e-Bay Buyers

[Darin Bastedo]

Darin, IF the BUYER had read the shipping instructions/preferences, he would have seen that John DOES NOT ship internationally, Continental USA ONLY. Regardless of Johns E-Bay options to set shipping preferences, it is the BUYERS responsibility to make sure the seller will ship to them, NOT the other way around. Careful reading makes the need to 'set' preferences null and void. Or, Darin, are you one of those guys who believes that we need to cater to the lowest common denominator and lower ourselves to HAVING to set protections for ourselves. Thinking like that has been what has put this nation into the hole it is in. When do people take responsibility for their actions instead of having others set the responsibility themselves?

If you set up your auction correctly there is no need to cater to anyone. This is self protection, and the easiest way to avoid this sort of issue. I have every auction I list set to automaticly exclude;

A. anyone with a negative feedback score.

B. anyone who lives outside the areas I will ship.

C. anyone who doesn't have paypal.

I only had to set these up once as they are saved as my auction preferences. This isn't about whose responsibilty it is, it's what will make my use of Ebay as seamless as possible. If you don't want to use these tools that are available to you, to make your life easier, I don't care, buy just don't come crying afterward when something like this happens. It was easily avoidable.

[Casey]

And just why exactly do you refuse to answer e-mails? Seems to me, that no matter where you are buying if you are spending your hard earned money you have the right to ask questions. Being rude to me on ebay only gets you reported. I have had people kicked off ebay entirely for being rude.

Because he stated he doesn't want people e-mailing him and they did not follow his instructions. Second, it was on craigslist, not eBay.

As for the O.P.s question, yes the buyer didn't read your terms closely enough, but it happens.

Sometimes we forget that not everyone understands the language we choose to speak, and not everyone is as fluent in that language as we are, but it the buyer's responsibility to understand the terms of the auction before bidding/buying. I ship USPS International First Class packages via eBay, including some to MCM forum members in Brazil, and have yet to have any problems (knocking on wood as I speak), but it is well within the seller's right to cancel any auction because the buyer did not abide by the seller's terms. Go to your My eBay page and see how to cancel a transaction.

[whale392]

That is all well and good Darin, but basic ability to follow instructions negates having to set preferences. I can see your point, but it seems you have trouble seeing the other side (my point). PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY is what it boils down to. If the 'bidder' doesn't have the responsibility to actually read and abide by the sellers wishes, it is NOT the sellers responsibility to then cater to the buyer. THAT SIMPLE.

[Erik Smith]

it is NOT the sellers responsibility to then cater to the buyer. THAT SIMPLE.

I completely disagree. Not the seller's responsibility? Really. So, screw the buyers, I'm the seller?

Don't forget, it's not the sellers that make eBay (or any retail shopping) work. It's the buyers. It's called customer service. What's that old saying, "the buyer is always right"?

All the seller in the OP has to do is tell the buyer, sorry, I don't ship internationally. Then set up the preferences on his account to not accept bids. Is that a pain? Somewhat. But without somebody to buy all that stuff on eBay (good and bad), there is no eBay.

I don't think we can transcend this simple mistake for the decline of nations because people don't read an entire description or take "personal responsibility".

[Guest]

And just why exactly do you refuse to answer e-mails? Seems to me, that no matter where you are buying if you are spending your hard earned money you have the right to ask questions. Being rude to me on ebay only gets you reported. I have had people kicked off ebay entirely for being rude.

Simple. Anyone who isn't willing to pick up a phone and make a phone call isn't serious enough for me to waste my time on. I used to think some of the sellers on Craigslist were kinda rude in their descriptions,but after my first experience, I completely understood! I always put the mileage and year of the vehicle in the ad and you wouldn't believe how many idiots send emails saying "what year is it?" or "how many miles does it have". The only one I haven't got yet is "what color is it?" I also put willing to trade,but no ATVs or motorcycles. Yet, I will still get emails saying "I got a street bike to trade". If it wasn't for the exposure,I would just park them in the front yard with a "for sale" sign on them just to keep from having to deal with those type of people.

