Pardon me while I rant for a moment.

What is the deal with people on eBay who will not take 2 freakin minutes to read a simple auction?

Worst offenders: the ones who ask you what shipping costs are after you've either a: put the cost in 3 different places or b: told them you would only determine shipping after the auction! I've gotten to where I just either send an incredibly sarcastic reply back to some pinhead who asks me this or copy and paste the part about shipping in my return email along with a "gentle" hint like "In case you missed this the first four times I said it." :yes:

Or my other favorite pet peeve. I've got an auction up right now for **Edited by Moderators-against AK Rules**. Right now the high bidder is someone with "0" feedback (bad enough) and when I click on his user history, it says he's been on ebay since 2001. With no transactions! What the??? :nono:

I SPECIFICALLY stated no one is allowed to bid without at least 5 positive feedbacks. What is so hard to understand about that????

I try really hard to be very thorough and honest in my auctions. My feedback more than backs this up. And I know that many people are turned off by three paragraphs of restrictions on who can and can't bid. But is there some happy medium between keeping the trash out and not bogging down an auction with 10 paragraphs of legalese?

Anyway, I apologize if I sound like I'm whining. I'm really not. Just irritated that ignorant people disregard the HOURS of careful consideration I give to writing/photographing/describing/setting up an auction to ask a boneheaded question that was probably already answered in the first paragraph had they only bothered to read it.

Anybody else agree? Or am I just being way too picky?

I had a guy win one of my auctions for AR tweeters and he was in China, and my auctions always state US shipping only. I emailed him and he offered me extra, extra money to ship there, so I did. I later had an auction for AR speakers and the same guy messaged me if I would ship them to China... I clearly said no and even posted the question and answer on the auction itself! On the final day of the auction, he bid anyway! I had to retract his bid and these speakers sold for much less than they should have! Thanks to a moron! :no:

I know exactly what you mean and am:lmao:

I sold two G 9000s a while back, both listed as needing repair and not working. You would not believe how many perspective buyers asked me if either one worked:scratch2:

I also gave full details of shipping weight, size of boxes and my zip and told them to check shipping from their end as I would not except at the end.
Got half a dozen requests for shipping quotes.

Also said these were way to heavy to be shipping out of the US so it was a US Only auction, you guessed it, half a dozen requests to ship them to Nigeria South Africa and they would send checks in the amount of $5,000 from some prince and I could keep the rest if I ship immediately, as in- before the Princes check clears my bank. Yea Right!

Most of these I just never even answered! Some people think all ebay sellers have nothing better to do all day but sit in front of their computers waiting for questions on their auctions to come in.

Don't be sarcastic because others who might be watching will read into that.
Just don't bother answering idiots who apparently can't or won't read.

Gary

What is it with IDIOT eBay buyers
They are potential paying CUSTOMERS!:D

Just wanted to drop a "sorry" to the moderators. I wasn't trying to flaunt the rules. I was writing from an emotional standpoint. I'll pay better attention next time. Thanks.

As far as them being "paying customers," yes I know that they could be potential customers. But if they cannot even trouble themselves to read or follow simple directions, BEFORE the auction ends, something tells me they probably won't be the best people to deal with AFTER it ends either.

Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I look at it. Lately, I've seen to run across a lot of this. For a long time I've had really good luck on the 'bay. But it's like the freak parade has been let loose or something.

Chris.

They are potential paying CUSTOMERS!:D

YEP! I can spend STUPID money just as good as the other green stuff!:yes:

Gary

I had a guy win one of my auctions for AR tweeters and he was in China, and my auctions always state US shipping

Not to hijack the thread but as someone who lives in Canada, this is one of my pet peeves. I can understand issues with overseas shipping, but shipping most anything from the US to Canada is about as easy as shipping within the US. You have to take another 60 seconds to fill out a little form and stick it on the package. That's it. In my case at least, I pay with PayPal in US dollars or with a US dollar money order, and I pay actual shipping plus any packing charges, so there's no issue of not getting as good a profit. Yet in 90% of the items I want to bid on, there is a US shipping only tag on it and I have to contact the seller and plead for permission to bid.

