Opinion needed on a correspondence with a seller on eBay

[npa589]

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 08:16:40 -0700
ME:
I'm all ready to send the payment, but before I do - can I get a scan of the back?

Also, if you're looking to start anew with some sales, let me know the prices of your Cubs T206 cards off e-bay. I've been following your store for a while and noticed that they haven't sold - even when on sale.

Thank you for the quick response,

Nate
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 11:43 AM
PERSON RESPONDING TO ME (the Seller):

No back scan. They cards are in inventory in my office and I do not have a scanner at my office. Would be a 45 min round trip just to send a scan and then all my profit is gone in gas.

Seller's Name

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:09:49 -0700
Me Responding Again:

That I understand. Stupid gas prices.

If there is paper missing from the back, or a mark on the back - then my offer would be much lower - in the range of 30-35 depending how bad the back is. On the Tinker 'bat on' that I got for 35, I really could have offered him lower. There is no limit to how low a Poor can be graded with the card being entirely intact.

When do you go back to your office? Are you off this week?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 12:15 PM
SELLERS FINAL RESPONSE:

Read my Ebay "Me" page.
We are done here.
Good luck.

-The Seller's Name was here

Here is that "ME" Page

Ebay has changed much for seller's the past year or so. With higher fee's and almost manditory free shipping we/I have had to up our prices on cards. I will try and give my best price at listing and ship fast and safe for you. Please do not ask me for discounts on cards as Ebay charges me 15% on whatever it sells for. Please do not email asking for back scans. I do not understand the need for a reverse scan of a graded card. You either trust the 3rd party service or you do not. I am not a fan of any guide. I hate VCP Beckett and SMR so please do not email me with completed listing prices or just to tell me what the SMR is on a card. This is rude. My ME page has to sound harsh becaue with Ebay's changes and unfair feedback forum we seller's are blackmailed, bullied, and abused by many buyers about our costs. It's to compansate for the high fee's not to try and gouge a customer. Please email me with any legit concerns or questions as I will be more than happy to help!

My Final Response

Dude - you need to lighten up! Really!

Why do you think I contact people outside of eBay? The fees are ludicrous.

I trust the 3rd party graders. If it were a PSA 3 - I wouldn't ask for a back scan - would I? A PSA 1 can look a lot better than another PSA 1. There are enormous disparities. I have an Evers portrait that looks fantastic front and back as a PSA 1 since it only has a pin hole at the top. I got it for 65$. I have another Evers portrait beat to hell as a PSA 1 with the back half torn off that I got for 28$.

I'm on your side here - for a seller to get pissed at a potential buyer for asking to see the 2nd side of a 2 sided card is also ludicrous. I know you're pissed about eBay and their monopoly on auctions (therefore having the ability to charge whatever they want...) but don't alienate future buyers. I'm shocked that you got pissed about someone asking for a back scan.

God bless.

Nate

[deadballera]

sounds like the seller doesn't really want to sell his cards.

He should have at least gave you some details as to why it was PSA-1


better luck shopping with the next seller

[Anthony S.]

Ask him for a side scan.

[danc]

This is what happens when you allow anyone and everyone to go into retail. This guy is a horrible seller.

DanC

[npa589]

Ok - that's what I thought. I wanted to get some of your opinions. Much appreciated.

I thought my final response was rather accurate.

Like I expected, there hasn't been a response from the seller. Just like the seller's "eBay ME" page - this lack of a response is typical of a whining child, which I hate to say it, but it is how this seller has acted.

[npa589]

LOL...

Yea, see the front of the card looked Fair. Hence why I asked to see the back.

for someone to get mad about someone asking to see the 2nd side of a card that has only 2 sides is still dumbfounding to me.

Originally Posted by deadballera

sounds like the seller doesn't really want to sell his cards.

He should have at least gave you some details as to why it was PSA-1


better luck shopping with the next seller

[npa589]

Okay....that's hilarious.

I am literally going to send him an e-mail asking for a side scan.

Originally Posted by Anthony S.

Ask him for a side scan.

[rp12367]

I ask for a back scan on just about every card I buy be it $10 or $1000. Even though, I trust most 3rd party graders, I don't like to be surprised. I thought most sellers just put up the one pic so they don't have to pay the extra .15 cents for additional pics. When I sell a card or anything else, I scan both sides/photo all angles so if someone ask I just send jpeg off, no big deal. I would think if he was buying something from you he would want and appreciate the same...

[vargha]

Sounds like one of the "old school" sellers who are still pissed that the days of their overrating and overvaluing their cards has passed. Damned grading companies!

