posted on October 3, 2001 12:28:50 PM new
Ok, I've started my Christmas shopping. And, I'm trying to do as much of it as possible on ebay. I would prefer to give my fellow sellers my business rather than going to the local stores and malls.
My first gripe - what is with the HORRIBLE pictures?? About 6 out of 10 items I click on, if I didn't read the title of the auction, I wouldn't have had any idea what the item was!
And shipping quotes? Arrrgghh!!! I have emailed probably 20 sellers in the past few days, and I think I've gotten 3 responses back. I've also asked some for specific measurements on certain items.... and I've gotten 1 response so far.
One item that I was looking for (for myself) is an item that could ship for less than $2 1st class, or $3.50 Priority. This seller wants $6 shipping. I emailed them and asked them how they ship this item (I can understand if it is going to ship UPS or another more expensive method). Their response "usps". (That was their ENTIRE response!) I was like Geez.... hope I didn't bother you too much! I looked at their feedback - they have 82 negs out of 2400. They leave smart-A$$ comments to the people who even leave them positives!! I hit the back button real quick on that one!
I was looking at some clothing items, and many sellers just showed a close-up of the garment (like the neck area while the item is folded) and that was it! Description was a one-liner that didn't give me hardly ANY info!
I am in shock that some of these sellers even get bids at all. I can now say I FULLY UNDERSTAND what all the other "seller complaints" have been about!! Now that I have been buying a lot, I have finally SEEN THE LIGHT!
posted on October 3, 2001 01:25:12 PM new
Maybe that's why I get so many repeat buyers:
Good clear photos, and as many as it takes to show every aspect of the item, including the bad parts.
Also a thorough description, including mentioning all faults.
And finally, fixed price s/h stated up front, no more than $1 over actual postage (to cover the new padded mailer, bubble wrap, etc).
Oh yeah... I also repond to all emails fully and politely. (Even when the answer is already in the description.)
posted on October 3, 2001 01:25:53 PM new
EG--know what you mean. When I peruse the categories I am interested in, your exact comments come to mind. And I don't bid.
eBay is a mish mash of the good, bad and ugly. Informed buyers have to distinguish between it all. It is daunting!
Just go my own way, list my items, turn cartwheels for the picky buyers and hope beyond hope--that the bad pic, high priced shipping, horrible customer service sellers will find an another venue to sell.
posted on October 3, 2001 01:30:53 PM new
Let me add to my list above. I just clicked on an auction where LOUD music started immediately and I almost jumped out of my skin! I wasn't expecting it and it nearly gave me a heart attack! And as I was attempting to hit the back button, my mouse cursor had those words that follow my mouse everywhere! ARRGGHHH!!! I ABSOLUTELY HATE THOSE THINGS!! I can't understand how ANYONE could NOT find them annoying!!
But, I am determined to do as much of my Christmas shopping on Ebay as I can ... hopefully my patience will not run out
posted on October 3, 2001 01:44:12 PM new
EG--LMAOROF!!
That's why my sound is always down to the most minimum. They kind of sneak up on ya! But those clicky noises at the tower of the computer are always a 2 second warning!
posted on October 3, 2001 01:49:07 PM newJeany: I always have my sound up quite high, because I'm always going from room to room, and I have a program that makes a cash-register sound to let me know I have received a new bid, and so I can also hear my emails in the other room.
I also have Roadrunner, so the "music" plays pretty much automatically with no warning.
Good thing I have a chair with arms.. I probably would have fallen out!
posted on October 3, 2001 02:23:54 PM new
YOU ARE SO RIGHT ! Wish those bad sellers would go away, because they're giving the rest of us a bad rep.
I go over the top on customer service, 3 to 6 photos, always listing actual shipping cost, and complete descriptions, including imperfections. After that, great packing and super communication. I do get thank you's for it. It's sad that some buyers are surprised by getting what they should expect.
posted on October 3, 2001 03:20:37 PM new
I think with the photos On ebay and other auctions you are starting to see the results on sellers of the Higher cost of hosting auction pictures.
NO this dont excuse bad pictures but every person who runs auction are not experts in that area.
I know for me at .10 and up per picture my auctions I have but one picture per auction I can not afford $20 or $30 per month to host pictures and manageing of my listings and I can't afford $100 or $200 per year for enough hosting space since I'm luck some months to barely make just $20 to $50 includeing any profit.
We are starting to get to a point here with online auction at ebay where it would be nearly cheaper to list most items in the local new paper or want ad digest and make more profits even the collectors digest let you list free only pay if you sell with a picture the FVF is still under 5%..
posted on October 3, 2001 03:40:17 PM new
I hear ya...
I was recently trying to shop on eBay for some long-sleeved shirts for my son. The bad pics caused me to hit the back button more often than not.
