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A question for the forums: What is a reasonable time frame to expect a reply when doing a comic deal?
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Started by VintageComics,

95 posts in this topic

VintageComics

VintageComics

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Posted

This is for buyers AND sellers. 

I preface this thread with the fact that it's not to pick on anyone. 19 years ago, I myself used to be guilty of taking too long to reply and so I speak from my own personal experience of being on the wrong side of this discussion. 

I've come to accept that expecting a reply within 24 hours is considered reasonable. 

Outside of 24 hours it starts to become questionable unless there are extenuating circumstances. 

72 hours when doing a deal is probably a bit too long and outside of that I think sellers / buyers should rightfully be concerned about the deal. 

What are your thoughts?

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davidking623

davidking623

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I know everyone may not be on the same page but really if you have books for sale and you go to bed and wake up the next day reply as soon as possible so yeah 24 hours or less . Yes things can go sideways your internet goes down , your phone gets destroyed , your computer crashes , Life Happens for sure , I have a public Library near by and would go there if I had to say something just a quick note to them about what happened and when I think I will be back . 

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loganparker

loganparker

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I think it depends on the situation. If I ask a question about a book I’m interspersed in but haven’t paid for, I don’t think there should necessarily be a set timeframe because I can choose to continue to pursue the book or look elsewhere. If I’ve been having a consistent conversation with a seller, pay nearly $8k promptly for the book expecting some follow up, I think a response within 48 hours is reasonable under most circumstances. For a $100 book…2 months is acceptable!

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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On 3/25/2023 at 6:35 PM, speedcake said:

I could and do agree with you that if the seller (or buyer, whoever) is ABLE they SHOULD communicate in a timely fashion. But sometimes people cannot and are given the benefit of the doubt, which is literally why the rules are for 30 days.  

It simply does not matter that someone doesn't respond to you in one, or two, or even three days (just going by your extremely strict standards here) whether or not they are in the middle of a blizzard or just didn't feel like it.  What matters is whether the transactions are completed and no one gets screwed.  Then you can make a personal decision as to whether or not to do business with someone who doesn't communicate well.  

The rules are fine as they are.

 

Moving this into a more appropriate discussion thread because that other thread is more about working out the deals between the specific seller and his buyers. 

So what you're saying is that if I tie up $1000 and commit to buying a book from a seller, if that seller doesn't reply for 29 days I have to keep my $1000 committed to that seller? ???

That might be fine if you're Elon Musk and have the GDP of a small to medium sized country, but most people can't afford that. 

I want to know within a reasonable period of time whether my money is going to be committed to that deal.

Knowing in 30 days is not how business works. That's socialism. Not capitalism.  

 

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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On 3/25/2023 at 6:43 PM, loganparker said:

If I ask a question about a book I’m interspersed in but haven’t paid for, I don’t think there should necessarily be a set timeframe because I can choose to continue to pursue the book or look elsewhere.

Totally agree. If there is no commitment then there is no set timeframe on answering questions, although it is polite to respond. The only questions I won't respond to is when someone asks me something that is proprietary and even then, I'll often say "I can't answer that."

On 3/25/2023 at 6:43 PM, loganparker said:

If I’ve been having a consistent conversation with a seller, pay nearly $8k promptly for the book expecting some follow up, I think a response within 48 hours is reasonable under most circumstances. For a $100 book…2 months is acceptable!

So you're saying 48 hours is acceptable, and that's a fair opinion. 

For some people $100 is what $1000 is for others. I don't think the value of the deal should change what is considered a courteous and acceptable time frame for a reply. 

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Domo Arigato

Domo Arigato

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On 3/25/2023 at 5:55 PM, THE_BEYONDER said:

I think we need a poll

@Domo Arigato

Agreed.  The creators of this software added that feature specifically so the results could be tallied and then subsequently ignored.  It's what makes them so incredibly helpful.

However, I'm short on time.....so, once again.....I'll appoint you as my proxy poll maker.

GET ON IT ! ! !

 

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speedcake

speedcake

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On 3/25/2023 at 6:45 PM, VintageComics said:

Moving this into a more appropriate discussion thread because that other thread is more about working out the deals between the specific seller and his buyers. 

So what you're saying is that if I tie up $1000 and commit to buying a book from a seller, if that seller doesn't reply for 29 days I have to keep my $1000 committed to that seller? ???

