posted on September 14, 2000 05:56:02 PM
I have a situation and I would love to hear some of your opinions. I recently sold a large lot of my daughters clothes. I am going to post the part of description in question. Here it is, word for word;
From left to right; Black denim Route 66 5 pocket jean. Sightly faded knees, size 7. **Blue Denim jeans, slightly faded knees, also size 7. **Black Levi's, washed and worn 3 times and still in BRAND new condition. Size 8 Slim, bell bottoms/flares. **In the front row are a pair of denim pedal pushers/capris with an elastic waist
From what you see, how many pairs of pants would you expect to receive with this lot? I will elaborate after I get some unbiased answers.
Thanks
Michelle
[ edited by yuper592 on Sep 14, 2000 05:56 PM ]
posted on September 14, 2000 06:04:20 PM
I see 4 pairs of jeans but it is confuseing to read I would have listed something like this
frist pair of jeans
second and so on to make it clear and avoid the confusion
I can sell frist second third fourth with out a problem under standing there is 4 of something Its hard to sell and be clear the way you went or I would have said 4 pair of jean righ at the top
WWW.dman-n-company.com
posted on September 14, 2000 06:08:14 PM
1)
From left to right; Black denim Route 66 5 pocket jean. Sightly faded knees, size 7. **
2)
Blue Denim jeans, slightly faded knees, also size 7.
3)
**Black Levi's, washed and worn 3 times and still in BRAND new condition. Size 8 Slim, bell bottoms/flares.
(If you read this wrong, you might think it is 2 pair...of course there is a picture)
4)
**In the front row are a pair of denim pedal pushers/capris with an elastic waist
posted on September 14, 2000 06:09:03 PM
You all passed and get a big red star! Thank you, thank you and thank you. I thought perhaps I was losing my mind!
There are indeed 4 pairs of jeans included in this lot, and the pic showed 4 pairs of jeans. I received an email from the bidder yesterday that she was thrilled with her purchase, but the size 8 bell bottom/flares were not included and they were the main reason she bid on the lot in the first place. I tore my house apart, literally, looking for them and couldn't imagine where they had gone. I emailed her back and asked her politely to please check the box again because I couldn't locate them. I specifically asked her if it was the Levi's that were missing. She replied and said, no, she got the Levi's, it was the bell bottom/flares that were missing. Um....the bell bottom flares and the Levi's are one in the same. I just wondered if my add was a bit misleading. I did use the astericks to seperate each piece and its description, but now think that it may have been a little confusing. Does it look confusing to you or am I being paranoid?
So now what do I do? This woman is extremely nice and I don't want to upset her, but she did get what she paid for. What would you do?
posted on September 14, 2000 06:12:25 PM
Thank you all for your advice on the numbering system. Normally I do number the pieces, but this lot was much bigger than what I am accustomed to listing. I started out numbering everything, but the page ended up so long that I revised it. The jeans were only one part...there were also several shirts.
Here is the auction so you can see what I mean
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=401191192
I think I'd better stick to numbers in the future to avoid this from happening again.
Thanks again all!
Michelle
[ edited by yuper592 on Sep 14, 2000 06:15 PM ]
posted on September 14, 2000 06:14:49 PM
I would offer her a %10 discount. Explain that they are one in the same.
Also you could offer her free shipping on a future auction that she bids on.
I saw 5 pairs at first...because the one sentence looks like it covers it all...but no way, because the second sentence tells what you are bidding on.
I have misread auctions, but I took it as a learning experience.
Send here the description and hopefully she'll be happy. Nothing is worse than feeling the burn...even if it's your own fault.
Capriole (only capriole here)
posted on September 14, 2000 07:54:23 PM I failed the test! I counted 5! I read it very CAREFULLY (so I thought). Even held up on finger for each pair. I saw the black levi pair AND the bell bottoms as 2 seperate pants. I'm a little red faced too! I probably should have not posted and then ya'll would not know I'm subject to "blonde moments" and I'm a redhead!!! (No insult meant to any blondes-reallllllly)It's just that I am constantly being asked if I dye my hair red!
posted on September 15, 2000 01:26:55 AM
Your description is slightly ambiguous, so I would take Abacaxi's advice and list the total number of items in the future.
posted on September 15, 2000 02:32:36 AM
10% discount, no way! Why should you have to give up something for their stupidity?
