Psycho ebay buyers!

Maybe I'm just too laid back. But I really can't take selling stuff on ebay anymore. I'm not talking about running a business on there, I'm just talking about the usual low-key items you might sell to clean out your house.

Even though it really is a yard sale, people act like they're buying from an actual store! I've had unsolicited phone calls from people because they didn't get an email response in 24 hours. I've had people threaten me because whatever I sold them wasn't the exact same color of the pictures. I've had people ask for a picture of today's newspaper on top of the item (hostage photo?). I've had people go mental over a shipping and handling fee they agreed to pay. Or how about those extortionists who write you after they get their item that they want $50 because the screws on the case are rusty or something crazy?

I think the typical ebay buyer thinks every seller spends their entire day online answering ridiculous auction questions (will you ship your enormous USA-only item to the Canary Islands?), and goes to the post office every day to ship whatever $3 thing might have sold. They also think that shipping supplies like boxes, packing, bubble wrap, envelopes, are free.

I just went thru this with the Tokai LR I had on eBay about 10 days ago. Every morning, I get up to many e-mails. I tried to answer them quickly.

Some got upset, when I wasn't fast enought for them, or refused to end the auction for their offer. I had offers above my ending price, and also below the current price (just don't get that one either).

Most people polite, asking questions that are reasonable. A few rude ones, thinking they know everything and just slamming the me and guitar.

I jsut sold a nice McInturff last week for about 50% more that the LR, with only one question for a picture. When I sold my expensive PRS's - one person spent 40K on a group of them, the only question, would I cover shipping?

I just don't get it! I'm thinking the lower dollar items attract a different buyer? Or in this case, is it the lack of information on Tokai?

Kevin

It has been getting more and more crazy the past year-

Conversely, I'd also have to say that there's a lot more ****** Ebay sellers out there as well. I've been buying and selling since December 2002, anythign from studio gear to guitars to Star Wars figure collections to Transformers, and I can honestly say I've had more problem with sellers with poorly worded descriptions that lie profusely in the last six months than all the time combined on Ebay. Certainly there's a lot more monkeys selling guitars on there now. When I list a guitar, every single ding, every slightly damaged feature gets mentioned, be it a pickguard bash or a rusty pickup bracket screw. Some people are not as dilligent so it becomes hard to keep the trust going.

the biggest fear I have about ebay are the extortionists that you mentioned in your first post, the ones who basically have you by the balls and demand a partial refund for basically nothing. They hold your feedback reputation in their hands and what can you do? I've luckily never been in that situation... I've always described my items extensively and fully to the best of my ability and fortunately have never had any trouble before.

I guess in that situation you could say "the item was sold as-is. If you are really unsatisfied and believe the item was misrepresented then you may return the item for a full refund, but no partial refunds will be given."

I bet that would shut them up, usually they probably don't really want to return the guitar but are just looking to screw you out of a little money... then you force them to make the choice between taking what they paid for or getting nothing at all, and being out some shipping expenses. I'll bet that 9 times out of 10 you'd never hear from them again.

I've always been a little nervous also about people who might leave negative feedback at the drop of a hat without even contacting you first. I've heard of this happening but again fortunately it's never happened to me.

Another thing that concerns me is, what if you buy or sell something and the other person really screws you over... basically if you leave negative feedback for them then they will probably leave negative feedback for you no matter how right or nice you were... such is the nature of assholes. I have never left negative feedback because I fear the retaliation. So what does feedback really mean, anyway?

Thefairway said:

When I list a guitar, every single ding, every slightly damaged feature gets mentioned, be it a pickguard bash or a rusty pickup bracket screw.

Click to expand...

That's great! Is "Thefairway" your ebay account name, too?

Nope

Sorry, that was the comic 'no response' reply. A lifetime of British comedy means I have to do it! My Ebay name is 'themanwhosoldhisgear'. Yes it's pilched from a Bowie song. No guitars on sale right now but there will be in the future to pay for my new ES-120 and a trip to see my wife in Canada.

do you think it might be beneficial to start a thread of ebay sellers and buyers here from the forum, all posting our ebay name and making it a sticky so that we can cross reference anything we find on ebay and maybe find out its someone on this forum who is selling it (then maybe we can be a little more assured in the transaction). ? Just a thought.

Not a bad idea....I think it's also worthwhile to give everyone a head's up in the classified section of the forum when you get ready to sell something - perhaps a transaction can take place before it even gets to eBay.

mgdew said:

do you think it might be beneficial to start a thread of ebay sellers and buyers here from the forum, all posting our ebay name and making it a sticky so that we can cross reference anything we find on ebay and maybe find out its someone on this forum who is selling it (then maybe we can be a little more assured in the transaction). ? Just a thought.

Click to expand...

That is what I thought since finding out how many dealers and ebay sellers post here under different names. It could be realized with a sticky thread in the Announcement section perhaps based on voluntary or forum user contributions.

That is a good idea. Thereby also is created a certain transparency. This is a kind of quality seal. Each forum member, which is also Ebayseller will avoid to sell any junk to another forum member. 'Cause of the transparency.
BTW, my Ebay user name is golfredo

i am jazz347 though I only sell occasionally.

I only sell occasionally but my ebay username is my registry username mgdew

Done:

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4855

great idea
my ebay is username 61142

really are some crazy ebayers i reacently split a american strat and the ammount of silly emails about why i split it and ridiculas offers to buy the complete guitar, finnished up removing it from ebay and sold the comlete guitar to a local music shop and actually got more than i would have
thought, ?395 from a straight buy from a music shop and to be honest i thought i would get about ?300 -?350 on ebay all i really wanted was enough to pay for a springy that i bought from ebay user generalunrest ( cant remember his forum username) another crazy situation with that one
a really super springy and no one seemed to be interested in it i think that it was on ebay 3 times before i bought it at a great price , i would have got it at the 2nd listing but i was on a cruise at the time and just couldent get to a computer, i had put a bid in but never reached the reserve but my bid got a offer to buy frgom user , but i never got the emails till i got back from holiday and the springy was listed again thats when i got it

I've been doing Ebay for 7 years now and have only ran into a few "sub zero humans". When I sell something I make sure I use all the key words like "All Sales Final" "Ask any and all questions before you bid" "No returns" and the ever popular "Im not a Music Store" and it's worked very well. I also take a hard look into the sellers description.... Here's an example of what to avoid " ie.. "Me sell number one Les Paal , Rare, No moneys non axcepted, Tokai Great Tuneomatrix bridge, all original, cell fone excluded, wire trans money only "..when you see stuff like that...just laugh and move on....

My username is....... cookingbaconaked

I was just thinking in all my eBay dealing the Canadian eBayer's are the only buyers that have screwd me (3 times)

So I have a special way to deal with these special buyers-