posted on August 19, 2001 07:17:44 PM
Right off, let me say I don't mind answering ANY questions from buyers, even ones like, " In your auction for the book Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy, who's the author?".
Over low these many years, I've probably had less than a dozen questions in total, up until the last 2 weeks. Then I've barely been able to keep up w/an epidemic of questions.
Is anyone else experiencing a startling upswing in questions? And, I must say, about 50% of them are almost as bad as the "who's the author" question.
The other 50% are from people claiming to have missed out on the end of the auction by mere seconds, asking if I'll sell off line. I give them my standard party line, that I'll gladly relist on ebay if they are interested, but I'm a bit shocked at how many requests I'm getting. I had more in one day recently than I've had in the past 4 years combined.
ebay wasn't "down" at the time, so what's going on? Anyone else having similar experiences?
One other interesting thing..when the auction is running and I get a question, it shows the auction number (so atleast I have a clue what they heck they are asking about) but if the auction is over, it doesn't show the auction number..just a question from the other person. Then I have to email them back and ask WHICH auction they are asking about before I can answer their question.
posted on August 19, 2001 07:26:14 PM
I'm "on vacation" from listing right now, so can't address your question as a seller, but perhaps an article has appeared somewhere, in a magazine or on TV that suggested buyers email the seller before bidding?
posted on August 19, 2001 07:35:12 PMThe other 50% are from people claiming to have missed out on the end of the auction by mere seconds, asking if I'll sell off line.
I've been getting a lot of these too. Sometimes with insultingly lowball offers... and sometimes offering to buy at my start price.
Some of them come thru eBay's mail server, and I have to wonder "are you nuts", since these offers are clearly against eBays rules, and they just handed eBay all they need to get them selves booted if eBay ever starts screening the emails.
Other than the "lowballers" that seem to think eBay is the only way I have to sell my stuff, and if it doesn't get a bid, I'll give it away, I don't understand it either.
Why not just bid. Sure, eBay's "protection" (feedback, and the silly loyds insurance) isn't much, but anything offline isn't protected by eBay at all. Not that I would rip someone just because a deal is "offline".
posted on August 19, 2001 07:49:48 PM
Funny you should start a thread like this. My email bell just went off.... 2 emails that where sent 3 minutes apart(but came in together)....
One from a buyer on one of todays auctions:
"would you accept pay pal payment for....."
and one from paypal:
You've got cash!
XXX XXXXX has just sent you a payment for an auction
item with PayPal
I don't take paypal... I don't really mind someone asking, but gee.... He could have give me more than 3 minutes to answer.
WARNING, SHORT OFF TOPIC VENT:
One more reason I won't have anything to do with paypal. They have no business taking payments in my name when I don't have an account with them. They just threw a monkey wrench in ANOTHER one of my deals.
We must have the same bloomin customers! Popped back to check my EM and guess what, another "will you take $X for your item that didn't sell on ebay?"
I'm beginning to wonder why I bothered to pay ebay's listing fees, maybe I should have just put everything up on Let's Make a Deal or bargainandhaggle or whatever it's name is!
posted on August 19, 2001 08:12:03 PM
I haven't been doing this as long as some people, so maybe I don't notice it as much as being specific to eBay. But in general, don't you think there are just a lot of simple minded folks everywhere these days?
As to the "I missed the auction by one second" folks, I think everyone just wants to outsmart everyone else. I don't answer these unless I've relisted the thing twice or it doesn't seem like something I want to consign. I usually start my auctions with a price I'd be happy to get though, so if a person says they missed it and offers my opening bid plus shipping etc., I don't have too much problem saying yes.
posted on August 19, 2001 08:36:55 PM
I had a guy who emailed me who really liked a movie I listed that did not sell .. could I list it again so he could bid on it. OK, so I listed it again and he did not bid.
So he sends me another email. He really likes the movie and it closed once again without a bid. Would I sell it to him for $xx?
posted on August 19, 2001 08:45:23 PMperhaps an article has appeared somewhere, in a magazine or on TV
Maybe it is the "national advertising campaign" that we are supposed to be seeing Real Soon Now - ya know, the one that is going to pull eBay Stores out of the toilet?
Seriously, though, wasn't there a recent USA Today article written in a newbieish tone - I remember learning of it from AW. Perhaps a national wire service picked it up.
posted on August 19, 2001 08:47:48 PMI would rather throw it away, buddy
I told one lowballer that exact thing. Offered a Dollarfor something I had up for $24.95.
I know it's not considered smart to get mouthy with a "potential customer",but when the lowball offers get so low they are insulting it's really hard not to.
Now that you mentioned it. Since they put that new system in place to go through eBay to ask a question, I've received many questions. In my 3+ years of selling I hardly ever had any questions. I try to make my listings informative enough so they won't have any questions.
You suppose people just want to try the "ask seller a question" to see how it works?
I have 2 links in my listings for my bidders to email me directly with their questions and no-one uses them.
posted on August 19, 2001 08:55:18 PM
OK...so it's not just me. Had dozens of questions from sellers in the past 3 weeks. Wish we had as many bidder; but it seems we are hitting the summer lull as well.
Makes me wish I was going to Daytona for the week with my partner.
