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An EBAY seller BLOCKED ME!


This was many years ago. I had been collecting these VOC duits for my son, who wrote his dissertation on the diamond industry in The Netherlands. The coins were struck in The Netherlands, but circulated where the diamonds were mined.
I have hundreds of them, most purchased for 50c to $15.00.
A seller had a pair for $60., nothing great. I let them simmer for a few weeks. Then I offered $20 for 1 of them. No response.
Over the next 7 months the price came down, $5. per month, to $25. for the pair. So I tried to buy them. No dice! I was blocked!
Down to $20. Down to $15.
So I called my sister, who bought them for me.
I never was able to even contact the seller.
It was a tiny saga in human history, but an interesting one.

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Comments

  • oldabeintxoldabeintx Posts: 1,578 ✭✭✭✭✭

    OT. I've included a duit in my "foreign coins that circulated in the US" type set. Remarkable that so many are available in uncirculated condition.

  • braddickbraddick Posts: 22,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Is it possible the seller blocked you when you offered $20 from a list price of $60.00?
    If so many sellers do not maintain their blocked bidders' list so as the prices came down over the months/years you
    were still on his blocked list, even though you would have been a good customer.
    Perhaps a quick message to the seller would have taken you off the list.
    I am sorry you had to resort to methods of difficulty and slight underhandedness to acquire the coin.

    peacockcoins

  • jesbrokenjesbroken Posts: 9,151 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I was blocked once by a dealer whose coin I returned which was not the same coin advertised. Later seller had a coin I wanted so I just had my son buy it for me. It's odd that ebay blocks buyers/sellers from even messaging each other to attempt to straighten out an issue.
    Jim


    When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln

    Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
  • Coin FinderCoin Finder Posts: 6,944 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Sellers blocking buyers is not a problem for the buyer or really even the seller, So, I don't see why Ebay does it the way they do. In extreme abuse cases I can see it..

  • johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 27,409 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @AlanSki said:
    Happens to me all the time after I cherry pick them and they discover after the fact.

    Their loss on that

  • ARCOARCO Posts: 4,305 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I was blocked after I returned a cleaned coin. The seller mostly offered clean and problematic coins, so it was a blessing in disguise.

  • airplanenutairplanenut Posts: 21,881 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @U1chicago said:
    This might not be the case with the original poster, but questions often inspire most eBay sellers to look at the feedback the buyer leaves for other sellers. If it suggests you have a problem buyer on your hands, a cautious seller might block the potential buyer.

    I recently had someone send me a message asking for a lower price on eBay (without making an offer-just asking for a discount). I went to check that buyer's feedback left for other sellers and noticed a long list of negatives. Some seemed reasonable while others seemed petty. I understand that there are bad sellers but when a buyer leaves a ton of negatives, that is a warning sign. Now I did not block them but did reply that the price listed was the best (I figured that would make them move on, which it did). I can easily see another seller blocking that buyer though.

    I can confirm this. If I get a question that is at all off, I’ll dig a bit. If something looks amiss, it’ll be a block. There are too many good buyers to risk a sale going south with one who gives me a reason to expect a problem.

    @jesbroken said:
    I was blocked once by a dealer whose coin I returned which was not the same coin advertised. Later seller had a coin I wanted so I just had my son buy it for me. It's odd that ebay blocks buyers/sellers from even messaging each other to attempt to straighten out an issue.
    Jim

    The problem is that it’s all or nothing. Yes, a misunderstanding could be resolved, but if a buyer is really angry over a block (or was blocked because they’ve already been abusive at some level) then it’s sensible for the seller to not want them to be able to make contact. But the seller has to choose yea or no for everyone, not individually for each blocked buyer.

    JK Coin Photography - eBay Consignments | High Quality Photos | LOW Prices | 20% of Consignment Proceeds Go to Pancreatic Cancer Research
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    To my knowledge, I have never been blocked by a seller. I have made offers on items, and been rejected and accepted. My offer was always fair, so likely that is why no blocks... or just lucky. Cheers, RickO

  • AlanSkiAlanSki Posts: 1,774 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @No Headlights said:

    @Steven59 said:
    Being blocked actually saves me money at midnight! B)

    The girls all get prettier at closing time!

    The weight class seems to go down too.

  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 43,793 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Interesting. Nearly all of the blocked bidders on my list have been blocked over those $5 to $15 items. They are always after the sale and delivery, ironically. :blush:
    Either it was feedback extortion or just gaming the system…. it’s “petty”, as in "petty cash" vs. pettiness.

