Rant: Anyone here sell stuff on ebay? WTF is with buyers lately?

[friesianrider]

I have a huge collection of model horses I have been trying to sell on ebay to get them out of my basement. I've done a lot of selling so far between the 100 or so models I've sold, but lately the friggin' people on there have just been absolute assholes.

First, I get this lady who starts bitching that the one horse's measurements were wrong - the horse was actually 8.5 inches long instead of the 10 inches I stated in the auction. So she gets all nasty *immediately* and starts demanding that I return 30% of her money. To keep her happy, I do give her a refund, after she hurled three or four emails about me being a liar, deliberately trying to rip her off, etc. :eyes:

Next, I sell a "lot" of horses (16 to be exact). I charged the guy $18 for shipping, as the horses weigh (with bubble wrap and stuff) around 1 pound each. Right away, he states that he is a COLONEL in the military and HE thinks that's too much for shipping, but he pays it anyway. A week later, I get a 10-page email from this guy that I *severely* overcharged him for shipping - actual cost was $16.90 for shipping. On top of that, he writes a word-for-word, 20 minute conversation he had with his daughter about all of this...laid out like this:

Me: Well, I think that's too much for shipping.

Daughter: She is a total thief, Dad!

Yeah, this supposed entire 20 minute conversation was emailed to me. THEN, he has the nerve to actually accuse me of trying to pass off a second-hand painted horse as an authentic one (!!). I've been collecting these for 16 years, and I am not idiot when it comes to them. This guy actually DEMANDED a FULL refund, plus a full refund of shipping, and by the way, he would NOT be returning the horses, either. He then demanded to know what kind of paint I used on the horse because he wanted to take the paint off, AND he wanted me to pay for his time and materials to do it!! I couldn't believe the audacity of this guy.

Now today, I sold a second "lot" of horses, and now this buyer is all bent out of shape because she paid me on the 20th and I "waited" 3 days to ship them on the 23rd, and she's got a bug up her butt now and is all pissy, complaining to me about how this is the "worst transaction" she's ever had on ebay.

Is it just me, or are people on ebay getting more and more nasty? I've always had extremely pleasant dealings with people when I would sell or buy stuff from ebay before. It's like all of a sudden, people are trying all these ways to buy stuff then squeeze every last dime out of you to ultimately get the item cheaper.

:rant:

Maybe it's just that no one likes me... :(

[hobbit709]

1. I sell on ebay all the time

and 99% of the people are nice. Some of the collectors are definitely anal about things. I had one accuse me of selling a reprint as an original. The poster came out in 1964,I've had it since 1978 and the reprints were done in 1990. and the reprint had a line printed at the bottom about being a reprint. This bozo waits eight months and then demands his money back. He didn't get it.

[friesianrider]

5. I;ve always had very good people to deal with...

It is like all of a sudden though, these have been my last three transactions. I just know I'm going to get hit with 3 undeserved negs at one time here - it sucks.

The military guy sounds like the person you dealt with - someone who THINKS they know everything about a certain collectible. This guy even bragged to me that his daughter has been a "serious collector" for EIGHT months now (I guess I should have been impressed).

[skypilot]

2. You are, like, a total thief.

Dude, you were, like, seriously trying to, like, rip those people off. :)

No, seriously they all sound like jerks and nuts and chiselers.

[friesianrider]

3. I know, I know.

LOL...I just don't get it. I swear they published a new "How to buy on ebay" book and it tells people to just be assholes to get your money back.

I'm a nice girl, I swear! Why are these people being mean to me?! O8)

[GalleryGod]

6. Indeed, Ebay's gettin' a bit "sour" lately.

Not as much fun as two years ago.:shrug:

[Kenneth ken]

4. nice rant

sorry I don't have any answers for you, since I don't buy or sell on E-Bay or any other online place.

But I'm sure that you're likable, so it must be that you've stumbled into a patch of asshats.

:pals:

[rhino47]

7. It goes in cycles for me.Ive had bad spells with jerk offs

Here is a story Ill tell .
When I sell an item on ebay before I ship I mark it with black light marks *can only been seen using a black light mark*I state in my terms
of sale that the item may not be wiped or washed for refund.I sold a blue mccoy vase under these terms.The woman emailed me saying the vase was cracked.I was somewhat bemused but I told her send it back and I would refund after I check the black light mark.A week goes by I finally get a pink shawnee vase cracked almost entirely in half with black magic marker marks all over it lol lol lol.
I contacted her and asked if this was the vase she wanted refunded which she said yes.I emailed her the pic of the vase with the auctions photo etc etc.
It was so pathetic it just made me laugh.
I sold a woman a roseville pine cone vase in 1997 .She was thrilled with it left positive feedback etc.I get a notice last summer in the mail that Im being investigated for mail fraud.(She had paid close to full book price for the vase in 97 but the prices fell so its now worth about 20% less)
She turned me in to the post office to force me to buy the vase back.
She was such a beatch about it she made sure she smashed it with a hammer.She even emailed and gloated about it.To fight it would have cost me more then the 470 bux but that one did burn for a long time.
I think the worse people Ive dealt with on the whole is male glass collectors.I dont know why but 99% of the people ive had problems with are men that collect glass.
I had one demand a full refund for a scratch on 170 year glass that can only been seen under a 10 x loop.
I only charge 1.00 handling on my shipping but I can understand why people get pissy about it on ebay.So many sellers absorb.(sell item cheap and get it back in shipping to avoid ebay fees)
This really pisses me off because I sell at fair prices but I do not gouge on shipping.16.90 for a box of horses does not sound over priced to me.
Some people you cant please.
So just blow the turd blossoms off .

