posted on July 6, 2004 06:37:45 PM new
How do you deal with requests from buyers who want to pick up the items.
I sell low-priced books and the shipping on this would be $2.50, and this buyer wants me to set up a meeting place "On Saturday" for them to pay for and get their books. They're coming into town on Saturday.
My answer was a one line - I'm sorry, I don't do pickups for my books.
Is there something better? I absolutely do not want to make a special trip out to give them their books, (Unless it's to the post office). And I certainly don't want anyone showing up at my house.
posted on July 6, 2004 06:43:49 PM new
If they will come to your place of business( home), whats wrong with that? Are you trying to make $$ on the shipping? I have had this happen twice & it was no big thing. I live in a small city, (80,000) & it still happens.
posted on July 6, 2004 07:02:27 PM new
Tell them to send you a nude photo of themselves first. If you like it, you'll make arrangements to meet them at a seedy motel on the edge of town.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on July 6, 2004 07:07:18 PM new
unless you have a retail store,you dont have to oblige.
if this guy cant afford 2.50 shipping,he should not be bidding on your book.
trust your instinct,if you dont want to,then dont do it.
i have been on ebay for 8 years and i used to oblige,i have met different people who want to pick up their items,i wont go into details,but these days,my policy is NO,just send me the money and i will ship them.
by the way,these guys are not paying sales tax,a saving right there.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on July 6, 2004 07:17:47 PM new
I agree with you..I don't want buyers coming to MY house to pick up their postcards nor do I want to make a special effort to meet them someplace else. I guess if they want to hang out at the post office when I make my daily run it would be ok - I have to wait in line anyway.
I have had several buyers from my town (one living two blocks away) and I shipped their postcards through USPS like all the others.
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble! http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
posted on July 6, 2004 08:23:54 PM new
I wouldn't want strangers coming to my house either. The only time I allowed a pickup was for a student in France. Her sister is attending a small college here where I live. My Dad works at a grocery close to the college and he took it with him. The sister picked it up there. The family was going to France to spend Christmas with her and they took it.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
posted on July 6, 2004 08:25:35 PM new
You're certainly not obligated to meet them to deliver their purchase, or allow them to pick up at your home. It all depends on what you're comfortable with.
I've had buyers pick up at my home, and usually it takes them longer to get around to picking up their item than if I had mailed it to them.
posted on July 6, 2004 08:34:49 PM new
I do not accommodate will calls. I do not have a schedule nor do I wish one. Some of my wholesale accounts drop by (with an appointment) but they have done business with me for many years. It's too time consuming, as well as a breach of security. My wife used to have more requests than I when she sold on eBay, some quite persistent.
posted on July 6, 2004 08:43:01 PM new
i agree with neglus, et al. trust your instincts. if you don't want to meet your buyers, then don't. here are a couple of examples of things gone awry that way - one with a friend and one with me. i just mail everything - no exceptions. oddly, people in nearby towns have never asked to pick up items, which is good, 'cause they'd get a "no" from me.
scenario #1 - friend of mine decides he wants to sell on ebay. his first sale is to someone in his area. his girlfriend, who knows nothing about the sale, arrives at my friend's house but my friend is late. the buyer arrives and says the item isn't what he expected and the girlfriend sells it for cash on the barrel head and at half of what it sold for on ebay...
scenario #2 - this one was mine. sold an expensive (several hundred dollars) pottery item to an out-of-state buyer. extremely slow to pay. doesn't like the quoted shipping cost, which was my cost (had to be custom packed and buyer wanted it insured ). lives several states away but then wants to know if he and his wife can "swing by" and pick it up on their way south. by then, i was really, really sick of him anyway and had only stuck with this almost six-week process because of the amount of $ involved. tried to be civil but just said i preferred to stick with our mutually agreed-upon prior arrangement.
posted on July 6, 2004 08:46:47 PM new
Actually, it's a pain in the butt to try to schedule an appointment or meeting to save some tightwad a couple of bucks on his purchase. I have a special situation in that for the past 10 years we have owned Rottweilers whose jobs have been to keep strangers from taking anything out of our house. No way on God's green earth would I ever let a customer inside my home. There have been occasions where I have let them drop by and met them in the garage for items that were extremely difficult to safely pack and would have resulted in an oversize carton and high shipping charges. These occasions were arranged when the bidder emailed me prior to bidding. But in 99% of the cases, the answer is no because of the dog.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on July 6, 2004 08:54:58 PM new
OK: You have all had your say. What the he4ll are you afraid of?? JHC, If you had a B&M store., they would meet you face to face. I can't figure out what is the problem. Each time this has happened with me, it has been "Here is your money, Thank You."
posted on July 6, 2004 08:58:55 PM new
I've met my winning bidders several times...always at "public" places...with no problems. But, it's your call and, if you feel uncomfortable with it, don't do it.
posted on July 6, 2004 09:34:32 PM new
Same here. I just arrange to meet at a public place with lots of traffic. The person arrives, hands me my dough, I give them the book (that's what I sell), and we each go our seperate ways. This has happened several times, with absolutely no problems. If I feel uncomfortable about it at all, I take along one of my dogs or a friend.
____________________
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -- John F. Kennedy
posted on July 6, 2004 09:56:38 PM new
I do not allow pick-ups. This is why.
A famous maker wedding dress retails in shops (including mine) for $999-$1200.00.
The same dress on eBay goes for $749.99. Granted I only make about $50.00 on this sale, but it is quick and easy.