[Peter_Spaeth]

PSA needs to go to the 0.5 grade.

[ctownboy]

As a person who sells on eBay I can TOTALLY understand the original seller's frustrations with the games, hoops and BS that eBay management throws at us.

HOWEVER, even though I only add one picture to my listing (because of the extra fee) I DO take additional photos or scans and tell buyers to E mail me if they would like additional photos or info about an item.

I feel it is only right that if a prospective buyer is interested enough in an item that I have for sale and wants some additional info or a picutre of something that I didn't show then I should respect them and try to help them out. I mean, it is not like they can just come over to the house and inspect the item in person and get the info they want that way.

I think if the seller in the original post doesn't want to make an extra effort to help a buyer out then the buyer shouldn't make an extra effort spending money on what that guy has to sell.

David

[E93]

The seller sounds like a prick, but in all honesty, if you committed to buy the card and then told him you would follow through on the purchase contingent on liking the back scan, I understand his perspective. That is something that should have been asked for in advance. Just my .02.
JimB

[vargha]

David, basic HTML and a free hosting service allow you to have as many scans as you want in the description for free.

Its always good to see both sides of the cards. There were some PSA 5 T205's a while back that had paper loss on the back. I remember asking for back scans because they were not on ebay. I know crossing to SGC where they consider both sides of the card when grading I wanted to see the backs. Both were nice but had small bits of paper loss on the back. Both would have been nice 2's at best.

[martindl]

I'll offer a different perspective. I'm not the seller btw and wouldn't respond that way if I was, but.....

Your response could be read as
"I know I've committed to buy the card in its listed condition and for a contracted price but I've decided to add a contingency. The contingency wasn't something you'd have to deal with if I wasn't the winner but I was and now you will. Let me go ahead now and tell you how much I'm really likely to offer you i.e. I'm expecting to get a good discount when I point out the flaws of the grader and why this card is worth less than I've already agreed to. Btw, you can tell I'm a good guy because I've told you I'm interested in other cards you have."

Too cynical? Perhaps, but I've heard of a few too many people lately who win an auction and then want to negotiate. I do think the seller should have handled himself differently but its understandable to me why your approach would set off alarm bells.

[ctownboy]

vargha,

Thanks for the info.

I am already on a free hosting service. As far as HTML goes, I am not very computer literate so I don't know exactly what that means or how to use it.

All I know is, as it stands now, I can add only one picture to my listing and that is it. There have been times I really NEEDED more than one picture but haven't been able to add any more.

I guess I will have to try and play around and see if I can figure out how to add more since I am going to be offering some Topps cards from 1958 to 1970for sale soon.

David

[Vol]

That is one of those, sorry to bother you dude situations. Forget it.
Funny that his office is so much of a hassle to get too.

Reminds me of O Brother Where Art Thou, when Clooney is trying to get some Dapper Dan pomade delivered. "Well ain't this place a geographical oddity!"

[npa589]

That I understand, and you're right on that. It was one of those things that once I offered a price, and he accepted - he accepted way too quickly with no reservation. Perhaps that could be just him agreeing, but it caused suspicion within me - which is what was the impetus for me asking to see the back.

Originally Posted by E93

The seller sounds like a prick, but in all honesty, if you committed to buy the card and then told him you would follow through on the purchase contingent on liking the back scan, I understand his perspective. That is something that should have been asked for in advance. Just my .02.
JimB

[npa589]

That might be true if this were via eBay. This was in a correspondence via email about an item on eBay. I never put in a bid (it was a BIN). I didn't win the auction, because the price the seller had listed was way too high. Also, if you read what the seller had under the "eBay ME" page - the seller's objection is not just to me. It is to anyone that asks for a back scan. That is the most ludicrous thing about it.

Originally Posted by martindl

I'll offer a different perspective. I'm not the seller btw and wouldn't respond that way if I was, but.....

Your response could be read as
"I know I've committed to buy the card in its listed condition and for a contracted price but I've decided to add a contingency. The contingency wasn't something you'd have to deal with if I wasn't the winner but I was and now you will. Let me go ahead now and tell you how much I'm really likely to offer you i.e. I'm expecting to get a good discount when I point out the flaws of the grader and why this card is worth less than I've already agreed to. Btw, you can tell I'm a good guy because I've told you I'm interested in other cards you have."

Too cynical? Perhaps, but I've heard of a few too many people lately who win an auction and then want to negotiate. I do think the seller should have handled himself differently but its understandable to me why your approach would set off alarm bells.

