Crappy Dealers on EBAY Part 2 - Unbelievable!!!

[Red Hook]

I'm not saying it's the case here, but it's funny how family crises or business problems seem to keep certain sellers from shipping product, but not from putting up a continous stream of new auctions.

[Shield]

You're exactly right. I've always thought the same thing.

[BassGMan]

I'm not saying it's the case here, but it's funny how family crises or business problems seem to keep certain sellers from shipping product, but not from putting up a continous stream of new auctions.

 

Right. I am guessing that this is because these guys want the steady flow of cash to continue to roll in but feel as if they can ship the items whenever they get around to it. Once that it is convenient again, and use excuses if they are more than a little late. Ya' never know though. People can be BSing about family problems, but if they are telling the truth (which we never know if they are or not) and you give them a hard time about late shipping, then we come off like a jerk. That's why it's all about trust AND where the buyer and seller place their priorities. -----Sid

[kahml]

For You Information (I'm spelling it out 'cause some folks have gotten offended by "fyi"):-

 

eBay (and several third-party sites) let you schedule your auctions well in advance (up to 30 days) of a launch date.

 

Larry

[OldGuy]

eBay (and several third-party sites) let you schedule your auctions well in advance (up to 30 days) of a launch date.

 

Good, then sellers shouldn't have a problem with me bidding and winning up to 30 days before I can pay.

[fantasticrealm-migration]

Wow - you really must have been screwed badly by someone at some point. Consider that I have 6225 positive feedbacks and 1 negative since I joined in 2001.

 

I understand that it sounds like "my dog ate my homework" but who would really do something like joke about family health issues? My sister, Lara had a c-section after over 24 hours of labor in DC Sibli hospital. My Grandmother, Renata Marini had surgery at Johns Hopkins by Dr. Weingart in case you want to verify the legitimacy of the information.

 

As to auctions, I set up several weeks of stuff at a time when I can so things are pre-loaded. You will notice that instead of my normal 50-100 auctions, I have been doing less than half of that these past few weeks. You will also notice that there has not been a single complaint in this time as most people understood and wished me/my family well.

 

Lastly, could I have been more on top of Top Cow to get me the books? I tried everything I knew how to do other than fly from the East coast to California and pick them up and carry them away. My rep told me they were shipped but couldn't get a tracking number from the printer. Then the printer shipped but shipped only a partial order. Lastly, the rep then went to the printer himself and wrote this to me:

 

" To: sales@fantasticrealm.com

Subject: Wanted #1 Death Row has been SENT!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------I personally huffed and puffed and carried the box to the FedEx drop center nearby, with about 10 minutes left before the cutoff time, and got it out... It'll arrive tomorrow afternoon, tracking number is:

 

3265747516

 

When you open the box and see Strykeforce #1 Wizard World LA variants,

don't freak out, I included 25 as a free bonus to you... There are 100

Wanted #1 Death Rows underneath... I didn't check all of them, but

overall they looked in great shape...

 

I'll tell you later about the problems with our printer, but at

least you have everything (or will by tomorrow)"

 

So, while I understand skepticism, you really shouldn't make accusations and such without knowing what you are talking about. In the best case scenario you wind up looking like a grumpy person. In the worst case scenario, you just insulted someone who is dealing with the thought that a family member is dying. Neither result makes you look good and why take the chance of beating up on someone who is down?

[jbud73]

For You Information (I'm spelling it out 'cause some folks have gotten offended by "fyi"):-

 

eBay (and several third-party sites) let you schedule your auctions well in advance (up to 30 days) of a launch date.

 

Larry

 

Yes they let you schedule them, but post them for items you dont have

 

This is a classic example of selling something that you dont have. OWNERSHIP IS ONE THING - yes you have an Invoice that implies ownership. BUT SELLING SOMETHING MEANS A TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP - and to transfer ownership you must be able to deliver the goods, which you cant do unless they are in your possession.

 

Another issues especially in a collectables sale, how can you guarantee, or even post condition, or scans of items you dont possess, this is suspect comic retailing at to be sure. Im sorry I just cannot condone these types of business practises.

 

All the problems with this transaction are based on the inability of the seller to ship books because they did now have them to ship, everything else is after-the-fact back and forth rhetoric on both sides.

[fantasticrealm-migration]

In response to the following post by coastline:

 

My buddy Jeff, sure I will bury the hatchet, the minute those books arrive, the full order, within 5 days, I will be the first on this forum to say "hey these are my books,. . he actually shipped the books, yeap these are them." And we can go on from there. Frankly, I have always wanted to see MD so I am actually fine either way!