Before you say US shipping only, please think of your friends to the north.

Gee, somebody used the words "ebay" and "idiot" in the same sentence. What a surprise...:scratch2: :rolleyes: :no: :screwy: :lmao:

Regards,
Gordon.

Money is money I will ship to the moon if the buyer pays.:D

whats even better is my dad sold an old light organ controller. we didnt test it and clearly stated "it is Untested" . the higher bidder emailed us after he recieved it and said it doesnt work and wants a refund. He even opened a paypal dispute!

steve

They are potential paying CUSTOMERS!:D

This is absolutely true, and is what should be kept in mind. However, Marantzaholic, I feel your pain! I've seen more than a few auctions that have found a reasonable, yet effective, method of dealing with buyers who can't/won't/don't read. With a little sarcasm to boot!

Some sellers will end with a short statement like:

"I've clearly stated in my listing the following pieces of information:

1. Shipping.
2. Payment options.
3. Etc.
4. Etc.

If you send me an email and I do not reply, that means that you're asking me questions that have already been answered. Please re-read the auction text, because I am not going to change my policies. Thanks.

I've also clearly stated in my listing who may and may not bid. If you are among those buyers who may not bid, and you do place a bid, the following actions will be taken:

1. Your bid will be deleted.
2. You will be added to my blocked bidder list.
3. You will reported to eBay for auction interference."

To me, anyway, this sounds fairly harsh. But many sellers do include these types of statements, and it may help reduce your blood pressure!

Once again, though:

They are potential paying CUSTOMERS!:D

Not to hijack the thread but as someone who lives in Canada, this is one of my pet peeves. I can understand issues with overseas shipping, but shipping most anything from the US to Canada is about as easy as shipping within the US. You have to take another 60 seconds to fill out a little form and stick it on the package. That's it. In my case at least, I pay with PayPal in US dollars or with a US dollar money order, and I pay actual shipping plus any packing charges, so there's no issue of not getting as good a profit. Yet in 90% of the items I want to bid on, there is a US shipping only tag on it and I have to contact the seller and plead for permission to bid.

Before you say US shipping only, please think of your friends to the north.

I have purchased quite a few items from Canada, and I've never had a single problem. Shipping took a few extra days, but even then it got here fairly quickly.:thmbsp:

I've sold quite a bit of stuff on ebay .All and all 98% of the sales have been issue free.I've had a few that were legit problems and a few scammers.I'm a patient person and willing to work with people (All people) in a pleasant professional business manner.

Greg B. makes an excellent point here. I have shipped several items to Canada with absolutely no problems. I am going to go back an make sure all of my current auctions are revised for shipping to Canada.

On another point, I just removed and blocked the offending bidder from the auction in dispute. (Is it safe to say that?) :D

In addition, I placed the following notice at the bottom. Tell me if this sounds too harsh or just about right...

Please note: I very much appreciate everyone who has expressed an interest in this auction. I do not in ANY way wish to offend anyone unecessarily.

Having said that, I will NOT have my auction(s) highjacked by a zero feedback bidder who is most likely a con artist. Please, PLEASE read and follow the auction guidelines. I have very carefully and plainly detailed who can and cannot bid.

If you have any questions that are NOT covered in the auction, then by all means ask me. I will be more than happy to answer any legitimate questions you might have.

Thank you again for your consideration and interest. I appreciate your time and look forward to doing business with many of you in the future.

Best regards, Chris.

I had been thinking about selling (1st time) on ebay, but after reading this post, I am not so sure! Several purchases w/o any snags, but not sure I want to be on the selling end.

Sounds like a hassle.....CALLED ATTENTION TO DETAIL!

Marantzaholic
That sounds and reads good.:thmbsp:
Dave

Yamaha Nutz. I did not mean to imply that ALL buyers were crooks or time wasters. I have had an incredibly great run (with my first non-payer in 65 auctions) on Ebay.

