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Thread: Preventing Goofy Buyers - Ebay Banned Buyer's List

  1. #1
    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    Default Preventing Goofy Buyers - Ebay Banned Buyer's List

    This wekeend, I had an odd exchange on ebay. Someone who messaged me before looking for bargains I guess. They waited for my fixed price listing on ebay to expire, then sent me a message saying "i'm interested in this stone". A run of the mill prefinisher, some suita that I can't recall the mine name - i believe it is shoubu but if it has no stamp i'm not making claims. Anyway, I don't see it as appropriate for razor finishing, so I listed it as a prefinisher (aoto substitute kind of thing). Not a fabulous stone, but a very good prefinisher, and about 2 pounds for $65, or roughly 2/3rds of what I bought it for from fujibato (who also didn't claim it was a finisher)

    So I relist it figuring the guy probably had a 50/50 chance of buying it, but I'd relist it sooner or later (after the ad expires on here - ebay seems to have gotten stricter about taking ads down that can sell elsewhere). Later in the day, this doofus guy sends me some odd message back saying that he thought that $65 plus USPS shipping was too much to risk on an untested stone and that I was possibly untrustworthy and that he couldn't take such a risk (I have plenty of experience to know what I'm selling, and plently lack of untrustworthiness). I figured he was some kind of boob, so I sent him a message back that said politely "if you think that $65 is a lot to risk on a two pound stone from one of the kyoto mines, you probably shouldn't be looking at japanese natural stones" and warned him that it was not a finisher and that it was probably appropriate for a pretty narrow group of users that doesn't include beginners. I then added him to my banned buyers list to make sure he didn't buy the stone because that seemed like a risk to me.

    I really don't know what his objective was when he said he was interested in the stone, because that's all he said. He didn't say "i'm interested in the stone, but for less money" or "i'm interested in the stone, and I want to buy it offline for less money". I suspect one of those two may have been his objective. Maybe he was expecting me to just give it away to him, I don't know.

    He got all fouled up, told me that he had bought several japanese stones and he was a professional razor honer with a "service" and he'd never talk to customers the way I talked to him He also threatened that he wouldn't be buying the stone from me (that was predetermined by that time).

    I sent him one more pointed comment that selling things to anyone with money at any cost was not my first priority. I don't talk to people differently if I think they're a customer, I think that's disingenuous for a hobbyist like me to see people as money mouths and put on a fake face for them.

    In my estimation, there is a 2% tax on ebay that is not an above the line item, and that is time and sale to idiots, or people who send you messages like "why is this stone so expensive, I don't know about it but I want it at a lower price".

    The only other individual on my banned buyer's list (over 15 years) is someone from NY who bought an escher from me and then two weeks later got really cold about it because his wife found out he bought it. He demanded to send it back, said "his wife wasn't satisfied with it" and said he'd get paypal involved. Of course, I took it back. He had a garbage reason, but I don't need any trouble on ebay or anywhere else. I don't fight with buyers after the fact, I just try to keep the goofs from buying anything in the first place.

    That is completely and totally different than selling something and having the buyer just generally not get the jones they expected to when they use it. In that case, I'm more than happy to take something back. Maybe it wasn't as good as I thought it was, or maybe someone else would rather have it. I'm glad to take stuff like that back, why should someone be unreasonably unhappy?

    I am still puzzled as to why someone would think $65 is a big risk for a two pound suita. I've been pretty good at avoiding the 2% dummy tax, and glad this occurred before a sale and not after.

  2. #2
    The First Cut is the Deepest! Magpie's Avatar
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    I have long thought the word to be mostly populated by idiots, with the exceptional decent human being tossed in just to keep me from totally giving up on this planet. And yes, I would speculate the guy was hoping you would reply with "Oh, well, how about I just send you the stone for...say.... 20 dollars?"
    gooser and Raol like this.

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    Member Biggreg's Avatar
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    Some people think haggling is part of the buying experience. In some countries outside the States it's expected, and often the prices are gauged to off set. On Ebay there is an option, "Make an Offer". If you don't see that option that's the price of the item...simple. I never understood haggling, it's kind of an insult to me. I think you handled this situation perfect.

    Big Greg

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    Razor Vulture sharptonn's Avatar
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    Several years ago, there was a group of sellers who shared names on their banned lists. However, some were silly about it and would ban for just about anything. It caused some problems and embarrassment down the road.
    "Don't be stubborn. You are missing out".
    I rest my case.

