdeals.etc wrote:

What weird responses and suggestions do you get from people when they find out you sell on ebay?

There was this one postal carrier I see sometimes at the docks who found out I sold clothing on ebay. He made it his mission to tell me something I absolutely need to sell. It was a really long winded story about him and his wife on a vegas trip that didn't get to the point until the very end. He passionately told me the shirt he saw was a random t shirt a guy at the blackjack tables was wearing. I mention here what the shirt logo said because it was profanity. I just kept nodding and said "okay thanks" trying to get the heck outta there asap. He still asks me about it from time to time... thinking he just threw me a million dollar idea.

Then there's the ones who need to tell/show me something they just bought online and tell me I should get it for pennies from "the supplier" and make a ton of money. No matter what the item is they bought... it seems to always cost only pennies from the unknown "supplier".

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I get that too on occasion, more so with my real world occupation since I'm self-employed all around... I've been plying that trade for close to 20 years, but on occasion I get someone who is just convinced they have this million dollar idea when in reality it's something I experienced / went through / ruled out in the first year or two (five at the most)...

I just breathe as I hear it, I don't have to pretend much, my disinterest normally shows without me trying.

[fashunu4eeuh]

I also get hit up to sell people’s stuff. I offer to teach them how to sell on eBay themselves. They rarely take me up on that offer. (I do sell for a couple of very dear loved ones, on occasion.)

[asset_liquidators]

I don't ever mention ebay, ever. If someone knows what I do and asks where they can see what I have for sale then I direct them to my webstore. Makes no sense to direct them to the website that costs the most to sell on an offers zero protection.

[asset_liquidators]

When I buy at auction I have people ask me all the time what I am going to do with that "junk". Doesn't bother me. As a matter of fact, I always tell people I buy junk but I DON'T buy garbage!

Ebays days are past. Ever notice that it no longer gets mentioned on TV shows? Now when they refer to an online sales channel it is the big A or even the website for handcrafted stuff but never ebay.

The Big Bang episode (from several years ago) with Raj and the phone was a phone he found in the street that Penny threw out the window at some guy she had just broken up with. It was all smashed up and he pops up in the apartment all proud of the phone he just found run over in the street.

They ask what he is going to do with it and he says "sell it on ebay as lightly used." 

[chapeau-noir]

The other thing I hate hearing "Where do you find all this stuff?"  Oh, duh, I snap my fingers and it appears out of thin air...no, no, those old-time Keebler elves are down in the basement manufacturing it...I mean to say that I find it at the city dump, when I'm not curb surfing, by what I actually mean to say it's all stolen.

What kind of dumb question is that?!

[buyologist-3]

I agree!  I wear some pre-owned clothing and I get compliments all the time!  A good shopper gets good stuff!  YES!!  Stand proud. Some of us are delighted.

[buyologist-3]

THE TIME MACHINE EPISODE!  I love that one!  And yes, they were giving a dig to sloppy readers/buyers. So much deserved.  I had a couple last week.  Ugh....

Did you know that was the real Time Machine from the movie?  A guy found it in a junk yard and fixed it up. (Restored)  The crystal was still there, too!  So very cool.  Thanks for reminder!

[buyologist-3]

What a great break!  I get junk from friends, etc, too, so I never mention it either.  But you got a lucky break!  Congrats!  

I'm watching Big Bang, too!  Amy really worked Sheldon over the sofa and break-up thing.  Funny!  I love that show.  I know people who can't keep up with it and don't watch because of that.  Too fast and smart for them. 

BTW, is the Diner Piece Jadite?  They're getting so rare these days. 

[buyologist-3]

Perfect and exact!  You have an amazing memory!  Do you think eBay paid to have that?  You know: "As long as they spell your name right, there's no such thing as bad publicity."  

[bigdeals.etc]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

There are actually people out there that think listing and selling something for $20 means they get $20 in their pocket - even after years of selling here! I don't get it.

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Yea… and many of those people are my buyers. Cept you @silverstatetreasureboxes , you da best 👍🏻