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[Buzzetta]

4 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Another return opened this AM. "Changed my mind. Brother already has this issue, sorry for the inconvenience."

From a "Top-Rated" powerseller, no less. No offer to cover shipping, of course.

What is going on with eBay? More cancellations (4 so far) and returns (2) this week than the previous 10 years. No joke. 10 years, I've never had this many people back out of transactions.

And why? "Because that's the direction e-commerce is going" says eBay. Buyers expect consequence-free purchases. They expect to be able to buy something and return it if they don't like/want it, without any cost coming out of their pockets.

But slabs cost $12-$20 (or more) to ship one way...not $2-$3...so eating shipping even one way on a $150 sale totally blows their token discount out of the water.

@Buzzetta is now right: the hoops to get a token discount are no longer worth it. Unfortunately, that comes at a cost: the lost discount, for one, and certainly lowered search results. But I'm not Amazon, or Wal-Mart, or Target, or Harrod's, and can't just absorb returns. I don't sell clothes, or electronic widgets by the tens of thousands. I sell (as most of you do) unique collectibles that cost a lot relative to the value of the item to ship. I can't do the "free test drive" like big retailers.

At the same time, I never want a customer to feel like they are forced to keep something they don't want. And obviously, if something is damaged, then yes, returns are a foregone conclusion. That's what insurance is for. Otherwise, I'm happy to take returns...if the buyer covers the cost. I can't do this "free returns" nonsense. That's not how our market works.

With that said, I do offer same day or next day shipping.  There are many packages that are sent from NYC before work thanks to the train pulling into a station that is across the street from the NYC Postal hub.  However, I am not offering free shipping EVER.

Some of the items I have weigh 4-6lbs and there is a VERY big difference between shipping something that heavy from NY to Florida rather than NY to Cali.

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by Buzzetta

[Buzzetta]

2 hours ago, Logan510 said:

I have a problem with sellers who either 1) lecture me or 2) refuse to take any responsibility for how poorly they package something. 

So yes, I'm one of those horrible people who will initiate a return before contacting the seller unless it's a seller I've worked with before. 

To be fair to myself, I never return anything because I've had buyers remorse. It's always because the book or whatever has arrived damaged due to poor packaging.

You would be surprised or maybe not so surprised at how often this happens with toys.

As a buyer, sellers have been surprised when I have to explain to them that 35 year old brittle plastic tends to break when you toss it in a bubble mailer and hope for the best.  (GI Joe's are constantly breaking in transit.)

As a seller, you would be surprised how much of a premium you can sell an item for when you guarantee that a brittle 35 year old GI Joe figure will be sent in a box.   I don't understand why this is so hard.  I recently had a conversation with someone that asked why they should buy from me when another seller was offering a Joe figure for $5 cheaper.  I looked at the listing and pointed out that he had free shipping which meant he might ship it out as cheaply as possible.  With me, he was guaranteed for the item to be bubble wrapped and boxed. 

Made a nice little sale on a vintage Joe and the buyer was happy. 

 

Buyer's remorse?  I have had it myself.  I won't ever return something due to buyer's remorse or that I could find it cheaper, or a better version came up.  You are only as good as your word.  

[Buzzetta]

23 hours ago, skypinkblu said:

These were small lego sets in boxes. The boxes are not sturdy so tossing them in a plastic envelope doesn't work.

 

Ugh... 

All legos regardless of whether they are loose sets or unopened and sealed boxed sets need to be shipped boxed.  They are resilient pieces but even a windshield can break if just thrown in a box.

There are VERY rare exceptions to this but essentially everything should be boxed. 

It amazes me that amazon itself ships so many new lego boxes in envelopes. 

[Buzzetta]

I rolled my eyes at my Aunt when she told us a story how an Amazon package was supposedly delivered but she never received it so she contacted Amazon.  Amazon replaced it for free.  It turns out her son took the item in and left it for her but she didn't find it while he was out.  She called Amazon to cancel the replacement and they simply told her to keep both. 

How many times do you think that happens? 

[greggy]

22 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

I do not feel as if a customer contacts eBay first that they must be a scammer.  They are free to do what they please and having been on both sides I can understand why they would do that.   They might have just gotten burned and want to protect themselves moving forward.   

Some scammers are easy to identify though.  