[whale392]

With due respect to context Erik, I think you need to take a second look at what was written and the context I have it in. It IS the buyers responsibility to make sure he fits the sellers preferences, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. You all who misunderstand that simple concept really are dense, aren't you. I truly hope something like this happens to you, and when it does, I will have ZERO sympathy for you as you will finally see what I am talking about. Some people (then again, I guess my parents actually taught me to READ and UNDERSTAND instructions before I did something. Then this funny little thing called the NAVY taught me attention to detail.........something it seems the world is missing/losing)

Here, I'll even paint the roadmap for you. Original Poster stated 'Continental USA Only' in his auction. Foreign bidder bids/wins anyway. Then expects seller to ship to an area HE SAID HE WON'T SHIP TO. How dang hard is that to comprehend (for both the foreign buyer and you all who defend that position)? NOT OUTSIDE CONTINENTAL USA.................pretty plain. Brasil is not Continental USA. OP doesn't want the hassle/cost to ship internationally, so he states that in the ad.

Edited December 1, 2011 by whale392

[martinfan5]

Having sold stuff on ebay , I can say that people do not read all the info that the seller has listed, it does not matter anymore, people do not take the time to read anything. And then they blame everyone else because something went wrong.

Now on the other side, sellers on ebay get screwed over left and right, even if the seller was in the right , they can and do sometimes lose the money they make on sales if some one complains .

People do need to take the responsibility to read the info in the actions listing before placing a bid, but again the seller needs to use the tools ebay has provided them with to better protect them shelf's

[whale392]

True, Jonathan. Ultimately, it is the buyers responsibility. I buy a lot on e-bay, and read the auction specifications carefully. If I see the seller has a stipulation in the auction I cannot comply with, no matter how bad I want the item I pass on and let someone who can comply buy it. I also agree that EBay can be a sellers nightmare, and a lot of that is because of negligent BUYERS who want to blame the seller. Sometimes, the seller is the culprit, I agree. By and large though, hasty buyers who then complain have a heavier hand in the Ebay rules system than the sellers do.

[spkgibson]

Well first off if the item is already payed for,You HAVE to send it to them, Or that is what E-Bay calls breach of contract, It's in the rules, Same goes for buyers, If you bid,and win the item, You are obligated to pay for it. If not, You can be banned from there, Also ,The same goes for sellers on there, They can open up a case against you, And E-bay will contact you to send the item to the person, I have been buying and selling on E-Bay for years, And know how things work around there, Also if the tables were turned you would want your item, I sold a 70 Galaxie Police Car a few years back, I said no sales outside of the lower 48 states, Well a person in Canada won it,So I HAD to send it to them , I made a whole $5 on the sale with shipping costs , But I did the responsible thing, I sent the kit to them,And got possitive feedback from the person, You have to watch what you do ,And how you list your items, And if someone from another country bids/buys something you can either contact the person before the listing ends and tell them, You only ship in the US,And ask them nicely to retract the bid, Or just end the listing and relist it, But I wouldn't advise doing that more then a few time, Or the will kick you off there. You have to act like any other sales person online,As if you would in person, It's better to be a reasonable person,Then one that gets a bad rep from not wanting to send stuff to people, Make sure your listing says US ONLY,NO EXCEPTIONS ! Thats exactly how I list my items on there ,I learned the hardway once. Thats all it took, And you HAVE to have a paypal account on there also, They won't even except your listing if any other means of payments are mentioned. Hope this helps the next time around.

[martinfan5]

ebay and paypal are in bed together , I believe ebay owns paypal now

[Chief Joseph]

I have been avoiding selling on Ebay for years now simply because of the goofy stuff that some buyers will pull. In my model aftermarket business, I send stuff by USPS International First Class all the time and <knock on wood> I haven't had much trouble other than the occasional really slow delivery. Brazil and Italy, though; I hold my breath each time I mail to those countries because of the horror stories I've heard. Other countries, like Australia, New Zealand, and pretty much all of Europe (except the previously mentioned boot-shaped country) are a breeze. Canada just takes forever to deliver a parcel. I appreciate and love my international customers-- they still have some money to spend!!

[jbwelda]

>Better not use USPS when you send abroad

have used USPS exclusively for foreign (from the usa) shipments and have never...never...never had a problem.

but anecdotal evidence is no evidence at all...but its been my experience.

those courior services are just money sinks if you ask me...lots of $ and unless you send them the very expensive way, really poor handling of your package.