I finally found 3 auctions I was interested in that had excellent pics, but the bidding went so high that I knew I could buy new clothes locally cheaper than their used clothes were going for.
posted on October 3, 2001 04:21:41 PM new
I agree with EG on each point. Especially those horrible ipix pictures. But the BIG THING, in my opinion, is the sellers that won't respond when you email them with a question. I am amazed at how many sellers I have written with a legitimate and articulate question (very polite!) who never answer. I see they may have several auctions up with no or very few bids. Don't they WANT bids??? Strange! I have NEVER not answered one that I got. Oops! I lied...Actually I got one once on something that didn't sell and they wanted to offer me pennies on the dollar to sell it to them. Ignored that one completely!
posted on October 3, 2001 04:59:22 PM new
Yep me too. I was looking around this afternoon for small items. I'm in stocking stuffer mode right now. They are the easiest to hide so I buy them early. I found the perfect little item for my daughter and the bidding was a reasonable price. But then in tiny tiny tiny print at the bottom was "shipping a flat rate of $7.50, no negotiations".
This item could be shipped in a regular envelope for 34 cents. So I emailed and asked if they would be willing to ship by a cheaper method to help cut the cost down.
Their reply:
"I ship by media mail. This is the lowest cost."
It doesn't even qualify for media mail! And $7.50 could ship a big box of books by media mail. Not just one small item.
Sometimes I think sellers try to take advantage of newbies. However I am not a newbie, and I did not bid.
posted on October 3, 2001 06:16:21 PM new
Those cursors with the trails, they are so fun to play with, I usually forget what I'm looking at!
I do have a question though about pictures. I just started using IPIX, and I think that even with IPIX, the picture is only as good as the photographer. Some of my auction pix look really good, and some of them really bad. Until I find another free way to host my pics, I have no choice but to use IPIX. I hope that you guys don't automatically hit the back button if the seller is using IPIX!
posted on October 3, 2001 06:52:45 PM newcin: No, I wouldn't back out of an auction just because the seller used IPIX to host their pics - but if the pics are REALLY bad and you can't even get a clear idea of what the item looks like, THEN I click on the back button. I have actually bid on several things in the past from sellers who used IPIX to host their pics. I do think that sellers should look into some kind of editing program if they plan on selling, though.
jubilee: The program is AuctionTrakker. Whenever I get a bid I hear the "cha-ching" cash register sound. I also use that program for relisting, and all my post-auction management. The program is awesome!
posted on October 3, 2001 11:03:33 PM new
Come on EG, those cursor trails are pretty cool when you've had a few glasses of wine. Lighten up
Many of the newbie sellers on Ebay probably are just learning to use a mouse, let alone creating decent pictures. If it bothers you, move on and find someone who knows what the He** they are doing.
When we started out we had a cheap digital camera that took pictures that sometimes resembled the items we were selling. When we got serious and could afford it we purchased a better camera.
posted on October 3, 2001 11:32:14 PM new
Well! It looks like we know who had a couple glasses of wine before they made their reply.
I agree with the IPIX situation. It almost looks like they took the picture with a sheet of waxed paper over the camera lens on most of them. I wouldn't consider free picture hosting a bargain if they are shoddy. Really they aren't if the buyer hits the back button. Pictures on AW are only a dime, and could be considered a bargian if they bring in the bidders.
About sellers who don't answer emails. They must not be interested in doing business with me, and I know that I'm not interested in doing business with them! CASE CLOSED
posted on October 4, 2001 03:43:55 AM new
About the emails, I also email to get the straight poop on shipping, and I get questions from buyers about various stuff. But from time to time sellers here wonder aloud if the people who ask questions ever bid. Probably some have decided they don't.
Also I've found that if a shipping is stated, the seller isn't thrilled to get a request or suggestion to ship it any cheaper. I only ask if I see only a Priority option on a light clothing item. There is no point for me to pay $6 to ship a $5 single piece of clothing.
EG, any chance you have BOOKS on your shopping list..? ; - )
posted on October 4, 2001 03:57:50 AM new
I can say as a buyer I don't think it's true that buyers who ask questions never bid. I've asked about 20 sellers how much shipping will be on an item. The ones who responded all had reasonable rates (and these were all very light items so the shipping rates could have easily been included in their description). As soon as I received their email, I went to the auctions and placed my bids.
Keziak: Sorry, I don't have any books on my list as of yet, but you never know, that may change!
posted on October 4, 2001 05:45:49 AM new
Well...
I've always been honest about being photographically challenged.
I even mention it on my MePage
* does anyone ever read those *
First I had a cheapo camera and thought that was the problem.
A year ago, Mark went out and got me a bells & whistles SONY cypershot mpeg yadda yadda yadda toy.
My PICs still stink.
Using iPix makes it worse.
On the bright side, I get lotsa pos feedback and e-mails from happy bidders ~
"item better than PIC".
* talk about "WOW-ing your customer" and managing expectations *
BTW, EG, are the PICs you're seeing worse than mine?
I'd love it if you shared your opinion with me! TIA
posted on October 4, 2001 05:54:29 AM new
I find that only about 1 in 5 questioners bid. I answer them all anyway.