My goal is to scam you on some jewelry before I retire. 

[Buzzetta]

17 minutes ago, greggy said:

My goal is to scam you on some jewelry before I retire. 

If you want, I will help you pick something out. 

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by Buzzetta

[skypinkblu]

1 hour ago, Buzzetta said:

Ugh... 

All legos regardless of whether they are loose sets or unopened and sealed boxed sets need to be shipped boxed.  They are resilient pieces but even a windshield can break if just thrown in a box.

There are VERY rare exceptions to this but essentially everything should be boxed. 

It amazes me that amazon itself ships so many new lego boxes in envelopes. 

I bought 6 small sets for gifts, 2 were packed in boxes, I wrote to those sellers and thanked them.

I don't return things for buyer's remorse either, I take too long to make up my mind sometimes so I miss out on some quick deals, but I don't return stuff unless it's carelessly damaged because of packing or missing things.

One of the sets in an envelope actually made it through in good shape.

Yes, everything should be boxed, but in sturdy boxes. I've gotten a few things packed in boxes with holes in them...then there was the comic mailed in a cereal box.

[RockMyAmadeus]

1 hour ago, Buzzetta said:

I do not feel as if a customer contacts eBay first that they must be a scammer.  They are free to do what they please and having been on both sides I can understand why they would do that.   They might have just gotten burned and want to protect themselves moving forward.   

Some scammers are easy to identify though.  

I do not feel as if a customer contacts eBay first that they must be a scammer.

It simply raises suspicions, and we would all be wise to heed our suspicions, even if they ultimately amount to nothing.

There are human beings on both sides of the transaction, and benefit of the doubt goes a long way. Those who run to eBay immediately don't consider that. If something is badly packaged, it could easily be someone who has never shipped before, or someone who has never shipped that item that way before. You never know. 

You do not give up any protections approaching your "trading partner" first. It's just the first step in what could be a multi-step process.

Now, if they ignore you, or give you attitude...fine, fire away. But giving the benefit of the doubt is a beautiful thing. Giving people a chance to make things right is the right thing to do, and those who don't often find themselves left out in the cold.

[RockMyAmadeus]

2 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

With that said, I do offer same day or next day shipping.  There are many packages that are sent from NYC before work thanks to the train pulling into a station that is across the street from the NYC Postal hub.  However, I am not offering free shipping EVER.

Some of the items I have weigh 4-6lbs and there is a VERY big difference between shipping something that heavy from NY to Florida rather than NY to Cali.

The current "carrot discount" at eBay is free RETURN shipping...because "that's the direction e-commerce is going": hassle free returns that cost the buyer nothing, so that if they change their minds, they can return on your dime AND get a full refund of all the original amount they paid...including initial shipping.

I tried it for exactly 3 weeks. Nope. Two returns have eaten the "discount" that I haven't even gotten yet, so...nope. I'm not Amazon, or Target, or Wal-Mart. I don't sell half a million in merchandise the first ten minutes I'm "open." I sell unique collectibles that cost $12-$20...or more...one way to ship, and have an average price point of $200. I always ship next day at the latest, and today I shipped same day on three orders I received this AM. 

So, I have now reverted most of my listings back to 30 day returns, buyer pays shipping...of course, the buyer can always abuse the system and claim "damage in shipping", but hopefully that will be few and far between.

[the blob]

So wait, the seller eats shipping even if the buyer admits they changed their mind?

[the blob]

2 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

The current "carrot discount" at eBay is free RETURN shipping...because "that's the direction e-commerce is going": hassle free returns that cost the buyer nothing, so that if they change their minds, they can return on your dime AND get a full refund of all the original amount they paid...including initial shipping.

I tried it for exactly 3 weeks. Nope. Two returns have eaten the "discount" that I haven't even gotten yet, so...nope. I'm not Amazon, or Target, or Wal-Mart. I don't sell half a million in merchandise the first ten minutes I'm "open." I sell unique collectibles that cost $12-$20...or more...one way to ship, and have an average price point of $200. I always ship next day at the latest, and today I shipped same day on three orders I received this AM. 

So, I have now reverted most of my listings back to 30 day returns, buyer pays shipping...of course, the buyer can always abuse the system and claim "damage in shipping", but hopefully that will be few and far between.

Why are you getting so many returns???

