posted on March 17, 2003 08:00:16 PM new
I am in hell and it could be partially my fault. Last week I listed some celebrity memorabilia I found in the black hole of storage. One of the items was a rare tape of outakes that were never released to the public, another was a photo...
I recieved a question from a buyer aasking if the tape was a copy. I told them they were all copies, there was never an "original" release. It was a tape for production members 15 years ago. They then asked if it was just "some copy being sold to make money off of" ....
As much as I desperately wanted to reply "Well of course it is you twit - this is not a charity account and with brain dead azzez like yourself I'm certainly not doing it for recreational purposes." But alas, I simply ignored them and sent no reply. Figured it was better to piss them off with lack of attention rther than my instinctual response.
Fast forward to end of auction. I get a notice from the winner of a photo asking if I can ship the item cheaper. I tell them that the exact shipping charge was spelled out in the auction. If it was a problem they should have contacted me earlier or not bid.
Another begging email - you see apparently in PychoBidderville 5 x7 photos fit perfectly into letter size envelopes which grow on trees in the town square and can be sent for only 30 cents so you can understand why she may be confused when I apply real world shipping costs.
Now for the fun part....turns out the winner of the photo is previously mentioned whack job and ....you guessed it... she has won the tape as well and have lovingly informed me that they no longer have to pay shipping for the photo because I can send it with the tape. (which BTW - is also priced way over PsychoBidderville postage amounts)
After I inform them that I will combine shipping at a cost of the base listed price of the tape and $1 for additional for the photo as is my policy for all combined shipments I get this lovely email.....
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I will pay this only because I bid on the items and shipping was outlined.. but in the future you should know that people won't bid on your items if you keep shipping so high.. do you really think that it adds an entire DOLLAR to the shipping cost to toss in a 1gram picture? I don't.
I will check for the delivery confirmation, insurance, postage price, etc to make sure it all adds up. If it doesn't, expect a neutral or neg feedback.
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To which I replied......
If you would like to back out of this you are welcome to. Please do not act as though you are doing me a favor by abiding by the terms you agreed to. Also, I am not obligated to combine the shipping. I am doing it out of kindness, not obligation. I can withdraw said kindness if you prefer.
::I will check for the delivery confirmation, insurance, postage price, etc to make sure it all adds up. If it doesn't, expect a neutral or neg feedback.::
You have not asked or paid for insurance which is $1.30 for the first $50.
I am trying to work with you on this but your attitude and threats are not helping. Please remember that feedback is a two way street, the seller leaves it also and so far I have received no payment, only a rash of complaints and threats regarding terms that were clearly spelled out in the auctions.
OK - NowI know that Twelve will say I m wrong because in his opinion I do not get to recoup my time spent dealing with Little MIss Whackadoo in my S&H costs (which total out at a whopping $5.00 on this order) but I guess I am wondering if others feel that I am out of line?
Oh yes - the icing on this cake.... These are PayPal only auctions.... anybody want to start a pool on when I get the request for my address for her to send the MO to?
(I've already banned her from future bidding - I should have done it when the firt email came in)
[ edited by neonmania on Mar 17, 2003 08:01 PM ]
posted on March 17, 2003 08:41:30 PM newThese are PayPal only auctions.... anybody want to start a pool on when I get the request for my address for her to send the MO to?
I have some Fendi boots and a 45 year old azalea bush that says she sends you a check....
Can't you turn her in for FB extortion if things get worse? She did threaten to leave neg FB if you didn't do things her way. I agree she's a whack job. Although we are all ultimately responsible for situations we find ourselves in, I wouldn'tr be too hard on yourself.
We all try to make allowances for stupid people from time to time, hoping just to complete the sale and then they will just go away and we can quietly block them. Every once in a while, though stupidity turns to rude obnoxiousness!
posted on March 18, 2003 09:18:32 AM new
You know, I wonder what this woman's reaction would be if you simply followed her suggestions and shoved the photo in the video mailer so that it arrived curled snugly around the video. Position it just right and you could get crease marks on three of the four sides of the photo ....
Seriously, does this woman think things pack and mail themselves? (I guess so - you previously mentioned that she thinks envelopes grow on trees.) Packing photos so they don't arrive creased is a pain in the gazinga.
You know what might be sturdy enough, though? A pizza box! (You can tell her you threw in the ants for free.)
posted on March 18, 2003 09:29:46 AM newOK - NowI know that Twelve will say I m wrong because in his opinion I do not get to recoup my time spent dealing with Little MIss Whackadoo in my S&H costs (which total out at a whopping $5.00 on this order) but I guess I am wondering if others feel that I am out of line?
What????
If that was directed at me, I didn't see anything wrong with the way you are handling this, you wrote a nice professional letter back, she is the one threatening after bidding.... If all the terms are laid out... she still bid.
Myself I would of requested combined shipping, but would not of questioned shipping cost if shown in the auction.
After buying in "Computer" category of ebay you learn what shipping gouging is all about.
posted on March 18, 2003 11:01:21 AM new
::If that was directed at me, I didn't see anything wrong with the way you are handling this, you wrote a nice professional letter back, she is the one threatening after bidding.... If all the terms are laid out... she still bid. ::
Twelve - I could have sworn it was you that raked me over coals weeks ago for justifying additional charges over actual cost using the example of mail order and e-commerce that do the same. It fell under your "Ebay sellers are not major retailer and should not try to act like them" school of thought.
BTW - Is there a monetary or hours per week criteria to differentiate oneself between a professional and a hobby seller? Since I doubt you take issue with Sharper Image duplicating their catalog shipping charges on ebay, I'm just wondering where the line in the sand is?
As for computer sales - thanks for the heads up! In the next couple months I am planning a major system and externals upgrade and a somewhat obscure electronic purchase. I'll be sure to clarify those issues before I bid.
posted on March 18, 2003 11:21:03 AM new
My school of thought is that as an eBay seller your shipping and all charges should be listed up front... but I believe that it was the usual statement when a seller disagrees "Well <retailer> charges more"...
My thought is your not a major retailer but an eBay seller...
In this instance you didn't compare yourself to another business but kept it on your terms...
