What's Your Biggest Peeve When Trying To Buy On Ebay? 3 3

[Tri-Color Brian]

On 2/23/2022 at 7:40 PM, G-G © ® ™ said:

Indeed. I accidentally bought his dog.

 

[Paul © ® ⚽️💙™]

On 2/24/2022 at 12:23 AM, goldust40 said:

I just like complaining.

 

[Joshua33]

On 2/23/2022 at 5:23 PM, pemart1966 said:

Their "Global Shipping Program".

Great for a seller, tough on a buyer.

[Joshua33]

I'd have to say, out of the 25 years I've been buying and selling on Ebay (much more buying) the most annoying thing I've seen to date is the dual price category listings. 

The people that list a book with a laughably high buy it now, but also run the book on a 99 cent auction with a reserve, near the Buy it Now price, are a waste of oxygen. To make matters worse, every time it doesn't sell, they do the same thing over and over again. It is truly mind boggling. It takes them 30 runs for every newb to realize why they are the only watcher on what appears like a legitimate auction.

[Paul © ® ⚽️💙™]

On 2/24/2022 at 3:41 AM, Joshua33 said:

I'd have to say, out of the 25 years I've been buying and selling on Ebay (much more buying) the most annoying thing I've seen to date is the dual price category listings. 

The people that list a book with a laughably high buy it now, but also run the book on a 99 cent auction with a reserve, near the Buy it Now price, are a waste of oxygen. To make matters worse, every time it doesn't sell, they do the same thing over and over again. It is truly mind boggling. It takes them 30 runs for every newb to realize why they are the only watcher on what appears like a legitimate auction.

Some people just don't mind sitting on their books....and they don't seem to care how long it takes.

I enquired after a book some months ago, tried to negotiate with the seller. He did come down a touch but still wanted an unrealistic price.

His message included the line...'I can wait, and wait and wait'

So sellers like this who seem to be under no financial pressure and seem content to just use ebay will one day have a book with which their ridiculous BINs will eventually seem reasonable.

I made my enquiry last autumn and the book is still sitting there.

[pemart1966]

On 2/23/2022 at 7:00 PM, Kripsys99 said:

As a Canadian? Three words:

Global... Shipping... Program...

Pay shipping TWICE for an item (once from the seller to eBay, once from eBay to me), PLUS eBay's brokerage fee, PLUS taxes that probably wouldn't have been assessed by Canadian customs.

Kills me every time.

Also, if you sell books on eBay, consider opting out of the GSP - talking with other collectors north of the border, you'll see a huge increase in cross border sales I'm sure!

I won't buy from a seller that uses the GSP and that might explain why I haven't bought anything for the last 5 years...

[quicksilver]

On 2/24/2022 at 3:46 AM, G-G © ® ™ said:

I've had no problem with the GSP. I think it's a good thing.

You buy a book for two grand and you may pay $120 under the GSP, but if you get it straight shipped and it gets stopped by customs, you will pay $500 taxes.

Technically they should not be stopped or slapped with duty because printed matter is exempt, but that doesn't stop customs getting things wrong.

Sure technically you are entitled to file a claim and get it back, but they make it ridiculously hard and they don't give it back to you.

I'm still waiting for £60 from three years ago.

I'll never see that, and I've given up.

I prefer to pay the excess charges to the GSP and get the book here safely and unmolested with a relatively small surcharge.

Peace of mind.

This. Lost count of how many times I’ve had to claim money back from customs.

[JollyComics]

I am tired of “rookie” bidders outbid me. Those bidders have 100 feedback or less.

[Paul © ® ⚽️💙™]

On 2/24/2022 at 8:07 AM, quicksilver said:

This. Lost count of how many times I’ve had to claim money back from customs.

Hey Rich.

How's life in the sun?

You do realise I stopped slabbing books and buying raws since you quit the business?  

Hope you're ok my friend. 

[Kevin76]

On 2/23/2022 at 2:52 PM, Tri-ColorBrian said:

Here's another...Stock photo images...I never buy from anyone that uses a stock image.

Some sellers list thousands and thousands of books, it's way too much work and unrealistic to scan every book that only sells for $2, Do you wanna sit there and scan 20,000 comics? Didn't think so.  eBay is a lot of work.  Don't like what arrived, just send it back. 

[Kevin76]

As a US seller, I ship all over the world, I'll ship anywhere if the buyer is willing to pay for it, I also use a low value on the custom forms so the buyer doesn't get hammered in fees.  I can't stand when I see other US sellers put in their descriptions "US Shipping Only"  They are missing out on sales that they could have had, instead they are afraid of custom forms that they can't be bothered with or are afraid since it's going to another country, the customer won't get the book or both.  Shipping in fear won't get you anywhere.  

[PDGray]

I am a fairly frequent buyer on there.  I have probably bought books from most of you (if you sell on ebay).  

My biggest thing is that I see books listed at what I would term "exceptional" prices, which is fine - you can list the book for whatever you like.  I MUCH prefer to use the "Watch" feature or a "Best Offer" book.  I kind of let the books sit on my "Watch" list so that I don't forget about them - if a seller makes a reasonable offer I am game - let's see if it is something I can swing.  But MANY of those books sit there for months on end, which I view as a clue that they really don't care.

"Best Offer" books - If it is a book I want, I will send you an offer, but then to just "reject" without a counter is kind of absurd.  There was a book I was working on a few weeks ago where I sent an offer and I had a price in mind.  They wrote me and said they would come only up to $5 off the book.  I felt it was absurd and they were stuck like an absolute rock with only the $5 although my offer was only $10 below their BIN price.  I know sellers don't want to lose money, but if you don't want to negotiate, then don't have a "Make Offer" option.