 

--------------------

--------------------------

Coastline Comics

Your Only Choice for Modern CGC & CGG Issues

www.CoastlineComics.com

casey@CoastlineComics.com

 

Your order will arrive tomorrow by 10am: I upgraded the shipping to Express mail at my cost ($17.85) vs shipping you paid for of $5. Tracking number from USPS is: ER 916653565

 

I also included 2 extra sold-out books for your inconvenience. Just to show it was never about the money, I also made the offer of refunding 50% of your total invoice amount upon successful completion of the transaction (ie you like the books and we get all the [!@#%^&^] put aside). If you do not like the books, I will let you keep them, plus issue a full refund to you the same day. I can't do better than that and I will be losing money on this even in the best case scenario.

 

Please let me, and the forum know when the package arrives so we can put this aside and move on. BTW, I tried to look into who you were with the following email to 2 dealer friends of mine in CA:

 

<

This guy is harassing the hell out of me and

I'm trying to find out if he;s a decent guy and we are

just not communicating well or if he's an unreasonable

sort and I should stop trying to calm him down.

 

Thanks for any info.

 

jeff>>

 

The responses were <

and <>

 

I repect the person who spoke up for you a lot and so I am willing to accept that I might be acting out of sorts with the stress of what's going on. I did not mean to come off as angry or unreasonable. I just seem to be very defensive about how people are speaking to me these days and I guess I am not controlling my responses as I normally would.

 

Jeff

[OldGuy]

The olive branch can't be extended any more then that. Based on the way you are willing to resolve this issue, I wouldn't hesitate to bid on your auctions.

 

[fantasticrealm-migration]

Sorry but this is not correct information -

 

Lets say you are a dealer. You go to a show in Philly and ship your books there. After the show, you ship them back. You generally arrive back home before your books get there from UPS ground service. Now, are those your books or not? Are they available to sell or not?

 

Now, with regards to books and conditions, what happens when you go to a con, buy books from a dealer, have them boxed and have the dealer ship to you because it is more convenient (they have to ship after the show anyway). You have seen the books already.

 

Finally, with regards to ownership and legal terms etc, you are incorrect about when and where transfer of ownership occurs and the different types of transfer. Transfer of ownership occurs when items are placed on a common carrier, such as UPS or Fed-Ex or a trucking company. I listed the books after receiving a tracking number for them, from Fed-Ex. No way to have known that the shipment was a partial instead of a full shipment. I was not notified that this was the case and have had nothing but good dealings with the dealer so had no reason to believe the order was not complete. Regardless, the books were mine legally and were legally available to sell.

 

Just to throw an extra "what if" at you, what happens when you conduct a drop-ship sale? For example, Dynamic Forces has an affiliate program where you sell their inventory from your site and get paid a commission for it. You don't own the books and you never see the books. This is a perfectly legal way of doing business but it does not require yuo to ever have possession or ownership or the ability to transfer ownership of the product.

[jbud73]

Well without argueing symantics of ownership adnauseum - I will say that these interpretations leave the field wide open for customer dissapointment. This board is extremely tough on sellers who fail to disclose things about the books in their auctions. I would think that one of the primary things to disclose would be that the actual book being bid on is in the process of being shipped to the seller who is then subject to its arrival before it can be subsequently shipped to the potential winner of the auction in question.

 

Is this not information that is of vital neccesity to would be bidders on a level of grading, restoration and other issues which seem to draw the ire of the Ebay police on this board.

 

Hmmmm..... I wonder how many bids these auctions would have garnered had part of the description entailed that the books were presently NOT in the possession of the seller as they were being shipped while the auction was ongoing. Is this seller therefore not doing a disservice to his or her would be clientele by not disclosing this information.

 

The bottom line really is do I as a bidder want to be placing bids on a sellers auctions where they may or may not be in possession of the books - I would think NOT

 

You may be interested in definitions of ownership, I was interested in the business philosophy behind posting auctions for books not in the possession of the seller. I simply do not agree with this practise and think it should be discouraged at all costs as it lends itself to the complications that we see between the two parties with a vested interest in this transaction - GLAD I AM NOT ONE OF THEM TO BE SURE.

[coastline-migration]

Jeff, thanks for upgrading the books to Express, I just wish it hadn't taken you suffering what amounts to public backlash just so a regular first-time customer like myself can receive his order in a timely manner. As a first time buyer from your listings and a fellow dealer I expect superior customer service no questions asked on every transaction on ebay. It's an example I personally try to set in my own dealings and one I strongly urge those I do business with to do as well.

 

When these books arrive I will personally log into this board, per my previous post, acknowledge its receipt and go from there. Since you informed me repeatedly you didn't have these issues in stock to begin with I am still "unsure" how exactly you will manage to get these to me tomorrow by 10am but hey, anything's possible.

