Message from eBay buyer

ajaan · April 11, 2011 6:30AM

Sold a coin on eBay last night. Get this email:

<< <i>Hello

I've just paid. When you ship my coin, please, don't write
real value on envelope because I'll have hell on customs.
It would actually mean one month of filling and delivering
documents to different offices here in Poland. "Numismatic
sample" for 20$, "gift" or something like this would be
brilliant solution.

Regards,
xxxx >>

I replied:

<< <i>xxxxx,
Thank you for your email. I can't comply with your request to only put a $20 value on the custom form for two reasons:

1. It is illegal to do so

2. for insurance purposes I must state the true value of the item. If the item is lost or stolen and I only put $20 on the custom form, then I can only get $20 pack from the insurance company. I'm not willing to take this chance.

If you want I can do one of the following:

1. put the true value on the package

or

2. we can agree not to follow through with the auction.

Please advise.
>>

His reply:

<< <i>Don

Please, spare me this lecture. I give you one example: one week ago I've bought
a coin from one of the best eBay sellers. He sent me this coin in registered
international letter, with no declaration on the envelope. Inside there was an invoice
with actual value. Has he broken the law or his own rules? I don't think so. The only
result was that _I had no_ problems. Can't you do the same?

If you can't send me this coin in similar way, send it in a way you prefer. But try
to do the best, while not breaking your own rules.

Regards,
xxxxx >>

What lecture? I think I did the appropriate thing. What do you say?

FilthyBroke · April 11, 2011 6:42AM

That's how I'd have handled it. Now I'd be worried as to his motivation for declaring the wrong value, I don't necessarily buy his excuse about customs.

Can he neg you if you just cancel the transaction? I'd probably call Ebay and send them a copy of his notes, and see if they would cancel the transaction.

questor54 · April 11, 2011 7:24AM

You did the appropriate thing. As a matter of law, any contract to do an illegal thing is automatically void. You would be better off without this buyer.

terribleredmonster · April 11, 2011 11:01AM

Stick to your guns.

wybrit · April 11, 2011 12:03PM

I hate it when I get a buyer like this. It's usually the last time they get a chance to bid on my stuff. I would ask who this buyer is, but I won't ship ebay purchases to Poland.

I 100% agree with your approach - I wouldn't ship if he doesn't agree to your terms. I understand that there are problems shipping to Poland because of the corruption there - your package is not apt to arrive if a full valuation is put on the customs form. But this is the world of ebay and PayPal, where you are vulnerable to the "I didn't receive it" scams (or reality). You have to protect yourself.

Good luck. I hope it turns out.

mrpotatoheadd · April 11, 2011 12:32PM

<< <i>What do you say? >>

This:

"I ship 10-15 packages out of the country every week. Nobody at my post office would believe that I have that many international friends and if I lie to them about the value of the package, they might start wondering what else I'm not being honest about. As it is, they don't make me stand in line to check that I've got the right amount of postage on my packages (they could, of course)- they just trust me and let me drop them off without a wait. And I'm not willing to risk losing that trust. Sorry about your country's customs fees and procedures, but seeing as how I don't live there, there's not a lot I can do about it."

JamesMurray · April 11, 2011 3:29PM

Somebody should write a book " Best of Ebay messages " my own contribution would be a guy i bought a gold coin from a few weeks back. It was fake and i let him know that regardless of his no returns policy i would in fact be returning it for a full refund.
I got the reply that the seller knew it was a fake and had bought it from Ebay , he for some reason even mentioned it was still in his items won section , he went on to say he had paid twice what i had paid so therefore i had done better than he , he felt robbed by both the original seller and me as i'd only paid half of what he had he said.
Mindblowing stuff.

Unknown · April 11, 2011 7:17PM

This content has been removed.

Hussulo · April 11, 2011 8:37PM

I agree Don. Stick to your guns.

I have wrote something to the effect of we do not lie on customs etc at the end of my listings because I have had the same messages in the past.

If he negs or cancels contact ebay and explain. They should side with you and then ban him from bidding again.

If the item gets "lost" and isn't insured youare going to be the one out of pocket.

ajaan · April 11, 2011 9:16PM

I talked to eBay last night. The customer service person was very pleasant and explained my options. She said if he negs me I can file to get it removed but I'm not sure how quickly or diligently eBay would work to remove a neg.

I never thought any of this would be a problem because the coin is a US Commem 50c. I was surprised someone from Poland won the coin. If I ever list a US coin again, shipping will only be to the US.

coinpictures · April 11, 2011 9:48PM

No matter what eBay claims, never EVER assume that a neg will be removed for any reason whatsoever. They are so darned capricious in what they will or will not remove, that you cannot rely on anything. If they do remove one, consider it a bonus... and then go out and buy lottery tickets.

Hussulo · April 11, 2011 10:31PM

Don I would message the guy back and say

" I didn't want to sound like I was giving a lecture however fully insured and declared is how I always send my coins. This keeps both me as a buyer and you as a seller covered.

I have had instances in the past whereby buyers have asked for me to declare an item at a lower value and later claimed they hadn't received it. This meant I was left without the item and only entitled to a partial refund from the post office for the declared value.

I am not suggesting that you would do this, however you must appreciate we do not know each other and this is my standard procedure as I'm no longer prepared to take the gamble.

If you would like the coin and are happy for me to declare its full value then I am happy to complete the transaction. If not then I suggest we call the sale off?

Regards,
..."

Hussulo · April 11, 2011 10:35PM

PS forgot to say you will possibly have the same trouble shipping a World coin or an item for that matter outside of the US.

Unfortunately these buyers/chancer's are on ebay.

I have this at the bottom of each listing:

"Please be aware of your own country's Customs and Importing requirements before bidding. Under no circumstances are we prepared to falsify documents."

Yet I still had a winning bidder from Brazil ask me to no value on the customs document!

Rickc300 · April 13, 2011 3:34PM

In case any of you didn't see this (I about died when I saw this original post) I have contacted Ebay and PayPal, emailed my proof of delivery and insurance, sent hard copies of both, but since this was a credit card charge back I am SOL! I can do nothing but pay my negative balance or never be allowed to sell on Ebay or use PayPal again. I tried to send funds to a person I bought a coin from but can't even send money because of this transaction. So if the seller sticks to his (or hers) guns and only accepts PayPal I am going to get a Neg (my first)... PayPal advised me to turn to my states attorney general for help in opening up a claim. I know I am a working jerk living in the hicks, but who is going to open a claim for a hundred bucks, 14 states and 900 miles away? My attorney general? I don't think so... Maybe a case for the postmaster? I think this is maybe a case of mail fraud if nothing else, it was signed for after all....

Just frustrated and sorry to mess up your thread Don, but I wanted others to know what lurks out there. When dealing with people who have requests or needs that we can't meet with in reason, And then have no legs to stand on when the fit hits the shan but have to pay thru the nose or close down shop.

But have a HAPPY, thanks for letting me vent!

my bad page?

Message from eBay buyer

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