posted on December 10, 2000 10:53:42 AM
I don't ship outside the US. That is stated in all of my auctions.
Today I had a bidder from Germany end an auction with Buy IT Now and then leave me a neg for not shipping to Germany. He said in his letter to me that he plans to do this to other sellers that don't ship outside the US. I am pretty angry. I can't even warn other sellers. Due to German privacy laws I can't see what he is bidding on.
I have written to safe harbor. Do you thibk they will remove the negative.
posted on December 10, 2000 10:58:04 AM
why do these bidder keep bidding on US Ebay or US yahoo auctions. If it doesn't state in the ads that the seller do not ship overseas, then s/he shouldn't bid. I get one or two overseas bidders and most of them never send payment because they don't know how to get a international money order. You should've took his bid and re-list, he probably wouldn't send the money anyway. And if he does, just send it, it's a slim chance he will. I never got any luck on Germany bidders in Yahoo and I got 3 of them in my 2 year history. It cost them a bundle to send international money order, so they will claim they send it and lie, and most likely they will disappear.
posted on December 10, 2000 11:25:13 AM
Send a complaint to SafeHarbor. Be sure to include a copy of the email stating he plans to sabotage other auctions, and include the email's headers. I'll bet they suspend him fast.
posted on December 10, 2000 11:45:49 AM
I know it's after the fact, but as to that bidder's current bidding, can you do a Search by Bidder ID, and see how many are BID NOW or whatever? At least, that would give Safe Harbour something to go by...and as twin, be sure to send SH the full headers of his/her Emails...
That is SO NOT cool!...so dang mean! Good luck...please, let us know...
******************** Gosh Shosh!
posted on December 10, 2000 11:49:53 AM
I'm not surprised you're angry. I think I would be too if that happened to me, except it wouldn't because I ship anywhere.
What I wanted to know is, what is this German privacy law thing? Are you meaning that if you have someone from Germany bid on your auctions you can't pull their information or check what else they've been bidding on or anything like that? Is this unique to Germany?
Because I want to be totally fair here and see both sides, I have to admit that whilst I consider that what this guy did was WRONG, I do maybe sympathise a little bit with the frustration that drove him to do what he did.
I know it's hard for a lot of people in the US to realise sometimes, but a strange kind of discrimination exists on the internet for anyone who is not from US or Canada. There's nothing we can do about it and I doubt that anything ever will be done about it. It's perfectly legal and nobody thinks anything of it. If one took buses or used restrooms on the internet we have to use different ones than you guys.
For example, as a UK resident I see advertisements for AW free listing days which I can't take part in because Exchangepro won't accept UK users. I see banners urging me to take part in AW surveys which offer a $100 Amazon gift certificate in a prize draw....which is only open to US users. Which is daft really because the gift certificate can be sent by email and Amazon deliver overseas. I have to accept that although I'm a well educated reasonably articulate person, I live on the wrong side of the Atlantic and so as far as 99% of the internet poulation is concerned I don't exist.
I'm always seeing stuff on Ebay that I'd love to bid on and I accept the right of US sellers not to ship overseas. Sometimes I wish there was stuff half as nice and half as cheap on Ebay UK, but of course there never is. I accept that we must put up with inferior choice, inflated prices and frankly appalling weather. But guys, please appreciate that sometimes it's like looking in the sweet shop window and never being able to buy anything, however much money you have. It HURTS.
posted on December 10, 2000 12:04:20 PM
When I try to pull up the auctions he is bidding on I get the following message:
"Not possible
German privacy laws do not allow us to pass on information involving bidders from Germany. If you want to find all auctions this user has bid on, please contact the user directly by email"
I don't see not shipping outside the US as discrimination. I will sell to anyone or any race, creed, religion and handicap if they are in the US.
[ edited by easydoesit on Dec 10, 2000 12:05 PM ]
posted on December 10, 2000 12:10:44 PM
Although I do sympathize with the None US bidder pleas, it still remains the seller's choice.
Quite often, {although not always}, Foreign Countries bidders will just about demand to pay by BidPoint or whatever the name is....And many, (but not all), sellers do NOT accept or no longer accept Online Payments.
Perhaps, the safest way would be for Seller to mention in listing that International sales will have to be cleared by SELLER prior to placing a bid, (so that seller at least has a chance to explain their payment options)...Unfortunatley, even that does not work, based on threads I read here, where foreign bidder bids anyway on a US only listing. What's the answer?
