DarlaS Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I don't understand the name calling -- cheapskates and chintzy? Couldn't those people just as easily call you greedy for asking what they might consider a high price? I've received low ball offers on my listings. I consider it and either accept it, counter-offer, or say no thanks. At least it tells me someone is reading my for sale posts! Yea, that's a little over the top. I have often had people offer me less, and quite often take it. I'd rather have the amount I was asking (obviously!), but appreciate getting offers anyway--even if I refuse or counter. It's all good. :001_smile: It's the ones who drop off the face of the earth & don't pay at all that I could do without. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mothergooseof4 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I have bought and sold all sorts of items online for years via ebay and forums. I have had mostly good experiences. I have had the rare buyer that said they wanted something, then disappeared. I have had a couple of packages that got lost in the mail, but the sellers generously refunded my money. Recently, however, I have had a few frustrating experiences. I have had two packages that took over a month to arrive. Neither was the fault of the post office, but the seller. I don't mind if they contact me to tell me that there has been a delay. I understand that life gets in the way sometimes. Then I emailed a seller to ask if the book she was selling was the newest edition and was told that it was. When it arrived, it was not. And, I bought a LIKE NEW, UNUSED set of curriculum only to have it arrive filthy and torn. Yes, it is unused, but how books could get so dirty just sitting on a shelf I cannot figure out. Oh, and I currently have a buyer that paid for a few books but never sent me her address. I have emailed her at the original email, the address the paypal payment came from, and pmed her. That was over two weeks ago and I still have not heard from her. Overall though, I have made a good amount to reinvest in other curricula and also gotten some really good deals. I will keep at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in DFW Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I have also had packages lost in the mail and people unwilling to refund me Well...keep in mind, no one has control over the post office...if they lose something and you did not request the sender insure the item (and offer to pay for the service) then I suppose they are not obligated to refund your money... Frustrating? Yes...but when you buy something from someone that is really a chance you take... I have been on the "not receiving" end before due to loss in the mail...like I said...it's a chance you take... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Oh, now you make me feel bad! Oh, I feel horrible for haggling now! LOL And, yes, I guess I am cheap, but really if you offer it for resell at 10 dollars less than the new price what do you think is fair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I get so much curriculum from the sale/swap board, and I always have had wonderful luck selling (1 more to arrive, so cross fingers!). I'm sorry for those who have had bad experiences, but i surely hope they're not the norm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I get frustrated when I list things that are literally Brand New (as in, I've opened the book, glanced through it, decided it won't work for us and then listed it) and people still won't buy it unless it's next to free. If I paid $50 for a brand new set of math texts (student and teacher) and it has never been used, why should I have to sell it for $10 (best case)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleeglaser Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I just bought the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia(White cover) from a mama on WTM forums. The description was that it was in great condition, the price was $60 and included shipping. I did the amazon comparison and I could have gotten for a little cheaper but not with a personal note of the condition. I've ordered from amazon before when it said it was in great condition and it was filled with highlighting. I returned it. Ordering from another homeschooling mama I felt better than ordering from some random person or invisible company. I sent my paypal money with address(paypal requires you include it) and then she updated paypal with the shipping information. It took awhile but showed up nicely wrapped and in wonderful condition. I even pm'd the mama thanking her for such a wonderful transaction. It did take her some time initially to notice that she had a pm but it was smooth sailing after that. I didn't try to bargain with her because I valued what she was offering and knew it was worth the extra $10-15 to know it was in great condition. Anyway sometimes amazon transactions don't go smoothly either and sometimes selling here can go wonderfully. As far as packages getting lost in the mail....I doubt it. I own a retail store and have things shipped ALL. THE. TIME. and I've never had anything lost in the mail. Sounds fishy to me. Delivery confirmation is a really cheap way to guarentee it was actually mailed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThelmaLou Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I've never bought an item on these boards (that I can remember) but have just started