Ebay--What is with people????

[Chim Chiminy]

I just had a round of auctions close and out of 12 that sold, two I am having issues with. And one that didn't sell, I have some nutcase emailing to find out if I will reduce the price on the item as well as shipping and sell it to her!

First item, a Gap sweater. The guy doesn't have Paypal, which is expressly written into my Terms of Service that I only accept Paypal. No checks or MO. He wants to send me a check. Doesn't work for me because I am moving next week!!
He did admit today that he didn't read through the auction before bidding.
I don't mind making the exception on the check, but he will have to wait on the shipping probably another two or three weeks. I don't really like that idea.

Second item, a baby snowsuit by Healthtex that cost $50 bought new. My daughter wore it twice! The woman wants me to reduce the shipping on it. She won the item at $2.99, shipping Parcel post is $5.49 to her.

And the third, which didn't sell, a boy scout uniform shirt I had listed at a starting bid of $3.99, Shipping is $4.50. The lady wants me to just sell it to her for a lower price, and I guess take a hit on the shipping as well.

I just don't understand people. I mean, I know I am always on the lookout for a bargain but please. It's insulting!

 

[soccerchick]

Hmmm, I wonder if one of your ladies just won one of my auctions too. Cried about shipping costs that were clearly written in the auction and she got a steal on the clothes to boot. She bid last minute and I looked at her feedback and she had 15 negatives (granted, she also had about 1000 positives). My gut jumped when I saw that~ knew she'd be a pain and she was. Maybe it's the back-to-school madness (or a full moon).

I did very well once before selling DD's clothes on e-bay, but never again will I do clothes. I'd have made just as much, maybe more, putting them in a yard sale. We might have to add that to our auctions ~ "This isn't a yard sale. No bargaining. Period!"

 

[nuke]

I don't negotiate and I don't sell outside of ebay. People that ask me to do these things frankly scare me. They are the ones that will cause you grief.

 

[Puffy2]

I've had about 50 transactions so far - most great. One nut. Complain, Complain, Complain about shipping cost which was clearly stated in the auctions she won. Even complained after I combined shipping for her on three items and reduced the shipping charges on two of the auctions by half. Keep in mind that she didn't bother to ask me BEFORE the end of the auctions, if I'd be willing to do any of that.

Regardless of how people feel about shipping fees - if they don't like the terms, they SHOULDN'T BID. and if they DO bid, then they shouldn't complain about fufilling their end of the agreement as clearly stated in the auction terms.

Good grief.

The more experience I have with this - the clearer my auctions are listed and the less I'm willing to "bend the rules". Good luck to you.

 

[disneysnowflake]

Goodness, it does't take a rocket scientist to know that shipping clothing items in the mail is not cheap.
My sister asked me to get a hooded sweatshirt for her. They weren't available in her area. It cost me $7.00 to mail the sweatshirt from here in PA to Kansas City. That was Priority. The parcel post cost was only 5 cents cheaper.

I thought I was the only one who got the weirdos on ebay. It never fails. As soon as I list something I start getting the questions asking me to take 8 photos of items at all angles, wanting me to do private sales with them, etc.

I haven't sold very much this Summer. I'm waiting for back to school time to list my items. I hope they sell. I still have to get spending money together for our Disney trip in December.

 

[2Disneybuggs]

I just sold an item for $140 I clearly state no credit cards through paypal. I send the guy an invoice with this and then answer his mail about how to send me Paypal. Of course I get a credit card payment which I denied. Why are people so annoying? This guy better pay because my ebay sales are my Disney money.

 

[Chim Chiminy]

I guess part of why it irks me so much is that I never, ever bid on an item if a.) I haven't read the whole auction b.) I don't agree with the terms c.) I question the shipping fees.

Since I am also a seller, I understand the shipping fees more. I understand what it costs to ship an item and I know what is fair and reasonable.
I don't overcharge on my fees. I use shipping calculator (so I don't undercharge on the shipping. That happened when I first started out.) and I add a 50 cent handling fee. That is it!
It is not like I am making money off my shipping or trying to cover my Paypal fees.

I have perfect feedback and I am hoping that one of these nutjobs doesn't give me a neg.

