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Ebay is ridiculously good.. as a buyer
Pokermandude
Posts: 2,710 ✭✭✭
Cliff notes. I sold a raw coin at auction, it sold for $33 CDN with free shipping. I had an accurate numerical grade in the title (this is allowed for Canadian coins on Ebay.ca). Great pictures. A fair price for the coin on both sides.
Buyer opens a claim:
Return reason: Doesn't seem authentic
Comments: no ICCS label not MS-64
Nowhere did I mention it was certified (ICCS is the main Canadian grading company). Coin is 100% authentic. I respond to the buyer politely explaining that no mention of ICCS/certification was made or implied. The description states the grade is my opinion, grading is subjective, yadda yadda. I told him I would gladly accept a refund, he pays return shipping, as per the auction terms.
He doesn't reply at all. Leaves me a neutral feedback, saying he doesn't agree with the grade but is keeping the coin.
I have to contact ebay through the case to get it closed. Ebay responds saying they have closed the case and they've given the buyer a 100% refund, out of their own pocket! They also said this case will have no bearing on my seller performance.
The neutral feedback is still there. Meh, not worth an hour on the phone with Ebay reps to get it removed. Ebay is a strange place.
Buyer opens a claim:
Return reason: Doesn't seem authentic
Comments: no ICCS label not MS-64
Nowhere did I mention it was certified (ICCS is the main Canadian grading company). Coin is 100% authentic. I respond to the buyer politely explaining that no mention of ICCS/certification was made or implied. The description states the grade is my opinion, grading is subjective, yadda yadda. I told him I would gladly accept a refund, he pays return shipping, as per the auction terms.
He doesn't reply at all. Leaves me a neutral feedback, saying he doesn't agree with the grade but is keeping the coin.
I have to contact ebay through the case to get it closed. Ebay responds saying they have closed the case and they've given the buyer a 100% refund, out of their own pocket! They also said this case will have no bearing on my seller performance.
The neutral feedback is still there. Meh, not worth an hour on the phone with Ebay reps to get it removed. Ebay is a strange place.
http://stores.ebay.ca/Mattscoin - Canadian coins, World Coins, Silver, Gold, Coin lots, Modern Mint Products & Collections
3
Comments
I believe the OP said it is allowed on eBay.ca (in Canada)
DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
CU #3245 B.N.A. #428
Don
Ebay really does put sellers in a bind. Especially when they try to streamline the process by urging buyers to open a case to start communication with the seller, rather than messaging the seller directly.
Not sure what you're expecting, you are in retail.
To some extent, that's a valid point. However, old collectible coins are not modern interchangeable widgets. They are also very small markup items relative to the vast majority of retail outfits. The typical ebay seller who sells widgets from China can afford to write off a high percentage of sales and/or offer to eat the shipping and restocking time on returns. Not at all the case in coins.
I suppose most of us expect more courtesy from fellow coin collectors than typical retail customers.
It is a strange/interesting business in that it's not a typical wholesale -> retail -> end user flow of goods. The holders of coins (or their heirs) always end up, at some point, reselling their goods to a dealer or another collector.
He's allowed refund, declines refund, and still leaves you neutral feedback....what a TOOL !!!!!!!!
+1
The biggest problem with this scenario is that a turd like this will get a fat head, and. . .you guessed it - he will try it again with someone else. Lather, rinse, repeat.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.americanlegacycoins.com
I don't see what the issue is. eBay covered the return at no expense to you and a neutral is the risk any seller runs when they try to assign their own "accurate numerical grade" to a raw coin. I've seen many "accurate numerical grades" that the loosest of TPGs would laugh at.
eBay didn't cover the cost of the return. There was no return. The buyer kept the coin. And bizarrely, eBay did a full refund to the buyer using eBay's money.
There really is no issue (except, perhaps, for the dumb "neutral"). The point of OP's post is the crazy thing eBay did.
Lance.