Be nice, but firm- tell them they got what they paid for, nothing less, nothing more. Everything showed up in the photo, send them a copy of the photo via email, if they dispute it. Also, never leave feedback until they do. The biggest deterrent to negative feedback by boneheaded buyers who are blind and stupid is simply put, the fear of retaliation.
Boneheads like this make me want to pull my hair out.
By the way, I have never called anyone a bonehead directly, but I have certainly thought it.
-Del
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill
posted on September 15, 2000 05:27:17 AM
Thank you all for your input. I guess at this point I'm feeling a little bad. When I read the add I can see how one would think they were getting 5 pairs of jeans. My adds aren't normally this jumbled, but I was extremely tired that night and to tell you the truth, since I was selling clothing out of my own home I wasn't as worried about maximizing profits and doing up a really nice add...I rushed through it.
I don't fear any negative feedback since the bidder can't leave any for me (she was the back up bidder, high bidder has been NARU). She has been extremely friendly. I emailed her yesterday with an offer of a replacement pair of Scooby Doo bell bottoms that my daughter just pulled out of her drawer, but I haven't heard a word back from her. I hope I haven't emberrased or offended her.
posted on September 15, 2000 06:07:19 AM
I'm short on caffeine this morning but it took me three reads to get "4" rather than "5". Despite the asterisks, I too read:
Black denim jeans, size 7
Blue denim jeans, size 7
Black Levis.
Bell bottom flares, size 8S
Denim pedal pushers
Yeah, yeah, I know; that's wrong. I should've realized that the "black Levis" and the "bell bottom flares" were one item because there's only one size given. But you didn't give a size for the pedal pushers either, so....I got confused.
However, if you'd been consistent in your description of each pair of jeans, I at least wouldn't have misread the description. THIS is consistent:
From left to right:
Black denim Route 66 5 pocket jean. Slightly faded knees, size 7.
Blue Denim jeans, slightly faded knees, also size 7.
Black Levi's bell bottom/flares, washed and worn 3 times and still in BRAND new condition. Size 8 Slim.
At front:
Denim pedal pushers/capris with an elastic waist, size ___.
Just another reason to proofread your listings for consistency and clarity. Look at how they might be misread, and make sure (as much as possible) that they can't be.
[ edited by HartCottageQuilts on Sep 15, 2000 06:09 AM ]
posted on September 15, 2000 12:07:41 PM
-- Don't be totally afraid of html - Learn at least to use "<br>" to start a new line, and it becomes easier to write clearer descriptions.
posted on September 16, 2000 03:11:43 AM
I saw it the same way as HCQ first described it. 5 pair with the bell bottoms being a different pair than the Levis. I also thought it was plausible to see a pair with no size listed since the last pair also had no size listed.
Sorry! Until everybody else said four, I was so sure of myself that there were 5 pair. However, I did not have the benefit of a picture and I count much better with visual aids.
posted on September 16, 2000 04:50:50 AM
Yuper -
For one ... use HTML in your ads to separate the items. Putting P inside the < brackets does wonders for clarity.
And as HCQW pointed out, consistent structure to the ad description helps comprehension.
posted on September 16, 2000 04:59:51 AM
Doesn't any idiot understand that a picture was provided and also that the bidder was overally satisfied?
A picture is enough evidence of what is being sold. I am sure an actual pic was used on this auction and that it showed DISTINCTLY 4 pairs of jeans!
Wording is one thing, BUT A DAMN PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.
I hope you have archived those frickin' photos so you can show them to your lame buyer. Anyone in this thread that misses the point about a photo, is really trying to READ WAY TOO MUCH INTO THE DESCRIPTION! IF THEY INTERPRET 5 ITEMS IN THE 'DESCRIPTION' THEN IT WOULD BE THEIR OWN FAULT FOR NOT BOTHERING TO LOOK AT THE PHOTO! The point here is that a PHOTO was provided. Pictures are much louder than words. I feel any kind of photo or graphic that SHOWS EXACTLY WHAT SOMEONE IS RECEIVING will supersede any words (and mistakes) you have made.
