Ending Ebay listings early

[rainier2004]

updated story above to read
"Im looking for 1915 CJ per norm, notice an HOFer for sale advertised as a 1915 but was really a 1914"...that was a point lost there.

Mike I agree with you but I did feel the need to inform them of their error in regards to year...my story was missing that line above. Im completely in favor of making an offer to end things early though...

[ullmandds]

I agree 100% w/Bob...I never used to do it...but lost out too many times. IT has become acceptable practice in my mind as it has become so widespread. I usually offer a fair market price so I don't feel as if I'm taking advantage of anyone and sometimes a seller is happy to get money in his pocket much sooner than waiting for the auction to end!

[drc]

Buyers who ask sellers to end an auction early are hypocritical to complain about sellers who end auctions early.

[ibuysportsephemera]

First let me say that I would never consider ending an auction early if there are already bids...that is bad form and unfair to the bidders.

I will sometimes end an auction early or add a Buy It Now IF I know that the offer exceeds what I am expecting at auction, there are not many watchers or I have re-listed the item. I will only consider offers, I do not set prices to end the auction.

There was a time when I would never end an auction early and it was amazing to me that person would offer....say 2x the opening price but when they were politely told that I did not end auctions early, they never placed a bid and the auction ended with no bids. This happened on a couple of occasions, so I felt that I was costing myself business and customers.

Jeff

[celoknob]

Sellers should not end auctions early and buyers should not ask.

I believe it is an ethical issue. I wouldn't take any pride in sweeping up some item I really wanted knowing that someone else was watching or bidding and also wanted it.

I guess this is a case of the squeaky wheel gets the grease but that does not make it right. I'm surprised how many are comfortable with themselves doing it.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by celoknob

Sellers should not end auctions early and buyers should not ask.

I believe it is an ethical issue. I wouldn't take any pride in sweeping up some item I really wanted knowing that someone else was watching or bidding and also wanted it.

I guess this is a case of the squeaky wheel gets the grease but that does not make it right. I'm surprised how many are comfortable with themselves doing it.

For some categories on ebay, the early offer is almost always how it is done - pool cues, for instance. Ebay rarely gets anything other than listing fees on pool cue auctions. If I ever saw a cue I wanted, I always put a marker bid in, then contacted the seller and asked him to contact me if he decided to sell early. Even then, most auctions ended without me getting a shot.

I'm sure there are other categories that work much like baseball cards used to - mostly straight auctions - but there will fewer of those as ebay moves toward the Amazon model that David described.

As this forum grows, and the bay straight auction deals disappear, we will eventually be ripe for creating our own vintage card/memorabilia ebay clone. We just need enough participants who would trust it as much as they do the auction houses, so that straight auctions could realize decent prices.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by celoknob

Sellers should not end auctions early and buyers should not ask. I believe it is an ethical issue.

I know what I'm about to say may shock some people, but there are items on eBay other than baseball cards.

For example, take a car dealership that lists their pre-owned inventory on eBay. If a customer on the lot with cash in hand willing to pay the dealership's asking price on a vehicle that also happens to be listed on eBay at the same time, do you really think the dealership should turn away the customer with the cash in hand and hope that auction will bring what they're asking (and then hope the buyer is qualified to complete the deal)? And if they did end the auction early it would be unethical? Come on!

I could give many examples such as this from various eBay categories. My point is that you can't have it one way for some categories and another way for other categories.

[celoknob]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

I know what I'm about to say may shock some people, but there are items on eBay other than baseball cards.

For example, take a car dealership that lists their pre-owned inventory on eBay. If a customer on the lot with cash in hand willing to pay the dealership's asking price on a vehicle that also happens to be listed on eBay at the same time, do you really think the dealership should turn away the customer with the cash in hand and hope that auction will bring what they're asking (and then hope the buyer is qualified to complete the deal)? And if they did end the auction early it would be unethical? Come on!

I could give many examples such as this from various eBay categories. My point is that you can't have it one way for some categories and another way for other categories.

Obviously this situation is not what I was talking about since this is a baseball card forum. However, feel free to create some more strawmen.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

My point is that you can't have it one way for some categories and another way for other categories.