******************** Gosh Shosh!
posted on December 10, 2000 12:46:33 PM
Send him an email immediately instructing him not to bid in your auctions again, and carbon copy the email to SafeHarbor. Let him know that he will be suspended if he bids again. Then send an email to [email protected].
This guy is really a jerk. eBay could prevent this kind of problem by adding a "blocked bidders list" similar to an email client blocked senders list.
(edited to add
Leave negative feedback and contact other sellers he's negged. Get them to leave feedback too. Once he reaches -4 he won't be able to place more bids.
posted on December 10, 2000 01:01:21 PM
You're right this totally stinks. As far as I remember, it is the sellers choice whether or not to sell internationally . Perhaps this guy has been used to the east side too long. We in the United States still have freedoms and choices.
I sell internationally, and have had to eat far too many shipping costs. Even though I use the web site to calculate, there is a notice at the bottom of the page stating this (the price quote) may not be correct when you actually go to the p.o. AND a lot of times it is not.
In addition, I have been accused of stealing a bidders money because they sent cash through the mail from England and along the way it was stolen. I don't like anyone sending me cash and now I always put a sentence in my emails that I cannot be responsible for the safety of the money while in route. While I'm on a roll, the average of deadbeats has been higher with international bidders. I believe this is because they do not realize the shipping is so expensive and they would rather risk the neg.
Ebay needs to act on this right away and they should take any negs you receive from this guy off. This guy needs to be suspended. Please keep us informed on this situation. This only substantiates my gripes that ebay needs to crack down on bidders as much as they do now with sellers.
posted on December 10, 2000 01:02:45 PM
Why not foil him by shipping to Germany - just have your TOS state non-U.S. shipping/handling minimum of $500. If he persists, you can neg him for non-payment (or at least clean up on s/h).
posted on December 10, 2000 01:05:55 PM
Make sure you notify SafeHarbor he's still bidding. I wish I could offer more comfort, but unfortunately I don't think there's much you can do. Try to get SafeHarbor to remove the negative. They might, but even so, their "investigation" usually takes two weeks.
The sad part is, this type of online harassment never shows up on the FBI fraud statistics, etc. No one is paying any attention. Internet security is poor, expecially at eBay where anyone can access your email address and other personal information. If eBay kicks this guy off, he can be back on in a number of minutes.
posted on December 10, 2000 01:11:36 PM
Hi again: Once you have notified Safe Harbour that you want that bidder BLOCKED from your listings, you must send them the listing Number he JUST BID ON...That will activate the BLOCKING. So, if you have not yet done so, Email Ebay again with your Auctiuon Number...Good Luck...
That REALLY stinks!.....
******************** Gosh Shosh!
posted on December 10, 2000 01:28:28 PM
Fallen Madonna & Shoshanah
You need to consider that it is not always the sellers choice of where they will or will not sell.
I for one sell items that can not be legally sold outside of North America. This is not my choice, this is the way the laws are written. I for one, have no intention of having a couple of state department officials showing up at my business and having my license revoked.
posted on December 10, 2000 01:34:40 PM
Had not thought about the TYPE of items sold. In that case, it may NOT be seller's choice as to WHERE to sell, but it is still seller's choice as to WHAT to sell...
******************** Gosh Shosh!
posted on December 10, 2000 02:34:48 PM
Shoshanah,
What you have said, "...but it is still seller's choice as to WHAT to sell..."
Is most true.
However, I am selling what I know. I can offer my clients my knowledge and experience as part of the service.
I took a look at your current auctions and you have some bery nice items, I was quite taken by the snowman pillbox, but you see I know nothing of these types of things and would do a great disservice hould I try to market such items.
So in the end, the choices we all make are not always as free as we might like to think.
posted on December 10, 2000 02:41:59 PM
If you did a search on items and put in his id would that search all auctions he is the top bidder on??? Just a thought?
posted on December 10, 2000 02:56:16 PM
Easydoesit,
I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I was trying to say. I'm not suggesting for one moment that a seller not wishing or not being able to sell to us Brits is discrimination per se. I'm just trying to point out that the internet in general favours Americans, and for the rest of us it's like being on the outside of the Christmas party looking in without the prospect of ever getting an invitation!
Either this guy is a mad loony (probably) or he is trying to make some misguided statement or he totally misunderstands the whole situation and thinks that somehow Ebay are gonna side with him on this one. Maybe he's hoping that the German privacy laws will protect him and prevent him getting NARUed!!