Glad you guys understand......my husband's eyes glazed over when I talked to him about it!

 

[Alicia Gist]

I love this thread. I've been complaining to my husband that ebay is not fun anymore. I had a lady complain about an outfit she won and wanted a refund. It was a $70 Indygo outfit that I listed for $6.99. She won it for $24.99. She said it was extremely ratty. It irritated me because I am very careful about what I put on ebay. If there is a stain or anything I put it in a yard sale where people can see it. Indygo brand is hand painted and looks faded when you buy it. I listed it for $6.99 and she was the one that wanted to pay $24.99 for it. I refunded her money just because I didn't want negative feedback. I looked at her feedback and she only has 2 feedbacks. She must be knew to ebay. It amazes me that people want to buy boutique clothing for thrift store prices.

 

[frannn]

how much combined shipping is after I've won one of a seller's auctions, because I am interested in another. There are those few times though, that I have not asked until after I won both auctions. This is due to the fact that many of a single seller's auctions end about the same time, and the seller usually would not be able to get back to me in time. Anyway, my point is, that to ask for combined shipping is a harmless question, even if your auction does not state that you do that. It would be a nice thing to do to generate repeat business (I know I look to buy more from a seller that offers that), but the worst you can do is say no, as that is not your policy, or the items will cost more to ship, etc. I know this is not your main issue, and that you have buyers approaching you looking to get "something for nothing", but they are only harmless questions, and all you have to do is say no in a nice way. Maybe you could offer to relist the item at a price you are both comfortable with. For people looking for cheaper shipping, you could just explain that the actual shipping cost is $XX.XX. I guess I am confused as to why you are so offended and appalled-did the buyer harrass you by emailing several times and refuse to pay what they considered inflated shipping, using colorful language? I am not condoning what these buyers did that bothered you so much, just wondering why you took it so much to heart.

 

[nuke]

I can't speak for the OP but when I list an item that weighs 3 pounds and it costs for example $5.66 to ship it, I am not going to cut my shipping cost in half. That is what I got out of the original post that the buyer was asking the OP to cut her shipping charge to under the actual shipping costs.

I combine shipping. After my auctions have ended I send invoices for the multiple items won with an adjusted shipping amount. I have no problem doing that I have no problem when someone asks if I will do that. What I have problems with are people that want something for nothing. I am not going to sell an item for $4.99 and pay $5 to ship it and only charge the buyer $2.50 shipping.

 

[vettechick99]

I've had good luck so far with my sales. But I did have a funny thing happen to me when I inquired about a darkroom setup a guy was selling for a friend of his. He wanted $75 for the whole thing (probably 20 items including an enlarger, timer, tons of supplies, etc), but shipping was going to be as much, so I didn't bid on it.

After it ended and no one had bid or won (darkrooms are flooding the market and are a dime a dozen), I emailed him and asked if he was going to relist or sell off ebay. I thought I might get a deal. He said he would sell me the enlarger (the main piece) for $100! I said, "Are you crazy? I'm not going to pay more money for less items!" He lives in Naples, so who knows if I would have gotten the items anyway!

Some people have little sense.

 

[kashkdz]

The main thing that comes to mind after reading this thread is that you are all not alone. Her comes my few minutes to vent.....I used to think that it was only me that dealt with the nut cases every now and then. As both a buyer and seller on eBay, I've often wondered how if someone can't read an ebay description as clearly as it is written, how is is possible that they are able to register on ebay, let alone use a computer. Quite a few times, I clearly stated no credit cards using paypal (as mentioned by 2Disneybuggs), and sure enough payment is made using a credit card. I've had a few cases where the bidder won the item, then they complained about the shipping charge AFTER the auction. I don't over charge for shipping, but I do factor in time and travel, and my s/h charges are in-line with others on ebay. I've also had people request that I sell it to them outside of ebay for a MUCH lower price...once again..no-can-do. Ebay is very simple, if you find an item you like and are willing to pay the price for the item (INCLUDING shipping), then BID otherwise DON'T. Thanks for the free therapy session..I feel a little better now....Good luck eBay sellers....like you it pays for my Disney vacation!