It just seems that recently, there have been a lot more troublemakers/lazy people out there.

I do believe that the overwhelming majority are still honest and decent people. I just have hit a patch of bad apples.

Ebay is a great place to sell. I have made excellent money. You just need to write good, descriptive and especially HONEST auctions. And at least as important, take lots of good pictures. This is what separates the power sellers and the ones who make silly money from the also-rans.

Hope this helps. Chris.

Yamaha Nutz. I did not mean to imply that ALL buyers were crooks or time wasters. I have had an incredibly great run (with my first non-payer in 65 auctions) on Ebay.

It just seems that recently, there have been a lot more troublemakers/lazy people out there.

I do believe that the overwhelming majority are still honest and decent people. I just have hit a patch of bad apples.

Ebay is a great place to sell. I have made excellent money. You just need to write good, descriptive and especially HONEST auctions. And at least as important, take lots of good pictures. This is what separates the power sellers and the ones who make silly money from the also-rans.

Hope this helps. Chris.

Thanks Dave. I'm not trying to be a hardcase or a jerk. I am more than reasonable and willing to work with people who will show me a basic level or respect and courtesy.

It is the people who seem to go out of their way to flaunt their ignorance in your face that make me wonder, that's all.

:thmbsp:

Pardon me while I rant for a moment.

Worst offenders: the ones who ask you what shipping costs are after you've either a: put the cost in 3 different places
I emailed one guy who had the shipping in two different places in the auction, for two drastically different ammounts. I pointed this out, and asked him for cost of shipping to my zip code and any applicable handling fees. He told me to read the auction. :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: The error was still there when the auction closed. No bids.


or b: told them you would only determine shipping after the auction!
When I bid, I take the total ammount I am willing to spend, and subtract the costs of shipping, packing, handling and any other applicable fees. I don't think this is an unnreasonable thing to want to know. If I dont know this, I won't bid. Usually most sellers will give you this information if you ask. If it says "don't ask", I don't ask, and I don't bid.


I've gotten to where I just either send an incredibly sarcastic reply back to some pinhead who asks me this or copy and paste the part about shipping in my return email along with a "gentle" hint like "In case you missed this the first four times I said it." :yes:
Some guy sent me a reply like this about 3 months ago. The auction ended with one bid from someone else for $4.99. I bought an identical unit from another seller 3 weeks later, for about $65.00 including packing and shipping. About $25 of that was shipping. The first guy? Who knows? Maybe he paid $85.00 for shipping. Maybe he paid less for shipping than I did. The costs were to be determined after the auction ended.


John

Blue Lateral,

As far as shipping, 99% of the time, I will either quote a flat fee such as $30 and refund the difference if it is less, or I will give the buyer exact measurements, weight and my zip code so they can go to the carrier of their choice and get a good idea of what shipping costs will be.

I certainly understand that shipping costs can be a significant part of the total price and I try to be as informative as reasonably possible about those costs.

Your point is well taken though. Certainly, I am wary of a buyer who will give out no information beforehand regarding this cost. I usually end up helping out with shipping charges, and I make sure to include a receipt from the packing company in the box so the buyer can see exactly what I paid.

People are usually very surprised at how expensive my packing costs are, but they repay me with awesome feedback. :yes:

"I have not powered this unit on, but was told by a shadowy tech that it works well. SOLD AS IS. NO REFUNDS."
"I have no way to test these". Well, that's certainly possible- not everyone has the ability or resources to test a pair of speakers. But something tells me...they don't work.
"Shipping weight: 3 LBS. Shipping cost $79.99". But it's a FLAT RATE.
"Please DO NOT BID IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO PAY!" Well, what kinda fun is that?
"Unit powers on, but has not been tested further". No need- powering on is most of what good stereo gear is supposed to do. And it's so much more work to actually turn the FM dial, hook up speakers etc. What a bother!
"I DO NOT ACCEPT CHECKS FROM NIGERIA. ALL TAZMANIAN BUYERS MUST HAVE A RATING OF 10,000,000 OR MORE. I WILL NOT SHIP TO CITIES WHOSE NAME I CAN NOT PRONOUNCE. DO NOT ASK FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS UNLESS YOU EMAIL ME FIRST. PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE AUCTION ENDS."
Sorry- went a bit off there. But we've all seen it from both buyers and sellers.
Let's start an "outrageous CL and eBay quote" sticky!
Wizargoz

