posted on October 10, 2001 02:19:03 PM new
I don't know why anything surprises me any more. Here's an e-mail I received through eBay's message system late yesterday. I changed some ID information to protect the innocent.
To member: dixiebee From member: [email protected] -------------------- Hi, my name is Unsuccessful Bidder and tonight I tried hard to win three of your auctions but sadly I failed. I know you are a very busy person but I have a favor to ask of you. If you were willing to make color copies of the Washed Up Teen Star From The Early 1980s articles in the following three magazines I would send you the money to cover the copies, shipping, and of course your time. The magazines are the following:
item # magazine (two different articles-I think)
item # magazine
item # magazine
Please let me know if this is something you would be willing to do and how much you would want. Thank you for taking the time to even read this letter, please check my feedback if you are concerned. Take care... Unsuccessful Bidder
I do not plan to copy the articles/photos that she wants and send them to her. In real life, I do a lot of freelance work where I charge $50 an hour. Since the nearest color copy place is 30 minutes from my house, I don't really think she can afford to buy these articles. That is, if I were thinking of breaking some copyright laws. She should have just bid higher if it meant that much to her.
[ edited by dixiebee on Oct 10, 2001 02:20 PM ]
posted on October 10, 2001 02:28:50 PM new
At least your person offered to pay!! I had one who emailed me instructions of what she wanted photocopied (in COLOR) and where to send the copies, no mention of paying, and even informed me she hadn't bothered to bid because she only wanted a few pages! I truthfully informed her that the item was already packaged for shipping and that I couldn't oblige her! She actually emailed back to tell me she really wanted the copies and couldn't I unwrap them! Da noive, huh?
posted on October 10, 2001 04:11:56 PM new
I simply tell these people that the item is now the property of the winning bidder, and that I will forward their request to him.
(And usually I don't!)
posted on October 10, 2001 04:22:45 PM new
But there is a quandray! What if someone wants info for a personal historical reason?
Sure the washed up teen idol of the 80's doesn't count. But there have been times that a postcard from my local area goes a bit higher than I care to bid.
What I do is take a copy of the postcard in the auction for my own personal reference.
Have a facsimile of the original, not the original by any stretch of the imagination, but something to add to my historical scrapbook.
Still not sure I would honor the request of someone that wanted a photocopy, like capostato's idea, but would actually email the high bidder and let them know there was interest in the item. But that is just me.
The incredible amount of fantastic vintage postcards I have seen up for bid for my small neck of the woods on eBay is a treasure trove of local history. Don't think I would ever have the gall to email the seller and ask for photocopies. Like the way I do it now. No harm to anyone. They are substandard pics on paper, but are an interest to me.
posted on October 11, 2001 09:01:09 AM new
You'd think some people have never heard of a place called a LIBRARY. You know, that place with all the books, magazines, tapes, cds, videos, etc...
posted on October 12, 2001 02:21:27 PM new
I decided to ignore her first e-mail. I received a second e-mail last night asking me why I was ignoring her simple request, blah, blah, blah. My one sentence answer was It is illegal to sell copies of copyrighted material.
She cannot leave well enough alone and sends me this response:
I sincerely apologize, I guess I wanted the articles so badly that I didn't take the time to step back and realize what I was asking. You are right and thank you for having the courage to stand up and say no to me, it was a good lesson for me to learn. I hope that you will forgive me for even bothering you and taking up so much of your time. Thank you.
