posted on October 3, 2000 08:21:12 PM
I'd like to start this and see who has the most outlandish story. I've been buying a lot lately to resell locally, I deal in postcards. Running across the classic offensive auction text: no clear description of the item or shipping terms, but threats and large upper case type in red to rule out in-state bidders, they didn't want to deal with sales tax, people who object to priority mailing of a single postcard, and more and more. Has anyone else been struck dumb by hostile auction listings?
posted on October 3, 2000 08:51:47 PM
When you say "threatening," do mean you life is in danger because some seller said, "NO IN-STATE BUYERS," in their TOS?
Sellers may put something from their TOS in capital letters because they know very few people read it and they are trying to grab attention to actually get them to do so. That's not so bad!
I've learned through hundreds of auctions that people seldom read the text of description anyway, so I try to leave most of it to the buyers imagination, which if you think about it, that's what all advertising is about, right? Advertisers have always aimed their ads towards a fourth grade level, that just so happens to be the way the majority of consumers are when it comes to a buying decision- very impulsive; wanting instant gratification...
What you perceive as hostile TOS' are nothing more than a seller getting frustrated by buyers who expect the world to revolve around them and want to set a buyers TOS. You can live with the seller who lists that in a TOS, or you can deal with sellers like me who will simply void the sale and send you up the creek with no paddle. God, Ammerica is great!
posted on October 4, 2000 05:37:36 AM
I know what you mean, and I figure that, if the seller is more interested in screaming at me about what he might do to me if I don't conform to his expectations than he is in describing his item accurately and honestly, then he must have something to hide!! Those browser windows get closed post-haste with no bid from me.
I wonder how many sellers with the "let the buyer assume" mentality end up with unhappy customers who "assumed" incorrectly, and how these sellers handle the situation in order to avoid negative feedback from all these people. Wonder how much their sales would increase if they'd devote a bit more time to a decent item description, to interest those of us who only bid on items about which we don't have to make assumptions?
posted on October 4, 2000 09:16:07 AM
The worst I saw was an auction that had a Java pop up window appear even before you could look at the auction page. (eBay did make this seller get rid of the pop up).
It said something to the effect that if you bid you are entering into a legal contract with the seller and you had damm well better complete the transaction within 5 days or the seller would take legal action for breaking the bidding contract.
The shipping was also "professional" packing and was about $30.00 for an object that weighed no more than 6 ozs, and it was non negotiable. This seller had about 30 positive feedback and 8 negs.
posted on October 4, 2000 11:15:55 AM
smw - that tops anything I've seen! I guess there are people who act like this in brick and mortar places as well. Maybe it's the sweeping and pre-emptive nature of the tos that gets our attention. Doesn't seem calculated to increase sales, though!
posted on October 4, 2000 01:00:09 PM
I did see one seller that required payment in 3 days, and suggested Express Mail. No, i backed out of that one fast.
posted on October 4, 2000 01:24:48 PM
I think I remember somebody who refused payment by check, and if anybody asked why they would receive negative feedback.
posted on October 4, 2000 02:10:50 PM
I remember a listing for a high dollar item that had no picture, a couple of lines of description, and three or four pages of TOS. What really stands out in that TOS was that seller was responsible for all eBay listing and FVF's. I was curious and looked at his feedback - AWFUL! Needless to say, I didn't look at any of his other listings.
posted on October 4, 2000 11:04:06 PM
I won the bid on an item and when I asked if the seller accepted Pay Pal he replied with a long rude letter about how it stated right in his TOS that he accepted MO only. Well...I admit I missed it because there was so many animated graphics etc.He was talking to me like a child. Very angry. I apologized and told him it would take me a couple of days to get a MO as I live in a remote area. It took 3 more e-mail exchanges before he settled down I finally got his shipping info and item totals. I must have been the straw that broke the camels back!!
NOT Ladycowboy on Ebay