Maybe he paid $85.00 for shipping
I wouldn't like these kind of surprises..Thats why I always have everything I sell prepackaged and weighed with package sizes. So I can take advantage of shipping calculators.In the auctions I state its either flatrate or "worst case" or please contact me for shipping info.

Dave

Wizargoz,
Is your geographical knowledge just bad or are you having a go at me?
Am I the only Tasmanian on AK I wonder?

Brian

BTW my eBay rating is 100% buying and selling over 80 deals.

Money is money I will ship to the moon if the buyer pays.:D

Me too! And I charge a surcharge for doing so. The reason for doing so is I have to haul it to USPS as opposed to FedEx coming by my office and picking it up.

But back to the original post, there are some who don't read your auctions and only look at the pics. I just don't worry about questions being stupid as long as the money is green. When you deal with the public, it is just one of those inevitable things that come with the territory. In many cases, overseas buyers can't read english and are just clarifying costs.

No matter what you post, you will always get some stupid questions but watch the sarcasm as it may convey to others that you could be a pain in the :butt1: to deal with although your replies are in frustration.

Just my .02

I recently inquired about a stereo function in a tuner and got a response that was ambiguous. To clarify, I emailed the seller again and asked what kind of antenna he had connected it to to test it. He replied he had simply hooked speakers to it and turned it on. No refunds of course.

...In addition, I placed the following notice at the bottom. Tell me if this sounds too harsh or just about right...

Please note: I very much appreciate everyone who has expressed an interest in this auction. I do not in ANY way wish to offend anyone unecessarily.

Having said that, I will NOT have my auction(s) highjacked by a zero feedback bidder who is most likely a con artist. Please, PLEASE read and follow the auction guidelines. I have very carefully and plainly detailed who can and cannot bid.

If you have any questions that are NOT covered in the auction, then by all means ask me. I will be more than happy to answer any legitimate questions you might have.

Thank you again for your consideration and interest. I appreciate your time and look forward to doing business with many of you in the future.

Best regards, Chris.

Sounds great to me. Not harsh at all.

I had a guy win one of my auctions for AR tweeters and he was in China, and my auctions always state US shipping only. I emailed him and he offered me extra, extra money to ship there, so I did. I later had an auction for AR speakers and the same guy messaged me if I would ship them to China... I clearly said no and even posted the question and answer on the auction itself! On the final day of the auction, he bid anyway! I had to retract his bid and these speakers sold for much less than they should have! Thanks to a moron! :no:

Maybe I am, but your post reads as if your first sale to a foreign buyer went well, but then on something else you were selling you refused to accept his bid. If I'd been the buyer and had established through previous dealings that I was genuine, I'd have been well peeved.........................:gigglemad

Wizargoz,
Is your geographical knowledge just bad or are you having a go at me?
Am I the only Tasmanian on AK I wonder?

Brian

Don't know, but I think its cool as hell to have someone from Tasmania on AK. :D

Take for instance a large pair of speakers that can't go UPS or FEDX and must be freighted.
There is absolutely no way to determine costs until you have the item wrapped, packed, weighed and ready to go. You state "Prefer Local Pick Up" so it might sell close or might have to get packed but you won't know until the end and you sure won't get it ready for shipping before the end of the auction.

I always give as much detail as I can and let the "perspective buyer" know that what ever it costs to ship and pack is what I will charge and that I am not making money on shipping.

