General discussion thread - keep the other threads clean 29 29

[miraclemet]

On 3/30/2022 at 11:57 PM, AlphaOmega said:

Being the seller in this case, I can say that is exactly the situation.  Based on timestamps, the first buyer accepted a counter offer and sent a PM. It was close and appears to have been a minute or so later that buyer 2 accepted a similar counter offer.  Basically there were overlapping offers sent (one was for multiple books) and the first PM back was the winner.

Not sure how others handle multiple offers but I have used the eBay approach of replying to all offers as they arrive and the first one who takes the counter wins.  One alternative is to hold all offers until the conclusion of each negotiation. Challenging if a buyer goes MIA or there are overlapping 'package' offers.  Going forward I plan to clarify my thread rules for this situation.  I tend to list books that attract multiple offers and it can often be a feeding frenzy, especially for Golden Age books.

Bout the only thing I'd do different would be to let the potential buyers know that you've made the offer to multiple parties and whoever takes it first will be the winner. And that's not to say you did anything wrong. 

[Point Five]

On 3/31/2022 at 12:27 AM, miraclemet said:

Bout the only thing I'd do different would be to let the potential buyers know that you've made the offer to multiple parties and whoever takes it first will be the winner. And that's not to say you did anything wrong. 

+1 

[AlphaOmega]

On 3/31/2022 at 12:27 AM, miraclemet said:

Bout the only thing I'd do different would be to let the potential buyers know that you've made the offer to multiple parties and whoever takes it first will be the winner. And that's not to say you did anything wrong. 

Thanks for the feedback and yes, I did inform each potential buyer that there are other offers competing on these books. I plan to also spell this out explicitly in the sale thread rules going forward.

I listed an original owner Golden Age raw collection in the marketplace last summer and, wow, was that ever a blood bath!  Before I finished posting all 80 or so books in the two batches, 99% were taken.  My inbox was flooded with offers and there were multiple cases of "take it!" posted in the thread for the same book.  I think by the end, buyers just slammed in their "take" without wasting time to even look at the images :-)  Just a few seconds made the difference on several books.

[KCOComics]

For what it's worth, I haven't interacted with the buyer or seller but based on their posts and prior sales threads they both seem to be reasonable people who contribute very positively to this community. 

I think this was just one of those ambiguous situations and there was no bad intentions on either side. 

[Point Five]

On 3/31/2022 at 12:47 AM, AlphaOmega said:

Thanks for the feedback and yes, I did inform each potential buyer that there are other offers competing on these books. I plan to also spell this out explicitly in the sale thread rules going forward.

As I said in your sales thread, I think you can make the calls as you see fit once buyers start negotiating, and I said so in your thread. All good. 

But to really get into the weeds, your statement in the posted PM was *not* "heads up, two other buyers are reviewing this same offer, and the first one of you three to accept gets the book". It was a more vague statement: "I've been receiving a lot of competitive offers on this one and a few others." If I received that in a PM, I would *not* think "wow, I'd better post a takeit as soon as humanly possible". It sounds more general and hype-y, like a variation on "hey, these books are really hot and this counteroffer is as good as it gets IMO".

 

[Bird]

I throw in a few disclaimers usually, either in thread or via PM.

All offers in PM get a time limit, usually I say offer good for 48 hours just to be clear.

In thread I do the "any disputes, I decide" statement. If feels heavy handed but I think it is worth it

Negotiations with buyers usually include a statement about offer being good only while book remains available.

[Point Five]

And FWIW... again, totally your call, but if one buyer is reviewing an offer, I typically let those next in line know, something like: "someone is ahead of you reviewing an offer on this book, but if he passes I'll let you know asap." As a buyer I am fine to hear that... it's clear, upfront and actually helps prevent a feeding-frenzy-type situation where two buyers are taking different offers at virtually the same time. Plus with this info, the second buyer can just hit the takeit in the thread if they're impatient.

I appreciate that people can take time to get back to you with a PM offer... but people lead busy, complicated lives and IMO it's reasonable to give them a moment to respond. It seems pretty unlikely that in the end three people would ghost you completely on the same book.

 

[Funnybooks]

"take" gets you the book(s), a negotiation comes with risk of loss regardless of the fine print or stipulations. I appreciate that you both shared your experience in the matter. We all learned something in this matter. 

[Qua-Brot]

Throw in my 2 cents, maybe a little late (and sorry if this has been stated before).

I always state offers are welcome but first Take in thread trumps all DMs, so if we agree on a price Take It on the thread. 

Not sure if it would have helped in this situation, but if the sale happens in private no one knows what is 'really' going on and people can become upset.

[KPR Comics]

Can we add a Clickbait subforum?

[crassus]

On 4/3/2022 at 11:07 AM, KPR Comics said:

Can we add a Clickbait subforum?

If you mean a place where we can post suggestive and salacious pics of smoking hot babes and intro our sales threads with teasers like..."Wow, when I said I was into hot keys I never thought she'd do that..."....then I vote yes! 

[KPR Comics]

Sure, sounds great.  I was thinking a place where that dude who keeps putting up videos just to get clicks could go, but I like your idea better.

[skypinkblu]

On 4/3/2022 at 6:49 PM, crassus said:

If you mean a place where we can post suggestive and salacious pics of smoking hot babes and intro our sales threads with teasers like..."Wow, when I said I was into hot keys I never thought she'd do that..."....then I vote yes! 

[Jeffro.]

Can we increase the character limit in post titles so sellers can write several paragraphs to detail every single damn book they are selling?

 It's pretty close to that now. 

[CGC Mike]

On 4/4/2022 at 12:03 PM, Jeffro. said:

Can we increase the character limit in post titles so sellers can write several paragraphs to detail every single damn book they are selling?

 It's pretty close to that now. 

I believe I can increase or decrease it.  Currently, it is set at 255 characters.  Do the majority of the people want it decreased?

[Semicentennial]

I don't know how many characters it should be, but one line should be enough.  I mean if a seller has good reputation and are known for having good books then people will probably click onto that seller's thread regardless of how many characters in the title.  

[grebal]

On 4/4/2022 at 11:22 AM, CGC Mike said:

I believe I can increase or decrease it.  Currently, it is set at 255 characters.  Do the majority of the people want it decreased?

I've noticed and at times even been mildly irritated at what sometimes appears to be four lines of text listing every book, but imo don't think the 255 limit should be changed.  I guess mainly because I'm biased against making rule/policy changes absent abuse.  And I don't see the 'text wall' as abusive of sensibilities.   And fyi, my last thread I titled simply "mostly Marvels" for most of its life, and I'm a true believer in brevity (though at the end I wussed out and added things like MCIC #3 !! and other hot titles).

Edited April 5, 2022 by grebal
though maybe I don't want change because current rule gives me chance to feel superior ?

[skypinkblu]

I used all the characters once, when I had a thread in mixed last week. Before that, I always wondered about the long long ads, but when I needed to say a lot of stuff, I could have used a few more. 

[Point Five]

On 4/4/2022 at 12:03 PM, Jeffro. said:

Can we increase the character limit in post titles so sellers can write several paragraphs to detail every single damn book they are selling?

 It's pretty close to that now. 

 

[thehumantorch]

On 4/4/2022 at 10:22 AM, CGC Mike said:

I believe I can increase or decrease it.  Currently, it is set at 255 characters.  Do the majority of the people want it decreased?

Increase it to 10,000 characters...