posted on November 14, 2002 05:41:50 AM new
No I'm not talking about a group of people dispatched by eBay to find and punish "rule breakers" -- no, I'm talking about people who seem to have nothing better to do then to surf eBay and point out things wrong with your auctions -- but are often full of it.
Recent Examples:
Bidder e-mails me telling me that no one is going to be stupid enough to pay my price, and that he can name 5 web sites that charge less then what I do. He does this under the guise of doing me a favor.
I checked the web sites, every single one had a higher price. What he missed (IDIOT) was that I was selling a pair of the items -- those other web sites were selling one.
Another bidder e-mails me to let me know that he did some research and that a particular item I'm selling NEVER sells on eBay and that I should take down the auction.
Now this item isn't a hot seller, but it does sell 70% of the time, I just list one per week. $ is $.
Another bidder, says that he is just e-mailing me to let me know that I'll never sell another item for a particular price, that I should lower by $30.00 and I might sell it.
Weird -- I sold 35 of that item last month, virtually all of them by BIN -- which is $35.00 higher then the minimum bid he said was too high.
Recent case: Bidder e-mailed me 15 minutes ago, asking me to stop lying to people and saying that the discount retail price for a particular pair of speakers is $600.00, because he knows that the price is $345.00/pair according to the manufacturer.
Funny -- the Manufacturer's web site says $349.99/EACH -- discount is $299.99/EACH.
Those are just four examples --- does this happen to other sellers, or is it just me?
posted on November 14, 2002 06:37:26 AM new
It isn't just you and it isn't just online. In the many years I ran storefronts I listened to this all the time...both the "that's to high" and the "expert" who was not only wrong but so laughably wrong that I kept a list to amuse my fellow dealers (Sandwich glass is called that because people ate sandwiches off it). There were always the expers and guardians for each and every category of antique or collectible who made the rounds criticizing what was in everyone's shop. You are also right that these people must have nothing else to do. I can't imagine having the time to search people's auctions for a place to dump anger. And they are an angry lot, often downright vicious. I guess they don't get out much and have to use the keyboard to vent all that pent up aggression. Sad. I had a very angry person tell me there was no such thing as a "rooster chicken" and I should know what I am doing...blah blah. I sent them the dictionary definition of a chicken (rooster and hen) and told them the words were for search purposes and that it was a good idea to determine if you are right before you tell someone they are wrong. (Waste of breath, I usually don't bother to respond) I put these people in my straight to the trash email filter and blacklist them lest they decide to punish me by buying somethint just to neg me. I have been around a long time in business and know that you have to be wary of people who behave this way.
posted on November 14, 2002 08:00:14 AM new
Unfortunately I have found this type of behavoir to be quite common. I have found that the people telling me an item won't sell are competing sellers or individuals attempting to get me to lower the price so they can get what they think is a deal. I ignore everyone. I suggest you do the same.
posted on November 14, 2002 08:10:00 AM new
I love watching the pro buyers at flea markets working a seller. They will find something on an item they want to buy that isn't perfect and then tell the seller that he will never sell it with the defect at his price. Those pro buyers have great success against rookie sellers that seem glad to learn of the minor fault and then see a chance to sell the item at a greatly reduced price to the seemingly helpful bidder.
I get many genuine helpful hints and suggestions from people using the 'ask the seller a question' form.
I can see ebay doing away with the current format of the 'ask the seller a question'. There must be many offers to buy the item offsite that would deny ebay any FVF ( imagine the side deals with mandatory state taxes becoming a possible reality ).
What Yahoo does with their 'ask the seller a question' format is to place a 'Q&A' tab on each auction that has the questions asked and answered there for each auction. The seller gets an email from Yahoo stating that a question has been asked about X auction and he can reply at that auction. Side deals can still be made but they are documented there somewhat. Most sellers place their email in their auction description so buyers won't have to use the public Q&A function.
Now Half.com goes one better in preventing side deals. They do not allow any email addresses in responses to questions and the buyer never knows the questioner's email address to write them privately. Since Half is part of ebay I can see ebay adopting Half's format and also no longer allowing email addresses in auction descriptions.
posted on November 14, 2002 09:44:42 AM new
I hyave never tried to tell a seller how to price anything, but I have on an occasion corrected a description or at least questioned the description. I do this only in my field of expertise which is dinner china. Maybe I should rephrase that to dinnerware. I try to be helpful to the seller, even if they are competitors. Many times I get a thank you answer back. I met a lady here in town at an estate sale last month. She mentioned she was starting to sell on eBay. I checked her auctions, all started with WOW!! then a description. I emailed her & suggested that she was selling a coffee pot not a WOW. She agreed that the coffee pot should come first.
posted on November 14, 2002 10:13:34 AM new
On a couple of occasions I have had people e-mail me to say that my item has no value and I've been very happy with the ending price.
