Why Coin Dealers Drink... the "will you end it early" guy

airplanenut · July 22, 2018 5:54PM

An auction is sitting at $28 with a day to go. I get these two emails:

"Hello,
Would you consider ending this sale early? , thank you,"

"What I mean is would you consider an offer? , my son wants it for his collection. ..thank you,"

Now, I don't take offers, especially 6 days into an auction when there are multiple bids. I even have a boilerplate response:

"Hi,

It is my policy to not end auctions early, but I do welcome your bids. Good luck!"

He then sends me three more messages, now three and then 1 hour before the auction is to end:

"My boy has $ 60.00 to pay for it" [my thought: great--you can bid $60!]

"My boy has $ 60.00" [heard that already]

"Please give me an answer, I don't want to disappoint my son, I'll match my boys offer for you
$ 120.00 thank you"

I reply again:

"Hi,

You are welcome to place a bid."

Radio silence. The guy never bids. Granted, he would have lost to snipers, but up until the last minute, his $120 bid would have stuck. Coin sold for $325. Hi boy will not get it for his collection. I'm distraught.

jmlanzaf · July 22, 2018 5:56PM

I love the "it's my (fake) son's birthday" or "my (dead) father has wanted one of this forever and it's his birthday" emails. Any response I give makes me a schmuck.

CoinCrazyPA · July 22, 2018 5:57PM

Lol, he's guilting you.

airplanenut · July 22, 2018 6:03PM

@jmlanzaf said:
I love the "it's my (fake) son's birthday" or "my (dead) father has wanted one of this forever and it's his birthday" emails. Any response I give makes me a schmuck.

I'm so, so tempted to write another email: "And now you know why I don't end items early."

Coinstartled · July 22, 2018 6:09PM

Good story, Jeremy.

jmlanzaf · July 22, 2018 6:09PM

It's slightly different, but I also just HATE (drink!) the "if it doesn't sell at auction, I will buy it"

My standard response is that if it doesn't sell, my BIN price is 30% higher than the auction. Half the time that gets people yelling. But I am forced to explain that if I tell everyone that I will sell it at the opening bid (or less) if it doesn't sell then I'm encouraging people to NOT bid.

jmlanzaf · July 22, 2018 6:10PM

@airplanenut said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I love the "it's my (fake) son's birthday" or "my (dead) father has wanted one of this forever and it's his birthday" emails. Any response I give makes me a schmuck.

I'm so, so tempted to write another email: "And now you know why I don't end items early."

You can see the other thread about "negotiating", but I think often the people making these offers KNOW they are low-balling the item and trying to take advantage of what they hope are ignorant sellers.

airplanenut · July 22, 2018 6:15PM

@jmlanzaf said:
You can see the other thread about "negotiating", but I think often the people making these offers KNOW they are low-balling the item and trying to take advantage of what they hope are ignorant sellers.

I'm sure of that. Usually I get a single email with an offer, decline it, and that's it. This guy was oddly persistent when I said no, and it's not as if he got to a reasonable amount. But I do make a mental not to check results when someone makes me an offer. They're usually waaaaaaaaaaaaay low.

cameonut2011 · July 22, 2018 6:15PM

I wouldn't have responded to the first email.

thefinn · July 22, 2018 6:46PM

I understand the whole not ending auctions early, but I have done very well when they don't. I always make very fair offers - the last time was a coin that usually sells in the $50 range. I offered $50. They turned it down. I was the high bidder at $26 postpaid.
I have had people offer to buy $100 Morgans for $15 if I ended it early, then raised the offer to $17. I told them to bid on it. If you know what something's worth, there may be times to end early. If you don't, let the dice roll.

SeattleSlammer · July 22, 2018 6:52PM

You have a cold cold heart. Poor boy.