Edited December 2, 2011 by jbwelda

[Chuck Most]

Simple. Anyone who isn't willing to pick up a phone and make a phone call isn't serious enough for me to waste my time on. I used to think some of the sellers on Craigslist were kinda rude in their descriptions,but after my first experience, I completely understood! I always put the mileage and year of the vehicle in the ad and you wouldn't believe how many idiots send emails saying "what year is it?" or "how many miles does it have". The only one I haven't got yet is "what color is it?" I also put willing to trade,but no ATVs or motorcycles. Yet, I will still get emails saying "I got a street bike to trade". If it wasn't for the exposure,I would just park them in the front yard with a "for sale" sign on them just to keep from having to deal with those type of people.

Been there! It amazes me how sometimes you go OUT OF YOUR WAY to make it easy for people to be informed on what you are selling, and it still goes over the heads of some people. When I sold my '67 Impala, I said in the ad it had a later-model 350, 15" Camaro Iroc wheels, and was painted 2003 Chevy Victory Red. Guess what the three most common questions I got were? Yep... "Does it still have the 327 in it?" "What wheels are those?" and "What red is that?" (It was a color photo in the ad, too by the way.)

[Gregg]

Okay, now I have to put my two cents in.

Yes, it upsets me when someone lists that they will only ship to the Continental U.S.

What about Alaska, and that idiot editor of Model Cars Magazine who thinks he is da Big Kahuna who lives in Hawaii?

That really gets my goat.

If you can ship it to the U.S., you can ship it to Hawaii, and Alaska.

Yes, Hawaii was "made" a state, after the forceful and illegal takeover of the Hawaiian monarchy, but that's another story.

The other thing that gets me is when people will only send by Parcel Post to Hawaii. It takes three to five WEEKS to get here.

I don't mind paying the extra Priority Mail shipping charges, including their inflated S&H fees, or even, gasp, First Class Mail!!!

Now, for me, no, I don't ship to International buyers, except for very rare occasions.

If I have to ship internationally, I have to fill out all the custom forms, go to post office, and stand in line.

So what's the big deal?

Well, to do that, it will set me back a day.

Why?

When I have to go out and do something, especially involving standing or waiting, I am done for for at least a day, sometimes longer.

It's not a fun way to live life, but you do plan around that.

If the post office would pick up and accept international parcels, I would be fine with it.

Okay, I pau.....

[jw78z28]

I buy & sell on E bay. I don't buy international items just because most of the time when you add it all up it's not a good price. I can just wait for another item that is in the U.S.

As far as selling I have always offered to ship anywhere. More bidders = more money. I clearly state in all my listings that I only ship usps priority international mail with insurance and tracking number. I have never lost one yet. Only problem I've ever had was I sold some zippo's to a guy and I was unable to ship them because you can't ship lighters in the mail even if unused.

As far as the forms I have been just paying my postage online and it prints the form out all I have to do is enter insurance amount and sign and date it. My post office has told me I could just put it in the drop box if I put the forms on the package myself but I work 2nd shift so stopping at post office before work has never been a big deal.

[Terror]

I've bought scooter parts from Japan, got them just as fast as if from California.Go figure..If they have alot of good feedback I can trust them.

[Darin Bastedo]

With due respect to context Erik, I think you need to take a second look at what was written and the context I have it in. It IS the buyers responsibility to make sure he fits the sellers preferences, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. You all who misunderstand that simple concept really are dense, aren't you. I truly hope something like this happens to you, and when it does, I will have ZERO sympathy for you as you will finally see what I am talking about. Some people (then again, I guess my parents actually taught me to READ and UNDERSTAND instructions before I did something. Then this funny little thing called the NAVY taught me attention to detail.........something it seems the world is missing/losing)

Here, I'll even paint the roadmap for you. Original Poster stated 'Continental USA Only' in his auction. Foreign bidder bids/wins anyway. Then expects seller to ship to an area HE SAID HE WON'T SHIP TO. How dang hard is that to comprehend (for both the foreign buyer and you all who defend that position)? NOT OUTSIDE CONTINENTAL USA.................pretty plain. Brasil is not Continental USA. OP doesn't want the hassle/cost to ship internationally, so he states that in the ad.

What you don't understand, is those of us who use the correct tools on ebay will never have this happen to us, because it can't. I have been on ebay over a decade, and have never had even one instance of someone bidding from outside my shipping perameters. Don't be lazy, use the tools available to you and you will be able to say the same thing.