I say leave 'em negative if they press the issue and threaten anything. Anyone here who disagrees is a wimp. Why should you have to pay for an honest mistake. Why be taken advantage of because you made a simple mistake...
-Del
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill
posted on September 16, 2000 05:45:16 AM
Whoa! Time to regroup here! Deep breath in... big breath out....
Wiz- We were not being asked to give our opinion of the photo. We were being asked to give our opinion on the description alone. And we did that.
The photo does not supercede what someone is bidding on in an auction, it is the description that does. The description is the contract, not the photo. I have seen many auctions with a photo of multiple items where only one was up for auction on that particular listing. Oddly enough, I recently saw an auction with a large photo showing 4 pairs of pants and 4 coordinating tops. The auction was only for the green leggings in the middle of it all. If I didn't read the description, which is my responsability, as a bidder, then I would incorrectly assume from the picture that I was bidding on the entire lot.
If a photo was the definitive judge of everything included in an auction, many of us would end up with a whole living room or garage full of the seller's stuff. (Well, your cat was in the pic, so he's mine now!)
posted on September 16, 2000 06:45:23 AM
Hello again yuper592
I apologize if I was "short" with you. I have had a rough week and am relaxing before I get out of "Dodge" for the weekend.
We all are human. We learn from our mistakes. However, too "some" people do take advantage of "loopholes." So you just need to make sure your "i's are dotted and "t's" are crossed" so the loopholes are closed as much as possible.
If I was the bidder and realised my mistake I would say ok seller I made a mistake.... and hope the seller will understand.
As a seller I understand buyer's mistakes because I have had wonderful buyers understand mine! LOL!
And also "some" people will come up with excuses not to buy the items even after bidding. So in my opinion try not to help them with their excuses....not referring to your actual buyer in question.
Plus the i's and t's help to eliminate any unneccessary hassles...
In terms of photos as evidence, I bought an item and the photo show the "chip" which I just thought it was a spot in the photo. I know I should have asked, but I took the sellers words in the description using "MINT" to mean the item was not damaged.
I "finally" received a refund but it was not easy! He had about 20+ negs (another lesson) and one mentioned the refund was done with a bounced check. So I had to be very careful of the agreement to include money order and not personal checks!
So anyways sometimes in my opinion the photos and the description can go hand in hand which was my case with the seller.
posted on September 16, 2000 07:13:57 AM
Good Morning all,
Thanks again for so much input. My bidder emailed me this morning and after going back to the auction and re-reading the description, she realized she was bidding on 4 pairs of jeans. I have offered her free shipping and 10% off in the future since I do feel that I have some culpability here. Some of you saw 4 pairs of jeans, others saw 5 so the add was obviously not clear.
I know how to use html and as I said, my adds aren't normally this jumbled and confusing, this was just one of those times that I didn't put my "all" into it and it proved to be a fiasco.
bobby--since I didn't come here to validate myself for stiffing this customer I wasn't offended at all by your post. I accept all points of view and they are all well taken.
Luckily for me this bidder was as friendly as they come, which is why I've had such a dilemna as to how to handle this. It's the ones that come at you with threats and prophanities that can make this place a miserable one. The friendly and understanding ones make you want to bend over backwards.
Thanks again to all of you.
Michelle
edited because I was up all night long with my son and can't keep my eyes open. I will NOT be posting auctions today
[ edited by yuper592 on Sep 16, 2000 07:17 AM ]
I failed the test! I counted 5! I read it very CAREFULLY (so I thought). Even held up on finger for each pair. I saw the black levi pair AND the bell bottoms as 2 seperate pants. I'm a little red faced too! I probably should have not posted and then ya'll would not know I'm subject to "blonde moments" and I'm a redhead!!! (No insult meant to any blondes-reallllllly)It's just that I am constantly being asked if I dye my hair red! 