Eventer I must say my questions have been a tad more intelligent though...
Except the one that I got .... auction was for a tiny silver lock. Person writes to ask if it includes the key or do they have to buy that separately!
posted on August 19, 2001 09:08:27 PM
I received an "ask the seller a question" email from eBay & the asker didn't ask, they told me that they were buying my item & quoted an amount less than the high bid, auction wasn't over either. They also said if I had another they would buy that too & when could I send it. It was a 20 year old bottle of used perfume, like I had two of them...
It's obvious that this person was a newby & had no idea how an auction worked. I'm surprized they even figured out how to register.
I told them if they wanted the perfume they had to bid as the auction was still active,
they didn't, probably didn't know how...
posted on August 19, 2001 09:08:30 PMYou suppose people just want to try the "ask seller a question" to see how it works?
Could be. Some of the questions I get seem rather strange. Sort of like eventers "who wrote Tom Clancey's book".
I have 2 links in my listings for my bidders to email me directly with their questions and no-one uses them.
I only have one, but if you couldn't find it, you need glasses. That's what seems so silly about the "off line" offers. I know you get a warning not to use the "ask seller a question" to make offers to buy or sell off ebay.
posted on August 19, 2001 09:10:45 PM
Well, I feel better knowing it's not just me. Though fetishtemple makes me feel bad that her inquirers have a sharper inquiring mind than mine.
You might be right, packer. They did start to trickle in here and there about that time. Perhaps we're riding some crest of a tsunami of them.
Interesting point, wbbell but then, if they can't read the title/description to find out who the author is, how on earth can they read the USA Today? (JUST KIDDING, folks! I'm not implying our customers are dumb)
These lowball after the auction's over offers are incredible! WHAT are these people thinking? And they aren't even asking nicely..just "hey, give ya $1.50 for that if you include shipping." Right, like the shipping alone isn't going to run me $2.75.
Back to an earlier question, have any of you noticed that the emails after the auction ends doesn't have any information on it identifying WHICH auction it is?
Thank you...it was driving me nuts and it was a short drive. Now I understand.
Becky,
I had someone who pulled that w/me. Asked, no BEGGED me to put something up for them. Hounded me hourly until I got it back up. Then promptly ignored the auction. They are now safely residing on my blocked buyer list.
posted on August 19, 2001 09:27:44 PM
I know just what you mean Eventer. We have a least a paragraph TOS that explains that antique furniture will show normal signs of wear and will not look like new furniture. We describe anything remarkable about the furniture and still get questions asking if there are scratches on the piece. Yet, the bidders only want to pay a few hundred dollars and expect a museum quality piece.
I wonder if less verbage is a better policy. They may only be looking at the pictures anyway. Or perhaps they are testing to see if we are responsive before they bid. My husband says that the bottom feeders come out in the summertime.
posted on August 20, 2001 07:49:59 AM
I got an email on a test listing -- in the test category -- asking about the item. I replied that it was a test listing and the item wasn't available.
Three days later, the auction closes and he writes back that he hasn't heard from me. He'd gotten an email that the "auction wasn't real", what does that mean? Then he says he still wants the item, can I just give him the address to send money to?
I was tempted to say... sure, this is a test item that doesn't exist, but you can send me money at XXXX!
posted on August 20, 2001 08:09:30 AM
Yes! I woke up to a gaggle of questions this morning! I was shocked. My fave was the person inquiring if the shirt I had for sale was Old Navy.
Well, the title said Old Navy, the picture showed Old Navy, and the description said Old Navy.
Hmmmmmmmmmm - WTH are you e-mailing me for?!?!?!?!!!!! Morons.
posted on August 20, 2001 08:35:43 AMI replied that it was a test
toyamy do you get the feeling this is the type of buyer who, when they hear, "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System", goes to get a piece of paper and a pencil?
My fave was the person inquiring if the shirt I had for sale was Old Navy.
posted on August 20, 2001 08:48:31 AM
No, Eventer I think when they hear the words "this is a test" they either duck under their furniture or jump into their bomb shelter, if they have one.
One of my auctions just ended and I got an E-mail this morning asking for the lowest price I would sell the item since it didn't meet its reserve. Just two out of three auctions met their reserve. Bottom Feeders. I will certainly welcome fall and winter.
What a clever idea to test market items on E-Bay before buying lots of inventory. Not only do we get to vent to each other, but the threads are educational...
posted on August 20, 2001 08:50:26 AM
LOL eventer! Believe me, many good sarcastic comments raged through my mind! It was hard to send a polite response to that one...
posted on August 20, 2001 10:36:34 AM
I've had just a couple of post-auction offers, both from other sellers. One was for the starting bid, which mine mostly go for anyway, so I agreed. The other was below my cost, so I didn't agree. I didn't realize that BUYERs could get tossed off ebay for soliciting sales by email.
Recently I really did miss the end of an auction I wanted, we stayed out to dinner later than I expected. It may not always be a lie!
As to Tom Clancy, a couple of times lately I've seen his new books in the store showing the author as Tom Clancy's Op Center (or something similar), sounded like he had a writer's mill doing the actually writing for him after he thought up the idea himself. Maybe the bidders are wondering if it is one of those or a Clancy-only book. Just speculating.
