What do you guys like/not like to see in a Vintage Seller?

[Exhibitman]

Makes big scans. NOT cell phone photos unless the item is oversized.

Packs properly. A raw toploader or card saver is NOT standard of care. Unless I am selling via the eBay $0.79 1st class envelope for a cheap card, I use cardboard and a mailer.

Uses blue tape. I try not to wreck the holder for the buyer or make extracting the card like busting into Fort Knox.

[ClementeFanOh]

I'm tempted to say that the thing I dislike most about ebay sellers, is that
they are using ebay to sell. However, that snide response dodges the
intent of the question...

I used ebay consistently until the early 2000s, then it fell out of favor with
me due to the standard reasons people often cite- which are profound
enough to have driven me away by themselves. The biggest
issue about many ebay sellers for me, however, is that too many have
"flipped" basic selling concepts on their heads, to make it easier on
themselves. Too many think the idea that "the customer is always right" is
somehow absurd or profane, for starters. Some sellers answer a specific
(and common) question about a card by replying "I don't know much about
cards" or "I'm not comfortable answering you". I like to reply, "Then I'm
not comfortable buying" or "When you are asking Mint price for an item,
you need to understand what the term actually means". Then there are
sellers who don't bother answering at all- really smart! In short, many
sellers forget that they need buyers a LOT more than the buyer "needs"
them. It's a basic concept that has sadly been lost to many on that venue.

Trent King

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Too many think the idea that "the customer is always right" is somehow absurd or profane

That is such an outdated canard. The fact is that too many times (especially on the 'net) the customer is a rude, argumentative, self-centered, spoiled man-child who thinks that being an asshat is just fine because 'the customer is always right.' Well, they aren't and I won't put up with that sort of BS from anyone just because that person is a 'customer.'

[ClementeFanOh]

Adam- great job of missing the point (I'm astonished.) I'll try easier words...

The problem with too many ebay sellers is that they somehow think the
potential customer should cater to them. Is that an "outdated canard"? Like
it or not, the customer is entitled to make sure 1) the product is as
advertised and 2) the seller has a triple digit IQ. After all, in many cases the
potential customer has no idea who the seller actually is. A buyer who tries
to achieve some small amount of confidence is NOT the issue. It's guys like
you, who are "bothered" to have to type- I know, it's exhausting- who cause
the issues. Are there bad buyers? Of course. But sellers who pop off from the
start are what get to me which, the last time I looked, was the nature of the
original post.

Trent King

[Exhibitman]

Well, then we're both right aren't we?

[steve B]

A mixed group of things for me.

As others have said, good pictures, sensible shipping and combined shipping are a big plus.
As is a fairly concise description that mentions something not easy to see in a scan (which is apparently everything now so many people use the phone where every image is tiny)

But the bargain hunter in me wants the exact opposite.
Annoying description, garish color scheme, barely usable pics or worse, 1 cent start but crazy shipping.... anything that puts other people off a potential bargain.
By all means, PLEASE list more R300s simply as "old baseball card" with a blurry cell phone pic.
Or big lots of valuable bicycle parts with phrasing like "Campagnolo pump head 274 each" - Yes, it really was 274 of them, when they sell for 30-50 each! Plus bunches of other parts. and a 125 buy it now....


I also don't agree with "the customer is always right" but I replace it with "the customer has a right to have all reasonable questions and concerns addressed" And no, asking for a better scan, or asking a complex question with 5 minutes or less remaining is not reasonable. Neither is asking where you item is less than 12 hours after winning it, and days before your mailed payment has any chance of arriving..... Those I wait extra time to be able to answer politely.

[Exhibitman]

My eBay listing screed:

OK, I've decided to make everything clear to everyone right up front by answering the main questions I have gotten on other listings before you ask them again:

--I am not interested in any offers unless I put in a Best Offer option. Please do not PM me asking for my "best price" or asking for an early end to the auction: the answer is "no". If you like the card and think the price is fair then bid on it; if you don't, just move along to a different card.

--I am well aware of what the market is for most anything I sell; trying to "educate" me on pricing is not a negotiation tool, it is just being a tool. Don't be a tool.

--Please don't share your opinion on whether the card is overgraded, undergraded, or graded just right, Goldilocks; I just don't care. Opinions are like...you know the rest.

--The photos are part of the description. Learn them. Know them. Live them.

--I am not going to tell you my opinion of the card. If you are grown-up enough to buy an expensive card then look at the nice big photos (usually 400 dpi scans), put on the big boy pants, and make your own decision. If that does not appeal to you, just move along to the next card.

--I do not know what PSA, SGC, BVG, CSG or any other TPG might grade it. If you want a graded card, then BUY ONE.

--I will not ship internationally except through the eBay Global Shipping Program. Look, I know it costs more than direct shipment but that's for my protection. There are many great, honest, trustworthy people outside the USA who would never dream of lying about not receiving an item, but there are some thieving pigs who lie about delivery and cheat hardworking sellers like me, so the good folks get the short end of things because of the scoundrels. Sorry.

--When you do contact me, a little basic courtesy is always appreciated and politely reciprocated; stupid messages are ignored, and nasty messages are ignored and then mercilessly mocked on hobby chat boards. I am a big mocker (those of you who speak Yiddish will appreciate that one).

--No Partial Refunds! Stuff happens, so if your item is damaged or non-conforming, please contact me. If your plan is to renegotiate the sale after the fact, however, don't bid, because I don't play that.

--I don't do sales tax fraud or customs fraud so don't even ask. Taxes are the price we pay for civilization. Just pay your taxes.

--I combine shipping for purchases with an automatic discount rule. Good for you, sucks for me...

--If I don't receive payment within four days of the close of an auction, I will cancel the sale and block you from further bidding in my auctions, unless you contact me, and we make other arrangements. Sometimes you want to bid on stuff that closes a few days later and save some shipping costs, sometimes stuff happens, which is fine, just let me know. Otherwise, man up and pay for what you purchased, player.

So, now that we're clear on that...