I have also had know-it-alls e-mail to give me wrong info about an item.
And in my shop I get people in who say that they can find an item cheaper in another store but whether they know it or not, that same article isn't nearly the quality of mine. Or they inform me that they can get it cheaper in Mexico or Italy. (So go fly there, baby!)
And there have been others who have become almost angry because they have the same collectible at home and think it's worth a fortune and they inform me that I am selling mine too low.
posted on November 14, 2002 11:08:59 AM new
I just love it when a buyer emails me and tells me that I am selling the item for too much, I just write and thank them for their interest and let it go.
While thinking... "When you own this item, you can sell it for whatever you want."
posted on November 14, 2002 12:42:55 PM new
I just got a classic one recently~
Someone emailed me to tell me that my "RARE" item isn't rare at all and that she bought one at the store for $12(the retail price).
I emailed her back to thank her for her concern and assured her that I wouldn't be counting on her bid. I also told her what a great buy she found and congratulated her on her bargain-finding prowess. My final thought to her was that an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay!(I wasn't rude or demeaning to her, just sarcastic. I was so sugary sweet in my response that I'm sure her blood was boiling~especially at the auction's end).
I began the auction at $9.99 and it ended up selling at $36.01 (3 times retail) PLUS shipping.
The bottom line: Don't listen to anyone's nit-picking in regards to your auctions.
posted on November 14, 2002 01:12:16 PM new
Do like I do... Delete the e-mail. They have nothing better to do than surf auctions and ask or comment on items they have no intention of purchasing.
posted on November 14, 2002 02:54:17 PM new
I use a standard reply at fleas and shows when someone says " I buy these widgets all the time for less than a half of what you are asking." I just get out my billfold and say "Wow, that's great. Get me 1/2 a dozen and I'll give you an instant 20% profit." Nobody has ever taken me up on the offer!
posted on November 14, 2002 03:36:35 PM new
a person emailed me and the seller about an item I had the top bid on, telling both of us that it was "not quite" what the description said and explaining exactly what it was to us...something a lot less valuable
I knew exactly what I was bidding on and told him so in no uncertain terms and also turned him in to ebay for auction interference and for sending me unsolicited email...
ebay must have warned him because I did receive an apologetic email a couple of days later, that I promptly deleted, by that time I had won the auction.
the poor seller, who was a newbie, was very upset and wanted to rewrite the auction, which would have lowered the bids.
posted on November 14, 2002 04:46:27 PM new
Like many other eBayers, I have stored searches that I scroll through ever few days to find auctions in my area of expertise that are rare and unique, and not recognized as such by the seller, so not described correctly to come up in other buyers' searches.
I esnipe all of my bids. Someone out there in eBay Land watches my completed bids, then emails the sellers to tell them that the seller just sold me an 1870s Limoges artist painted toast rack, or a 19th century Sevres vase, or whatever. One seller gave me the person's eBay id, but it comes up with a zero feedback, so I have no idea who is doing this or why. Most of the sellers don't seem to care, probably because even with this new knowledge they don't know what the item's real value is.
posted on November 15, 2002 02:56:04 AM new
I have intermittent bad luck with these "police" as actually have on at least 5 occasions in the past 3 years turned me into ebay for selling endangered species items. Worse yet is that ebay has pulled in Aug, 7 of my auctions that were perfectly legal Alaska Native Art, made and signed by Native Artists. I got one call which was a friendly call after really losing it this last time and the fellow asked if I could put that the baleen (for example) was signed by a Native and Had to have "Native Art" on it, then the rules change again and this happens over and over. I hope that whoever is doing this will get a life and look for ways to help others instead of trying to create trouble where it is not warranted. I also wish ebay would not be so hasty in many cases, that very legal and legitimate items are just yanked off auction just because someone wrote it. Thank you all for letting me vent and Happy Thanksgiving.
posted on November 15, 2002 11:41:38 AM new
I have intermittent bad luck with these "police" as actually have on at least 5 occasions in the past 3 years turned me into ebay for selling endangered species items.
Dottebb--ahh I dont think elephants are allowed on ebay