Smudge · July 22, 2018 7:22PM

Make that drink a double, no a triple.

logger7 · July 22, 2018 7:28PM

In the vein of doing unto others, why not ask him what he has worth hundreds of dollars that you could get for $60?

airplanenut · July 22, 2018 7:36PM

@logger7 said:
In the vein of doing unto others, why not ask him what he has worth hundreds of dollars that you could get for $60?

To be fair, I should probably ask my dad to chip in $60, too.

@thefinn said:
I understand the whole not ending auctions early, but I have done very well when they don't. I always make very fair offers - the last time was a coin that usually sells in the $50 range. I offered $50. They turned it down. I was the high bidder at $26 postpaid.
I have had people offer to buy $100 Morgans for $15 if I ended it early, then raised the offer to $17. I told them to bid on it. If you know what something's worth, there may be times to end early. If you don't, let the dice roll.

Yes, and on occasion, a buyer will win. That said, on the whole, I'd have lost a fortune ending listings early, not to mention any hit to my reputation if buyers notice a trend that my auctions might not stick around. In my case specifically, everything I sell is on consignment, so unless someone made a ridiculously high offer, my job remains to simply list the coin and let it go to the highest bidder.

SiriusBlack · July 22, 2018 7:46PM

I sold a camera lens today. Still waiting for payment. It’s so tedious but I don’t have a lot of avenues to sell a WWII arial reconnaissance lens

jmlanzaf · July 22, 2018 7:58PM

@thefinn said:
I understand the whole not ending auctions early, but I have done very well when they don't. I always make very fair offers - the last time was a coin that usually sells in the $50 range. I offered $50. They turned it down. I was the high bidder at $26 postpaid.
I have had people offer to buy $100 Morgans for $15 if I ended it early, then raised the offer to $17. I told them to bid on it. If you know what something's worth, there may be times to end early. If you don't, let the dice roll.

I would rather the item sell for less and run the course than end it early. You will lose more future buyers when auctions people are watching suddenly disappear without a trace.

Azurescens · July 22, 2018 8:00PM

@jmlanzaf said:
It's slightly different, but I also just HATE (drink!) the "if it doesn't sell at auction, I will buy it"

My standard response is that if it doesn't sell, my BIN price is 30% higher than the auction. Half the time that gets people yelling. But I am forced to explain that if I tell everyone that I will sell it at the opening bid (or less) if it doesn't sell then I'm encouraging people to NOT bid.

I've done this before but usually in a rare circumstance. If I've watched it for over two months, contacting them and saying I'm not hurting your feels by saying the coin is xyz and worth ABC because etc etc, would you consider [non-insulting offer here].

I like talking coins with people. I've helped a few along the way like mixed up images that could end very wrong, misdated items, and boy I was tempted once. I don't know. I don't get around to shows. I like to help others out along the way. We are all in it together I guess.

One guy contacted me today on my BIN/OBO. Super polite. Asked a few things (old rare coin) and I gave him all I got. He said he would be in touch. Earlier this evening, he bought it. I don't think I would've sold it for that low if we didn't have a fun educational and pleasant convo.

messydesk · July 22, 2018 8:02PM

@cameonut2011 said:
I wouldn't have responded to the first email.

This. Also, if you have a boilerplate response to these kinds of queries, you might also want to add to your boilerplate listings text that indicates that asking to end an auction early will get you blocked. Of course, this assumes that people actually read this stuff.

BryceM · July 22, 2018 8:03PM

Why respond at all?

Azurescens · July 22, 2018 8:17PM

@cameonut2011 said:
Also, if you have a boilerplate response to these kinds of queries, you might also want to add to your boilerplate listings text that indicates that asking to end an auction early will get you blocked. Of course, this assumes that people actually read this stuff.

