Can Someone Please Translate This Message That I Received on Ebay Today? UPDATE: Feedback Rec'd 7/2

numisma · July 15, 2015 5:06AM

So I sold an item today via the unreserved true auction format. A few minutes after the auction closed, I received the following message from the winning bidder:

Dear ********,

Can l send mony order fast pay pal no let my pay l can send now fast send my you adrees pleas

The sales amount was $70 with free shipping/insurance. I have clear payment instructions in my terms/conditions. What would you do if you received such a message?

MrHalfDime · July 15, 2015 5:16AM

As I read his question to you (and it took several tries to make sense of it) he is asking if he can pay using a 'fast' money order (Can l send mony order fast). He seems to be saying that he cannot use his Paypal account. He says that he will send a money order fast if he can get your snail mail address to mail it to. At least that is how I read it. Reply to him stating what your payment terms are, and whether or not you can/will accept a money order.

Justacommeman · July 15, 2015 5:17AM

<< So I sold an item today via the unreserved true auction format. A few minutes after the auction closed, I received the following message from the winning bidder:

Dear ********,

Can l send mony order fast pay pal no let my pay l can send now fast send my you adrees pleas

The sales amount was $70 with free shipping/insurance. I have clear payment instructions in my terms/conditions. What would you do if you received such a message? >>

Ask if you can buy a vowel

Mark

derryb · July 15, 2015 5:18AM

Where is your buyer located? if out of country mostly likely a bogus MO

I would accept a USPS money order. If not, contact ebay and tell them you have a buyer who will not pay per paypal and you need their assistance in making the sale go away. Then block the buyer.

Please PM me the buyer's ID.

lasvegasteddy · July 15, 2015 5:25AM

<< Ask if you can buy a vowel

Mark >>

TopographicOceans · July 15, 2015 5:26AM

Under eBay's rules, buyers can ask to make payment using a money order but the seller can't suggest it.

So you can either reply with your address and request a USPS money order, or decline his request and say he must use PayPal.

The good news is if he doesn't use PayPal he loses his eBay guarantee, so if the payment is good and the coin gets lost on it's way to wherever he is from, you won't be out anything.

numisma · July 15, 2015 5:33AM

Thanks MrHalfDime. Sage advice, as usual.

Mark, that was funny!

Where is your buyer located?

I have his name/address from the transaction record, so I did some Googling and the address is a legitimate business. Based on the evidence, it is certain to me that English is his second language. I may actually send him a message in his (presumed) first language, but I don't want to offend anyone. For now, I sent him the invoice via Ebay. Let's see if/how he responds. Will keep you posted.

numisma · July 15, 2015 5:44AM

Under eBay's rules, buyers can ask to make payment using a money order but the seller can't suggest it.

So you can either reply with your address and request a USPS money order, or decline his request and say he must use PayPal.

I don't mind taking a money order, so I will send him my address if he does not pay the invoice via PayPal today. Actually, he should have it in the sales record. Per his message (as I read it) he was going to pay with PayPal after deciding not to send a money order. I am so confused.

oih82w8 · July 15, 2015 5:57AM

<< Ask if you can buy a vowel

Mark >>

Thanks, I was thinking the same thing!

SaorAlba · July 15, 2015 6:00AM

<< 

<< Ask if you can buy a vowel

Mark >>

Thanks, I was thinking the same thing!

>>

One time I was boringly watching Wheel of Fortune when they had a lesser educated individual on there who asked if she "could buy a bowel"

numisma · July 15, 2015 6:01AM

Issue resolved. We communicated via the Ebay messaging system and he does want to pay with a money order. So, MrHalfDime was correct with his quick translation. I have sent him my address, and the case is closed. Thanks to all who participated in this entertaining little mystery.

Pokermandude · July 15, 2015 6:05AM

I decipher messages like this on a near daily basis. English is not everyone's first language. Even people who have English as their first language, sometimes don't have good grammar or spelling.

TopographicOceans · July 15, 2015 6:35AM

My first clue that he wanted to pay with a money order was when he said Can I send mony order

Fast is not a type of money order, but refers to how quickly he will send it.

The semantics of what he said is:
Can I send a money order? I will pay quickly. Pay Pal won't let me pay. I can send a money order very fast. Send me your address please.

Don't try and communicate with him in the language you think he speaks.
You could very easily inadvertently say Your mother is the ugliest cow I have seen

mustangmanbob · July 15, 2015 6:41AM

Made perfect sense to me, but I have lived overseas and also have had a large work force where English is not the primary language, and it takes a while to "think" in a broken language.

For example, the Vietnamese pilots would say "I land now", that was it, as they came flying to the LZ's. There are not as many verb tenses and articles, etc.

I had a work crew that consisted of 2 people from different parts of Africa, an Iraqi, a Hmong, and a Bosnian. They worked it out on communications.

While it is NOT my main language, my Spanish is good enough when my wife and I go to Spain (she loves going to Barcelona as often as possible), I truly believe if most English speakers learned Spanish, and saw how logical and easy the language is, compared to English with all it's weird spellings, verb tenses, sentence structure, etc., they would revolt overnight and toss the King's English to the trash can.

numisma · July 26, 2015 7:07AM

This deal worked out well. Had several message exchanges with the customer. I agreed to the money order route, and he paid quickly. I shipped immediately and today I received his positive feedback:

KopMop Sorry my frand I was not hire

Does anyone know what "KopMop" means? As for the balance of the message, I took it as "I am sorry that my bid was not higher," or possible, "I am sorry that I was not here to accept the package when delivery was attempted." Either way, he was happy with his coin and it turned out well.

TopographicOceans · July 26, 2015 7:35AM

<< KopMop Sorry my frand I was not hire >>

Perhaps he can't get a job as a janitor at the police station?

JCLIGHTBRIGADE · July 26, 2015 8:12AM

I think it's slang for: Keep On Pushing the Mop Home Skillet cause the bids ain't going higher.

bestday · July 26, 2015 8:29AM

Looks like all is happy.... check out m.o. for fake.. when it comes

Zoins · July 26, 2015 8:31AM

<< This deal worked out well. >>

Good to hear.

Bullsitter · July 26, 2015 4:17PM

<< 

<< Ask if you can buy a vowel

Mark >>

>>

...............+2..................

KennyBerger · July 26, 2015 4:35PM

I agree

thisnamztaken · July 26, 2015 4:40PM

Atcalluy, I hvae hraed it siad taht msot pepole can raed a sneancte wtih the wrdos' ltteres out of odrer, as lnog as the frsit and lsat ltetres of ecah wdro are in the crorcet palce.

Twobitcollector · July 26, 2015 7:41PM

KopMop"

King of Prussia Mall outside Philadelphia maybe

ricko · July 26, 2015 8:49PM

All's well that ends well....I guess....

Cheers, RickO

Can Someone Please Translate This Message That I Received on Ebay Today? UPDATE: Feedback Rec'd 7/2

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