 

[wdisneyaholic]

This thread is great, wish it was here 2 weeks ago. I just started selling on ebay and have sold 2 items so far. Both of them I had at least 4 people email to end auction early or sell it to them now at the current bid. Do people not know the idea of an auction is to sell it to the highest bidder? I am not trying to become rich I am just trying to make a couple of extra bucks and pay off some debt. Otherwise I would load up my car and take everything to goodwill. It is alot more work than I had thought. So many questions about can you end the auction early was driving me nuts. I guess some people just don't get it.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Just say NO!

I think people try to do these crazy things because they can. Once it's worked for them with a seller - they will keep doing it. I've had about 350 transactions on ebay and only a couple of "nuts", still 100% positive feedback.

Do you all not take credit cards because of the fees Paypal charges? I saw a stat recently that people spend an average of 25% more when they can use credit (not just on ebay, in general). I build the paypal fees into the cost of my item when figuring the least amount I'll take for it. And you may be eliminating many people that might otherwise bid if you take credit. I see ebay as a business - if I can't make a decent profit on an item I'm not going to fool with it.

Also, if you do a lot of selling here's a hint. Maybe it's been mentioned on those ebay threads but if you sign up with stamps.com, and yes it's about $16/month for the premium service, you can print your own postage at home and the cool part is you can print it without a $ amount showing on it. They call it stealth postage and it is soooooooo worth it. People can't tell what the actual postage was (and I'm not saying you should pad postage or anything) but I do charge for shipping & handling and I never get complaints about the cost since using this feature. I tried to use USPS software, and another service and had problems. I find stamps.com very easy to use.

One of the two nuts I had a long time ago. Went off on me about .35 cents she thought I overcharged her on shipping. I told her I had to pay for the new padded envelope her item was shipped in. Funny, then she left me really good feedback. I thought I was done in on that one but lucked out.

Good luck with your selling.

 

[AdventurerKat]

and all this complaining you guys are getting makes me not want to start again!

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Wow, I really don't have many problems with buyers. I've only been asked a couple of times to "make a deal". I very politely respond with a standard email stating I'm an ethical ebayer and will follow ebay's rules. I will give them these links regarding "transaction interference"

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/transaction-interference.html

or offering to buy an item outside ebay

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-spam-non-ebay-sale.html

Then I explain that while I have no intention of forwarding their email to ebay and reporting them (you never know they COULD be unaware that they are committing a big no-no as far as ebay is concerned), they should be aware of these policies 'cause the next guy might not be so nice and they could be suspended.

That pretty much takes care of it.

I plan to be on ebay for a long time and am not going to do anything to mess that up. Say a "deal" goes bad and they decide to turn YOU in for participating in it. Best to stay away from that stuff.

 

[disneymom3]

My Dh swears that 99% of the people who email to ask a question are not serious buyers. The people who are serious know what they want and how much they are willing to pay. Most of the time it is true. They ask a question or want to know if you will add a Buy it Now and then you never see their ID listed as a bidder.

Just last Sat I had a woman ask if I would put a buy it now option on one of my auctions. She said she was a teacher and really needed the item soon. Uhhhh, it was ending on Sunday! Just bid for pete's sake! then I went to check it and there was already a bid on it anyway. Lo and behold, it was her ID! Then she never bid again and lost the auction. Whatever. Apparently her question was would I do a buy it now for $5 for an item that sells for $10-12.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

You and your DH are right disneymom3. Be polite, firm and brief with those people. They aren't worth your time.

I should clarify: I cheerfully answer questions about things like function/condition/size etc of an item. I've asked a few things like that myself before winning an auction. I'm talking about those people who are trying to haggle/make a side deal with you.

 

[erinch]

This is an honest to gosh unsolicited email I got from somebody, about a day after I put a huge lot of girl's clothes and shoes up. Made me hope I never meet her while she's driving an SUV or something:


Dear erinch,

LMAO! I guarantee the box does NOT weigh 25 lbs! You're just trying to make a little $ off of the s/h. No wonder you don't have any bids! Everyone knows it's a rip off!

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Sheesh erinch, that is a person with no life and too much time on their hands.

Add his/her user id to your "blocked bidders" list so you never have to deal with 'em.

http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/biddermanagement.html