Ebay Negotiating Skills

bingefeller

How do you get away with that without eBay scooping you? 

John_A

The deal in the original post was done (not done) outside of ebay, sent him a photo of my phone number.  Wouldn't normally, but the listing was for a head and cab and he only wanted the cab and I didnt want to end the listing as it's on a max £1.00 fee.

Another argument to support his last-minute low-ball offer, for my a s-new' cab was £250 is a fair offer, I can get a new one for £400 + postage (and a 6 week wait)

bingefeller

John_A said:

The deal in the original post was done (not done) outside of ebay, sent him a photo of my phone number.

Cunning!!  How did you do that?  Send him a link with your phone number or upload a photo to eBay?

John_A

bingefeller said:

John_A said:

The deal in the original post was done (not done) outside of ebay, sent him a photo of my phone number.

Cunning!!  How did you do that?  Send him a link with your phone number or upload a photo to eBay?

Uploaded a photo, probably wouldn't get away with it too often

CHrisP86

Pretty sure my Dad has dealt with the guy on bass chat.  Turned up without enough cash so my dad drove him to the nearest cash point!

Modellista

Schnozz said:

It usually ends with me saying "Would you like me to try and recommend something within your budget?".

^ Exactly this.  If you have £200 and want a guitar, buy a guitar that's worth £200.  Don't email someone selling a £400 guitar in the hope you can annoy/elicit pity/tell them lies sufficiently so they'll drop half their price.  It's just a waste of everyone's time.

rico

I arranged to sell a guitar on ebay to a guy on the basis he'd travel down from somewhere in the North to collect it from me in Wandsworth. As the day went on he was getting more and more delayed and asked to meet in a god awful cafe in NW London (the kind of place with outside toilets) and I still had to wait for him. 

Luckily for me it was a slow day and he paid the asking price (I was anticipating a bit less from offers) so I was ultimately better off. 

Not really sure what the point of that was but I am less and less keen on using eBay. 

toescantalk

It's the I'm really keen on this so tell me all about it, take lots more photos for me, measure everything on it etc... and then offering something well below asking. That makes me slightly irritated. If you're keen... it means you want the item at the price it's offered for.

DB1

There's a lot of it about - on the flipside (I keep clinging onto the  thought that there are some good people out there as well) a lovely chap's just turned up and bought my L-5. Spent three hours chatting and playing the L-5 and various others, had a couple of cups of tea and we had a quick negotiation on the L5 and agreed a deal that we were both very happy with.

Absolutely lovely gent, and posted the not insignificant sum directly into my account - and even paid my £1 eBay commission as well! :-)

If everyone was like that, buying and selling would be a pleasure. But they're not. 

midlifecrisis

about 16/17 years ago (wow ebay been around that long) i sold a cammera £400+ to a buyer in spain, i accepted paypal( wouldnt do these days).     sent camera off. about a month later the camera came back unopened and unsigned for, no explanation. thinking id got the address wrong i tried contacting the buyer, no  answer.  the funds had been recieved by me, no dispute.  after a year i just relisted the camera and sold it again. can only assume he died or moved or forgot. anyway, i was 400 better off, still waiting for someone to claim it, feel free to have a go anyone

Bridgehouse

midlifecrisis said:

about 16/17 years ago (wow ebay been around that long) i sold a cammera £400+ to a buyer in spain, i accepted paypal( wouldnt do these days).     sent camera off. about a month later the camera came back unopened and unsigned for, no explanation. thinking id got the address wrong i tried contacting the buyer, no  answer.  the funds had been recieved by me, no dispute.  after a year i just relisted the camera and sold it again. can only assume he died or moved or forgot. anyway, i was 400 better off, still waiting for someone to claim it, feel free to have a go anyone

I am from Barcelona, I know naaaaaathing. Give me my camera. Si?

John_A

midlifecrisis said:

about 16/17 years ago (wow ebay been around that long) i sold a cammera £400+ to a buyer in spain, i accepted paypal( wouldnt do these days).     sent camera off. about a month later the camera came back unopened and unsigned for, no explanation. thinking id got the address wrong i tried contacting the buyer, no  answer.  the funds had been recieved by me, no dispute.  after a year i just relisted the camera and sold it again. can only assume he died or moved or forgot. anyway, i was 400 better off, still waiting for someone to claim it, feel free to have a go anyone

Well I didn't end up in pocket, but I once sent an Orange 2x12 to London that 'got lost'  I refunded the buyer and was being given a right run-around by Parcelforce, who claimed the package was delivered, this dragged on for weeks until I got an email from a farmer in Cyprus saying he'd had a large package delivered and got my email from the packing slip.  3 weeks after that it was left in my office reception with no explanation at all

matone

danishbacon said:

Last week had a pedal sell on buy it now, payment followed up about 2 minutes later. 10 minutes later I get a message, "can I please cancel, not sure how this ended up in my basket" 

A couple of weeks back a camera sold to a Hong Kong buyer, took his time to pay and only did so when I gave an ultimatum after a few messages. Had the nerve to try and re-negotiate after buying and then asking if I would post for free.