They never do.

stevek · July 22, 2018 8:31PM

A few times some Ebay buyers wanted me to donate an item to charity. I politely told them no.

i'm fairly certain the shipping address would have been their homes, and the charity would have been their own collections. LOL

SaorAlba · July 23, 2018 3:22AM

I have a feeling "my boy" was the fool behind the screen screeching out emails begging you to end the auction at his price.

ajaan · July 23, 2018 4:36AM

Was the coin the 1908-S Indian cent? Nice coin. I would have paid $160 for it also.

DoubleEagle59 · July 23, 2018 5:19AM

I've contacted many dealers regarding their items for sale.

Only items that have a BIN or an auction with a high starting price.

I've been polite and respectful and most of the time have asked them "if the item doesn't sell, would you consider my offer of $xxx.xx as a buy-it-now?"

I've had some dealers stand pat on their initial price and say 'no' (that's fine) and I've had more than a few dealers negotiate a price with me that we both find agreeable.

It's not rocket science.

Just don't be insulting to the dealer with a low-ball offer and expect the dealer to say 'yes'.

ricko · July 23, 2018 5:37AM

The only time I have made offers is when that option was available..otherwise I bid or pass...I have had sellers come back to me after the auction closed - likely the high bidder backed out or it was shill - and offer it to me at my last bid (once a tad higher). Seemed strange to me...and it has happened about three times that I recall....Cheers, RickO

Cougar1978 · July 23, 2018 6:06AM

I just ignore those idiots

Lakesammman · July 23, 2018 6:13AM

On the buying side, it's frustrating to see an auction end early when you know the seller got hosed and I would have bid strongly. JK is right - avoid those sellers.

mustangmanbob · July 23, 2018 6:36AM

Last week, I was looking at an item, auction, day 1, for $400, no bids, probably a $600 +/- item, and POLITELY asked if he would end early, and how much.

He responded: $350 with free shipping (Shipping was $35 in the auction). I bought it.

Never hurts to ask.

It reempowered me to ask on a boat load of more listings.

A No does not hurt my feelings, and I only ask once. Put 50 hooks in the water, one of them is bound to catch a fish.

TwoSides2aCoin · July 23, 2018 6:37AM

Mine are similar but the offer was $18 and item sold for $30.
I suppose it's worth a try. I just make the coffee a little stronger.

DoubleEagle59 · July 23, 2018 7:35AM

In the old days before the ebay police monitored every correspondence, there was a lot of business being done without Ebay getting their cut.

Of course I personally would not know anything about this

Aotearoa · July 23, 2018 11:38AM

@DoubleEagle59 said:
In the old days before the ebay police monitored every correspondence, there was a lot of business being done without Ebay getting their cut.

Of course I personally would not know anything about this

Of course that sort of thing cannot happen today because it is always absolutely impossible to find contact details for eBay sellers - especially for those from whom you have made purchases in the past.

thefinn · July 23, 2018 11:51AM

I have contacted sellers to let them know that I am not asking them to end an auction early, but that I am planning on bidding on the item near the end of the auction, so that if they decide to end it early, let me know because I will make a good offer on it. It is more to prevent someone from keeping me from having the opportunity to acquire it. I don't like to show my cards too soon, but I will at times put in an early bid if I see it within the first day or two, just to mark it and let them know I'm a bidder. But some still end it early, because the item is no longer available, or there was an "error" in the listing. I use quotes for those that aren't corrected and relisted.

topstuf · July 23, 2018 12:05PM

So you guys are ok sending a pore liddle boy to bed hungry for something new for his collection and he even has to put up with a stupid dad.

YOU'RE ALL CRUEL !!!

au58 · July 23, 2018 2:15PM

I can think of at least 20 reasons to drink that are better than this. You can even lie if you have to, no one here will know the difference, or even care. But this is a pretty lame excuse for drinking.

cmerlo1 · July 23, 2018 2:36PM

I've had that happen numerous times. They never bid.

BlindedByEgo · July 23, 2018 2:43PM

It is because of folks like your non-bidder that my blocked list has grown so long.

Why Coin Dealers Drink... the "will you end it early" guy

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