Irritating EBAY situations........is the economy better now?

onebamafan

Seller has a '64 baseball card listed 7 days, no bids auction ends. I contact him about the card, he says yes it is still for sale but now he wants 1/3 more than his list price which got ZERO bids. He states that just because no one bis this time doesn't mean they wont bid more next time....................mmmmmmmm, ok. Well, i offer his initial starting bid price, he emails back and says he needs to think about it and he will let me know. WTH? HE was willing to sell it for that price 8 days ago, now he isn't? Stuff like this gives me a headache. Second issue, another seller has a BIN/BO on same card. I make an offer, he counters with the BIN Price, again WTH? So i emailed him back and asked "why bother with the B/O option if your not willing to take less", i have yet to get a response. Apparently selling their cards isn't their goal. I have to go take my midol now..............thanks for letting me vent.

vladguerrero

I recently made a offer on a card the seller has listed for $110 BIN/OBO, the last two sold for $10 and $25, he wants $100. oh well, just got to move on, a seller can ask whatever they want. I hear your frustration though...

OAKESY25

maybe the 2nd seller felt your offer was lowball... and now will not negotiate with you...

guess it depends on your offer

CrimsonTider

Common sense is not a common trait.

itzagoner

i've had that happen before, where an item fails the first time around only to earn a better return the second time, but out of 100 chances at that, good luck winning more than once.

say buh-bye seller and move on.

bbuckner22

Same thing recently happened to me. Seller didn't sell 16 of his cards with a starting listing at $99 per card. I offered him $85 apiece for all of them, figuring he would be glad to get 15% less than the minimum bid but unload all 16. He came back with a "counter offer" of $2500 for all of the cards. Even though I hate to pass up deals like that I told him good luck and no thanks. There are plenty of sellers that don't have a clue.

Reljac

The only reason I could see a seller doing that right now, is if that were on a Drew Brees Rookie Card. Not much has happened in the rest of sports to increase anyone elses value.

72skywalker

Card on ebay are like buses. If you miss one there will be another one right around the corner.

jivan

no, the economy is not better now..at least not for me

ElToroLoco

Who knows, he could be waiting for the guy that bid up the T206 Wagner Reprint.

onebamafan

<< <i>maybe the 2nd seller felt your offer was lowball... and now will not negotiate with you...

guess it depends on your offer >>



He said his BIN is the lowest he will go................................It was 70% of his BIN price, i was willing to up another 10-15 %. Also, he mentioned he is upping the price 25% soon, if no one hits the BIN. ????????

Time to move on.

Yeah, he should say it is a reprint of the '64 .

lsutigers1973

It's a conspiracy.

Smuggo

A lot of ebay "sellers" can more accurately be described as curators of an on-line overpriced card museum.

bking

Yep, my was a large graded lot that I skipped bidding on because the opening amount was a bit high. It didn't sell, so I made an offer of 95% the original starting price - no deal. He relisted and got 150% of VCP, so it does happen just often enough to encourage that sort of silly behavior.

UlyssesExtravaganza

I dealt with a guy who had an opening bid of 350 and nobody bid, then relisted with BIN/BO. I offered him like 225 and his counter was $375. I realize he probably didn't like my offer but I was irritated that he was offering it above the price that got zero bids. Even though I really wanted the card and it was a LOW POP, I just had to walk. We might have met somewhere in the middle but as the first post mentions, I get headaches easily and wanted to avoid the Ibuprofen. Also agree with the idea that some people want to just say "look at what I got" and don't have a strong desire to sell but will take the money if you overwhelm them.

The economy being better now is a tricky question. You could probably find experts that would emphatically argue yes or no. The Dow Jones has gone up dramatically since around March 09. But I still think all the cracks in the economy are still there. Smoke and mirrors and scotch tape fixes have given us the impression that things are improving but hard to say. I remember somewhere around 2007, my MBA economics professor laughing at the idea of the housing bubble. He said that the housing market might take a 15% hit but not much more than that. All the professors around that time puffed out their chest and talked about the great U.S. economy that had these flaws that didn't seem to matter. Against the grain of everything in the textbook for a model economy but it still works. Bottom line is nobody knows whats coming.

onebamafan

<< <i>It's a conspiracy. >>



LOL

Bill, i think it is.................................