Bitofagrump,
I suspect that you are not allowed to sell what you sell outside the US because if you did so then US companies who are currently making a fortune out of selling to Europe would suddenly have to start charging us the same as they charge you guys....then where would their profit go? Back in the old days before the internet, when air travel was expensive and the only contact we had with the US was via TV shows, it was easy for American companies to come over here and convince people they were getting a bargain when what they were actually doing was substituting a dollar sign for a pound sign. And there are currently about 1.5 dollars to the pound so it isn't hard to see how much over the odds we are paying.
This thread is quite interesting. I've never had a customer from Germany and by the sounds of it I don't want one if they have that much difficulty obtaining foreign funds. I've had customers from Greece before and they've always paid me cash in US dollars. But I expect that for high ticket items that's not really feasible.
posted on December 10, 2000 04:25:29 PM
I used to be able to sell outside of the USA and it was such a Hoot! I loved all the neato people. Especially our Canadian neighbors.
But, since my health has taken it's toll on me and I can't get around very well anymore, it has stopped me from harvesting the boxes from the dumpsters. And since all the services are taking so much of my pie, there is nothing left to purchase boxes. So, I am at the mercy of the USPS free priority boxes that are only good in the USA. It's really a bummer. So, I guess I'm also a prime target for that icky German guy...and there ain't a dang thang I can do 'bout it...... sigh......
I know it must be terribly frustrating for buyers outside of the USA. I hope some of them understand that there are some of us here in the USA that aren't being mean. We are just stuck in neutral here.
posted on December 10, 2000 05:53:38 PM
fallen_madonna, I just wanted to make a post to give you my perspective on the "bias" against foreign bidders...
When I lived in Scotland, I had a hard time finding US sellers who would ship to me, so I know how frustrating that is. But now that I'm living in the US, I still have the same problem! Among my many hobbies is collecting rare comics from the UK and Japan, and almost none of the dealers for these books will ship outside their own country.
(The really ironic thing is that the owner of the comic shop I used to frequent in Edinburgh -- who constantly complained to me about the mean dealers who wouldn't ship things to him in the UK -- now refuses to sell to me at my new address because, ha ha, he only ships inside the UK. You'd think he'd be more understanding since he knows what it feels like.)
I guess it all depends on what type of item you are looking at. I just wanted to point out that the shipping bias is a two-way street. I've had problems with it *everywhere* I've lived.
posted on December 10, 2000 05:55:22 PM
yikes! what a nut! I hope you are able to get the negs removed. I also hope safeharbor deals with this guy ASAP!
I support the seller's right to choose whether they sell internationally. Grapey & Grumpy raise excellent points. Lots of people CAN'T sell internationally. Lots of items can't be sold internationally. Who does this guy think he is? god? sheesh.
fallen_madonna- I agree with your post in its entirety.
I sell internationally! There are some weeks when every single auction of mine, be it Ebay or Yahoo, ends with an international high bidder! I LOVE IT!
llama lady, I was sorry to read about your experiences but mine have luckily been entirely different. For one thing, I make daily trips to the post office, so I usually just have the clerk quote all my shipping options to me for my international customers. Then I email them after. Sometimes I lose a day doing that, but I haven't run into problems yet- I have found that all my international customers have been very patient and willing to work with me. They are usually happy to have exact shipping quotes and a variety of options. Also, I have been lucky not to lose any cash through the mail- many ofmy customers send cash certified- maybe you could recommend that to your international customers, because cash is so much less likely to disappear when someone actually has to sign for it. Also, I haven't had a problem with international deadbeats. I am not sure if it's just plain luck or what.
posted on December 10, 2000 06:10:08 PM
Although I list on all my auctions,I do not ship internationally, every now and then I have someone e-mail me and ask if I will accept their international bid which I do.I don't mind that,but to bid without asking a seller...thats stinks!
posted on December 10, 2000 07:07:38 PM
Geez, what a bunch of lazy sellers.
I have been selling for ages now and almost 25% of my sales are overseas. I rarely have a problem and charge extra for S&H to take into account the filling in of customs forms etc.
You cut yourself off from a big ol world by being lazy and xenophobic.
It's your choice but maybe you should ask yourself why?
It's like those sellers that only want to ship Priority so that they won't have to drag their ever expanding butts to the post office!
These are evolving marketplaces. Maybe a few of you should evolve?
posted on December 10, 2000 07:22:30 PM
I can't give the exact wording of the privacy laws, but Germany's constitution guarantees the right of the German citizen's privacy(unlike the US). This means their personal info cannot be given out nor can it be sold(again, unlike in the US). Keep in mind, Germany doesn't have the most strict privacy laws in Europe, either...
Llama lady: Mighty broad brush you used to paint all Germans based on the actions of one loon.