[chaska]

8. I used to sell. I only had trouble with...

Newbies. Sounds like you may be dealing with codgers too. Oooh trouble, trouble. YOU, I don't envy.

[arwalden]

9. I Sold Some Old Xmas Ornaments, & Photographed The Item BESIDE A Ruler...

... so that the PHOTO ITSELF was able to convey the exact dimensions.

[Pithlet]

10. I've never sold anything, But, I used to buy

Ebay used to be a great place. Now it is so filled with jerks and scam artists both on the buy and sell end. It just isn't worth the risk to get burned, IMO. It's too bad. I used to be a big EBay addict; it was so much fun. I got a lot of great clothes for my kids real cheap, and the thrill of bidding and winning was like a drug for me.

[Mutley]

11. I don't get people who complain about shipping.

If the shipping price is listed on the auction, and you think it's too high, why bid? I don't bid on any auction where I think the seller is trying to rip me off with shipping. It's that simple.

I've never sold on ebay due to these and other horror stories I've heard. It's a shame, because I thought it would be fun.

I can't speak for every buyer, but I know I'm extremely cautious after having been screwed over several times. But I wouldn't treat any seller the way those people treated you. Unless I had definate proof that they ripped me off.

[Child_Of_Isis]

12. Here is the way Ebay works...

They want you to sell them an item for 9.99, after you paid 129.99 for it. Also, you are to charge them 60 cents for shipping when it cost you 10.59. In turn, they want to turn around and sell it (on eBay) for 369.99. If it doesn't go down this way, they want a refund. Plus they want to keep the item.

[friesianrider]

14. Truer words have never been spoken.

Sounds exactly right to me.

[ET Awful]

13. A Colonel? He sounds more like a Major . . . .

asshole that is.

Nah, it's not you. Some people are just jackasses and expect you to pamper them.

[friesianrider]

15. Yes, he is.

He tried to impress me by saying he is "meeting with 'people' from Breyer" (the company which makes these horses) in Kentucky -yeah, him and about 10,000 other people at their annual "Breyer Fest" and says he will ask them. I told him to go right ahead, and when he finds out he's wrong I expect an apology for him calling me a liar. There was no email to politely state his problem and ask what I plan to do, nothing. Right off the bat just "you're a liar and a scam artist, and I want my money bac." Sad part is this one horse he is complaining about is worth $65 and he got it for $11. Some people no one can please I guess. *sigh*

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

16. Don't worry about it... eventually everyone gets a jerk on Ebay

If you sell/buy long enough. Sounds like you just got hit with a few at once.

If shipping/handling is listed clearly in the auction, the buyer can always hit the "back" button if they don't like it. No one forced them to bid, after all. Your shipping/handling cost for that auction was not exhorbitant, by any means.

Even if your auction terms and description are crystal clear, there's always gonna be *someone* eventually who will try your patience.

As someone else mentioned, sounds like that one fella is really just a Major (Asshole) - just let it roll of your back.

And if you wind up with some negs, wear 'em like a badge of honor... sometimes no amount of professionalism, babysitting or common sense can help certain pain-in-the-ass buyers. (Or sellers, for that matter.)

Just my perspective, anyway. I buy/sell on ebay under the same user ID, and so far only one neg, from a guy who wanted to keep his item & get a refund... well over three months later! I actually was willing to refund him, but he refused to resend the item. Apparently he did this to others as well, and his feedback reflects a negative pattern.

Don't let a few bad eggs ruin it for ya!

[EstimatedProphet]

17. I did have a bad sale the other day

It was on a camera, and the guy told me that the camera was in far worse condition than I said-although I did say that I hadn't run film through it, or that I knew much about cameras. I offered him either full refund and he returns the camera, or half refund and he keeps it. He took half, and gave me good feedback too. That's really the only one that went sour as far as selling. Buying is an entirely different story.

[flamingyouth]

18. I've had a couple of nuts lately too

This guy sounds completely off his rocker, though.

I sell different things on eBay and I find the customers are generally very nice when I sell crystal and porcelain, decent but slow to pay when I sell records, and almost certifiable when I sell the little resin Harmony Kingdom boxes.