posted on July 10, 2003 08:17:23 AM new
Boy... the wacko's are really coming out of the woodwork this week. I've had more problem bidders in one week than I've had in the past 6 months!
Wacko 1) Bidder bought a magazine advertisement for a camera. Both the title and description say its an ad. The description states the dimmensions of the ad AND states that it would look great framed. Bidder gets the ad and wonders why its not a camera! (like I'd really sell a $400 camera for $10!)
Wacko 2) Bidder w/ a 1 feedback rating bought an item on Monday evening. Wants to pay by check, but insists on having the item by Friday (shipped cross-country from VA to CA). Takes it as a personal insult when I stick to my policy and state I won't ship the item until payment is received. I'm just waiting for the negative I'm sure to receive from this ignoramus!
Wacko 3) Wake up to a Nuetral in my feedback from a bidder stating that "seller didn't leave thankyou feedback". Of course... he never even asked for feedback! Well... he got it... turns out that he left the same feedback for 20 other sellers at the same time. His feedback rating is now rapidly decreasing. I guess he has his thank you now!
Wacko 4) Receives my standard EOA... doesn't respond, but I received a FedEx payment w/ pre-paid FedEx mailer and a check minus my s/h fee. Too bad my terms state I ship USPS! He didn't even ask if I'd ship FedEx (which I can't due to locality!) Not to mention, my time is worth something (hence the s/h fee!) I sent him an e-mail and am waiting to see his response when I explained to him I ship only USPS and need another $2.50 before his item will be sent.
Wacko 5) This one I talked about in an earlier thread... (he was special enough to deserve his own topic!) I received a letter in the mail from this bidder demanding to know where his item was. He said his check had cleared in April and he hadn't received anything. I checked his records and his auction had ended in MAY. His check, turned out to be sitting (uncashed!) in my unclaimed payments pile because it had no information that I could identify to link it to his auction. Either the guy bid on so many auctions he was confusing me with another dealer, or he was purposefully lying to me. Either way, it wasn't worth it for a $5.00 transaction. I told him the deal was off, and have yet to hear from him.
Anyhow... these are the main wacko's I've had... I just needed to vent about them a little bit! (of course they're all bottom-feeders too!) I really do love selling on eBay, but these kinds of people really make it difficult sometimes. Feel free to share some of your wacko stories! (it makes you feel better to know you're not alone!)
It's usually only about 1/1000 (rough estimate). But this week it feels like its closer to 1/100 (again rough estimate). I do a lot of business, 350-500 auctions a month... and certainly expect to deal with the average nut-job. But to get them all at once can kind of get to you!
posted on July 10, 2003 01:10:28 PM new
i am a small time hobby seller, about 15-25 auctions a week.
in the last two weeks I have had 9 NPB's...that is more than i have had in all the previous 2 years!
what is going on? 3 of those emailed me immediately following close of auction, filled out Vendio form and then dropped in a black hole. have sent reminders and NPB's, nothing, not a word!
posted on July 10, 2003 01:20:05 PM new
I sold from 1999 to 2000, quit for about two years, and have been back for about 4 months now. I am *amazed* at how much my npbs have gone up.
However, I still wouldn't trade places with my brick and mortar buddy and his shoplifting and bounced check problems. At least with NPBs you still have your goods..shoplifters are another story.
posted on July 10, 2003 01:29:54 PM new
I've had just a couple of black-hole bidders. From what I can reconstruct of their lives, they bid, win the item, then go on vacation (because they can! it's summertime!) I wish Ebay would have a boxed statement all summer urging bidders to consider their vacation schedules since sellers still expect payment before 2004--or something like that.
