eBay Jerk of the Day

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by alanu

I don't think I would call the buyer a jerk, but since the "special" request is a deal breaker for the buyer, he should have asked if the card could be shipped using the "special" method before he bid on the card.

I agree that if shipping the card in a plain envelope was so important to him, he should have contacted Buythatcard before bidding. But, on the other hand, was it specifically stated in his listing that he ships in bubble envelopes and that there was "no way around it?" If not, then I don't see how the buyer can be faulted for asking after the fact.

Buythatcard, if you're concerned about tracking, you could have responded something like this: "All cards are sent in a top loader and bubble envelope. The shipping label will say eBay on it. I print all my label from ebay in order to have the tracking #'s recorded automatically. However, if you are willing to assume the risk of loss or damage in the mail, I'll be glad to comply with your request. Please respond and specifically tell me that you're willing to assume the risk, and I'll be happy to mail your card in a handwritten envelope."

By "surprise," the buyer could have meant a surprise to himself. Maybe he gets a lot of mail, and whereas a large bubble envelope would have stood out right away, a #6 or #10 envelope with the card would be mixed in with the rest of the incoming letters, and as he sorted them he'd get the surprise of knowing it arrived.

As far as hiding hobby purchases from a spouse, sometimes there are extreme situations where it's necessary, as this anecdote from the legendary stamp dealer Herman Herst, Jr. will show (relax, no prior knowledge of stamp collecting is required)...

The customer was a doctor in Brooklyn. He needed a used single of [a very expensive stamp] and asked me to send him one on approval. Since he was a good buyer over the years, always paying promptly and never complaining, I did not hesitate to submit one.

Back it came, promptly, torn in half, with a brief note from his wife:

“My husband has received strict orders from me. He is not going to buy any more stamps. I hope this teaches you a lesson.”

Fortunately, his original letter had an office telephone number on it, and I was not long in calling him on the phone.

He thought that I was calling for not having sent the stamp. He said:

“My wife said that if she saw any more letters from stamp dealers she would open them and tear any stamps in the letter in half. I did not think she meant it.”

He continued, “It has taught me a lesson. I am going to take a Post Office Box. I will give you the address as soon as I have it.”

He did not stop buying stamps, and was decent enough to pay for the torn stamp. I asked if I might keep it as a souvenir of the stupid act of a wife jealous of her husband’s hobby.

It does not happen often that one spouse denies the other the pleasure of a hobby. But when that couple finally breaks up, her forcing him to seek additions to his collection via a Post Office Box will have been the start of it all. Happily, few of us are that dumb.