As others have clearly pointed out, shipping to the moon is fine as long as you pay the freight but please don't hammer me with 20 shipping quote requests to every country in the world on an item that has zero bids.
Thats why all the info is there so you can get a good general idea of the cost yourself.

Gary

I should use smilies lest I am taken too seriously!!!:thmbsp: :beer:

There,,,my 1st smilie and something I believe in.

In all reality, it is part of the cost of selling on E-Bay. If you want the highest dollar, you have to deal with that too.

It's no different than retailers, such as car dealers and Audio dealers who have to put up with tire kickers and joy riders..

I, for one, refuse to sell anything on ebay that I have to ship.. It takes me more time to box it up, run it to UPS (etc) than it's worth for a few extra bucks. For the same reason, I hesitate very seriously buying from anyone requiring MO or Cashiers Checks rather than Paypal.. It's my time and it's worth something, at least to me...

I am just willing to bet that buyers who don't read the auction also don't abide by any of the rules.

Get the high bidder with zero feedback removed from your auction; negate his bid.

Exactly what I say. If someone is already not paying attention to the rules before he even makes a bid, then usually they are going to be a handful after the auction is over.

Is it just me or do there seem to be more problems with eBay newbies now? Yes, we all have to start out somewhere; I'm not knocking new people on principle, but when I first started, I was borderline paranoid careful to obey ALL rules and follow every direction a buyer gave me to the letter. I wanted to build up a good reputation.

It seems rather harsh to just block out any bidder under "x" feedback, but it does seem that many of the newer bidders are not serious or just don't understand how eBay works.

I just started haveing problems with ebay myself. I don't list much but I had 3non paying bidders in a row! One on a motorcycle then 2 on the same amp! Now I don't let anyone with under 10 feedback bid. The first buyer on the amp was 0 then a negative 1 next guy had 3 pos and never paid,he had a negative 1 and was no longer a registered member. I've sold to beginners before no problems but after dealing with these guys I had to put some conditions in my listings.

. . . It seems rather harsh to just block out any bidder under "x" feedback, but it does seem that many of the newer bidders are not serious or just don't understand how eBay works.

I agree with this on principal, but, it would depend on the price of an item. And this one has zero feedback after years of being a member.

That is really odd.

You do have to take into consideration the price of the item being auctioned, true. My "unofficial" cutoff for allowing new bidders is $50 or more. If I think the auction will end at or around that price, that is when I will usually put more condition in.

If someone does email me and ask politely and with a good reason, I will "bend" my rules somewhat. But it should always be up to the seller's discretion.

thilaseen:
Oh, sorry. I pulled that out of thin air.
Hopefully, I have not offended an AKer from Nigeria...:-)

wizargoz

I agree that a lot of questions could be answered by reading carefully. I apologize for changing the direction of the thread. There are many great sellers on ebay and I have over 35 positive feedbacks on ebay, almost 100% feedback. That is what drives me crazy. On one occassion I bid on and won a us paypal listing for some vintage speakers, only to be notified after the closing of the auction that the seller had recently moved to the UK and that I needed to wire funds to a non existant British shipping company. After being advised by ebay and Western Union not to do this, I communicated with this seller and tried to set up a paypal arrangement, before giving up on this as bogus. This seller is no longer registered. Shortly after this I bid on an amp, again a US paypal listing and got the same form letter about the seller moving to UK. Afraid of obtaining a virus I notified ebay and did not respond to this seller. This idiot left negative feedback! I complained many times to ebay with no help to get this removed. Needless to say this seller is no longer registered with ebay, but the negative feedback remained. I am very careful about what I bid on and the feedback of the seller and how good the communication is from the seller. I have bid on and bought a lot of gear on ebay. I try not to ask stupid questions and pay promptly and 98% of the feedback indicates that. I just wished ebay were more helpful and respectful of people who spend a lot of money, especially when the seller is removed from ebay, so they obviously know that attempt was made to steal from a buyer that is necessary for their business to be successful.:screwy: Thank goodness there are more good people in this world, than bad.:yes:

Gut 6 years and no feedback . . . You know.

