Ebay - ok. I'm shocked. What do I do?

[400yrs]

So I woke up this morning to read this message from a buyer of a Detective #871 9.2 for $17.95:

 

 

Dear 400yrs,i paid wayyyyy too much for this because you put it as a 9.2 but when i recieved the item there was no cgc packaging. in other words you just bullted saying this was a 9.2 you cant eye a comic and give it your own personal grade. i will be reporting you for lying about what you sold. thanks for nothing buddy- karl122344

 

I politely responded to the guy, but I can't seem to get to my response in ebay.

 

What do I do? I'm hoping this is a joke.

[AJD]

 

For the sake of $17.95 I'd offer a full refund and block him from bidding again. Do everything through ebay's messaging system so you have a record of being prepared to make 'amends' - even though you really don't have to.

[DrWatson]

Returns: 14 days money back, buyer pays return shipping.

[goldust40]

you cant eye a comic and give it your own personal grade.

 

An example of how much the hobby has changed in the last ten years.

 

Politely tell him to send the book back, and don't bother with explanations. Then, as has already been said, block him and move on. Life's too short to agonize over this sort of thing.

[400yrs]

 

For the sake of $17.95 I'd offer a full refund and block him from bidding again. Do everything through ebay's messaging system so you have a record of being prepared to make 'amends' - even though you really don't have to.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I don't care about the $20+ I'll be out, but I just don't want to get a neg from this momo.

[nocutename]

There is nothing in my auction that states CGC. Make sure all your replies are through ebay messaging. Just tell him your return policy as it is stated in the auction and you will refund him once the comic is received. Don't try to explain anything to him as he obviously cannot read and with the cursing seems unreasonable.

 

So I woke up this morning to read this message from a buyer of a Detective #871 9.2 for $17.95:

 

 

Dear 400yrs,i paid wayyyyy too much for this because you put it as a 9.2 but when i recieved the item there was no cgc packaging. in other words you just bullted saying this was a 9.2 you cant eye a comic and give it your own personal grade. i will be reporting you for lying about what you sold. thanks for nothing buddy- karl122344

 

I politely responded to the guy, but I can't seem to get to my response in ebay.

 

What do I do? I'm hoping this is a joke.

[Junkdrawer]

You really want to avoid NEG, you need to offer to pay for his return shipping as well. Be sure to explain that you will do so in exchange for his POS feedback. This is not my normal approach, but the doosh sounds like a real time bomb. Avoid NEG should be your goal, not the sale. Put on your Mr Nice Guy hat

[bababooey]

So I woke up this morning to read this message from a buyer of a Detective #871 9.2 for $17.95:

 

 

Dear 400yrs,i paid wayyyyy too much for this because you put it as a 9.2 but when i recieved the item there was no cgc packaging. in other words you just bullted saying this was a 9.2 you cant eye a comic and give it your own personal grade. i will be reporting you for lying about what you sold. thanks for nothing buddy- karl122344

 

I politely responded to the guy, but I can't seem to get to my response in ebay.

 

What do I do? I'm hoping this is a joke.

I would probably point him to the Overstreet price guide where 9.2 is shown as the equivalent of NM- as far as comic book condition is concerned. I would also offer some examples of other ebay sellers who sell raw using CGC's grade scale to identify condition.

Even though the hobby has changed somewhat since CGC was born, we also have to recognize how 'CGC-centric' we are when it comes to all the other comic book buyers/collectors.

[ss5rmp]

personally i would say just to return the book at his cost and if he gives a neg so be it...there will always be douches on ebay and eventually as a seller the neg will come

[Comicopolis]

Batman collectors are just weird.

[TSwift25]

To me, just incomprehensible that a comic buyer would say something as silly as "you can't just look at it and grade it."

[bane]

Batman collectors are just weird.

 

[ashrael]

Batman collectors are just weird.

 

I am still trying to get past $18 for a mainstream modern comic

[DeliBebek]

To me, just incomprehensible that a comic buyer would say something as silly as "you can't just look at it and grade it."