  • telephoto1telephoto1 Posts: 4,711 ✭✭✭✭✭

    In OP's case I'm thinking he got blocked right after the initial $20 offer. Some sellers jump the gun in that regard. We've done eBay since 1998 and our blocked list is actually fairly small. Sellers can block for any reason they wish; it's pretty much the last vestige of control they have over their own listings anymore...but as shown here, buyers can still circumvent that, and even leave retaliatory negatives via other accounts.


    RIP Mom- 1932-2012
  • spyglassdesignspyglassdesign Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 26, 2023 8:25PM

    The only ones I have on my block list is someone who tried to scam me with a drop ship request... Nope can only ship to address on file! And the address was Alaska 😬

  • airplanenutairplanenut Posts: 21,881 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @telephoto1 said:
    In OP's case I'm thinking he got blocked right after the initial $20 offer. Some sellers jump the gun in that regard. We've done eBay since 1998 and our blocked list is actually fairly small. Sellers can block for any reason they wish; it's pretty much the last vestige of control they have over their own listings anymore...but as shown here, buyers can still circumvent that, and even leave retaliatory negatives via other accounts.

    I once blocked a bidder who retracted bids on multiple items of mine and I then saw he had over 500 retractions in his 4 months on eBay, even though he’d also won a few items and paid (I told him he needed to stop the retractions). He used a second account to buy a lot of items and then left negative feedback for all of them. The raw coins he claimed to be counterfeits and the slabbed ones he just wrote something dumb. Mind you, he never tried to return the four figures of “bad” coins he bought. I pointed out to eBay that his two accounts had addresses a mile apart, and the language used in his negatives was almost identical to negatives he left with the original blocked account. They removed them all.

    JK Coin Photography - eBay Consignments | High Quality Photos | LOW Prices | 20% of Consignment Proceeds Go to Pancreatic Cancer Research
  • jt88jt88 Posts: 2,794 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 26, 2023 10:00PM

    I want to ask a question of what % of offer is considered proper? If a house listed for million would you offer 500k? Would your agent even present that offer to the seller? If not then why this kind of behavior considered ok on coins? I have a coin listed for 200 a buyer offered me 50 twice until I blocked him because I know he will never be my buyer.

  • MapsOnFireMapsOnFire Posts: 181 ✭✭✭

    First we need to know whether the listing price is "proper." If it is proper, a bidder will be wasting effort if she offers less than 75%. The seller in the OP demonstrated that his listing price was fanciful when he lowered it many times over a long period of time. I knew the market for those coins, yet still offered more than the one coin was truly worth.

  • spyglassdesignspyglassdesign Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jt88 said:
    I want to ask a question of what % of offer is considered proper? If a house listed for million would you offer 500k? Would your agent even present that offer to the seller? If not then why this kind of behavior considered ok on coins? I have a coin listed for 200 a buyer offered me 50 twice until I blocked him because I know he will never be my buyer.

    Proper would be based on market research... Coinfacts and other sources, and offering within a decent amount of that established value. At $10k, 5% might be considered decent... At $1k, 10% might be decent. At $1 million, $500k generally wouldn't be considered a decent offer. There is no right answer, other than what's acceptable to the seller. As a buyer, I do my research before making an offer exactly so I don't insult the seller. If they are asking an outlandish amount to begin with I just move on. If it's a bit high, I will often make an offer I feel is reasonable based on my research.

    As a seller I generally know the value of a coin I'm selling and my investment since I researched it before investing in the first place, so unless I just want to offload a dog, if it's a) more than I invested, and/or b) within a reasonable amount of the perceived value, I'll sell. I'm not in it to make bank on any one sale. A profit is a profit. Usually half of my asking isn't going to be a profit.

    In short... It depends!

  • MFeldMFeld Posts: 11,916 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 27, 2023 5:32AM

    @braddick said:
    Is it possible the seller blocked you when you offered $20 from a list price of $60.00?
    If so many sellers do not maintain their blocked bidders' list so as the prices came down over the months/years you
    were still on his blocked list, even though you would have been a good customer.
    Perhaps a quick message to the seller would have taken you off the list.
    I am sorry you had to resort to methods of difficulty and slight underhandedness to acquire the coin.

    I’m wondering if @MapsOnFire offered $20 for one of the two items that were listed at $60 for the pair, rather than “$20 from a list price of $60”.

    He wrote: “A seller had a pair for $60., nothing great. I let them simmer for a few weeks. Then I offered $20 for 1 of them.” So I’m not sure whether it was one pair for $60 or two pair at $60, each.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • MapsOnFireMapsOnFire Posts: 181 ✭✭✭

    Yes. Two coins in the $60 lot, different dates. I offered $20 for one of the dates. Not a rare date; it had smaller digits.

