Does this sound like trouble?
mrpotatoheadd
Posts: 7,576 ✭✭✭
I think so.
Prospective buyer makes an offer for a coin, contingent on my shipping it in a plain envelope for 44 cents. I declined the offer, noting that I prefer to ship coins more securely than that. Buyer responds, asking for my best price, which I give to him (it's a couple of bucks higher than his original offer). He then makes another offer at my asking price, including this comment:
"o.k. i surrender you win.the coin seems to be in pretty good shape and i need it to fill the hole in my type set.it's just that extra postage charges seem to be unnecessary.most of my orders come in at actual postage.thanks."
Even before making the purchase, the buyer has concluded that I have beat him on the price, and I'm overcharging him for shipping. How can this *not* turn out bad for me in some fashion if I accept the offer?
Prospective buyer makes an offer for a coin, contingent on my shipping it in a plain envelope for 44 cents. I declined the offer, noting that I prefer to ship coins more securely than that. Buyer responds, asking for my best price, which I give to him (it's a couple of bucks higher than his original offer). He then makes another offer at my asking price, including this comment:
"o.k. i surrender you win.the coin seems to be in pretty good shape and i need it to fill the hole in my type set.it's just that extra postage charges seem to be unnecessary.most of my orders come in at actual postage.thanks."
Even before making the purchase, the buyer has concluded that I have beat him on the price, and I'm overcharging him for shipping. How can this *not* turn out bad for me in some fashion if I accept the offer?
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NGC registry V-Nickel proof #6!!!!
working on proof shield nickels # 8 with a bullet!!!!
RIP "BEAR"
<< <i>I think so.
Prospective buyer makes an offer for a coin, contingent on my shipping it in a plain envelope for 44 cents. I declined the offer, noting that I prefer to ship coins more securely than that. Buyer responds, asking for my best price, which I give to him (it's a couple of bucks higher than his original offer). He then makes another offer at my asking price, including this comment:
"o.k. i surrender you win.the coin seems to be in pretty good shape and i need it to fill the hole in my type set.it's just that extra postage charges seem to be unnecessary.most of my orders come in at actual postage.thanks."
Even before making the purchase, the buyer has concluded that I have beat him on the price, and I'm overcharging him for shipping. How can this *not* turn out bad for me in some fashion if I accept the offer? >>
It "can *not* turn out bad" if the coin is so nice, it wont matter to him that you beat him on the price and over-charged him for shipping.
<< <i>It "can *not* turn out bad" if the coin is so nice, it wont matter to him that you beat him on the price and over-charged him for shipping.
But all he's seen is the picture in the listing. And as we have seen evidenced in another current thread, there's no way I can tell for sure what the buyer thinks he's seeing when he's looking at the image.
Walk away.
I once had a bidder decide to try to change my auction terms after the auction was won by them. Seems they did not like my base $2.50 shipping charge, which was clearly specified in the auction. Demanded that I send it in a 44 cent envelope, which I refused to do so. They never paid; I filed a non-payment with ebay...... but somehow ebay sided with the buyer and dropped the non-payment claim! I ended up with a neg that ebay refused to remove.
So to me, anyone making a suggestion / demand to reduce postage is TROUBLE.... proceed at your own risk.
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<< <i>shipping costs are pretty petty to a serious buyer - thats why when selling - I ship for free >>
If that's what works for you, I'd say more power to you. Unfortunately, when I ask the post office how I can ship stuff for free, they just look at me like I'm nuts.
<< <i>How much is the value of the coin we are talking about..???.. >>
About ten bucks.
Providing "free" shipping would eat up the minimal profit I stand to make at the price I offered the buyer. In case you're wondering, my offered price is about 75% of current retail, is a little (not much) lower than past sales on eBay and lower than a half dozen or so similary (or lower) graded pieces currently listed. I don't think my pricing is out of line here.
edited- changed "higher" to "lower" so my comment in the last sentence makes sense.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
<< <i>Decline. The possibility of getting whacked on your ratings by someone is not worth the sale. >>
Have done so. Here is my message to the buyer:
Hi- As much as I hate to do this, I'm going to have to decline your offer on the coin. I know I said I'd make the sale at that price in a previous message. But in your offer, you have already expressed the feeling that I have somehow beat you- "i surrender you win" and that I am overcharging you for shipping- "it's just that extra postage charges seem to be unnecessary"- all before I have even accepted the offer. For better or worse, eBay has determined that the fees I pay them will be dependent upon the satisfaction of buyers who purchase my items. In this situation, I am not willing to risk an increase in those fees for the small profit this transaction would provide. I'm sorry, and wish you good fortune in finding another seller who has the coins you want, with the sort of terms you think are fair.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
<< <i>Sounds like a good response. You might want to go ahead and block the bidder, too, if you believe they might BIN or win something of yours in the future simply to zing you. >>
Did that, too. Hate that it's come to this, but that's about all a seller can do when dealing with the "New and Improved, Buyer Friendly" eBay.
<< <i>He's trouble.
Walk away. >>
This made me think about a guy who did this after he hit the BIN. You cannot cancel the transaction without their approval and saying no to an unreasonable demand makes you a neg target or at least they yank down your seller ratings. And there is nothing you can do.
<< <i>He's trouble.
Walk away. >>
I agree.
<< <i>Mrpotatoheadd, I think you handled this just great, I would have done the same thing. >>
Thanks. You know- I try hard to be fair with people, but it's not always easy. An example- this particular deal. I offered the guy the coin at 75% of retail (read: similar items sold on eBay recently), and he still balked. So what do you suppose he'd say if he'd offered the coin for sale to me (as a "dealer") and I quoted him a price that was 50% off retail (which I'd have to do if I wanted to sell at 75%)? I can hear it now... $%^&@# dealers- ripping people off!
But how, exactly, does anyone expect sellers to sell them coins at their cost? It just doesn't work.
NGC registry V-Nickel proof #6!!!!
working on proof shield nickels # 8 with a bullet!!!!
RIP "BEAR"
<< <i>I would not sell 10 dollar items on ebay, those always seem to be the ones that cause you the most grief. To much time and effort for a dollar. >>
I'd prefer to not do it. But sometimes, when you buy a large lot of coins, you get stuff like that- coins that are not particularly valuable, but for which there are buyers. What are you going to do? Throw the stuff away? Or try to make a couple of bucks on them?
edited to add... there are lots of collectors looking for lower priced coins for their collections, who can't find them on dealers' websites because there's not enough profit in them for most dealers to bother listing the coins. Since I do this in my spare time (I'm not depending on eBay sales to put food on the table or pay rent), I don't have to depend on making an hourly rate, so it works for me. As I don't have direct access to the coins (I buy from the dealers who do), I can't compete directly with those dealers. By dealing in an area in which the dealers I buy from choose not to participate, I do not have to compete with them. Instead, they become partners in supplying me with inventory. Hope this helps clarify things.