[Vol]

Originally Posted by npa589

That I understand, and you're right on that. It was one of those things that once I offered a price, and he accepted - he accepted way too quickly with no reservation. Perhaps that could be just him agreeing, but it caused suspicion within me - which is what was the impetus for me asking to see the back.

Ohhh. So you already bought the card you wanted a scan of?

[npa589]

No. I sent an e-mail stating my interest in the item. He responded, I sent a price that I felt was low - expecting a counter offer. He accepted very quickly, to the point that it rang a bell in me that birthed suspicion. I made the mistake of trusting that if there were paper loss, he would mention it in the auction. I then asked to see a scan of the back. He got pissed, but never ever said "the back is fine". It was more like he was upset that he had been caught with attempting to unload a card that had extensive damage to the back.

Originally Posted by VOLnVEGAS

Ohhh. So you already bought the card you wanted a scan of?

[Ease]

Originally Posted by npa589

I made the mistake of trusting that if there were paper loss, he would mention it in the auction.

You should have asked for the back scan before making an offer, that's just general common sense and good etiquette man. I hope you learn from this, glad no money changed hands.

[dstudeba]

If it was a gorgeous back would you raise your offer? I wouldn't have been as glib as the seller, but I would have been wary about dealing with you in the future.

I have back scans on all my cards but the point here is going through with a deal you commited to.

[bosoxphan]

Guy could use some lessons on selling. That said it really sounds like you made an offer, and when it was accepted so quickly, realized you probably could have gotten it even cheaper.

[vargha]

Originally Posted by ctownboy

vargha,

Thanks for the info.

I am already on a free hosting service. As far as HTML goes, I am not very computer literate so I don't know exactly what that means or how to use it.

All I know is, as it stands now, I can add only one picture to my listing and that is it. There have been times I really NEEDED more than one picture but haven't been able to add any more.

I guess I will have to try and play around and see if I can figure out how to add more since I am going to be offering some Topps cards from 1958 to 1970for sale soon.

David

It looks like I can't post tags and have them appear as this site actually takes html. I will post the tags so they appear, but you will need to eliminate the space I added to actually make them work when you are writing the html tag.

A simple way to post a space between lines or photos (like a paragraph break) is to type in < br>< br> after or before the photo information (eliminating only the space between "<" and "br").

You will then need to find the exact location (url) of the hosted image. If it resides at http://myimage.com/123.jpg then the way to have it appear in the body of the text is to use the tag of < img src=http://myimage.com/123.jpg> (eliminating only the space between "<" and "img". E-mail me if you need any further help.

[bbeck]

Originally Posted by rp12367

I ask for a back scan on just about every card I buy be it $10 or $1000. Even though, I trust most 3rd party graders, I don't like to be surprised. I thought most sellers just put up the one pic so they don't have to pay the extra .15 cents for additional pics. When I sell a card or anything else, I scan both sides/photo all angles so if someone ask I just send jpeg off, no big deal. I would think if he was buying something from you he would want and appreciate the same...

Ralph-pure coincidence, you asked me for a scan of the SGC 50 Sovereign Chase I just put up on ebay. It's not that I don't want to spend the extra
.15c, I just don't know how to get up two scans at once. Someone once explained it to me and it was so convoluted I became completely glazed over and started envisioning old Mod Squad reruns.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by ctownboy

vargha,

Thanks for the info.

I am already on a free hosting service. As far as HTML goes, I am not very computer literate so I don't know exactly what that means or how to use it.

All I know is, as it stands now, I can add only one picture to my listing and that is it. There have been times I really NEEDED more than one picture but haven't been able to add any more.

I guess I will have to try and play around and see if I can figure out how to add more since I am going to be offering some Topps cards from 1958 to 1970for sale soon.

David

If you're on Photobucket, you can select the pictures you want to upload, click the "Generate Code" button and then just cut & paste the HTML it generates right into your auction listing.

Tabe

[buymycards]

Read the FAQ's on the photobucket site. There are clear, explicit directions for cutting and pasting your photo's into the ebay description area. Once you get the hang of it you can do it in less than 10 seconds.

Click on the tag below your photo that says "Html code". This "copies" your photo. Then on your selling page, click on the Html tag at the top of the description area. Then hit "Control V", which pastes the html into the description area.

That's it.

Rick

[PolarBear]

Originally Posted by Ease

You should have asked for the back scan before making an offer, that's just general common sense and good etiquette man. I hope you learn from this, glad no money changed hands.

I have to agree with this statement.