There's no reason to be a jerk from the get-go posted by duckduckmike

[CSJournals-migration]

Already regretting selling a book on ebay

 

So I just sold two books in one lot, a couple of Michael Turner cover Wolverine issues, one being a signature series. After taking a couple of days to pay, the buyer contacted me with rather explicit and demeaning instructions on how to pack the slabs. They went over the top with the directions and concluded with " I do NOT want cracked CGC cases."

 

My first reaction? "No SPIT, Sherlock". My second was to cancel the sale. But I responded back with a nice email saying certainly, and then I asked if they needed signature confirmation as some people do not have ideal mail situations; most books I get are not signature required, unless it's a really big ticket item.

 

His one sentence reply? "well I guess that would help". Nothing else.

 

I think people really need to watch what they say on the internet. I still want to sell these books, but I don't NEED to. I considered re-reading the emails. It could be interpretted as someone being witty and sarcastic, but in an email, people get ticked or misread tone very easily.

 

So when dealing with people online, please remember that you need to stick to the business, strict factual sentences, or be over the top friendly to ensure someone, like me, doesn't misread your emails and think you may be more trouble than you're worth... and cancel the sale... which leaves you more out in the cold than me, quite frankly. I can just go to the second highest bidder. You'd have to wait for the next available book.

 

Sorry to vent, and on the off chance you are the buyer and you come across this, I've treated you with nothing but professional sales respect on the transaction, and please note that some people not like me will be far more vindictive and cancel the sale.

 

Do unto others as you'd have done to you, and treat everyone with respect when you are making a transaction. We're all fans of comics and slabs, so let's start there and maybe we'll all keep this hobby as cool as it is.

 

See more journals by duckduckmike

[TD Henson]

Unfortunately, that kind of behavior was probably spawned by some other insufficiently_thoughtful_person that didn't pack well. Here's a coin story for you. The last coin slab I purchased from Heritage auctions came in a cardboard Priority mail letter - some chuckle head threw a copy of the invoice in and the slab. It arrived with a big hole in the cardboard and lucky that the slab was still inside. Imagine a big outfit like Heritage pulling a bonehead play like that...

 

However, it still gives them no excuse to act as they did and I completely agree treat others as you would have them treat you. I do about 50 Ebay transactions a month and only run into this sort about every 400-500 transactions or so...

[Tnerb]

I once purchased a book and when I got it the slab came cracked. I contacted the buyer and he was very amicable to fixing the problem. The thing is there was no way that the problem could be fixed short of sending the book to CGC for a re-holder. The fact that he was so willing to do something was a courtesy I appreciated. I still have the book, cracked case and all...by the way..it was graded a .5, and I am OK with that.

 

Most people today whether through eBay or in person have forgotten how to deal with the public. When it comes to selling on eBay I have added the signature required at no additional fee. This is more to cover my own then anything else as well as a business courtesy. I have had numerous packages stolen through the USPS, so many in fact I tend to have my comics deliver to my fathers. Everyone wants money and are willing to be rude in getting it. As far as bidding I selling I might go so far as leaving a legal addendum at the end of each description..."All rude inquiries and or utter disparaging comments will lose the right to purchase any items he or she would have won and said item will be re-listed or go tot he highest bidder.

 

Good Luck.

 

Tnerb

 

[mzhammer]

I'll throw in my 2 cents... I work in a "service oriented job" and find it's pretty tough (almost impossible) to understand personality via written messages.

 

You wonder, is this guy really a jerk?!?! or maybe he is being sarcastic....?!?!?! Well, with my job I try to remember one rule of thumb with correspondance.... I don't know the frame of mind this person is in... Meaning, maybe they are having a bad day, maybe something "happened" in their life that is pretty bad or downright awful, maybe their sense of humor just doesn't mesh with mine.... Kind of like South Park, it's rude, ruthless and no one in their storylines are ever safe... To me, it's the funniest thing in the world, to some of my friends they are totally offensive.... Taste I guess....

 

But, when I remind myself "I am unaware of their frame of mind" it's helps me to remember to be pleasant, be very specific and don't take it personally. Yeah, some are jerks, but some might be dealing with something that's pretty tough. (I know I can get pretty intense at times, give me 2 beers & tell me you don't like BSG and off I go!)

