Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. That doesn't mean you still don't run into it and it may have an affect on you. Do I sit up at night thinking about these scenarios? No. Is it slightly irritating to see these listings over and over again? Yes.
I do a daily search on ebay, so I really don't have any way of avoiding these types of sellers and I have just learned that I will have to scroll past their listing, laughing sarcastically, probably until one of us dies!!!
So, that being said, it doesn't stop me from poking fun at them for their tenacity to sell their items on their terms, period! Why not, we are only hours into 2012 and I thought we can't waste an opportunity to mock and complain about sellers and their odd tendencies. There are plenty of head scratchers out there.
Here are a couple to start us out right.
1) Moving in the wrong direction - There was a person who tried to sell a lot of cards, lists it for 7 days and then it doesn't sell. We all know that any given listing can sell later, sometimes at a higher price. Ebay is just a snapshot in time and maybe nobody was looking at that particular moment. However, normally one might reconsider the price and adjust it accordingly (lower it) or at worst, relist it at the same price it previously failed to sell (that is another topic all together). Nope, not the guy I just saw. His lot of signed cards didn't sell for $14.99 plus around $6 s/h, so he relisted then for $16.99???? Good luck, maybe they will sell this time. If not, try $18.99 next time. I'll add that $14.99 was a somewhat decent price (not a screaming deal mind you, but a decent price) until you added the additional $6 s/h.
2) I WILL get MY price darn it - Related to item 1 above is the persistent seller who just won't give up. Two examples involve relisting the same item OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. Those are the most painful kinds, because you just keep seeing them time and time again and wonder what the seller is actually thinking when the auction is relisted for the 33rd time!
In the first case, a seller is trying to sell a 3x5 autograph with a candid photo. OK, fair enough, maybe someone will want it. A typical 3x5 goes for maybe $3-5. Add a couple of bucks for a unique photo nobody else has and you might have a $5-10 lot. However, the BIN/BO price is $100 OBO with $6 s/h! Really? If I insult the seller with a lowball offer of $5, I am still over paying for this item! It's LOSE-LOSE scenario. I hope that there isn't a sucker out there that desperate for this item that the seller gets their price.
The 2nd example involves a large cardboard display piece that was used to advertise a coloring book. A year or more ago, the seller listed this item, signed by several of the players featured, for several hundred dollars. Of course, this is a RARE piece and can never be duplicated.
After relisting it 3-4 times, the seller proclaimed that this would be THE LAST time he would offer this piece. You guessed it, it didn't sell and minus that phrase of course, the piece has shown up dozens more times in the past year+ for around the same asking price with no interest! Maybe a buyer is out there at that price...just ask a certain well loved So. Cal card business who frequently overprices their listings!
3) Who cares about serial numbers - Serial numbers are important to a small group of hard core collectors, and usually only very specific serial numbers. Sure, this is a niche type thing and I don't expect everyone to cater to it, but you are missing the boat if you don't try. How hard is it to list the ACTUAL serial number, when you are already noting the card is serial numbered? Take this fine example and you tell me???
Pulled from an actual ebay description: SERIAL NUMBER: ***/219 (If the serial number is not listed and you need it, please email us.)
Now why type all of that, when you could have simply typed 123/219? So, I had to email the seller and ask for the serial number in hopes it was 1 of 5 serial numbers for this issue that I would be willing to buy and possibly even pay a slight premium for. I'm sure it won't be and both mine and the sellers time answering will have been wasted.
I do a daily search on ebay, so I really don't have any way of avoiding these types of sellers and I have just learned that I will have to scroll past their listing, laughing sarcastically, probably until one of us dies!!!
So, that being said, it doesn't stop me from poking fun at them for their tenacity to sell their items on their terms, period! Why not, we are only hours into 2012 and I thought we can't waste an opportunity to mock and complain about sellers and their odd tendencies. There are plenty of head scratchers out there.
Here are a couple to start us out right.
1) Moving in the wrong direction - There was a person who tried to sell a lot of cards, lists it for 7 days and then it doesn't sell. We all know that any given listing can sell later, sometimes at a higher price. Ebay is just a snapshot in time and maybe nobody was looking at that particular moment. However, normally one might reconsider the price and adjust it accordingly (lower it) or at worst, relist it at the same price it previously failed to sell (that is another topic all together). Nope, not the guy I just saw. His lot of signed cards didn't sell for $14.99 plus around $6 s/h, so he relisted then for $16.99???? Good luck, maybe they will sell this time. If not, try $18.99 next time. I'll add that $14.99 was a somewhat decent price (not a screaming deal mind you, but a decent price) until you added the additional $6 s/h.
2) I WILL get MY price darn it - Related to item 1 above is the persistent seller who just won't give up. Two examples involve relisting the same item OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. Those are the most painful kinds, because you just keep seeing them time and time again and wonder what the seller is actually thinking when the auction is relisted for the 33rd time!
In the first case, a seller is trying to sell a 3x5 autograph with a candid photo. OK, fair enough, maybe someone will want it. A typical 3x5 goes for maybe $3-5. Add a couple of bucks for a unique photo nobody else has and you might have a $5-10 lot. However, the BIN/BO price is $100 OBO with $6 s/h! Really? If I insult the seller with a lowball offer of $5, I am still over paying for this item! It's LOSE-LOSE scenario. I hope that there isn't a sucker out there that desperate for this item that the seller gets their price.
The 2nd example involves a large cardboard display piece that was used to advertise a coloring book. A year or more ago, the seller listed this item, signed by several of the players featured, for several hundred dollars. Of course, this is a RARE piece and can never be duplicated.
After relisting it 3-4 times, the seller proclaimed that this would be THE LAST time he would offer this piece. You guessed it, it didn't sell and minus that phrase of course, the piece has shown up dozens more times in the past year+ for around the same asking price with no interest! Maybe a buyer is out there at that price...just ask a certain well loved So. Cal card business who frequently overprices their listings! 3) Who cares about serial numbers - Serial numbers are important to a small group of hard core collectors, and usually only very specific serial numbers. Sure, this is a niche type thing and I don't expect everyone to cater to it, but you are missing the boat if you don't try. How hard is it to list the ACTUAL serial number, when you are already noting the card is serial numbered? Take this fine example and you tell me???
Pulled from an actual ebay description: SERIAL NUMBER: ***/219 (If the serial number is not listed and you need it, please email us.)
Now why type all of that, when you could have simply typed 123/219? So, I had to email the seller and ask for the serial number in hopes it was 1 of 5 serial numbers for this issue that I would be willing to buy and possibly even pay a slight premium for. I'm sure it won't be and both mine and the sellers time answering will have been wasted.