I don't see what the issue is. eBay covered the return at no expense to you and a neutral is the risk any seller runs when they try to assign their own "accurate numerical grade" to a raw coin. I've seen many "accurate numerical grades" that the loosest of TPGs would laugh at.
eBay didn't cover the cost of the return. There was no return. The buyer kept the coin. And bizarrely, eBay did a full refund to the buyer using eBay's money.
There really is no issue (except, perhaps, for the dumb "neutral"). The point of OP's post is the crazy thing eBay did.
Lance.
Not that crazy. Amazon does the same thing if you don't have a history of returns on your account and you are in satisfied with one of their third party sellers. A drop in the bucket for them. You also have no idea what the buyer told eBay. If buyer told eBay that the seller was forcing him to pay return shipping on a coin the seller misgraded, it is easy to imagine that eBay would fully refund for the buyer. It's called good customer service, as it is in their best interest to keep both the seller and buyer happy sometimes.
User's ID is bonexboat
Ebay really does put sellers in a bind. Especially when they try to streamline the process by urging buyers to open a case to start communication with the seller, rather than messaging the seller directly.
Agree with the above.
OP, Thank you again for giving us the name.
BST Transactions (as the seller): Collectall, GRANDAM, epcjimi1, wondercoin, jmski52, wheathoarder, jay1187, jdsueu, grote15, airplanenut, bigole
It does not appear they were eminently successful.
bonexboat is a bad ebay customer.
Just had the exact same problem with this buyer, he said he did not receive an item in his set of coins, when in fact he did.
Before clearing this up however he left a neutral feedback saying he did not receive the coin of the specified date.
I call him and ask if he could read the date on the Silver dollar he had purchased (as it was this one that he claimed was not in the set of this date) He read it aloud and said "OH well I guess it is in there oh my mistake!" Apparently he had read my listing as something else that would include a full PL SET from 1960 + an extra silver dollar basically free ....for coincidentally enough $33! + $3 CAD shipping . So he admitted the mistake was his and that he didnt read the listing properly and purchased the set hastily expecting to rip off the seller with this extremely underpriced listing. He then exclaims that I had purposely wrote the listing to confuse and trick customers with "my bullshit monkeying around" and that I should some how make it more clear than it was ( spelled out completely with pictures showing each coin personally with the dates well displayed) I said sir with close to half million dollars in transaction and being a licensed business I do not need to trick customers into purchasing our already low priced items and that it would never be my intention to confuse and trick people into purchasing items. Still I apologized and asked if he could please consider changing the neutral feedback. "No! that feedback is going to stay right where it is you need to learn a lesson to not trick people with your bullshit ok? I dont have time for this dont call me back anymore!" and hangs up. Not before cursing me out and using some choice language I care not to repeat.
So I called eBay and told them about the conversation and how he admitted to receiving the coin and that the Neutral feedback was left because he claimed the listing included something it did not. After the ebay rep reviewed the listing and read the feedback she removed the feedback immediately.
bonexboat is on my ban list and I highly suggest this person be added to yours, Persona non grata 100%
If you would like a copy of my ban list I would be happy to pass it along, I am coin dealer who has been selling on eBay regularly for 6 years now and have experienced every type of person you can imagine.
all around collector of many fine things
No way he should get to keep the coin and get his money back also. Especially since he is WRONG in the first place!
He won't be floating his boat in my waters... or his bone, for that matter.
I'll trade blackball lists, too.
He is able to keep the coin too.
How do I know? Someone sold me a toned coin on eBay with juiced photos and refused my polite request for a return. I opened a SNAD case. EBay inexplicably sent me a message saying that I was being awarded a refund, but it denied my claim. I called to complain, they agreed it was eBay's error. EBay refunded me out of pocket and told me to keep the coin (which I sold for more than $300). I offered to send them the coin, but they said that whenever they issue buyer payout under its buyer protection, the coin doesn't need to be sent back to them or to the seller who kept the original money.
EBay is indeed a very strange place. I wonder if this is why eBay fees always increase.