GoDodgersFan

This is a free economy and some people push that concept to the max.

Find another seller and good luck.

WinPitcher

FWIW I have had a card on ebay that ended with no bids with a 9.99 start.

I re listed it and the second time around it sold for 21.00 with the same 9.99 start.

I'm sure we all have had that happened.

I have also bought cards from sellers that I missed at what they had started the bidding at, but that was only if they

started it at what they wanted for it (not at .99 or 9.99)

I have no idea what the fair market value of this particular card was so i am just giving

an opinion here.


I can see the seller in this threads position.


Sometimes an item will sell the second or third time listed.


Just another point of view.


Steve

UlyssesExtravaganza

Just recently I sold a PSA 9 card in a 7 day auction and the final price was $26. I was disappointed. Book is around $50 and I thought it would go around there. Had two more and decided I'd rather keep them them let them go that cheap. Then I saw the same card going for $41 so listed mine at $39 BIN and it sold in 2 days. Crazy stuff happens but we all have free will. If you don't like the way things are going down or a seller's style is irritating you, by all means walk and don't look back.

72skywalker

I also think that some people would like to sell their stuff only if they get a certain price. I have listed vintage Star wars stuff that I did not mind selling but I did not want to "give it away". If I got the price I wanted fine, if not I woiuld keep it with the rest of my collection.
They also might not be pur sellers but collectors trying to thin out their collection.

Blackborder

I agree obamafan, sounds like the seller is a pain in the butt. I'd move on.

Brick

When counter offers are more than original asking price I consider that confrontational negotiating. This is a hobby. I want to enjoy it. When someone does that to me I take it he does not want to deal with me and in the future he won't have to.

storm888

"My Stuff, My Price," is my firm moto.

.......

The overall economy is MUCH worse, NOT better.

....................

Roger Dawason's Notes On Confrontational Negotiations:

Setting The Climate For A Non-Confrontational Negotiation

by Roger Dawson

Valuable advice on how not to argue with what other people say when negotiating.


What you utter in the first few moments of a negotiation frequently sets the tone of the negotiation. The other person quickly gets a feel for whether you are working for a win-win solution, or whether you're a tough negotiator who's out for everything they can grab.

That's one problem that I have with the manner that attorneys negotiate-they're very confrontational negotiators. You receive that white envelope in the mail with black, raised lettering in the top left hand corner and you think to yourself, "Oh, no! What is it this time?" You open the letter and what's the first communication from them? It's a threat. What they're going to do to you, if you don't give them what they demand.

I remember conducting a seminar for 50 attorneys who litigated medical malpractice lawsuits, or as they prefer to call them, physician liability lawsuits. I've never met an attorney who was keen to go to a negotiating seminar, although that's what they do for a living, and these people were no exception to the rule. However, the organization that was giving the attorneys their business Advised them that they were expected to attend my seminar if they wanted to get any more cases from the organization. So the attorneys weren't too pleased about having to spend Saturday with me in the first place, but once we got started, they became involved and were having a good time. I got them absorbed in a workshop entailing a surgeon being sued over an unfortunate incident involving a nun and walked around the room to see how they were doing. I couldn't believe how confrontational they were acting. Most of them started with a vicious threat and then became more abusive from that point on. I had to stop the exercise and tell them that if they expected to settle the case without expensive litigation (and I doubted their motives on that score) that they should never be confrontational in the early stages of the negotiation.

So, be careful what you say at the beginning. If the other person takes a position with which you totally disagree, don't argue with them. Arguing always intensifies the other person's desire to prove himself or herself right. You're much better off to agree with the other person at the start and then turn it around using the Feel, Felt, Found formula.

Respond with, "I understand exactly how you feel about that. Many other people have felt exactly the same way as you do right now. (Now you have diffused that competitive spirit. You're not arguing with them, you're agreeing with them.) But you know what we have always discovered? When we take a closer look at it, we have always found that........"