I think we've all made mistakes at one time or another....self included.

I bid (asking price) on an item that I mistakenly thought was LP, but was CD format. Seller and ebay were very cooperative, and I was released from my obligation. AGAIN, ATTENTION TO DETAIL, but you must admit there is much content and this was a valuable lesson learned.

Anybody else agree? Or am I just being way too picky?

Too picky.

On ebay you are dealing in the realm of the lowest common denominator and on average people are lazy, stupid, and ignorant. Of course we AKers are well above average.

Make the listing precise and to the point.
Cancel 0 feedback bidders, then block them.
When selling, you can block the bidders from countries you don't ship
If a question is asked that is in the description, simply cut and paste it in the reply.
State you will not falsify customs documents so the buyer can avoid fees, I do believe this is ILLEGAL!

Ive never vented about the bay,Till now!
I always list a paid within seven days from auction end,on the 12th day with no $$$,I put a non-paying bidder to the bay and start a dispute so I can get
credit for the final value fee they charged me for an
item I was never paid for.The next day the buyer
contacts me,saying he placed a seemingly low bid
and didnt think he would win and forgot about it.
He then promises to send payment the next buisness day via priority mail,I cancel the item dispute,
10 days go by,no contact,no $$$.Had to start over
and relist one month from 1st listing the auction
and Im still looking at the speakers right now!
And the best question Ive got so far was from
someone with 0 that registered in "05"
I had one item total listed,nothing else,the guy asked
if I would combine items to save him $ in shipping

I placed a bid once and was "declined", so I assume that is the end of the transaction. Seller cannot come back and say LATER, I accept, or can they?

Still kinda new to the game

1. Regardless of what your ad says, I want the shipping quote in writing, in my mailbox, addressed specifically to me before entering into a contract to buy your item. In the case of eBay "shipping calculators", they consistently return absurd shipping prices. E.g., Something that should be around $30 to ship comes up closer to $60 to ship.

2. Shipping deterimined after the auction is STUPID. And buyers who enter contracts to buy without knowing all the details just set themselves up for problems.

3. If you're selling an item on eBay, it is your job to reassure your customers that it is OK to buy from you. I would not bid on any item with some smartass remark or disclaimer in the ad along the lines of "I refuse to return your emails."

Quote: Shipping deterimined after the auction is STUPID. And buyers who enter contracts to buy without knowing all the details just set themselves up for problems.

Although it is normally not a good idea at all to bid on something without knowing shipping, as another member noted, it is not always practical to quote shipping [I]to the penny[I] of every item beforehand. Some items that are particularly difficult to ship, like speakers, need to be boxed and weighed as well as knowing where they are going to before this information can be given. But I see your larger point. This is where a history of good feedback comes into play. You can look at my history as a seller and almost every buyer to the person has commented on the quality of my shipping. Therefore, a new buyer can be as confident as possible that 1: he is going to get his item in one piece, and 2: that my shipping rates must at least be reasonable, since no one has yet complained.

Quote: If you're selling an item on eBay, it is your job to reassure your customers that it is OK to buy from you. I would not bid on any item with some smartass remark or disclaimer in the ad along the lines of "I refuse to return your emails."

With all due respect, I find this kind of "the customer is always right" attitude very ridiculous. As a seller on ebay, I am more than courteous, honest, reasonable and helpful. However, I believe the customer ALSO has the obligation to meet me halfway. I do not feel that I owe a lazy, ignorant half-brain dead tire kicker nearly as much of my time and attention as someone who is attentive, asks good questions and is honest and polite in return.

Yes, I may lose some business. But the business I lose is probably not worth the trouble it would have been to get it in the first place. Just my .02.

:tresbon:

If one can't tolerate stupidity, dumb questions and give good customer service-selling on eBay is probably not for them. :banana:

A while back I posted about a eBay transaction where I had received a shipping quote from the seller before the end of the auction but after I won, he claimed that the quote was a mistake and demanded I pay more to make up the difference. The majority of posters here sided with the seller. Shouldn't both parties stick to their agreements and not try to change terms after the sale?