Ricko said - 'Back in the mid/later nineties, there was good stuff and mostly good people.'
Having been on eBay since then also I have to agree...it was more of a good garage sale and people would interact a lot more. Now, heck only one in 10 communicate and many don't leave feedback anymore. I think a lot of that is due to eBay becoming somewhat of another marketplace for large retail sellers who can work the system at the loss of the small time more personal sellers. I still sell stuff on eBay as, well I have a lot of stuff to sell, but it really is not as enjoyable anymore. Just my 2 cents worth.
I wish there was a better alternative for small sellers sometimes!
K
Ouch. It will still be a note on your account if future actions are reviewed. This kind of thing sucks. Too many idiots messing with you and ebay will just kill your selling privileges temporarily or permanently. Nothing you could have done as you said you would take a return but you don't want too many of these instances happening. Ebay really is all about the buyers and can care less about the sellers unless you have mega monthly sales numbers
Blocked
This is why I rarely sell on eBay and I have a separate account for those instances, when I do.
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
This is a couple of years back already, but I sold an item, buyer admitted to not being able to sell after taking to various shows, and he wanted to return because he could not sell and make money like he originally thought. Paypal made me take the return and refund in full. So yes, as a buyer you are never taking a chance when buying from bad pics, in a bad market, just complain to Mother Paypal and you will be given a refund.
I am strictly a buyer on there and this is one of the reasons.
My YouTube Channel
Ebay is a great place to sell. Every retail store gets its share of weirdos ...... just part of doing business.
Member id:
scubadave0428
Just had another horrible experience with a buyer who got an excellent deal on 2 extremely cheaply priced coins, as soon as he got them he tried to extort me for money, if you review his feedback he gives serial negative feedbacks, I imagine to people who do not refund him a percentage of the transaction.
He sent the first message claiming the coins I sent had been cleaned and that it drastically reduces the value of the coin and that he wanted to reach out to me before just leaving a negative feedback as that is what he does immediately apparently without question but decided to be a "Good Guy" and message me first complaining the coins had dings and marks on them which are clearly displayed in the photos. Well one coin was a naturally toned coin from the 1800s and the other was a modern bullion coin that sold for less than market price. All of my listings have Hi-Res photos and you can see every bit of detail on the coin.
As is good business, I sent the buyer this message
"Hi there,
I am sorry to hear you are unhappy with your purchase,
Please send the coins back for a full refund upon receipt to;
My Address
Again my apologies and I appreciate you contacting us to voice your concerns."
Immediately he gives me two negative feedbacks......
He then demands 30% of the total on both coins refunded or he wont change the negative feedback and he will open a dispute with eBay. 30% back on the 1800s coins would put the coin at 1/5th of catalog value and the gold coin below gold after ebay/paypal fees.
After reviewing his feedbacks he has done this on nearly every transaction.
PLEASE BE WARNED and add this Opportunistic Buyer to your Ban List immediately. Persona Non Grata.
Member id:
scubadave0428
all around collector of many fine things
Blocked. Thanks.
I went through months of attempting to get an ebay customer to cover their bounced check; he claimed he was a disabled veteran, and had other folksy pleas for me to understand. Moral of the story--don't accept checks from strangers.
eBay used to be a great place to sell.
I think there are a number of sellers (myself included) who are just still doing it because they are used to it, and who aren't tech savvy enough to get their own website. But then you have to get eyes on your website, and how do you do that?
So you're in a pickle, and you stick with eBay and watch your profits erode yearly.
It's not all the fault of eBay. Some things are a result of Amazon, etc. conditioning buyers to think shipping is "free."
eBay pushes free shipping, but when I try to ship for free, somehow it doesn't work out for me. The USPS still wants their money.
eBay's encouragement to buyers to file claims instead of contacting seller 1st is most irksome.
Ebay, for coins anyway, is a sinking ship and we sellers need to figure out alternatives.
Sorry, no eBay cheerleading from this seller.
Just my experience and my .02.