selling on ebay over the last year. I've done quite well that way. Have also bought curriculum a few times on ebay. Nice thing about ebay is that it's all business. Because of the rating/feedback system it's rare to get someone who doesn't follow through on their purchase. Media Mail is so inexpensive. I guess if you're selling items that were only $10 or so to begin with, it's not worth the time. But I've sold several big $ items lately, like Latina Christiana, Math It, Introductory Logic, etc...and have been very pleased with my profits. I guess you could get questions from ebayers about price and shipping, but it's less likely than selling on a forum. I've sold furniture recently on Craigslist. I don't mind when people ask me if I'll take less. If I've just listed something, I'll politely decline. If it's been listed and relisted several times, I often just want it off my hands. I'm not a haggler at all (as a buyer) but it doesn't ruffle my feathers a bit when people ask me to come down on my price. I just don't take it personally. All I have to say is "no" if I don't want to negotiate. Why shouldn't they try to get the best price they can. It is laughable, though, when they act offended about something being priced too high. I figure if they can get it cheaper elsewhere, then by all means they should do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Anyway sometimes amazon transactions don't go smoothly either and sometimes selling here can go wonderfully. As far as packages getting lost in the mail....I doubt it. I own a retail store and have things shipped ALL. THE. TIME. and I've never had anything lost in the mail. Sounds fishy to me. Delivery confirmation is a really cheap way to guarentee it was actually mailed. I had a package from Book Depository in the UK that never arrived, a few months ago. They re-sent the book. I also had another book from another business not arrive; the package had come open in transit and one fell out. I also ordered a set of books via a used book site. They had a delivery confirmation number. When they were in the post office sorting facility, the label became separated from the box. The post office informed the sender that the label had been found. The company gave me a refund, which I genuinely felt sorry for because it was not their fault for destroying the package. I do occasionally have packages meant for me, go missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I get frustrated when I list things that are literally Brand New (as in, I've opened the book, glanced through it, decided it won't work for us and then listed it) and people still won't buy it unless it's next to free. If I paid $50 for a brand new set of math texts (student and teacher) and it has never been used, why should I have to sell it for $10 (best case)? Speaking for myself (and I know I've seen a few others express this opinion), here's why I won't buy used (even when the items are listed as "like new") unless there's a significant discount involved. When I buy something new from a company, I know what I'm getting for sure, and I know that if there's a problem with the materials or the shipping, the company will usually replace the items or work to keep my loyalty in other ways. If I'm going to take the chance on buying something from a reseller through a message board (or even resellers through Amazon)--opening myself up to potential issues like poor packaging, post office error, shipper error, just plain scams, etc.--I won't do it unless I'm getting a good discount for taking the risk. That said, $50 worth of new materials for $10 is far more of a discount than I'd normally look for, but maybe there's just not a high demand for what you're selling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie75 Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I have also had packages lost in the mail and people unwilling to refund me Well...keep in mind, no one has control over the post office...if they lose something and you did not request the sender insure the item (and offer to pay for the service) then I suppose they are not obligated to refund your money... Frustrating? Yes...but when you buy something from someone that is really a chance you take... I have been on the "not receiving" end before due to loss in the mail...like I said...it's a chance you take... I disagree. I think the seller/shipper is responsible for getting confirmation and insurance. Otherwise they run the risk of having to refund if the product does not arrive. If you aren't willing to refund when the package gets lost in the media mail black hole, you should automatically charge insurance with every sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I disagree. I think the seller/shipper is responsible for getting confirmation and insurance. Otherwise they run the risk of having to refund if the product does not arrive. If you aren't willing to refund when the package gets lost in the media mail black hole, you should automatically charge insurance with every sale. Years ago on Ebay it was the buyer's responsibility to request insurance. Now, however, if the buyer doesn't receive a package, it falls back on the seller. Therefore, in order to be covered, the seller now has to add insurance to the cost of shipping, which increases the shipping too much to make it even worth selling low-priced items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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