That might be fine if you're Elon Musk and have the GDP of a small to medium sized country, but most people can't afford that. 

I want to know within a reasonable period of time whether my money is going to be committed to that deal.

Knowing in 30 days is not how business works. That's socialism. Not capitalism.  

 

You excel at putting words into the mouths of others and deliberately obfuscating the issue, I'll give you that. 

I said the rules are that you must give the other party 30 days for the transaction to be completed. It should be obvious to anyone not being disingenuous that if you don't receive a reply from a seller (in your example) after 29 days but receive the book(s) as agreed on the 30th day, transaction completed and over. You can then choose to not do business with that person again, and that would be perfectly reasonable of you.

If you don't receive a reply for 29 days and then also don't receive your books within the 30 day timeframe or there is another issue if/when you do receive your stuff, then that is what we have this sub-forum for.

You seem like someone who just likes to argue.  Everyone forum seems to have them.  Good luck with your crusade!

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KCOComics

KCOComics

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Posted (edited)

For every sales thread I've run, I've always responded very quickly. Within an hour or so. I've always tried to promptly communicate updates on shipping / tracking info and I would ship within a day or two of payment. 

General rule, I think 24 hours is reasonable.  But if you strike a deal and don't get an invoice or communication, I probably wouldn't start to panic until about a week with a long time board member.  A new, unknown seller, I would have more anxiety. 

 

I did think the other thread got unruly a bit early. I agree with everyone that thought he should have communicated sooner and more effectively.  But I also think folks were quick to assume something nefarious was going on ... It seemed misplaced since he had successful transactions earlier in the thread. 

Edited by KCOComics
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Jordysnordy

Jordysnordy

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When I run a sales thread I do my best to reply to all posts and PMs as fast as I can as I do feel as a seller it is my obligation to reply to any and all questions and offers ASAP as people are interested in my books and do want to give me money in return for them. Same goes for my business life much to the chagrin of my wife when I answer emails and texts at literally all hours of the day, night and weekend as my customers have come to expect rapid replies from me. (I'm a wedding gown and prom wholesaler and my customers need rapid answers as most of the time they have customers in their store looking for immediate answers pertaining to delivery time frames and inventory).

If you open a sales thread it's good business to keep your customer as happy and as quickly as you can because there are many other venues for buyers to spend their money. I think a seller has the obligation to reply back in a maximum of 24 hours and hopefully less (unless of course there are circumstances beyond their control).

 

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Randall Dowling

Randall Dowling

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This really doesn't seem so complicated to me.  Perhaps an additional component to listings requirements is to set an expectation for replying to PMs.  Something like:

"I work a full-time job during the week and have family obligations.  As such, I try to reply to PMs everyday but I don't live on these boards so it may take me up to 4 or 5 days to respond to messages."

If you don't like that time frame or you need more attention than that, don't purchase from the thread.  Simple.

People should probably keep in mind that if they keep making it harder and harder to sell on the boards, fewer people will do so.  And that's fewer opportunities to find books that you're looking for.  The previous sales thread was a mountain out of a molehill.  So far, everyone has gotten their books as ordered in a very fast time frame. 

Yes, I like people to reply as soon as possible to my messages.   But I don't freak out and assume the worst of them if it takes a few days for them to do so.  Frankly, this thread is asking for a solution without a problem.  Perhaps somebody can explain to me how the existing system failed.  (shrug)

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loganparker

loganparker

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On 3/25/2023 at 9:54 PM, Randall Dowling said:

People should probably keep in mind that if they keep making it harder and harder to sell on the boards, fewer people will do so.  And that's fewer opportunities to find books that you're looking for.  The previous sales thread was a mountain out of a molehill.  So far, everyone has gotten their books as ordered in a very fast time frame. 

Yes, I like people to reply as soon as possible to my messages.   But I don't freak out and assume the worst of them if it takes a few days for them to do so.  Frankly, this thread is asking for a solution without a problem.  Perhaps somebody can explain to me how the existing system failed.  (shrug)

I just wanted to clarify something about the prior sales thread that generated this thread. Speaking for myself only, the issue wasn’t that the seller didn’t respond to PMs quickly after payment was made. Life happens and that’s understandable. The issue was that it appeared the seller was still visiting the boards after payment was made but was not responding to PMs concerning the transaction. Had I known that it was possible for your profile to show that you were visiting the boards when you actually weren’t, I would have been much less concerned.

Edited by loganparker
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