posted on October 28, 2002 02:06:32 PM new
I primarily sell but like to shop every once in a while as well.
I bid using a buyer ID that has a FB of 37(unique), 55 pos comments.
In the past two weeks, I won 9 auctions from 5 different sellers:
win #1: 2 clothing auctions (1 seller)
result: perfect items, shipped fast, Immediate communication, Fair shipping fee.
The way it should be done.
win #2: 3 toy auctions (1 seller), BIN
result: sent 3 e-mails requesting total, seller didn't respond for 5 days (why use BIN?), then shipped promptly with fair fee. Sent an 'extra' item, BUT 2 items DOA.
question: Does Buy It Now mean anything? AND the cost of replacing 8 batteries (special size) would be three times the cost of the item.
win #3: 2 clothing auctions (1 seller).
result: shipped fast. One of the auctions had an 'extra item' in description that was described as needing spot removal. 'free' item (that of course decides final bid amt) was ripped under the arm, stained (as mentioned), and has considerable pilling (cannot be worn). Other items as described.
Why not accurately describe the so-called 'freebie'?
win #4: 1 Jeans auction
result: Described as new, having been professionally altered at the named boutique. Item arrives 11 days after pmt (slow for priority but not bad). Not even close to professional hem (different length inseams, wrong color thread, lightweight thread through denim, missed underneath in parts, crooked, etc).
MIGHT be an oops but seller has over 500 transactions
win #5: 1 clothing auction
result: Great Buy on boutique item, fair & speedy shipping. Item reaks of a chemical (dry cleaning fluid?) Still a good deal but need to pay to have it dry cleaned.
I think this one was just an honest oops.
Am I too picky to be an eBay buyer or are we on the same page?
(edit forinappropriate smiley )
[ edited by zoomin on Oct 28, 2002 02:10 PM ]
posted on October 28, 2002 02:12:24 PM new
my mama was right...never buy a piece of clothing that you cannot touch, see and try on first....if you don't, you have no one to blame but yourself....anyway that is what my mama said.
posted on October 28, 2002 02:16:24 PM new
thanks Rariffle, but I sure am glad my bidders didn't have the same Momma as you!
I sell clothing, new and like new.
I thought I'd give buying a shot with a few sellers I haven't transacted with before.
my bad?
guess that's why my bidders come back to me.
I hope the other seller's don't scare them off of eBay, though!
posted on October 28, 2002 02:29:50 PM new
I buy a lot on ebay and your buying expierences are about right. It doesn't take long before a buyer becomes very reluctant to bid on more auctions due to the shoddy descriptions and service. Another reason why ebay is steering towards fixed prices?
posted on October 28, 2002 02:50:35 PM new
tooltimes:
thanks for the input!
are you saying that a 20-40% satisfaction rate is what you can expect as a buyer?
that's disappointing!
does that deter you from bidding or just deter you from seller's that you haven't had experience with?
I tried new (to me) sellers because my 'regulars' didn't have anything that "talked to me". (only a true shop-a-holic will understand that talking part, sorry!)
yet I've had no problems with the Big Nasty eValueville.
hmmmm....
or any PowerSellers, for that matter, but why open a can of worms!
(edit: another #$%&*! smiley)
[ edited by zoomin on Oct 28, 2002 02:51 PM ]
posted on October 28, 2002 03:23:35 PM new
This just goes to show, for all you sellers out there who badly want customers and business....if you do it RIGHT and do it right the FIRST TIME, you will have a flock of returning bidders coming back to you. Being 100% honest and showing customers total respect and reliability are tough jobs to accomplish at times, but when people find someone they can trust, they WILL be back because they get sick and tired of taking the 30-40% chance of getting screwed by other sellers. Just a thought....
posted on October 28, 2002 04:01:12 PM new
I have been selling gently used and vintage clothing on ebay for 3 years and I am very honest. I get many repeat customers since they know I won't rip them off and I stand behind every thing I sell!
I go that extra effort to try to take good clear pictures, give measurements and try to describe the exact color, etc without over doing it !
Honesty is the best policy in the long run.
One happy buyer will tell friends, etc and will come back for more
posted on October 28, 2002 04:44:29 PM new
Make a mental note to avoid the sellers in auctions 2,3, and 4. Bookmark the sellers of auctions 1 and 5 and patronize them in the future. Reward the good sellers with cash and let the bad ones starve.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on October 28, 2002 04:47:09 PM new
I buy many things on ebay--clothing is one thing I'll never buy-I have too look at it and try it on in person
posted on October 28, 2002 04:47:50 PM new
update:
I had sent sellers #4 & #5 a 'heads up' e-mail about the product I received ~ not asking for money, just as an FYI.
Seller #5 (less than 80 FB) got back to me within hours with an apology (this was the chemical smell).
That's all I need.
Communication is the key!
It was a lesson learning boo-boo for her, she earned her positive feedback (smell or not, she got back to me!)
so.......
wins #1 & #5 are going down as a positive experience for me.
win #2 was a loser ~ no point in attemting to communicate with this P/T seller that doesn't respond to e-mails
win #3 is relatively neutral (not sure if this is me being a picky buyer about the useless freebie))
win #4 is still questionable.....e-mail unanswered.........
posted on October 28, 2002 04:50:44 PM new
sparkz:
Reward the good sellers with cash and let the bad ones starve
sounds like a plan!
can I get a peek at your good guy list?
Forget PowerSellers, we need to start an 'Approved Sellers Program'!
posted on October 28, 2002 06:04:24 PM new
Used clothes especially seem like a gamble to buy online, it's likely you get a lot of weekend sellers who are clearing out their closet. With so many better cheap alternatives you may want to skip buying used clothes on ebay.
Buy It Now just means you don't have to wait until the auction end. It still saves you time. Figure an auction that ends in 6 days, plus three business days for seller to contact you = 9 days; A BIN auction =3 business days to hear from seller. That saves you 6 days.
A lot of BIN buyers take two weeks to get payment to me, or not at all, so I am confident that many buyers aren't in agreement with you that BIN means fast transaction.
posted on October 29, 2002 04:28:37 PM new
I have not sold a lot of clothes on e-bay but I have sold a bunch of linens. In my experience it is best to mention EVERY SINGLE FLAW in the item. I am quite suprised to find that even though what I think isn't great still sells, everyone has their own use for it. I would feel awfull if I sold something that someone wasn't happy with-it's basically a lie. As far as responses from bidders I often am slow at this but I do check at least two times a day. I hate to say it but this is a full time job all in itself and if people don't treat it like one then they won't make much money at it!
posted on October 30, 2002 12:32:38 PM new
you WILL be satisfied with our auctions,
all our items are new with tags, never worn,
and gorgeous
we are posting Armani tonigh...
but I'm not sure if I can post my ID here
)