  5. #5
    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    Quote Originally Posted by Biggreg View Post
    Some people think haggling is part of the buying experience. In some countries outside the States it's expected, and often the prices are gauged to off set. On Ebay there is an option, "Make an Offer". If you don't see that option that's the price of the item...simple. I never understood haggling, it's kind of an insult to me. I think you handled this situation perfect.

    Big Greg
    Haggling is no real problem for me, my parents are old PA dutch descendants (not amish, but non-amish pa germans), and it's automatic. I don't always haggle, but have no problem when people are clear about it. It'd have been easy to say "i'm not interested in that stone at that price, are you firm on the price?". It would've been easy for me to answer that, "yes, I am".

    playing bizarre and communicating poorly is something I'm not keen on. I usually price stuff where I'm willing to let go of it, and thus don't move much. At the same time, I will tell a seller "hey, i'm interested in that at $____" and they can just say no, but it's clear and easy. I've also paid straight up to people who I could tell were getting ready to hear an offer and counter when I'm at flea markets, and that usually surprises the dealer. I always say "i don't have a problem at the price you're asking, I'm glad you brought it here". I can tell they're happy, and I'm happy.

    I get a little turned off when people try to act like they're little tycoons on ebay. "hey, i own a honing business and I'd never talk to a potential customer the way you just talked to me". OK.. . . o o O O (you're not a potential customer, you're banned. I don't ban many people but you made it!!). Sometimes people need you to be direct if you're trying to help them, like beginners. They might not like you, but they'll remember it. But someone who claims to be a budding honemeister isn't going to give me grief about "the big risk" on a 2 pound kyoto stone and then suggest I might be untrustworthy. If I was, I sure wouldn't be selling at $65, I'd be talking about the "beautiful frosted haze that challenges even the best honer".
    sharptonn likes this.

  6. #6
    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    Quote Originally Posted by sharptonn View Post
    Several years ago, there was a group of sellers who shared names on their banned lists. However, some were silly about it and would ban for just about anything. It caused some problems and embarrassment down the road.
    I didn't remember banning the first person, and had to go to ebay help to find it for the second. I remember who the first person was, though. I wouldn't take someone else's ban unless they said someone was clinically nuts and returning things for sport. I was afraid if I didn't ban this guy, he might buy something from one of my auctions and then return it out of spite and make a big deal to paypal. You just never know what other people are going to do, I assume most people will be reasonable because the bulk of folks will be, but paypal folks don't know much about stones so they'd be inclined to believe about anything.

    My most bizarre experience on paypal or ebay was buying some rare wood from a guy in NY. I still remember his name, but I won't say it. He took money of mine and was supposed to ship an already palleted order the next day. A week later, he hadn't shipped yet. Then another week passed, no ship, and he said "he should be able to put it on a pallet the following monday". I asked him how it got off of the pallet and he went nuts and told me I was being ridiculous expecting to have him rush to ship my order of stuff (he was claiming to be the lumber dealer to the stars with the rarest and best). So I went to paypal and set up a dispute, and then he really went bonkers and claimed his arms were broken (literally).....something he didn't mention (not sure how he was typing). The paypal folks didn't blink, I elevated my dispute to a claim and had my money back immediately. That guy then floated his way out to the woodworking forums and went totally nuts and lost his selling privileges on them. I have no clue what his problem was, except that he was mad that I was collecting his statements in emails and comparing them and then pointed out that they all conflicted and suggested I didn't like being lied to.

    Some people live in an alternate reality where making up stories that aren't truthful is somehow not lying, because "only bad people do that".
    Geezer and sharptonn like this.

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    Razor Vulture sharptonn's Avatar
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    Sounds familiar! I suppose as long as there are people, some will be banned. The prisons do a big business as well.
    It is good you have a tool to eliminate some potential problems. Things sold on line are risky enough endeavors as it is.
    "Don't be stubborn. You are missing out".
    I rest my case.

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    Moderator Razorfeld's Avatar
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    I banned myself today. Banned myself away from a stack of tax papers screaming for attention. My nap was delicious.
    Geezer, sharptonn, MJC and 2 others like this.
    "The sharpening stones from time to time provide officers with gasoline."

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    Razor Vulture sharptonn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Razorfeld View Post
    I banned myself today. Banned myself away from a stack of tax papers screaming for attention. My nap was delicious.
    S'Okay, Richard. I was banned for real!
    Razorfeld likes this.
    "Don't be stubborn. You are missing out".
    I rest my case.

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    Moderator Razorfeld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sharptonn View Post
    S'Okay, Richard. I was banned for real!
    ...and here you are, back again!
    Geezer and sharptonn like this.
    "The sharpening stones from time to time provide officers with gasoline."

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