Let's look at some examples:

1. You're selling something, and the other person says, "Your price is way too high." If you disagree with him, he has a personal stake in proving you wrong and himself right. Instead, you say, "I understand exactly how you feel about that. Lots of other people have felt exactly the same way as you do when they first hear the price. When they take a closer look at what we offer, however, they have always found that we offer the best value in the marketplace."

2. You're applying for a job, and the human resources director says, "I don't think you have sufficient experience in this field." If you respond with "I've handled much tougher jobs that this in the past," it may come across as, "I'm right and you're wrong." It's just going to force her to defend the position she's taken. Instead, say, "I understand exactly how you feel about that. Many other people would feel exactly the same way as you do right now. However, there are some remarkable similarities between the work I've been performing and what you're looking for that is not immediately apparent. Let me tell you what they are."

3. If you're a salesperson and the buyer states, "I hear that you people have problems in your shipping department," arguing with him will make him doubt your objectivity. Instead, say, "I understand how you could have heard that because I've heard it also. I think that rumour may have started a few years ago when we relocated our warehouse; but now major companies such as General Motors and General Electric trust us with their just-in-time inventories, and we never have a problem."

4. If the other person exclaims, "I don't believe in buying from off-shore suppliers. I think we should keep the jobs in this country," the more you argue the more you'll force him into defending his position. Instead, say, "I understand exactly how you feel about that, because these days many other people think exactly the same way as you do. But do you know what we have found? Since we have been having the initial assembly done in Thailand, we have actually been able to increase our American work force by more than 42 percent and this is why . . ."

So instead of arguing up front, which causes a confrontational negotiation, get in the habit of agreeing and then turning it around.

At my seminars, I sometimes ask a person in the front row to stand. As I hold my two hands out, with my palms facing toward the person I've asked to stand, I ask him to place his hands against mine. Having done that and without saying another word, I slowly start to push against him. Automatically, without any instruction, he always pushes back. People shove when you shove them. Similarly, when you argue with someone, it automatically makes him or her want to argue back.

The other great thing about Feel, Felt, Found is that it gives you time to think. Sometimes something will come up in a negotiation that you weren't expecting. You haven't heard anything like this before. It shocks you. You don't know how to respond; but if you have Feel, Felt, Found in the back of your mind, you can say, "I understand exactly how you feel about that. Many other people have felt exactly the same way. However, I have always found . . ." By the time you get there, you'll have thought of something to say. Similarly, you sometimes catch other people at a bad moment. You may be a salesperson who is calling to get an appointment and the individual says to you, "I don't have any more time to waste talking to some lying scum-sucking salesperson." You calmly say, "I understand exactly how you feel about that. Many other people have felt exactly the same way. However . . ." By the time you get there you will have recovered your composure and will know exactly what to say.

1. Don't argue with people in the initial stages of the negotiation because it creates confrontation.

2. Use the Feel, Felt, Found formula to turn the anger around.

3. Having Feel, Felt, Found in the back of your mind allows you time to think when the other side throws some unexpected hostility your way.

Roger Dawson is a negotiating consultant and a sales and management speaker.

30

..................
...........................
..................................


"Feel, Felt, Found" has been the most valuable manipulation tool in my real-world
arsenal for more than 40-years.

The constant use of all aspects of modern/traditional Game Theory are also VERY helpful.

mtcards

The thing that people need to remember is that many sellers on ebay are also collectors. They are forced by ebay, due to listing fees, to sometimes list an item with a start price of much less than they are hoping to get. If they do get only that starting price, they chalk it up to a loss or break-even and move on. However, they may not sell said item at that price if given a chance.

That, plus many people who list stuff would sometimes rather keep the item than to sell it for less than they are asking. I used to put items that I didnt sell in auction in my ebay store (That is before I closed it because ebay wanted to stuff a 2x4 up my $^$%!). I had many nutjobs who would offer me less than my starting price of the auction that didnt sell.

For example: I had a 98 SP Authentic Buyback AUTO of Mark Brunell 2/21. When I put it up for auction, the last two I had tracked within the last 6 months had sold for $89 and $98 respectively. I put mine with a starting bid of $69...no bidders....so I put it in my store for $89 or BO. The unidentified "nutjob" offered me $25, I counter offered $60, including shipping. His remark was "why would I pay that when it didnt sell for $69?". Rather than respond, I chose not to argue. He then sent another offer of $35. I declined. About two weeks later, someone hit the BIN and paid the $89.

