posted on July 10, 2001 12:07:27 AM
Well, I blew this one!! I listed a bunch of stuff on FLD and then I used a powerlister program to relist what did not sell......they all just went off and I was getting ready to send EOA's and GEEZ...to my horror I discovered that a book I had already sold was relisted in the batch and it SOLD AGAIN...with 6 bids ending at almost 30.00!!!!!!!! I know I have to email the winner and explain this but they are really going to be P_______d off........I know I will probably eat the listing/commission on this already but I really don't want a neg over this....I know sooner or later it happens but I guess I just hoped when I get a neg it would be over something a little more worthwhile than a dumb mistake....any suggestions how I can handle this.......I really don't want any p___d off bidders....and its already been a really crappy day......sigh. Midnite Marguerita's anyone?? I could use one right about now.
Not Minx on Ebay!
posted on July 10, 2001 12:17:43 AM
We just recently did the exact same thing and it was no big deal.
We e-mailed the 2nd buyer something like this:
Dear xxxx buyer,
Thank you for bidding on our auction. Unfortunately, and to our horror, we have discovered that we listed the same item twice.
For reference, please see item #'s XXX and XXX. As you can see it is the same item. We only have one of these.
Sadly we are just e-mailing you to let you know that we will not have XXX to sell to you. We hope this is not a terrible inconvenience to you. Please let us know if you ever win an item from us again and we will give you free s/h/i - a value of $5.50.
Again, please accept our apologies. Have a great rest of your week
Sincerely,
XXXX
******************
Our buyer actually e-mailed us and told us that she will buy from us again so just keep the funds (we already had the money on both) and she will let us know when she bids.
If handled correctly - I think you will not receive a negative.
posted on July 10, 2001 05:03:30 AM
Hi, I'm assuming there's not another one listed that you could purchase and send to buyer. Perhaps if you post it here, someone has another copy that could help you out.
Jay
posted on July 10, 2001 05:07:57 AM
this has happened to me a time or 2 alos.......easy solution in my eyes. what i did in both cases was to wait 4 or 5 days and email the high bidder stating that you had the item out with your other items waiting to pack them up. when you returned home form work you discovered thaqt your cat or dog, had gottn ahold to it and chewed it up really bad.....sorry for the trouble...............................................that has worked for me and one of the buyers even emailed saying please don't beat the cat .............
posted on July 10, 2001 06:07:57 AM
Been there, Done that. Gives you that horrid sinking feeling in your stomach.
I've used the following when it's happened:
Dear XYZ
With extreme regret I must advise you that I accidentally listed the G I Joe w/the Kung Fu Grip when it is no longer available.
I deeply regret the inconvenience and disappointment I must have caused you and am sincerely sorry this mistake happened.
If I am ever able to obtain another one, I'll be glad to let you know immediately. I will be filing with ebay to get my fees back using the "buyer/seller agree not to continue" format where ebay does not hold either of us accountable.
Again, I am sincerely sorry for this mistake. I pride myself on my ebay reputation and know I let you down on this one. I hope, in the future, you will consider purchasing from me again and I guarantee I'll do my best to make your purchase a pleasant one.
My deepest apologies,
Mercifully when it's happened to me, the buyers have been very understanding. One even left me glowing feedback thanking me for my honesty (boy...does THAT ever make you feel worse).
Just be honest and sincere. 99% of the time, the buyer will be disappointed but understand.
posted on July 10, 2001 09:09:56 AM
No doubt there was risk involved when uploading our Mr. Lister files on free listing day. We blew over 6 auctions so far. But, we listed 1,000 and the results were worth the money. So far, 5 out of 6 have been good with it. I'll take the money and pay bills and just swear at the neg or two that I get in the meantime. Life will go on and our apology letters went out to the people we could not conclude the auction with. We offered a similar item or refund. It's working out just fine. No big deal, move on.
posted on July 10, 2001 09:34:38 AM
A big thanks to everyone who had some great advice.....
ypayretail..thanks for the idea...unfortunately...the item was sold off of our webpage after the initial couple of listings on ebay...I can't purchase another one as this was a rather pricey item....or your idea would work...
eventer...I LIKE your letter and if you don't mind I will use it...it pretty much says it all and gets my feeling across excellently...thanks for the help.
THANKS EVERYONE!!!
posted on July 10, 2001 02:05:27 PM
This happened to me too a few times (as a seller) - I just wrote to them, told them the situation and my mistake, and if applicable, offered a slightly different item, and I paid the postage because of the mistake..
posted on July 10, 2001 03:29:03 PM
Gee I seem to be in good company. I just groveled and offered a discount on a future auction. She THANKED me for letting her know and promised pos feedback (though I haven't seen any -but NO NEG!!).
Apologize profusely and admit you messed up
BTW my boyfriend thought it was funny. I still see no humor in it, but I'm sure I will someday
Maria
posted on July 10, 2001 07:57:24 PM
Well, I finally got the nerve up to send the post to him...and I invited him here to see that it can happen to anyone.....guess I am groveling here.......we will see what happens. And your right...Whatever comes out of it will be and I will just have to move on...If nothing else...IT TAUGHT ME TO CHECK THE RELISTED AUCTIONS ON AUTO RELISTERS BEFORE I SUBMIT THEM...so it was not a wasted lesson....
posted on July 10, 2001 10:50:03 PM
Just be honest and tell the truth. I am sure you will be surprised at the answer. I know that mistakes happen and if it happened to me I would just forget about it and move on. Ebay is big enough that the item you had will eventually be listed again. The only thing the buyer will lose is a little time. Good Luck
posted on July 11, 2001 07:29:23 AM
has happened to me 4 times! (out of 1,000's of auctions in 2 years)
One time was Amazon's fault, they had double-listed an item. No I did not double-list it, I still list each and every one individually by hand. I don't even use an electric computer, mine is hand-crank. (last part a lie, I just couldn't stop) (yes, Amazon double-lists occasionally, I TRY to catch them and delete one)
Other three times were followed by quick trips to 3 or 4 bookstores and 5 or 6 thriftshops TRYING to find duplicate! Found dup twice and buyer never knew. Once had to lay it all out for buyer, apologise, promise my firstborn, they were cool. She even wrote "I'm not going to leave you a bad feedback" although I'd never mentioned it. I STILL have her book on my "wish list" I carry, hope hope hoping to find it. Been 6 or 7 months and nada.
posted on July 11, 2001 09:01:38 AM
What are the books involved? I know there are lots of people on AW who sell lots of books. Perhaps one of us can help you out.
posted on July 11, 2001 12:25:38 PM
The same thing happened to me during the FLD, except with a record. I emailed the bidder and told him I made a mistake, the record was previously sold and offered him another record. Included in my email was a list of what I had on hand. Luckily there was two that he liked. He had also bid on another record. I told him all he owed me was the cost of that one record and the others were on me along with the shipping. He still sent me a few dollars for shipping which was really nice, but unnecessary because it was my mistake. (actually it was quite nice because it was out of country)
I believe honesty is the only policy and most people find it refreshing when the truth is told right away. I myself, hate the song and dance, and tap-dance approach.
...I know I will probably eat the listing/commission on this already but I really don't want a neg over this....I know sooner or later it happens but I guess I just hoped when I get a neg it would be over something a little more worthwhile than a dumb mistake....any suggestions how I can handle this.......I really don't want any p___d off bidders....and its already been a really crappy day......sigh. Midnite Marguerita's anyone?? I could use one right about now.