  • telephoto1telephoto1 Posts: 4,711 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It really shouldn't be that hard for buyers to figure out a reasonable offer. Simply use eBay's own advanced search feature to look up sold items similar to the one you're considering. That way you can get a feel for what they bring and can tailor your offer accordingly. If someone has absolute moon money on a BIN it's a pretty safe bet they're fishing for a sucker, and you aren't going to get the item bought... so just move on to something else priced realistically. Also, offering half or less of bid or half or less of what something is actually bringing on the venue isn't shrewd; it's an insult- and moreover, it's a waste of both your time and the seller's. Buyers who get a rep for doing this end up on a lot of blocked lists, which are often traded back and forth by sellers to avoid problem buyers.

    As to blocking buyers for simply asking a question? Not a smart idea in general (but perhaps it depends on the question). B)


    RIP Mom- 1932-2012
  • FrazFraz Posts: 1,693 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You can get a feel by looking at a seller’s sold items to see how prone he might be to accept an offer.

    @Tabriz44 said:
    I block anyone that asks me a question. No matter how innocent a question is…blocked. I have zero problems, close to zero returns. What I noticed early on was the customers I had the most problems with all had one thing in common, they asked a question.

    That would be unfortunate if a buyer with a full shopping cart asks seller if he combines shipping.
    Early on was 23 years ago.

    @Tabriz44 said:
    I’ve been selling on eBay for 23 years.

    Yeah, yeah—I as well, I’m an authority too.

  • jkrkjkrk Posts: 959 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @spyglassdesign said:

    @Tabriz44 said:
    I’ve been selling on eBay for 23 years. I have one hard and fast rule, I block anyone that asks me a question. No matter how innocent a question is…blocked. I have zero problems, close to zero returns. What I noticed early on was the customers I had the most problems with all had one thing in common, they asked a question.

    That's a good way to narrow your customer base real fast. With customer service like that, I'd be glad you blocked me. You'd never make it in the real world of retail with that kind of attitude. Part of customer service is answering questions.

    I've never had a problem with a customer that asks a question before a purchase. I'd rather that be asked up front then have them disappointed on the back end of the sale because they didn't know something up front.

    But, to each their own. If you don't mind losing potential sales and customers, that's your call.

    I have never blocked anyone. Lest not for asking a question. Some ask for a better picture. Some ask if I would consider discounting a coin, etc? With that said, if a buyer asks too many detailed questions about a coin, the scans, etc I start to worry that the coin will be returned. I am not trying to deceive anyone but I can't display the coins in pictures as accurately as in person. Shows, where you can see the coin in person certainly has merits. If my spidey sense tingles when the potential buyer appears too demanding I try to explain that I don't believe that the coin is what he/she is looking for. If the buyer is looking for a potential upgrade or a coin that will probably CAC the show is the place to be.
    To date my return rate is less than 1 % so I am happy with the results.

  • MilesWaitsMilesWaits Posts: 5,300 ✭✭✭✭✭

    OP, I would imagine they had an intuition, or their feelings were hurt, as yours are now.
    Don’t take it personally, move on.

    Now riding the swell in PM's and surf.
  • MasonGMasonG Posts: 6,268 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jkrk said:
    If my spidey sense tingles when the potential buyer appears too demanding I try to explain that I don't believe that the coin is what he/she is looking for.

    More than once, I have told potential buyers that they might be happier buying from someone else.

  • ElmerFusterpuckElmerFusterpuck Posts: 4,614 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Tabriz44 said:
    I’ve been selling on eBay for 23 years. I have one hard and fast rule, I block anyone that asks me a question. No matter how innocent a question is…blocked. I have zero problems, close to zero returns. What I noticed early on was the customers I had the most problems with all had one thing in common, they asked a question.

    It's easy to have zero problems and near zero returns because maybe your sales are close to zero? Oh oh, that was a question!

    Thanks for outing yourself as a seller I'd totally pass on Ebay.

  • FrazFraz Posts: 1,693 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:
    a red flag is a red flag.

    That’s not extreme.

  • MFeldMFeld Posts: 11,916 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 28, 2023 9:45AM

    @pocketpiececommems said:

    @Tabriz44 said:
    I’ve been selling on eBay for 23 years. I have one hard and fast rule, I block anyone that asks me a question. No matter how innocent a question is…blocked. I have zero problems, close to zero returns. What I noticed early on was the customers I had the most problems with all had one thing in common, they asked a question.

    So if you have a return does that buyer get blocked too?

    When you were in school if you asked a question would it have been ok for the teacher to give you an F for asking a question?

    That was a good question about blocking a buyer who returns an item. However your analogy about a student asking a question was so poor that YOU get an F for it.😉

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • MasonGMasonG Posts: 6,268 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MFeld said:

    @pocketpiececommems said:

    @Tabriz44 said:
    I’ve been selling on eBay for 23 years. I have one hard and fast rule, I block anyone that asks me a question. No matter how innocent a question is…blocked. I have zero problems, close to zero returns. What I noticed early on was the customers I had the most problems with all had one thing in common, they asked a question.

