posted on September 12, 2000 05:18:27 PM
I have my last auctions ending tonight. I had several weeks of upcoming auctions planned but I decided to forget it.
I cancelled the auctions and sent about 6 bins of inventory to various charities.
Why? My blood sugar is going haywire, but the last straw was a very nasty email I received from someone who thought herself smaller than she was.
Why the nastiness? Just say it didn't fit. I give measurements in the listing, but if the buyer goofs, no biggie. I hate it when they try to accuse me of deception.
posted on September 12, 2000 05:20:23 PM
If they dont know how to measure themselves, its their problem. So far...I havent experienced that. I put the bust size, hips, waist, length. Never NEVER the label size. Sorry it bugged you enough to do that. Got anything left you want to get rid of?
posted on September 12, 2000 06:29:38 PM
I refuse to let any sale or buyer up set me .
If they receive something they claim damage on weather I insured shipping or I didnt my policy is no insurance receipt or Refund with out a picture of the damaged package or goods.
I now set things this way I No LONGER take Returns ever there is no money can come from paying double shipping on either side show me proof in photo of damage package or goods and they get the insurance receipt for claim or a refund no return but I must see a picture.
I under stand buyers not wanting to be frauded or taken I also dont want to be and I will not send insurance receipts no more with out visable proof PO dont want to be frauded either.
in the case of clothes well if it dont fit I might concider a return poilcy of some type, but I dont at this time sell clothes.
Buyers remores well I dont go for this either. if you bid on a Item antique or collectable and suddenly a case of guilt hits or the excitement of the buy wore off, the collectables and antiques have a resale value sell it get your money back if your Decent to me about it and I think I can resell and make on it again I might even offer to buy the item back at a reasonable profit to them and pay to have it shipped back.
The custumer is always right thing dont always work in every situation. double shipping and the buyer bid price back is bunk in this business.
antiques and collectables have resale value and no refund for good Items is nessary. in fact in many cases companys by law dont have to offer refunds on damage if the damaged item has scrape value.
if you were in the resturunt business and bought rolls aluminum foil say two case of 12 rolls each roll 1000 or 2000 feet and one or two of these rolls were half damaged guess what no refund why because aluminum has a scrape value.
same with plastic I know we all dump are bottles and plastics in a recycleing bin but if you had space to hold on to your plactic all sorted it has a scrape value of .07 per pound this is what your garbage company makes on it pluss they charge you to haul it away too.I know this dont sound like much on a small scale but if you add this up for a year for all its thousands of dollars per street they collect on then after they sell it to a company that cleans and grinds it they sell it back to manufactures for about $3.03 per pound as post consumer resin which goes back 50 50 mix PCR and virgin plastic in to bottles of shampoo or catsup and even carpeting you buy again for full price all over again.
custumer service comes in the form of packing for item serviveing the trip. it comes in bending a rule to wait a week or two for payment if something came up in the week or so they waited for your auction to close and they dont have the money they thought they would.
custmer services comes in remembering we all forget now and then so we forgive the buyer that sends the money order with no address or Idea what Item its for.
custmer service comes in the form of useing my home to keep thios item safe from the elements of the out doors rain sun and so on.
custtmer services comes in going out of your way to find the nicest collectable in the best shape for the best price so your could offer it to them.
custmer service comes in takeing the hour or so to take the best pictures and looking at the item and provideing the best description posible.it comes in the form of the fast shipping without haveing to be asked twice unlike so many buyer I have sold to who need to get 15 EOAs before they write to ask if its ok they would like you to wait one more week if you would and not getting up set.
but custmer service does not come in the form of haveing buyer tell you how to list how to ship what to sell how to buy it or what to sell it for ship it for or what your handleing time is worth.
it dont come at the cost of my nerves my health or sanity.and it dont come from bully buyers
dont give up hang in there dont let them wear you down stand for whats right and whats true and if you do and they can still call you a cheat a lier a fool or anyother name write then off as a buyer block there email address from your mail program set your auction to ignore then and treat then as they would treat you..........
posted on September 12, 2000 09:41:57 PM
2 emails in one day! Too much. I think some of these housewives paid too much and their husbands are hassling them.
In both cases, I am not going to refund shipping at all. No other mail order firm does that. I refund shipping if I am at fault.
These buyers are going on my "delete bid" list which renders them unable to bid on any of my items again should I decide to list.
I must admit I need a break from ebay. It's like I'm obsessed and need a 12 step. I like searching for inventory, photographing, and listing, but I hate shipping.
All that crap is taking over my home, so much that I am embarrassed to have anyone come over.
As soon as I'm on an even keel, a major overhaul is in order.
posted on September 12, 2000 09:52:35 PM
Hi Cassiescloset--your words:
"Too much. I think some of these housewives paid too much and their husbands are hassling them."
Yes---I have found this to be true too with bidders that sorta kinda overextended. But when I mention that we should just move on and forget about the sale and file that NPBA--geesh---the check or MO is in the mail post haste!