Moral of the story is, the card may be more valuable to the owner than the money he originally turned down. Only the seller knows for sure, but remember, with ebay fee nonsense, many people are not necessarily listing items for what the wish they would sell for, especially in auctions. Give the seller a break and wait for the next one. One day the seller might have something you want and he will ignore your offer because you had "burned the bridge" so to speak

KbKards

Storm. That should be a required read before clicking the final best offer button.
What a thing of beauty.
"What you utter in the first few moments of a negotiation frequently sets the tone of the negotiation."


MTcards. A card not getting a bid in the 7 days it's up for auction isn't a surprise. Collectors can't keep up with all the stuff that comes up for sale. Many are working on a budget and have to focus on something better that comes up at the same time. That's why you see such a swing in prices. If it's 69, 89, or 99 when it comes time for them to want to buy it that's what they'll pay.

Blackborder

Storm, I understand exactly what you're trying to say and I see how others could feel that way too.

bking

I think as buyers we sometimes think that it's our God-given right to buy everything we want. I know I get that way sometimes when a seller seems silly or unreasonable in their pricing. It IS, after all, their property to do with as they wish.

Blacklabelsociety

<< <i>

Moral of the story is, the card may be more valuable to the owner than the money he originally turned down. Only the seller knows for sure, but remember, with ebay fee nonsense, many people are not necessarily listing items for what the wish they would sell for, especially in auctions. Give the seller a break and wait for the next one. One day the seller might have something you want and he will ignore your offer because you had "burned the bridge" so to speak >>



I hate to think when the new ebay fees kick in april 1st, the BIN's are going to be even worse than what they are right now.

tyweb1

I had kind of the opposite thing happen to me with a seller. He had a card I wanted listed as a straight buy it now for 200. I offered him 150 for the card after about 2 weeks into the 30 day listing. He politely declined. The day before the auction closed, I sent him another email offering him 175. I never heard back from him and then a few days later he listed the card at .99 regular auction. I ended up winning it for 81 dlvd. It is nice when it works out in the end.

Underwraps

The economy being better now is a tricky question. You could probably find experts that would emphatically argue yes or no. The Dow Jones has gone up dramatically since around March 09. But I still think all the cracks in the economy are still there. Smoke and mirrors and scotch tape fixes have given us the impression that things are improving but hard to say. I remember somewhere around 2007, my MBA economics professor laughing at the idea of the housing bubble. He said that the housing market might take a 15% hit but not much more than that. All the professors around that time puffed out their chest and talked about the great U.S. economy that had these flaws that didn't seem to matter. Against the grain of everything in the textbook for a model economy but it still works. Bottom line is nobody knows whats coming. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

IMO........Those proffesors are just as dumb as BEN BERNANKE

oh wait, I know whats coming...MASSIVE DEFLATION

lsutigers1973

<< <i>why bother with the B/O option if your not willing to take less >>



Reverse the situation and I do not understand why people buy cards all the time for full price if the Best Offer option is available which means the seller will take less.

bobbyw8469

<< <i>I had kind of the opposite thing happen to me with a seller. He had a card I wanted listed as a straight buy it now for 200. I offered him 150 for the card after about 2 weeks into the 30 day listing. He politely declined. The day before the auction closed, I sent him another email offering him 175. I never heard back from him and then a few days later he listed the card at .99 regular auction. I ended up winning it for 81 dlvd. It is nice when it works out in the end. >>



If I ever have anything you want, PLEASEEEEEE contact me!!! Not all sellers are hard to deal with!!! Just ask anyone on the board who has dealt with me!

Brick

<< <i>

<< <i>why bother with the B/O option if your not willing to take less >>



Reverse the situation and I do not understand why people buy cards all the time for full price if the Best Offer option is available which means the seller will take less. >>



To seal the deal. A card came up with a BIN nearly 50% under what it had been going for. I had it paid for it seconds. Also I would have felt bad offering less. I feel bad enough as it is. Also someone may have made a better offer than me and I would still be depressed.