[thehumantorch]

Already regretting selling a book on ebay

 

So I just sold two books in one lot, a couple of Michael Turner cover Wolverine issues, one being a signature series. After taking a couple of days to pay, the buyer contacted me with rather explicit and demeaning instructions on how to pack the slabs. They went over the top with the directions and concluded with " I do NOT want cracked CGC cases."

 

My first reaction? "No SPIT, Sherlock". My second was to cancel the sale. But I responded back with a nice email saying certainly, and then I asked if they needed signature confirmation as some people do not have ideal mail situations; most books I get are not signature required, unless it's a really big ticket item.

 

His one sentence reply? "well I guess that would help". Nothing else.

 

I think people really need to watch what they say on the internet. I still want to sell these books, but I don't NEED to. I considered re-reading the emails. It could be interpretted as someone being witty and sarcastic, but in an email, people get ticked or misread tone very easily.

 

So when dealing with people online, please remember that you need to stick to the business, strict factual sentences, or be over the top friendly to ensure someone, like me, doesn't misread your emails and think you may be more trouble than you're worth... and cancel the sale... which leaves you more out in the cold than me, quite frankly. I can just go to the second highest bidder. You'd have to wait for the next available book.

 

Sorry to vent, and on the off chance you are the buyer and you come across this, I've treated you with nothing but professional sales respect on the transaction, and please note that some people not like me will be far more vindictive and cancel the sale.

 

Do unto others as you'd have done to you, and treat everyone with respect when you are making a transaction. We're all fans of comics and slabs, so let's start there and maybe we'll all keep this hobby as cool as it is.

 

See more journals by duckduckmike

Honestly, CGC slabs are very delicate and they can break during shipping unless packed very well. I haven't seen the buyer's email, so can't comment about the tone or feel, but I can understand him having specific packing requests to avoid problems. If it's a hard to find book in that grade, his request makes even more sense as it may be difficult or impossible to find a similar copy if the one you send gets damaged.I always ship my slabs double boxed with lots of peanuts and bubble wrap. I'm willing to bet your customer has had at least one bad experience. Work with him and you may have a great customer for life.

[jackowick-migration]

I'll throw in my 2 cents... I work in a "service oriented job" and find it's pretty tough (almost impossible) to understand personality via written messages.

 

You wonder, is this guy really a jerk?!?! or maybe he is being sarcastic....?!?!?! Well, with my job I try to remember one rule of thumb with correspondance.... I don't know the frame of mind this person is in... Meaning, maybe they are having a bad day, maybe something "happened" in their life that is pretty bad or downright awful, maybe their sense of humor just doesn't mesh with mine.... Kind of like South Park, it's rude, ruthless and no one in their storylines are ever safe... To me, it's the funniest thing in the world, to some of my friends they are totally offensive.... Taste I guess....

 

But, when I remind myself "I am unaware of their frame of mind" it's helps me to remember to be pleasant, be very specific and don't take it personally. Yeah, some are jerks, but some might be dealing with something that's pretty tough. (I know I can get pretty intense at times, give me 2 beers & tell me you don't like BSG and off I go!)

 

Absolutely. I was very cordial and business like, and prioritized responding to him, because we know that you can't fight fire with fire or let it become some kind of manliness standoff, and in the end, it just ENDS when they have the book safe and sound, hopefully.

 

And if the guy was being sarcastic, I hope at some point he thinks and says "wow, that came out the wrong way". In dealing with people at shows when I buy and I sell, I always stick to the business as best as I can to avoid crossing someone the wrong way by accident.

[Shivabali]

My pet peeve is the ironic fact that the buyers on eBay who don't pay promptly or seem demanding almost never leave feedback. I always bend over backwards to make a buyer satisfied. Even if it takes a buyer a week to pay, I'll still ship it out the next day. And then again, no feedback. As a buyer, I ALWAYS leave prompt feedback. That's why nowadays as a seller I don't leave feedback until the buyer does first. Petty, I know, but I like stars!!! Plus I'm motivated to keep my "top-rated seller" rating.

[surfer99]

(I know I can get pretty intense at times, give me 2 beers & tell me you don't like BSG and off I go!)

 

, OK that was pretty funny.