[RockMyAmadeus]

Just now, the blob said:

So wait, the seller eats shipping even if the buyer admits they changed their mind?

If you have 30 day "free returns", which is the only way you can be "Top Rated Plus", then yes.

No more Top Rated Plus for Comic-Sutra

[RockMyAmadeus]

7 minutes ago, the blob said:

Why are you getting so many returns???

3 this year? The Rai #0 guy had his package run over by the USPS.

The next guy claims "arrived damaged", and included this single picture:

That tiny flaw? Might be a crack. might be the case, might be an artifact. No way to tell if not in hand. Do you see damage that would warrant a return? When I asked for more pictures...because let's face it, damage obviously happens in shipping...I got no response (case was filed Tuesday.)

Filing a case without contacting me, including a single picture that doesn't show any damage, and not bothering to respond to 2 requests for more pictures...?

Radar is up.

The third was this AM: "Changed my mind. Brother already has it. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Everyone must understand that eBay is pushing HARD for everything to have free everything, and "no hassle" returns...because that's what Amazon has trained them to expect.

Also, this is out of 217 transactions in the last 12 months, so less than 2%. Still.

Edited November 30, 2019 by RockMyAmadeus

[evilskip]

Sigh. Got a book today that was graded as a vgf. However it has a 4 inch by 2 inch piece out of a story page that wasn't mentioned. No doubt overlooked. So I contacted the seller first rather than going through the ebay resolution. I've sent a picture to the seller and asked him to contact me to discuss what to do next.

[Buzzetta]

3 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

3 this year? The Rai #0 guy had his package run over by the USPS.

The next guy claims "arrived damaged", and included this single picture:

That tiny flaw? Might be a crack. might be the case, might be an artifact. No way to tell if not in hand. Do you see damage that would warrant a return? When I asked for more pictures...because let's face it, damage obviously happens in shipping...I got no response (case was filed Tuesday.)

Filing a case without contacting me, including a single picture that doesn't show any damage, and not bothering to respond to 2 requests for more pictures...?

Radar is up.

The third was this AM: "Changed my mind. Brother already has it. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Everyone must understand that eBay is pushing HARD for everything to have free everything, and "no hassle" returns...because that's what Amazon has trained them to expect.

Also, this is out of 217 transactions in the last 12 months, so less than 2%. Still.

@PeteFromPetesBasement would tell you to burn his house down and get someone to take pictures of his children asking them if they think the item should be returned. 

 

[the blob]

18 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

3 this year? The Rai #0 guy had his package run over by the USPS.

The next guy claims "arrived damaged", and included this single picture:

That tiny flaw? Might be a crack. might be the case, might be an artifact. No way to tell if not in hand. Do you see damage that would warrant a return? When I asked for more pictures...because let's face it, damage obviously happens in shipping...I got no response (case was filed Tuesday.)

Filing a case without contacting me, including a single picture that doesn't show any damage, and not bothering to respond to 2 requests for more pictures...?

Radar is up.

The third was this AM: "Changed my mind. Brother already has it. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Everyone must understand that eBay is pushing HARD for everything to have free everything, and "no hassle" returns...because that's what Amazon has trained them to expect.

Also, this is out of 217 transactions in the last 12 months, so less than 2%. Still.

Ok, it was 2 very recently that made it seem like a lot. I sell 99% raw books. I've had 1 in the last 150 transactions where they gut sliced the comic opening the package and pretended he got it that way. Maybe slabs generate pickier people.

[RockMyAmadeus]

3 minutes ago, the blob said:

Ok, it was 2 very recently that made it seem like a lot. I sell 99% raw books. I've had 1 in the last 150 transactions where they gut sliced the comic opening the package and pretended he got it that way. Maybe slabs generate pickier people.

Maybe...?

 

[the blob]

20 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Maybe...?

 

Like I said, I don't sell many slabs.

[slym2none]

Uncanny X-Men are unsellable on eBay!

 

-slym (made a major mistake when he jokingly put his own username in the "blocked eBay seller list" thread)

Edited December 1, 2019 by slym2none

[the blob]

3 hours ago, slym2none said:

Uncanny X-Men are unsellable on eBay!

 

-slym (made a major mistake when he jokingly put his own username in the "blocked eBay seller list" thread)

A few of them are sellable.