I agree with everything you guys are saying, but the same also holds true for the reciprocal. I've had a couple of instances where I was the first to contact a seller, and while negotiating a price, usually because I prefer to pay by MO so I may ask him to take 3% off the price, the seller then tells me that the item has been sold to someone else. What happened to the idea of being the first to respond ? The least one can do is respond and say that there's another offer for "X" price and if you want the item than you can have the right of first refusal.
You also have to remember that we're located across the country, and in many instances across the continent, so responses may take a while. Just because you may be looking for a "quick sale" one shouldn't disrespect others.
bobjames wrote:
Use Paypal. Tell the buyer you will hold the item for three hours - if no Paypal email, the item is up for grabs again. Ebay has an "Immediate payment required" option for Buy Now items, precisely to avoid this sort of thing.
Ditto to the above.
I will ask the Buyer with the first offer to transfer the money into my PayPal within X hours. If the money is not there, the next Buyer gets the same offer. Once the money is in my account, there is no cancellation available to the Buyer. Just like on eBay, except if the Buyer does not get the money into my account, they get a negative feedback from me because you still have to pay eBay fees.
If you don't adhere to some strict rules, you get all the bottom-fishing Buyers that have no scruples.
I agree Jim, but the last 2 deals I have made here have taken a week to get the $$ to me. And they were not trying to get out of the deals either. "Things" just happened. So I'm going to change the way I word my listings so that people understand they need to pay when they agree to buy, or it's on to the next person.
I've always paid immediately when buying, and shipped the next day when selling. I wouldn't offer to buy and then leave for vacation. And I wouldn't offer to sell and then go off for the weekend either.
Of course, I'm just another "old fart"....
Ron
surfnron, the problem with the you better pay me first and I'll refund whomever did it too late is this (the refund process takes a week) and really pisses people off when they dont get to use the funds for a week since they didnt get your item.
I think its bs that pay pal cant refund money instantly...especially if it came from a pay pal balance..eh
I have been selling over the net for many years on many forums. I admit I have done things differently here as a seller (pre-subscription days), I'm much more patient because of the character of most frequenting this board. My policy outside this board is simple. First come, first served, end of story. I've had dozens of "I'll take it's" over the years, only to wait for two or more days for the guy to tell me he bought one nicer and cheaper locally (bs). I make it clear to the first responder that I require immediate payment or I move on to the next potential buyer. I sincerely hope it won't come to that here, but I have noticed that many sellers here have been putting up with alot of flack for many things unjustified. That's one reason why I have been less than excited to subscribe to be a seller here. If I'm going to take the abuse, I'm not paying for it. maybe the buyers should have to subscribe instead? jk
I give 30 mins and then on to the next buyer. Tell them the terms.
I have 150+ feedbacks on Ebay with 95% positive.
What if someone sends you a PM saying they'll buy your item and requests a PP address. You respond later than 30 mins and he says forget it, I found another one. Would you feel this is justified ? I'm not trying to spark a debate, just wondering if a little more patience should be given.
I only hold items if I have done business with the member in the past, otherwise it is first come first serve. I don't like being that way but recent experience necessitates it. Too many "I'll take it" and never hear from them again or they wait till the next day and tell you they changed their mind.
jersey devil wrote:
What if someone sends you a PM saying they'll buy your item and requests a PP address. You respond later than 30 mins and he says forget it, I found another one. Would you feel this is justified ? I'm not trying to spark a debate, just wondering if a little more patience should be given.
Its 30 mins from when I give him/her the PP info. If they say forget it I live with that.
I understand your viewpoint, and as the seller you're justified in every way. The only reason I disagree is because for most of us this is a hobby, and we have more important things in our lives going on, like our jobs unfortunately. Sometimes responding/following through takes time.
That's more than fair Sir. I guess as you stated the best way to handle things is on a case by case basis and looking at one's feedback goes a long way in determining things. Now just dont hold our little debate against me in case you have something I'm looking for
roger coen wrote:
As a seller how am I supposed to know that? If someone says it will be an extended period to respond then I deal with that on a case-by-case basis.
Look at profiles, something you should do anyway to check rating. Some even saw I ran a D40 and said this AF-D lens may not be be for you. Quick PM saying I know its manual focus, and a thanks for the concern, and we turned to the money talk... Profile shows alot, even shows their posts. Worried about a troll? See what they are posting if motivated.
If US in profile, maybe they posted before bed on west coast when you were deep asleep. You shoot the PM at 0730 east side, the buyer probably sleeping on the west side. Or my profile....Japan. I am half a day early then the US. If I pm folks in the US, I am usually good about saying the time here and some delay to be expected. But if I forget. its not a daunting intellectual task to figure out that Japan time and US time just a bit different, I would hope anyway.
Works both ways, I don't flood others PM's saying where's the addy or asking for status updates like is it sold. I know you are US, your day different from mine. Even if I was in the US, if you are on FM all waking hours, well you already doing something wrong, go take some pictures or get a life at least
See some pissed off sellers, some rightfully so, I only know buying. I can play the pissed off buyers bit. Personally, I have waited for seller replies. While waiting, I came sooooo close to going to another seller. I held out, because of the rating system here and personal integrity. It worked out for me thankfully (one lens I lost out on like 4 times, was on try #5 and waiting for them when another seller posted what I wanted). Seller had a good reason for the delay (sometimes life just a bit more important than posting in a forum right away). You want buyer responsibilities, cool. But I'll flip that coin and say give us some sellers responsibilities as well.
I have had multiple sellers ship me thousand dollar lenses on the PROMISE of a personal check. There are many fine folks who frequent this site but if you want to be treated with respect, you have to show respect and keep your word. When I'm selling something, which I seldom do, I look closely at the person's profile, their feedback and even their previous post's to get a flavor for who they are. I simply won't deal with someone who appears the least bit flaky.
Do your homework and things will generally work out fine. I've bought and sold tens of thousands of dollars of gear here and have not had a single problem. But then I'm not trying to squeeze the last dollar out of a deal, I take the time to gauge the market and I honor my commitments. Pretty simple, really.
We should be able to leave "non-paying purchaser" feeder, similar to ebay. If someone wins the bid, you can leave bad feedback, I think this would justify it.
It's interesting but Ebay has done away with negative feedback. They said too many were using it as a blackmail type of thing.
Sheesh! The dishonest folks will find someway of screwing anything up!
