The secret to winning ebay auctions...

[McPhreak]

I'm selling a video card on Ebay where the starting bid is $99 plus $10 shipping anywhere in the US, and a buyer sends me the following email:

Hello Sir,

Very interested in this card. Would like to know if you could end the auction early with a price and also consider shipping to Singapore by airmail with insurance. Lt me know the shipping cost as soon as possibe and also the total cost if you agree to close the auction early

Cool. An offer for a buyout. So I reply

Hello,

Thanks for the email. I honestly don't know what this card is really going to sell for. There is another here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=XXXXXXXXXX and as you can see, the auction is still running and the bid is already up to almost $250 US dollars. The new ones are still going for $360. Since there are no bids currently, I'm open to any kind of buyout offer you want to throw out. As for the shipping, I can get you an approximation when I get off work tonight and have time to use the shipping calculator.

I hope I answered you questions. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Take care.

To which he replied:

How about $70 including shipping to Singapore by airmail with insurance? Let me know

??I'm sorry...am I missing something here?

70?? my starting bid is at $99

so then he writes:

$99 then. Its a deal. How about that?

Is there something wrong here? Am I not conveying my thoughts correctly? I just don't get some people... what am I supposed to do with this guy? Finally, I just wrote to him

I'm not going to end my auction early for the starting bid price. Especially when the other auction I mentioned is going for about $250.

When you mention a buyout and wanting me to end the auction early, you have to offer a price MUCH MORE than my starting price, otherwise, why should I end the auction early? That's the whole point of why I'm running an auction with a starting bid of $99. I expect to get MUCH MORE than $99 by the time the auction ends.

 

[ATLien247]

So... since you won't sell it to that guy for $99, will you sell it to me for $100?

 

[loup garou]

I wouldn't ship it to Singapore for $1000.

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: werk
I wouldn't ship it to Singapore for $1000.

No kidding. If you want the money longer then the week it takes the stolen credit card owner to see the charge, sell to someone in the States.

 

[FoBoT]

its a SCAM/rip-off

scary

 

[Sundog]

LOL....sell it in the states as stated before.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: McPhreak
so then he writes:

$99 then. Its a deal. How about that?

Is there something wrong here? Am I not conveying my thoughts correctly? I just don't get some people... what am I supposed to do with this guy? Finally, I just wrote to him

He was trying a jedi mind trick on you.

 

[DeafeningSilence]

In his (partial) defense, when I see an auction starting at a high price (not a couple of dollars), I sometimes figure that the seller is willing to part with it for that price -- and is just hoping for the possibility of a little more. I have used this approach successfully to purchase golf clubs and Oakley sunglasses (real ones!) at great prices. But I don't generally offer less than the original starting bid.

Edit for clarity: The items I have purchased are not the actual items up for auction, but extras that the sellers had in stock. So I guess the situation isn't quite the same.

 

[Yossarian]

If he bids $70, I'll give you $75!!

 

[Hamburgerpimp]

Never, EVER sell overseas.

 

[BennyD]

Originally posted by: ATLien247
So... since you won't sell it to that guy for $99, will you sell it to me for $100?

$100.....and five pence

 

[dolph]

i'll give you $80

 

[pillage2001]

What card isit??

 

[rutchtkim]

i always thought the way to win was to enter ur competitor's screen name 3 times with a wrong password, that will automatically disable his account for a short time, and than u can win the auction at the very end if ur still competing to win....but i never tried this, cause im a nice honest guy

 

[McPhreak]

Originally posted by: Hamburgerpimp
Never, EVER sell overseas.

I've dealt with a couple people overseas and never had a problem. I just tell them I accept nothing but money orders in American currency. They usually have no problem in obtaining one and having it sent.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: rutchtkim
i always thought the way to win was to enter ur competitor's screen name 3 times with a wrong password, that will automatically disable his account for a short time, and than u can win the auction at the very end if ur still competing to win....but i never tried this, cause im a nice honest guy

Dude, your evil!

 

[Maverick]

I've even had trouble with guys in Hawaii...they always try to screw you on shipping.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I've sold >100 magic cards on EBay over the last couple of weeks, & listed my Palm 515, (had someone from Singapore offer to buy 50 Palm's-that was just strange)

My auction clearly stated no international sales, but, I've prob had 15% of the cards go to overseas (& Canadian) bidders...

"I know that you said no international sales, but I won the auction..."

I'm pretty sure that the post office (I live in a very small town & I'm not a native) thinks I'm selling blotter acid worldwide now...

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: Hamburgerpimp
Never, EVER sell overseas.

Overseas is fine, provided you dont have a moron.

This sounds typical. I've dealt with it before. Its either a language barrier or stupidity, possibly both.

-PAB

 

[wfbberzerker]

ill give you 50 bucks if you ship it first.

 

[TNTrulez]

He asked you for a price so why didn't you give him one instead of saying all that crap?

 

[wfbberzerker]

Originally posted by: TNTrulez
He asked you for a price so why didn't you give him one instead of saying all that crap?

and as you can see, the auction is still running and the bid is already up to almost $250 US dollars. The new ones are still going for $360.

sounds kinda like giving him a price to me...

 

[kherman]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: rutchtkim
i always thought the way to win was to enter ur competitor's screen name 3 times with a wrong password, that will automatically disable his account for a short time, and than u can win the auction at the very end if ur still competing to win....but i never tried this, cause im a nice honest guy

Dude, your evil!

You need an anonymizor to do this without getting your IP tracked.

 

[smp]

Originally posted by: SludgeFactory
He was trying a jedi mind trick on you.

Yeah, except he's from singapore, so it was bootleg jedi, thus unneffective.

 

[rudder]

Don't sell it and don't waste your time with it. Or just tell him it will cost you $500 to send to singapore and he can overnight an international money order and you will ship.