Ebay agrees with you. Sellers realize that selling a car isn't the same as selling a baseball card. Heck, selling a pack of 1988 Donruss isn't the same as selling a 1909 Plank, and they both involve cards. But while ebay was once a free-for-all flea market, they are evolving toward a store. Many of their current categories will become irrelevant as sellers find they can make more profit by switching to other venues. Ebay doesn't care.

[zljones]

Bottom line is, is when I sell items in auction and someone hits me up to end a listing early and it is for a rediculous amount, I do not get mad at them and block them or act like it is a big deal or cry about it.
I seriously find it incredibly upsetting that people actually get mad and bothered by someone making an offer then going to an extreme like blocking them or telling them off. What's the big deal? Just kindly say no to an offer, don't get huffy about it.
Sometimes I feel like some sellers are acting like the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld. If you say the wrong thing then "no card for you!, don't come back!"
If I get a silly offer, I just giggle about it and kindly pass on it, I don't jump down the throat of the inquirer or act like my poor feelings have been hurt.

[rainier2004]

[QUOTE=zljones;983664]Sometimes I feel like some sellers are acting like the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld. If you say the wrong thing then "no card for you!, don't come back!"
QUOTE]

THats hilarious!

[glchen]

Originally Posted by zljones

Bottom line is, is when I sell items in auction and someone hits me up to end a listing early and it is for a rediculous amount, I do not get mad at them and block them or act like it is a big deal or cry about it.
I seriously find it incredibly upsetting that people actually get mad and bothered by someone making an offer then going to an extreme like blocking them or telling them off. What's the big deal? Just kindly say no to an offer, don't get huffy about it.
Sometimes I feel like some sellers are acting like the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld. If you say the wrong thing then "no card for you!, don't come back!"
If I get a silly offer, I just giggle about it and kindly pass on it, I don't jump down the throat of the inquirer or act like my poor feelings have been hurt.

As an ebay seller, I don't block bidders who make reasonable amounts that I refuse. However, I have had a few cases, where buyers keep messaging me with offers that are obviously very low. For example, a $300 card which I have sold at that price in the same condition in the past, they keep asking if I would take $100 for it, and then they do this for 3-4 other cards. And they do this every week. And I see that they also sell cards, so it is obviously they are trying to do a quick flip. These buyers are annoying, and I do block them. Some other ebay sellers may see this much more than I do, which may be why their trigger finger is faster to block buyers.

[glchen]

Putting an early offer in does not always benefit the buyer who puts in the offer. Many times it can benefit the seller. For example, this has happened multiple times for me when I list a card starting at .99 cents, and the buyer puts in an offer for $50. My educated guess is that the card will end at $30, so of course, I sell the buyer this card. On the other hand, the buyer wants to make sure he gets this card, and not have some wacky thing happen where another bidder just happens to want this scarce card at the same time. As a seller that's what you balance, the possibility of the auction price reaching higher than the offer price. I assume that this is what happened w/ the T206 Plank that was recently purchased before it could be auctioned off from Sterling.

[zljones]

Originally Posted by glchen

As an ebay seller, I don't block bidders who make reasonable amounts that I refuse. However, I have had a few cases, where buyers keep messaging me with offers that are obviously very low. For example, a $300 card which I have sold at that price in the same condition in the past, they keep asking if I would take $100 for it, and then they do this for 3-4 other cards. And they do this every week. And I see that they also sell cards, so it is obviously they are trying to do a quick flip. These buyers are annoying, and I do block them. Some other ebay sellers may see this much more than I do, which may be why their trigger finger is faster to block buyers.

That I can totally understand blocking. If someone is being an annoying little mosquito and asking the same question over and over, then I can totally see blocking an idiot like that. You should only have to say no 1 time.
That reminds me of when I used to work at a pizza place and these kids from the section 8 area of town kept coming in asking for free water. The owner was first nice enough to give them the water but then they kept coming back for more asking again and again. When we did not pay attention to them they would pound on the counter and make noises and were very rude. They would not buy anything either. Finally my boss said no more water, but they kept coming back anyway and asking again and again anyway and pounding on the counter till he finally banned them and put up a sign saying "NO WATER."
The moral of the story is, is that people that constantly ask for something for nothing after being told NO deserve to be blocked off, so I empathize with your situation. I just can't stand those grumps that snap at a buyer for making 1 polite offer 1 time.