 

You receive a for how you handled this transaction initially, but I certainly give you if what you have said in the above post actually turns out to be true.

[coastline-migration]

On another note, although comics is a nice side business I keep the family in clothes, food and NetFlix rentals through the operation of my own Web Design & Marketing Company Located Here. I tell you this because I plan to direct my design team to launch a new website within the next 30 days specifically dealing with the situation that caused me this entire board topic grief in the first place.

 

This soon to be launched website will involve the following:

 

- a publication of all online comic dealers currently doing business on EBAY

- a rating system for these dealers to cover the all-important issue of CUSTOMER SERVICE which is sadly lacking in our industry

- a special section specifically devoted to dealers who take advance orders or routinely list auctions for items not in their possession and do so without any notice AT ALL in their web listings.

- a HALL OF SHAME for all comic ebayers (including myself God Forbid) who do the following repeatedly: LIST ITEMS THEY DON'T HAVE, LIST OVERGRADED ITEMS, ROUTINELY LIST THINGS IN THEIR AUCTION TITLE DESCRIPTIONS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT THEY SELL (Markfgc, this means you).

 

OldGuy, Thor, jbud73, kahml, Shield, and especially RedHook, your input as to the name of this site, content, ect. is always appreciated and will be turned over verbatim to my design team. Good knows we can't count on self-policing in this industry. I need immediate feedback on domain name and section layout if your interested.

 

Any thoughts....

[BassGMan]

Just to be safe, why not just wait an extra few days or weeks until listing your items, once that they HAVE arrived. You may buy them and pack them in one state with all books being in NM. But what if the box is smashed or banged up or lost or delayed. It is just better business to wait until you have the items in your posession and ready to ship. As far as drop shipping goes, you need to put all your trust in the shipper and make sure he delivers what you promised or YOU are responsible for HIS shipping delays or problems. If he says NM, then you better hope he delivers NM books on your behalf. It's all playing with fire as far as I am concerned. I'm not saying not to do it, just saying that it is a riskier form of doing business. -----Sid

[fantasticrealm-migration]

Yes, it is riskier and each person defines the limits of risk they will take.

 

For example, I won't sell things that are not at least en-route to me and never from dealers that I've had little/no experiaence with. Some dealers you build trust with over the years and take their word as gold. Regardless, I see your point and I hope you see mine. The books in this case were supposed to be in my hands by the time the auction ended.

 

As to making sure customers get NM or better books, I never sell anywhere close to what I have bought while they are ne-route. For example, I think I bought 200 sets of Wanted #1. I sold about 20 before I had them in my hands. No way from this dealer that I would have a 95% damage rate. With Diamond, its a bit different. I expect a damage rate of about 20% from them.

 

On that subject, I too am wondering about pre-sells. It seems to be a decent size part of the business and I see a good value for it if properly used. I have tried a few pre-sells but when I do, the auction listing prominantly states that it is a pre-sell right in the description in large font. I have yet to decide if its a good idea or not though. I understand why people don't like it. I also understand why some peolpe need it. I have customers who don't have a local store or whose stre wouldn't get 5 copies of Soulfore #0 to sell to them. It is a tough decision and as I am building a website, I am wondering about how I will or if I will offer pre-sells. Suggestions are always welcome.

[fantasticrealm-migration]

Casey - no worries. I am not a hard person to deal with. In fact I am normally very very easy with my customers - so much so that there are quite a few of them who take advantage. Oh well, just say we got off on the wrong foot. If we ever deal again (and you are unblocked from my auctions as of now), please remember that the money to me is never as important as the experience. Nice gets nice from me.

[THE_BEYONDER]

coastline & fantasticrealm.....

 

WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!!

[fantasticrealm-migration]

Casey -

 

Do you have a problem with pre-sells or just with pre-sells that do not disclose what they are? If the first, then I agree and I am going to modify my listings to err more on the side of safety (books in hand first). If the latter, then I really would disagree with you. If people want to pre-order an item and are given clear information that they are doing so, then they should be allowed to buy. I don't like the thought of policing people's activities as I believe that a customer with complete information should be able to make up his/her mind with his/her money. Heck, you and I pre-order from Diamond every month. Sometimes we order a ton of something that turns out to be a dog and sometimes we don't order enough of turned out to be a hit.

[deathlok]

why is it whenever the thread turns to the Calamerica/Deathlok saga the thread gets locked? Yet when others have the same rants nothing happens?

 

Hmmm......

[THE_BEYONDER]

why is it whenever the thread turns to the Calamerica/Deathlok saga the thread gets locked? Yet when others have the same rants nothing happens?

 

Hmmm......

 

I think it has something to do with Aquaman trivia....