Do not give up now!! Our season is just about to begin---and see a doctor about that blood pressure problem, take a big gulp and keep on!!
edited to add--shipping is my favorite part of this ---the items are finally on their way to a new home. And out of my hair!
I guess I need a few weeks off. I'm just tired of dealing with bored housewives overextending themselves. If they would just tell me "buyers remorse", I could just contact the next highest bidder and move on.
It's when they email me and say, "I think I paid too much..." and then make up something that drives me crazy.
posted on September 12, 2000 10:19:39 PMCassiescloset I'm a recovering eBay-burnout-aholic. The best thing you can do for yourself before throwing in the towel is to re-organize and re-evaluate your business.
Break every aspect of the business into bite sized pieces and examine it for what it's worth. Then, decide exactly what your policies are for all the various common problems and prepare a standard email response to those problems. That helps you to separate yourself emotionally from the "it doesn't fit" scenarios and just hit the send button.
I sell mostly books. Invariably everyone wants the cheaper bookrate. Usually this works out because bookrate actually delivers pretty fast. But, there's occasionally an email hanging in my box that complains about not having received it yet. I have a standard "bookrate delivery" explanation prepared and use it. This just helps me to not dwell on piddling problems that 95% solve themselves soon enough anyway. If you have an established policy on clothing returns - you can prepare that statement and just hit send each time you get a whiner. They want you to take responsibility for their problems - this helps keep it strictly business.
I wish you the best - there is sometimes a road back from burnout. I'm on it.
posted on September 12, 2000 10:29:22 PM
If things like this bother you, you are right to quit.
Business is not personal. It's business.
Believe me, I have been called every name in the book. I've had many people blatantly try to defraud me. As far as I am concerned, it's all part of doing business.
Honestly, being in business for yourself is not for everyone. Realizing that it's not for you is no disgrace.
If groundless complaints and absurd excuses really bother you, then don't run auctions, because, I assure you, this will happen no matter what you do. I've seen too many people let a $10 auction rule their lives for days or weeks. What's the point? Just acknowledge to yourself that this is not the thing for you and move on.
posted on September 12, 2000 10:36:39 PM
cassiescloset
You're not alone... I say the same thing "I Quit" several times every week. My wife won't let me!
We received our second negative today because the buyer said her/his computer was broken and we never called. It had been over a month with no contact, and I'm not into hand holding (so we negged).
Like you stuff is taking over and there's not much room left for us.
Sometimes you just need to take some time off and get a fresh outlook on things. I'm at that point right now.
posted on September 12, 2000 10:41:20 PM
Hey amalgamated2000--easy for you to say when the stuff is overflowing and you haven't seen your dining room table for months. I understand what Cassiescloset is saying--don't bid if you are not going to pay! I don't want to hear the sad sob story of why you, the bidder, cannot finalize the deal. It does wear you down after a while. Afterall, in high hopes, we all take pics, write our copy, send pics up to space, enter the auction on the site of our choice. Then--to have buyers remorse--a million excuses why they shouldn't and can't pay---have some empathy here!! It is not "this auction thing is not for you" but how do I make my listings more interesting, more irresistible, the buyers gotta have it! JMHO.
posted on September 12, 2000 10:43:45 PM
I hope you don't quit. You had great stuff
( Yes I peeked at your finished auctions )
Your pages looked great.
I had to take a little break a while back. You'd be surprised what giving yourself a week off will do for your outlook.
I took a week with no computer, no ebay , no shipping , nothing auction related. I ended my auctions early the week before and told all my customers that I needed payment by friday for shipment because I was going out of town.
Then I read and swam and vegged for a week. It did wonders for my mind body and soul.
I hope you feel better. Keep us posted.
L@@K at it from a positive slant: Now you have TIME to attend eBay U.
4 kEwL!!
Now, The Public simply is NOT easy to deal with 24/7, neither the 3-D variety nor the online!
The Maharadhi once told me that selling on eBay requires perserverance based upon the three Dees.
Huh?
Dispassion
Discrimination
Detachment
Ya can't have NO emotional reactions to any of the NEGATIVE and sometimes highly bizarre emails you are sent.
In cyberspace, anonymity still rulez supreme, so you have NO idea if the party who was nasty to you has a hidden agenda -- i.e., did this nasty transaction arise from one of your competitors, or did one of them put someone else up to do this?
In cyberspace, anonymity still rulez supreme, so you are clueless as to if this person was simply having a really bad hair day, or if, indeed, it was an Internet Prankster who ENJOYS sabotaging online auction sellers.
In cyberspace, the public is both g00d and not so good, just like in real life.
Retail ain't easy, any way you put it, and running a microbusiness when the entire economic structure is undergoing change~change~change is NOT easy, and in fact is very werry stressful.
Try to determine HOW LONG AGO it was that you shoulda taken a shortterm break from selling, so that NO email taunt ever makes you say, "I QUIT."
posted on September 13, 2000 04:45:33 PM
jeanyu, I see your point, but according to cassiescloset, this is bothering her so much that it is causing health problems. If your occupation is harming your health, it seems to me that looking for another line of work is advisable.