 

The number grade implies professional grading to some collectors. I've wondered about it on auctions I've seen, but I realize that once you've seen a couple hundred 9.2 slabs, you get a really good idea what's a 9.2 and what isn't. It's no more or less accurate than someone typing "VG" when the cover is brown and detached. I like the rule "buy the book..." but too many don't.

 

Still, the buyer made a huge assumption and got burned and blames the seller. I notice he doesn't say the book wasn't actually a 9.2, just that it hadn't been slabbed as such.

 

I sometimes want to react defensively and say "not all buyers are like this," but more and more I fear I'm one of the anomalies by understanding my obligations as a buyer.

[mysterio]

So is that karl122344 the buyer's eBay username so we can all block him?

 

This story is one reason I am reluctant to use the numerical grades when grading a raw book on eBay. You wouldn't want to give someone ammunition to become a problem, and some buyers now look for any loophole (or even just make mess up) to get a refund or outright steal an item through extortion like this.

[goldust40]

So is that karl122344 the buyer's eBay username so we can all block him?

 

This story is one reason I am reluctant to use the numerical grades when grading a raw book on eBay. You wouldn't want to give someone ammunition to become a problem, and some buyers now look for any loophole (or even just make mess up) to get a refund or outright steal an item through extortion like this.

 

There are buyers who are new to the hobby out there who are unfamiliar with the old-school grades, so you may have to use both.

[rjpb]

personally i would say just to return the book at his cost and if he gives a neg so be it...there will always be douches on ebay and eventually as a seller the neg will come

 

I agree - unless you have really low FB, a single neg won't hurt you, and it disappears in a year from your rating percentage. I got over the fear of a neg years ago when a seller hit me with a retaliatory one after selling me a book with obvious undisclosed restoration and refusing to refund.

 

The buyer is rude and ignorant and the return shipping should be on his dime.

[KEY ISSUES Comics]

personally i would say just to return the book at his cost and if he gives a neg so be it...there will always be douches on ebay and eventually as a seller the neg will come

 

I agree - unless you have really low FB, a single neg won't hurt you, and it disappears in a year from your rating percentage. I got over the fear of a neg years ago when a seller hit me with a retaliatory one after selling me a book with obvious undisclosed restoration and refusing to refund.

 

The buyer is rude and ignorant and the return shipping should be on his dime.

Same here. Unscrupulous buyers/sellers use the fear of negative feedback to bully others on Ebay. I say, to heck with them! Trying to avoid negative feedback in these cases will probably cause you more grief, wasted time, and lost money, than taking the odd negative feedback from people like this.

 

Be polite and professional, but don't be bullied.

[mysterio]

So is that karl122344 the buyer's eBay username so we can all block him?

 

This story is one reason I am reluctant to use the numerical grades when grading a raw book on eBay. You wouldn't want to give someone ammunition to become a problem, and some buyers now look for any loophole (or even just make mess up) to get a refund or outright steal an item through extortion like this.

 

There are buyers who are new to the hobby out there who are unfamiliar with the old-school grades, so you may have to use both.

 

True. Or you could just go the route that so many eBay sellers take, the "I don't know how to grade books so I'll just give you a blurry photo and you can grade it yourself" option. Those auctions always seem to generate unreasonably good prices (though many are probably shilled), much better than my large clear photos, meticulous descriptions, and return policy can typically match.

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

So is that karl122344 the buyer's eBay username so we can all block him?

 

This story is one reason I am reluctant to use the numerical grades when grading a raw book on eBay. You wouldn't want to give someone ammunition to become a problem, and some buyers now look for any loophole (or even just make mess up) to get a refund or outright steal an item through extortion like this.

 

There are buyers who are new to the hobby out there who are unfamiliar with the old-school grades, so you may have to use both.

 

True. Or you could just go the route that so many eBay sellers take, the "I don't know how to grade books so I'll just give you a blurry photo and you can grade it yourself" option. Those auctions always seem to generate unreasonably good prices (though many are probably shilled), much better than my large clear photos, meticulous descriptions, and return policy can typically match.

 

Exactly. I'm always amazed by this. People buy with their imaginations.