It's a pain in the ass but I would estimate that these kind of buyers account for approximately 5-10% of the transactions that happen on eBay. I'd say my experience with forum chancers, people who ignore emails and Facebook marketeers are along the same lines. Part and parcel. 

A few ways of dealing with it:

Don't sell to the public
Sell to a shop at a cut-rate price - hassle free
Sell but be restrictive, cash on collection only etc - usually nets you a bit less
Sell but be flexible and accommodating - usually nets you a bit more

It was no different when you only had ads in the papers,heard more `I`ll be there in half an hour` jokers than enough who of course were no shows.A percentage of the population are eejits and you cannot escape that.

midlifecrisis

Bridgehouse said:

midlifecrisis said:

about 16/17 years ago (wow ebay been around that long) i sold a cammera £400+ to a buyer in spain, i accepted paypal( wouldnt do these days).     sent camera off. about a month later the camera came back unopened and unsigned for, no explanation. thinking id got the address wrong i tried contacting the buyer, no  answer.  the funds had been recieved by me, no dispute.  after a year i just relisted the camera and sold it again. can only assume he died or moved or forgot. anyway, i was 400 better off, still waiting for someone to claim it, feel free to have a go anyone

I am from Barcelona, I know naaaaaathing. Give me my camera. Si?

certainly senor, its on its way.

Bridgehouse

midlifecrisis said:

Bridgehouse said:

midlifecrisis said:

about 16/17 years ago (wow ebay been around that long) i sold a cammera £400+ to a buyer in spain, i accepted paypal( wouldnt do these days).     sent camera off. about a month later the camera came back unopened and unsigned for, no explanation. thinking id got the address wrong i tried contacting the buyer, no  answer.  the funds had been recieved by me, no dispute.  after a year i just relisted the camera and sold it again. can only assume he died or moved or forgot. anyway, i was 400 better off, still waiting for someone to claim it, feel free to have a go anyone

I am from Barcelona, I know naaaaaathing. Give me my camera. Si?

certainly senor, its on its way.

Pls address to Manuel, Fawlty Towers, Torquay.

midlifecrisis

Bridgehouse said:

midlifecrisis said:

Bridgehouse said:

midlifecrisis said:

about 16/17 years ago (wow ebay been around that long) i sold a cammera £400+ to a buyer in spain, i accepted paypal( wouldnt do these days).     sent camera off. about a month later the camera came back unopened and unsigned for, no explanation. thinking id got the address wrong i tried contacting the buyer, no  answer.  the funds had been recieved by me, no dispute.  after a year i just relisted the camera and sold it again. can only assume he died or moved or forgot. anyway, i was 400 better off, still waiting for someone to claim it, feel free to have a go anyone

I am from Barcelona, I know naaaaaathing. Give me my camera. Si?

certainly senor, its on its way.

Pls address to Manuel, Fawlty Towers, Torquay.

i know nothing

Bridgehouse

midlifecrisis said:

Bridgehouse said:

midlifecrisis said:

Bridgehouse said:

midlifecrisis said:

about 16/17 years ago (wow ebay been around that long) i sold a cammera £400+ to a buyer in spain, i accepted paypal( wouldnt do these days).     sent camera off. about a month later the camera came back unopened and unsigned for, no explanation. thinking id got the address wrong i tried contacting the buyer, no  answer.  the funds had been recieved by me, no dispute.  after a year i just relisted the camera and sold it again. can only assume he died or moved or forgot. anyway, i was 400 better off, still waiting for someone to claim it, feel free to have a go anyone

I am from Barcelona, I know naaaaaathing. Give me my camera. Si?

certainly senor, its on its way.

Pls address to Manuel, Fawlty Towers, Torquay.

i know nothing

Flowery twats

John_P

Not sure I see a big problem - it’s all part of buying and selling.    If someone makes an offer I can say no.    If someone changes their mind I can reoffer it.     
I was due to buy a guitar tomorrow and the seller txted this afternoon that he had changed his mind and was withdrawing it.    A shame as I was looking forward to it but totally understandable and no one is out of pocket.  

John_A

John_P said:

Not sure I see a big problem - it’s all part of buying and selling.    If someone makes an offer I can say no.    If someone changes their mind I can reoffer it.     
I was due to buy a guitar tomorrow and the seller txted this afternoon that he had changed his mind and was withdrawing it.    A shame as I was looking forward to it but totally understandable and no one is out of pocket.  

It’s the offering £275 and saying he’ll be round at 4:30 to collect, so I stop what I’m doing to get home, then at 3:00 making up some nonsense about why 250 is a fair offer

John_P

John_A said:

John_P said:

Not sure I see a big problem - it’s all part of buying and selling.    If someone makes an offer I can say no.    If someone changes their mind I can reoffer it.     
I was due to buy a guitar tomorrow and the seller txted this afternoon that he had changed his mind and was withdrawing it.    A shame as I was looking forward to it but totally understandable and no one is out of pocket.  

It’s the offering £275 and saying he’ll be round at 4:30 to collect, so I stop what I’m doing to get home, then at 3:00 making up some nonsense about why 250 is a fair offer

Yeah that is a shitty way to behave.    If you agree a price then stick to it.  Guitars aren’t used cars.