A while back I posted about a eBay transaction where I had received a shipping quote from the seller before the end of the auction but after I won, he claimed that the quote was a mistake and demanded I pay more to make up the difference. The majority of posters here sided with the seller. Shouldn't both parties stick to their agreements and not try to change terms after the sale?

Good point soundoc03 but on the flip side which I have been on more then once, the quote you get might not always be accurate.

This is why I stress in my auctions that insured shipping is paid by the buyer and I don't make money here. You will be charged only the actual shipping cost depending on what shipping company delivers it and the final value/insurance cost.

To blame the cost of shipping on the seller when he is charging the exact amount is rediculous.

Gary

eBay's shipping calculator is often wrong and it's easy as a seller to come up on the short end of the stick. I know I have on more that one selling occassion. I recently sold a nice clean Dynaco PAS-3 to a guy in Shanghai, China who wound up being the high bidder. The st00pid eBay calculator turned out to be so far off that I wound up refunding the $35 overage after I got back from the post office out of common courtesy and human decency.

(Now somehow I get the feeling that we may be seeing a rash of psudeo Dynaco PAS-3 knock-offs in the near future, but hey, a sale is a sale...)

One of the contact sports that AK'ers seem to enjoy is drawing attention to poor listings on `The Bay'. You know the kind of thing, wild claims for output power, `Mint' when it clearly isn't, any listing that includes the words "Bose" or "Yorx".......... I've bought and sold and as a buyer, it makes sense to try to clarify anything I'm not sure about BEFORE committing myself to pay $$$ to a seller I've never met for something I've not seen.

`Stupid questions about shipping'? I'm buying a stylus from a seller in the USA who sells all manner of stuff to anyone anywhere, as long as they've the money to buy it. He had a general shipping price listed as $7 to USA, $27 abroad. I checked this, pointing out that for the weight of a stylus, $27 seemed a bit high and got a friendly reply quoting $7 airmail to the UK. If I'd simply gone by his listing, I'd have been out by $20.

Not every seller is honest and squeaky clean; few sellers send anything until after they've been paid so if things go wrong, it's buyers who are most likely to lose out.

The secret is to make your description as complete and breif as posible.Most people do not want to devote a lot of time in reading the discription. Just like doing a resume, most people you send them to give you fifteen seconds, if I remember right, (according to many different college insturctor I have had going for my marketing degree), to atrract and hold their attention. Your listing should be similar. You are selling a product, just as you are selling your self to a potential employer.

eBay's shipping calculator is often wrong and it's easy as a seller to come up on the short end of the stick. I know I have on more that one selling occassion. I recently sold a nice clean Dynaco PAS-3 to a guy in Shanghai, China who wound up being the high bidder. The st00pid eBay calculator turned out to be so far off that I wound up refunding the $35 overage after I got back from the post office out of common courtesy and human decency...


I totally agree, sometimes the ebay shipping calculator is truly off. Also, it only lets you enter in information for ONE item. So, what happens when you are selling a lot of heavy items (i.e- records) that would require multiple boxes and packing but you list them in one auction.

Also, for some reason it doesn't list FedEx as a shipping method.

To make things easy on me (as a seller) and the buyer also, I always have a FIXED shipping price with REQUIRED insurance.
I will ship to the US and CANADA ONLY...and will state so on my auctions.
So naturally, someone from the UK wins my auction...then is angry when I will not ship the item (a Canadian-made Bristol motorcycle jacket, as good as Vanson IMO)??

Steve :thumbsdn:

To make things easy on me (as a seller) and the buyer also, I always have a FIXED shipping price with REQUIRED insurance.
I will ship to the US and CANADA ONLY...and will state so on my auctions.


Steve :thumbsdn:

I agree with this philosophy. I list an average shipping cost, sometimes I charge too little and sometimes I charge too much. If I charge too little I end up eating the difference. If I overcharge by more than two dollars I refund the difference. However I do not charge for boxes or handling. I can get my hands on boxes for nothing.