Why the difference? I don't have to pay staff to play all hail the Queen with a bride all day on eBay. If they want have the " bridal experience" so be it, fine, we bend over backwards, accomodate the 6 people she has brought with her. Smile at aunt Sally when she asks " why is everything strapless" and grin and bear it when little sister wants to try on every prom dress in the shop all the while saying " I'm only 13 I'm not going to the prom for another 5 years, but this is so much fun!!"
The internet customer knows what she wants, buys it and we ship it. Fast , easy and she saves a ton of money.
I have had a few requests for pick ups, all of which have been politely denied. I tell them that all purchases thru our store will be at the retail price. Everything we sell on eBay is new. If it is tried on, it is not new anymore, but it has become a try on sample with far less value. As fickle as I have known brides to be, the most probable scenario is this.
Bride makes an internet purchase at a vast discount
Bride wants to pick up dress to save shipping.
Bride decides she wants to try on her dress while she is there.
Bride wants to try on ALL dresses while she is there.
May or may not take dress she bought on eBay.
posted on July 7, 2004 12:17:49 AM new
I allow meet me someplace and you get your item I get my money. But not my home. I don't want anyone to know where I live, that's why I have a PO Box. But as a convenience, especially on higher priced items, I try to have it as an option out of convenience. This is my business and I would much rather have all avenues open to allow for more business...just don't want to invite strangers into my home!
I also always do it in a very OPEN & Public spot, let my husband know when, where & who I'm meeting and schedule it when I don't have my kids with me. If you plan it right, make it apart of your schedule (having someone meet you at the post office is a grand idea ) then it's not a problem.
If you don't feel comfortable, don't like people or strangers...don't.
I personally wouldn't schedule a delivery just for a book unless I wanted that book faster than 1 day shipping!
posted on July 7, 2004 04:34:14 AM new
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"I absolutely do not want to make a special trip out to give them their books"
..well if it inconveniences you, DONT DO IT...for one reason, even if you stole the book, then you still not making but $2.50 "an hour?" ...i dont mean that facetiously, but then i guess i do too...the public tends to expect whatever we are willing to give them...
...ANNNNNNNNNNNNND, YOUR ONE LINER SHOULD END THE PROBLEM..DID IT?
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"I've had buyers pick up at my home, and usually it takes them longer to get around to picking up their item than if I had mailed it to them."
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..i have furniture buyers wanting to pick up to save shipping costs..which is a bonafide[to me] reason to pickup..first time I ALLOWED, bidder didnt show up, didnt call..emailed me said be here next weekend..finally showed 2 weeks late..
presently, if request is made; i will usually allow if: {1] they can be here at my convenience, and [2] they have already paid for the item-this is the only thing that places the item as a priority for the customer..
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having said all that, i dont have a retail shop, but i do have a warehouse/office/shop
where i work...
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i agree, never let strangers come to your home..
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myoldtoy
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posted on July 7, 2004 05:17:31 AM new
You tell your pickup customer the same thing you would tell the person who wants to know your reserve price, will you ship internationally even if you said no international, will you take PayPal when your auction says "no PayPal". What you tell them is "Sorry, but no". There are reasons for doing or not doing these things, but bottom line, if it is your preference, that is a good enough reason and the only one you need.
And giving any reason at all will simply prolong the argument.
Personally, I am on the no pick-ups side (for easily shipped items). I allowed this once, and not only did it take more time than I would have spent at the P.O., the buyers interpret pick up as "let me decide if I really want it or not".
posted on July 7, 2004 05:58:56 AM new
I have had 2 past experiences with pick ups. The first after 3 appointments never showed up and the item had to be mailed but that was 3 weeks after the auction ended. The other was a small inexpensive item and the guy showed up on time with his wife who he wanted me to teach how to put items on eBay and also would like some information about where I get my stuff to sell on eBay.
NEVER AGAIN.
posted on July 7, 2004 07:45:55 AM new
i gonna step back in, because i just gotta give another reason:
"ohh, little timmy has a tummy ache. we need you use your bathroom..."
or even worse, "there's the bathroom timmy, hurry up-dont make a mess like you do at home..."
yada yada yada..
-----------------
"What the he4ll are you afraid of?"
given the nature of human nature, and strangers in my home...
i would like the people who are in my home, to be there at my invitation...not some unknown bidder, of doubtful intentions or background...you know, some
of those bidders like you have vented about on this forum...and like i have ranted about...thats who i dont want in my home...plain and simple...
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as farfetched as this analogy may seem; the following is indicative of the world as we live in it...
JUST THIS MORNING....a runaway [no driver] truck rolled away from the gas pump where it was being filled-owner inside...it crossed the lot and rolled into my favorite set of wheels...i park it in same spot all the time-away from the traffic pattern - near a indent in the curb..
the sob that was NOT driving the truck got in my face when i called the law-but only momentarily...when law gets arrives, he refuses to give statement, or sign the citation-claims i was parked on a yellow curb - in a no parking zone...finally cop calls for backup...place the dipstick in handcuffs until investigation is complete...
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all i am saying is that this is same kinda person who might buy something, come to your home to pick it up; not like it and the s***
hits the fan...it just aint worth it...that is all i am saying...and i got new for you, i aint afraid of very much on this earth..
-------------------------
myoldtoy
posted on July 7, 2004 08:07:11 AM new
If you had a B&M store., they would meet you face to face.. That's the point - we don't have B&M stores..we are internet sellers! Period!
I'm not sure that I am afraid of anything speicifc. It's just that ecommerce is not done through personal encounters and that is the way I want to keep it.
Last weekend I was digging through postcards at an antique shop and another person came to look too. Turns out she has bought cards from me in the past..was really strange! I didn't even ask for her eBay id, though we did exchange pleasantries.
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble! http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
) then it's not a problem.