Is this seller acting strange or is it just me? Looking for opinions

[Comicopolis]

All this to save $5?

[nocutename]

It really isn't the matter of 4 or 5 dollars rather how evasive the seller was. I was just wondering if anyone else had a dealing with a seller that would not commit to a price. That was the only reason for the post.

[sckao]

 

The way you worded it... it seemed he said "$29.95" when asked about the price.

 

No shipping fees. No handling fees. Personalized delivery service to a public location of your choice.

 

Soothing and hot beverage optional.

 

But I understand the gist of what you're saying. You wanted the "Real" price... not the eBay price. nudge-nudge, wink-wink. (thumbs u

 

 

[nocutename]

The way you worded it... it seemed he said "$29.95" when asked about the price.

 

No shipping fees. No handling fees. Personalized delivery service to a public location of your choice.

 

Soothing and hot beverage optional.

 

But I understand the gist of what you're saying. You wanted the "Real" price... not the eBay price. nudge-nudge, wink-wink. (thumbs u

 

 

Of course. When an ebay seller states not to bid on his auctions, he would sell it off of ebay, the last thing I would expect is to get quoted the full ebay price.

[DrWatson]

It really isn't the matter of 4 or 5 dollars rather how evasive the seller was. I was just wondering if anyone else had a dealing with a seller that would not commit to a price. That was the only reason for the post.

He didn't have a basis for offering you a different price. If someone asked me for a price on a book I had listed on eBay, I would have have responded, "I have it priced at $XX.XX on eBay." and then expected the buyer to come back with a price they wanted to pay.

[skypinkblu]

If this was through the eBay messaging system, it might be simple paranoia on the seller's part, those messages are available to the eBay calls centers, so the evasiveness, might be trying to get around the eBay rules.

[dgarthwaite-migration]

I was at the LCS last week to talk to my friend who works there. He introduced me to one of their customers who happens to sell comics on ebay. All three of us were talking comics, etc and the ebay seller asks what I was looking for. I mentioned a few comics mainly DC silver age books. He gave me his ebay id and told me to look at his listing. If I was interested in any of this listings, he told me to email him through ebay and he would take down the listings. We would then arrange for pick up.

 

A couple of days go by and my friend emailed me telling me that the ebay seller had two books I was interested in. Great, so I when to his listings to check them out and then emailed him through the ebay system with my email address (masked) to contact me directly.

 

Our email exchange:

 

He does and reiterates that he has two books I had wanted plus asked about another one.

 

So I reply back stating I am only interested in the first two books and please let me know your asking price. I told him I could possible pick them up this weekend.

 

He replied back with stating, I was asking 29.25 on ebay and you can pick them up anytime.

 

I replied back stating that he would not have to pay fees of around 13% and I am not interested in the comics at your ebay price. I politely pass on the books.

 

He replies back that he figured we would haggle in person.

 

My reply was basically all I am asking for is a price that you want to charge me. I again told him that I am not interested in his way of conduct business and I will look elsewhere.

 

So, if you have read through all this garbage already, my questions is really? Why wouldn't he just give me a darn price on the book. There really isn't too much wiggle room in a $25.00 book. All he had to state was he would sell it at X. I would have been like great, I will pick it up this weekend. How many times does a customer have to ask for a price. The shame of it is that I was looking for a local seller who had some SA books. But I cannot understand his reasoning for not providing a price.

 

So if anyone wants to impart some wisdom here I am all ears. To me, it sounds like he wanted to charge me his ebay price or perhaps was using that as a springboard so he would not have to go much lower. His antics is strange to me because I would have paid $25.00 for the book which is really what would clear after his ebay and paypal fees.

eBay seller: The book is priced at $29.25.

 

nocutename: I was hoping I could purchase the book for $25.00. Do you think you could do that? I would be happy to pick it up this weekend and pay cash.

 

eBay seller: That sounds fine. When and where would you like to meet?

 

nocutename: How about outside the LCS where we met the other day around 2:30 PM?

 

eBay seller: That sounds great. I'll see you there.

 

Dr Watson the sound voice I didn't want to have to ask him for the book at a certain price. I would have felt funny because of our mutual friend. Besides, anytime I have purchased a comic, if a price wasn't on it, the seller told me his asking price.

 

I'd have told him he can have $10 cash if he wants to meet me at the comic shop and deliver the comic to my hands. If he says no, end of discussion.

 

DG

[seanfingh]

God, I admire you.

[Speedy-D]

God, I admire you.

I assume this is directed at me?

[JazzMan]

I was at the LCS last week to talk to my friend who works there. He introduced me to one of their customers who happens to sell comics on ebay. All three of us were talking comics, etc and the ebay seller asks what I was looking for. I mentioned a few comics mainly DC silver age books. He gave me his ebay id and told me to look at his listing. If I was interested in any of this listings, he told me to email him through ebay and he would take down the listings. We would then arrange for pick up.

 

A couple of days go by and my friend emailed me telling me that the ebay seller had two books I was interested in. Great, so I when to his listings to check them out and then emailed him through the ebay system with my email address (masked) to contact me directly.

 

Our email exchange:

 

He does and reiterates that he has two books I had wanted plus asked about another one.

 

So I reply back stating I am only interested in the first two books and please let me know your asking price. I told him I could possible pick them up this weekend.

 

He replied back with stating, I was asking 29.25 on ebay and you can pick them up anytime.

 

I replied back stating that he would not have to pay fees of around 13% and I am not interested in the comics at your ebay price. I politely pass on the books.

 

He replies back that he figured we would haggle in person.

 

My reply was basically all I am asking for is a price that you want to charge me. I again told him that I am not interested in his way of conduct business and I will look elsewhere.

 

So, if you have read through all this garbage already, my questions is really? Why wouldn't he just give me a darn price on the book. There really isn't too much wiggle room in a $25.00 book. All he had to state was he would sell it at X. I would have been like great, I will pick it up this weekend. How many times does a customer have to ask for a price. The shame of it is that I was looking for a local seller who had some SA books. But I cannot understand his reasoning for not providing a price.

 

So if anyone wants to impart some wisdom here I am all ears. To me, it sounds like he wanted to charge me his ebay price or perhaps was using that as a springboard so he would not have to go much lower. His antics is strange to me because I would have paid $25.00 for the book which is really what would clear after his ebay and paypal fees.

eBay seller: The book is priced at $29.25.

 

nocutename: I was hoping I could purchase the book for $25.00. Do you think you could do that? I would be happy to pick it up this weekend and pay cash.

 

eBay seller: That sounds fine. When and where would you like to meet?

 

nocutename: How about outside the LCS where we met the other day around 2:30 PM?

 

eBay seller: That sounds great. I'll see you there.

 

Finally, something I agree with Watson on.

[porky]

I agree with OP. There is nothing more frustrating, and no other better way of showing your lack of business savvy than by not getting to the point about a price of your product.

 

However, on the flipside - I make it a point of business that if I don't like a price, I come back with a counter. I don't leave it a mystery or open-ended, as there is nothing more annoying than back-and-forth emails or texts that don't get questions answered.

 

If you don't like the price, tell him what you pay. You have to really make it black and white for people, IMHO.

 

i think he was fairly clear. he wanted to pay what the seller would make after ebay/paypal fees. maybe the seller was just dense.