    So if you have a return does that buyer get blocked too?

    When you were in school if you asked a question would it have been ok for the teacher to give you an F for asking a question?

    That was a good question about blocking a buyer who returns an item. However your analogy about a student asking a question was so poor that You get an F for it.😉

    I have blocked a buyer who returned a coin but it's not automatic. It depends on how the transaction goes.

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 31,611 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MFeld said:

    @pocketpiececommems said:

    @Tabriz44 said:
    I’ve been selling on eBay for 23 years. I have one hard and fast rule, I block anyone that asks me a question. No matter how innocent a question is…blocked. I have zero problems, close to zero returns. What I noticed early on was the customers I had the most problems with all had one thing in common, they asked a question.

    So if you have a return does that buyer get blocked too?

    When you were in school if you asked a question would it have been ok for the teacher to give you an F for asking a question?

    That was a good question about blocking a buyer who returns an item. However your analogy about a student asking a question was so poor that YOU get an F for it.😉

    They don't get an F... we throw them out of class.

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 31,611 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MasonG said:

    @MFeld said:

    @pocketpiececommems said:

    @Tabriz44 said:
    I’ve been selling on eBay for 23 years. I have one hard and fast rule, I block anyone that asks me a question. No matter how innocent a question is…blocked. I have zero problems, close to zero returns. What I noticed early on was the customers I had the most problems with all had one thing in common, they asked a question.

    So if you have a return does that buyer get blocked too?

    When you were in school if you asked a question would it have been ok for the teacher to give you an F for asking a question?

    That was a good question about blocking a buyer who returns an item. However your analogy about a student asking a question was so poor that You get an F for it.😉

    I have blocked a buyer who returned a coin but it's not automatic. It depends on how the transaction goes.

    I block all returns UNLESS it's a repeat customer or there was a real issue. In other words, I block 98% of returners.

  • MS66MS66 Posts: 200 ✭✭✭

    @AlanSki said:
    Happens to me all the time

    You don't say!

  • MS66MS66 Posts: 200 ✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:

    I also blocked someone this week for sending me lowball offers. Now, I know, I could just ignore the offers but why do I want to have to sift through them, not to mention the justifications for them which are borderline insulting when he's offering significantly less than I paid.

    99.99% of eBay users are a delight. If i can weed out a couple of the 0.01%, all the better.

    Why not simply adjust your offer settings to eliminate lowballs?

  • DeplorableDanDeplorableDan Posts: 2,484 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MS66 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    I also blocked someone this week for sending me lowball offers. Now, I know, I could just ignore the offers but why do I want to have to sift through them, not to mention the justifications for them which are borderline insulting when he's offering significantly less than I paid.

    99.99% of eBay users are a delight. If i can weed out a couple of the 0.01%, all the better.

    Why not simply adjust your offer settings to eliminate lowballs?

    People just circumvent the offer feature by sending the seller a message saying what they want to offer

  • MasonGMasonG Posts: 6,268 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MS66 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    I also blocked someone this week for sending me lowball offers. Now, I know, I could just ignore the offers but why do I want to have to sift through them, not to mention the justifications for them which are borderline insulting when he's offering significantly less than I paid.

    99.99% of eBay users are a delight. If i can weed out a couple of the 0.01%, all the better.

    Why not simply adjust your offer settings to eliminate lowballs?

    Don't know about @jmlanzaf, but I don't set up an auto-reject on my listings because I have a handful of buyers who will make offers on 15-20 items at a time and I'm willing to accept an occasional lower than desired offer from them that would otherwise be rejected. I don't want these buyers to get the idea I'm trying to squeeze them for the last dime by having one of their offers rejected automatically.

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 31,611 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MS66 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    I also blocked someone this week for sending me lowball offers. Now, I know, I could just ignore the offers but why do I want to have to sift through them, not to mention the justifications for them which are borderline insulting when he's offering significantly less than I paid.

    99.99% of eBay users are a delight. If i can weed out a couple of the 0.01%, all the better.

    Why not simply adjust your offer settings to eliminate lowballs?

    You can't stop email. Often, they aren't even official offers. Also, if you allow counteroffers, it allows lower than minimum counteroffers.

    I also got a long email from someone in Poland who mentioned import duties, VAT, and the war in Ukraine in justifying his lowball offer. I almost said, "I can't sell you this coin in good conscience. War time resources are to valuable to be wasted on this coin."

  • percybpercyb Posts: 3,301 ✭✭✭
    edited June 13, 2023 2:18PM

    I got blocked when I said I wasn’t happy with the coin I received and wanted to return it.

    "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." PBShelley

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