 

I agree with a lot of the comments here. I've had books arrive damaged so if I buy one that is extremely hard to find and/or valuable I will ask the seller very politely to please use extra care when packaging. Truth is we all just need to be aware of the fact that we don't know the other person's frame of mind, where they're from (not to sound stereotypical but those from the East Coast for instance do tend to have a more abrasive communication style - not that that's necessarily a bad thing mind you), or what their intentions are when they make a comment (I for one have a very dry sense of humor that is often misinterpreted).

 

Like duckduckmike said, doing unto others and being respectful is key. (Wow, your X-men collection is looking fantastic by the way!)

 

 

[bigcoolredhead]

It works both ways as I am both a buyer and seller on e-bay, and have gotten the bad end of the stick on both ends.

Just recently I purchased a golden age book graded and signed by the Late Great Jerry Robinson. When I got the book in the mail it came inside a USPS box, inside another USPS box, with no packing to protect it from bouncing around. So when I opened the box the bottom of the case was damaged. When I proposed to the seller he pay for possibly the damage and cost of fixing the case, he said no told me to ship it back at my cost, and he would fix it then send it back to me. Really? So I am going to pay for your mistakes, and trust you with my money and the product? Then he got extremely angry when I pointed out, that this left me with no book or my money back, and got very belligerent . Calling me names, and writing like a sailor. Never did I say I wouldn't take his deal, or commenting in a negative way. Sorry but one of the few times I had to leave negative feedback for this seller.

But, I have people try to scam me as well as saying they had a cracked CGC case, and when I asked for a photo, they decided everything was OK afterwords.

 

by the way the seller was "honestgrader"

[cheetah]

I think if you buy a lot of inexpensive slabs, you quickly learn that people will pack them so poorly that they are bound to get cracked during shipping. Pastimperfekt was famous for having stringent shipping requirements but he'd also had his fill of slabs being shipped in manila envelopes and getting cracked. It was the subject of a thread a few years ago.

 

Sometimes, when you are selling, you just have to let go of the ego and pack it up and ship it.

[Dr. Balls]

The buyer was probably just being pointed and straightforward. I don't think I would let instructions like that bother me, besides there's lots of people that keep it simple and impersonal in internet communications. That's ok, I suppose.

[Rich_Henn]

I had a buyer earlier this year that was a complete and utter tool to me.

 

He was one of these buyers who waited several days after the auction to pay.

 

When he DID finally pay, it happened to be a day or two before I left for London.

I hadn't realized he'd paid for the book and it wasn't until I was there three days (I had limited internet), I saw that he had paid for the book.

 

I emailed him right away to let him know that I was in the UK and wouldn't be back in town for a couple days, but would ship soon as I got back.

 

This buyer went OFF THE RAILS on me.

 

He accused me of fattening my PayPal account and pretty much not being a considerate seller that I should have put a note in my listing that I would be out of town from X to Y date. He went on to tell me that he could have better spent his hard earned money purchasing things like food or buying clothes for his kids and paying rent rather than spending it on my comics.

*(the sale was something like $80----after looking at his past eBay purchases in general, he drops several hundred dollars on books on what looked like a fairly regular basis----It certainly doesn't look like buying clothes for his kids is a priority.)

 

My knee jerk reaction was to cancel the transaction and block his eBay handle from future sales.

 

I chewed on this for a few days till I decided to bite the bullet on this one.

I apologized, refunded his shipping money, and included a free 9.8 s/s slab with the package.

 

The problem that we're faced with as eBay sellers is that the buyer holds us hostage with the feedback AND now that wonderful five star rating system.

 

[Ryan.]

He went on to tell me that he could have better spent his hard earned money purchasing things like food or buying clothes for his kids and paying rent rather than spending it on my comics.

 

C'mon Rich, just admit it. You hacked into this guy's ebay account and forced him to bid on your books when all he wanted was to buy essential life items. I mean, that could be the only explanation for his logic. Admit it!

[MODOK]

If you had canceled the sale, couldn't the buyer have left you a NEGATIVE feedback remark on eBay? I'm pretty sure any eBay buyer has this afforded to him in the event the sale is "canceled."

 

Therefore, you took the rational approach and "killed them with kindness" as opposed to letting your frustration dictate your actions.

 

I sell alot on eBay as well, and I also do not "need" to do it. I've been in the same situation with an eBay buyer giving me brusque packing instructions, and did exactly what you did. Was ticked off they didn't read my 1250+ positive feedback remarks, mainy focusing on my A+ packaging! I regained my compsure.

 

Cooler heads prevail!