 

PDG

[Math Teacher]

On 2/23/2022 at 8:47 PM, G-G © ® ™ said:

I hear you bought multiples.

Hey, we have to keep this on the down low. I don't want to be embarrassed.

[Math Teacher]

On 2/24/2022 at 6:54 AM, Kevin76 said:

Some sellers list thousands and thousands of books, it's way too much work and unrealistic to scan every book that only sells for $2, Do you wanna sit there and scan 20,000 comics? Didn't think so.  eBay is a lot of work.  Don't like what arrived, just send it back. 

If the seller doesn't want to scan every one of his books, then he should find another venue to sell his items. You're correct, Ebay is a lot of work. I know, as I sold a ton of stuff from May, 2020, to December, 2021. If I was selling a single issue or a single TPB, I posted a scan/picture of both the front and back. If I was selling a group of books, I posted a picture that contained the front of every book. Sometimes this meant putting six books into one picture, but the buyer was always able to see the front of every book.

Traditionally, the customer is always right. If I want a book (and I normally buy only slabbed copies), I expect to see both the front and the back. If I ask for a picture of the back, most sellers will gladly provide one. If a seller is too busy or too lazy to do this, then he must be OK when I don't buy it.

Edited February 25, 2022 by Math Teacher

[pemart1966]

On 2/24/2022 at 7:59 AM, Kevin76 said:

As a US seller, I ship all over the world, I'll ship anywhere if the buyer is willing to pay for it, I also use a low value on the custom forms so the buyer doesn't get hammered in fees.  I can't stand when I see other US sellers put in their descriptions "US Shipping Only"  They are missing out on sales that they could have had, instead they are afraid of custom forms that they can't be bothered with or are afraid since it's going to another country, the customer won't get the book or both.  Shipping in fear won't get you anywhere.  

Bravo Sir- perfectly said!  ...and how long does it take to fill out a Customs form anyway?  Not long - I know because just about every time I sell something, it's going to the US and that requires a Customs form to be filled.

Edited February 24, 2022 by pemart1966

[pemart1966]

On 2/23/2022 at 10:35 PM, Joshua33 said:

Great for a seller, tough on a buyer.

You'll have to educate me on how it's great for seller's.

By definition if it's tough on the buyer that will flow back to the seller at some point.

Edited February 24, 2022 by pemart1966

[ThothAmon]

People who don’t accept my lowballs. 

Edited February 24, 2022 by ThothAmon

[Tri-Color Brian]

On 2/24/2022 at 5:54 AM, Kevin76 said:

Some sellers list thousands and thousands of books, it's way too much work and unrealistic to scan every book that only sells for $2, Do you wanna sit there and scan 20,000 comics? Didn't think so.  eBay is a lot of work.  Don't like what arrived, just send it back. 

I understand the logic on a $2-$5 book, but those are so common you don't need to look for them on ebay.  I'm talking about the people selling books for over $10 or $20 with stock pictures.  I just won't buy from them.  Newkadia and Mile High comes to mind...

If you are too busy to scan every comic you offer, that's fine.  I just like to see what I'm getting.  I'm too busy to send stuff back...

Edited February 24, 2022 by Tri-ColorBrian

[Tri-Color Brian]

On 2/24/2022 at 7:11 AM, PDGray said:

I am a fairly frequent buyer on there.  I have probably bought books from most of you (if you sell on ebay).  

My biggest thing is that I see books listed at what I would term "exceptional" prices, which is fine - you can list the book for whatever you like.  I MUCH prefer to use the "Watch" feature or a "Best Offer" book.  I kind of let the books sit on my "Watch" list so that I don't forget about them - if a seller makes a reasonable offer I am game - let's see if it is something I can swing.  But MANY of those books sit there for months on end, which I view as a clue that they really don't care.

"Best Offer" books - If it is a book I want, I will send you an offer, but then to just "reject" without a counter is kind of absurd.  There was a book I was working on a few weeks ago where I sent an offer and I had a price in mind.  They wrote me and said they would come only up to $5 off the book.  I felt it was absurd and they were stuck like an absolute rock with only the $5 although my offer was only $10 below their BIN price.  I know sellers don't want to lose money, but if you don't want to negotiate, then don't have a "Make Offer" option.

 

PDG

I think a lot of sellers ask a little high when the take offers, and they expect the buyer to offer low, so they can meet in the middle.  You should have offered $40 below the BIN to see what would happen... 

[Joshua33]

On 2/24/2022 at 7:06 AM, pemart1966 said:

You'll have to educate me on how it's great for seller's.

By definition if it's tough on the buyer that will flow back to the seller at some point.

Sure. You can say, for example, that not using GSP will open up a whole new market, but I have done tons of GSP sales to nearly every corner of the world and it was because I offered the GSP that I got the extra eyeballs from other countries, as opposed to just U.S. buyers. 

Now... the benefit. As a U.S. seller, when I ship the item off, I am protected by Ebay and guaranteed full compensation as long as my package gets to the international shipping center. Anything that happens beyond that, doesn't affect my insurance or Ebay seller protection. So if a customs agent or overseas carrier is careless with a package, not a problem... I'm covered.

It's been my experience, that the second items leave this country, they tend to run into problems. I opted out of the GSP only twice in 25 years, and was burned both times. Once by careless post, once by a scammer buyer. I would NEVER sell anything on Ebay (especially not expensive comic books) without using the global shipping program. 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Joshua33
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