Lousy pictures are the norm. Good photography is very hard work and most people do not have the time or inclination. I don't use pix for my stuff--can't justify the expense. My advice to sellers is if the picture is bad, leave it out. Bad pix = back button.
posted on October 4, 2001 08:03:26 AM new
I don't get all the problems with taking decent pictures. Outside of IPIX, which is known to ruin pictures, anybody should be able to take at least C+ or better photos with very basic equipment and NO particular artistic talent!
I don't own a digital camera, but I sell tons of clothing with lots of good photos. Sure, I've probably spent the equivalent of the purchase price of a digital camera in developing costs, but at $15 every few weeks it doesn't create great pain in the bank account.
I use a 25-year-old Canon AE-1, a nice dress form for a mannequin (this was my most expensive investment in "photo" equipment), and NATURAL LIGHT. I get the film developed onto disks (you can also get CDs, with higher quality images, but after experimenting, the extra expense wasn't worth it). This eliminates scanning the pix into the computer, and I use photo editing software to crop and otherwise make minor adjustments. The basic pictures are almost always just fine. I use the camera on its auto setting about 90% of the time, I use store-brand 200 speed film, and I am careful to compose the shot properly through the viewer. What's so hard about that?
I also sell lots of silver flatware, for which the scanner is the perfect "camera." You can hardly go wrong there...once again, all it takes is a bit of cropping and you've got nice clear pictures. Heck, I've even used the scanner to capture objects like wine goblets and other curved items, and it's amazing how good these scans turn out.
Maybe somebody would like to write a booklet on this subject...and sell it on eBay, of course? It's a BIG pain to find an item you might really want, only to back out when you can't determine the color or other details because of lousy pictures.
posted on October 4, 2001 09:33:04 AM new
Ok, i just received 3 of my items in the mail today.
Item #1: Auction stated $6.50 shipping via UPS. It was sent for $5.05 with Priority mail.
Item #2: Auction stated $4.00 S&H. It was shipped in a little manilla envelope with a tiny bit of bubble wrap for $1.26.
Item #3: A tiny computer part. I paid $2.00 S&H, it was shipped in a regular 1st class envelope for 34¢ that arrived torn and the post office even put it in a plastic bag to deliver it in.
I guess asking more questions before bidding is in order!
posted on October 4, 2001 04:41:40 PM new
Hi Zoomin!
I just checked out some of your pics - most of them look fine! Some are a little dark - do you have a photo editing program? My pics come out dark sometimes too, and I just click on the button to lighten it just a little bit and the pics turn out fine... you might want to try that on your darker things!
posted on October 4, 2001 06:16:01 PM new
I hate those annoying Java Scripts some sellers post with there auction listings. I just got a new computer but my old one would crash when I stumbbled onto one of those listings.
I've been selling on ebay for about 8 months and have used AW for about 5 months. Too bad I didn't notice these message boards earlier.. they are very helpful and informative.
I would also like to do all my Christmas shopping on eBay. Good luck to all my fellow sellers on the upcoming holiday season.
If anyone is in the market for a digital camera or camcorder please checkout my listings.
posted on October 5, 2001 01:46:07 AM new
Sometimes when you see overly dark pictures, it's because the seller is on a Mac and not a Windows system.
Mac and Windows deal with picture brightness differently -- a picture that looks great on a Mac will often look too dark in Windows.
I know this already, and yet my most recent batch of auctions came out too dark anyway, because I forgot to compensate.
Oh, yeah, pictures on ipix look like crap! Please, please -- don't use it. I beg you. You may get bids anyway, but ipix makes even good photos look horrible.
And I run screaming from pages with music, too! Why do people think that we want to hear their bad midi rendition of "my heart will go on"?
But I don't even think twice about items with a S&H charge higher than the postage fee. Unless the shipping is outrageous -- like $7.50 for a one ounce item in a plain #10 envelope, or something -- it doesn't bother me.
Other peeves: clothing images that don't show enough of the item to make it clear what it really looks like, and clothing auctions that don't have a photo of the item but have a drawing instead! (I buy figure skating dresses, and several of the Capezio dresses people sell are shown only as line drawings. I want Capezio dresses, but I won't bid unless I can see the ACTUAL dress -- unless maybe the price is SO low that it's worth the risk. But it never is.)
posted on October 5, 2001 06:51:06 AM new
I just purchased another item, and paid for it via Paypal immediately. Seller emails me and says they ship all items within 10 days of receiving payment!!!
10 days?? How can sellers like this stay in business?????
posted on October 5, 2001 07:02:48 AM new
within ten days of receiving payment?
is that a canned response for all forms of payments-check,mo and online payments?
some folks live far away from post office or ups drop off,some cant easily get away from home every day,some have ups come to pick up once a week,to say within ten days could be 1-10 days.
i just ordered some books from my wholesaler,he said he cannot ship usps bookrate because he is alone and cant afford to wait in line at the post office,ups is his only way and he will pay half the ups fee.
many of my wholesalers tell me the same thing,they cannot afford to have employee stand in line at usps ,they pay their employee to work ,NOT TO STAND IN LINE.