When I list items I also require the buyer to be registered in a country in which I will ship too also. On your ebay page there is a link under My account on the left hand side labeled preferences. Go in there sometime and setup your buyer preferences.

I happily answer any questions from people. I even have had several questions asking me about audio repair or general questions not related to the auction. I have done my best to respond with a brief answer.

As far as non payer bidders I have had my share. Now when I list an item I usually list it at a buy it now price with no auction, and require immediate paypal payment. This way the auction doesn't end till the bidder pays through paypal. :thmbsp:

Money is money I will ship to the moon if the buyer pays.:D


THANK YOU!!!! You, sir, are one of the "good guys"! :D :thmbsp: :thmbsp: :thmbsp: :banana: :banana: :banana:

This thread may have started with someone's pet peeve about "stupid" overseas people who ask about shipping when the auction says "US only", but as an overseas American who often wants to buy from my fellow countrymen, pay them in US$, and have the darned whatever-it-is shipped to me in Hong Kong --which really does NOT take much more work or effort than just shipping it domestically-- I can't tell you how big a pet peeve these US-only <expletive deleted>/ non-shipper a$$#ole jerk-faces are, to me. [Offence intended if you are one of them... unless you are in a wheelchair, legally blind, or have some other valid excuse]

Sure, everyone has the right (technically speaking, in my opinion) to say that they will only sell to purple-haired Maldives Island residents who burp every Thursday and only wear pink socks, but the sheer number of Americans who will not ship outside the country disgusts and shames me. It's a symptom of something much bigger, which I see all the time here in business circles, in how much better people from almost everywhere in the world are, at dealing in the international arena. It's a symptom of why the US, as the world's largest economy, is dooming itself to eventual collapse as the debt-driven bubble that it is today. As an American, and a classically-trained economist and international businessman for the past 25 years, it just makes me very sad... and more than a little peeved! The country shoots itself in the foot, one little decision at a time. :no: :thumbsdn:

Hope someone at least THINKS HARD about this, before taking the lazy way out next time and setting their action to "US only" shipments. It's not even in the seller's interest: there are a lot more genuine, well-heeled buyers out in the rest of the world, than there are Nigerian-type scamsters!

OK, I'll get off the soapbox. (Back to audio, no more attitude.)

It looks like this topic has touched a nerve with several people here. :D

Pardon me while I rant for a moment.

What is the deal with people on eBay who will not take 2 freakin minutes to read a simple auction?

**Edited by Moderators-against AK Rules**.

maybe you should have taken two minutes :D

Touche! Yes, I realized that after I had written it. Like I said, I was writing from frustration. No excuse though. :thmbsp:

It is probably best that none of us write from an emotion based chair but many of us also understand the frustrations and just allow the mods to do their thing to keep it clean.

I have been guilty as charged on a few occassions so don't let this sway your attitude and just consider there are many reading these threads so we have to keep it somewhat clean.

The nice part about the english language is there is many ways to say the same thing and get the point and emotion accross.

Gary

I'm an Englishman living in Scotland, married to a Scottish wife. This means that she can mock Andy Stewert ( cliche kilted Scotsman who used to appear on television every Hogmanay) but I dare not, at least not as forcefully. As an ex pat American, Arkay was able to take the gloves off wheras an outsider like me (by birth, nationality and location) has to be more tactful, but what he said pretty much rang true with me. Once something is sold, you've lost it. It's out the door, down the street and away.:bat: :bat: :bat:

Provided a foreign buyer takes care of all shipping arrangements and his payment clears before the goods leave, what is the problem?

Thanks to everyone for their honest opinions. I especially appreciate those of you living outside the U.S. You have helped me to see the "other side of the coin" about overseas shipping.

I will definitely offer (at least some) of my auctions to those outside of the U.S.

This is why this forum is great. You can get different points of view that you might never hear anywhere else.