Watchers asked a question I need ur help for my reply PLEASE. x

crankup

Agree GromitUK - I am not worried about axe-wielding maniacs/terrorists/gypsies stealing children etc. - that is a lame excuse to avoid giving up the hidden postage profit! :rolleyes:
Or avoiding letting the buyer see how the item description was embellished!!!

There is only one genuine reason for a seller to avoid local collection:-
to avoid doorstep haggling. "I know the bid was £25, will you take 20 for cash?"
So let them collect if they are registered as living nearby, it gives them confidence that you can look them in the eye as you sell this item, and make it quite clear that it's EXACT CASH ONLY. So what if we lose a £1 bonus on the postage charges - you got real cash in your hand and no post office queue!

soolin

I have have allowed personal collection in the past, but it is only with reluctance. If refusing collection makes me look dodgy, then so be it.

I work at home during the day and like to get everything done then, I wouldnt want someone coming to my house while I am there alone to collect a potentially expensive item. In the evenings my OH and my children are home, that is 'our time' and we like to spend time as a family, why would I want to have someone intrude on that?

I believe my postage costs are fair, but if someone belives otherwise they are perfectly entitled not to bid.

The collections i have allowed are a mobile phone where the chap lived less than 5 miles away and wanted to collect it as soon as auction ended as he was going on holiday. I also allowed a minor celeb (so minor I still don't know who she was) to collect an item of clothing that she needed for an appearance the same week and wanted a chance to get it altered if necessary.

Soo

cafenervosa_2

gromituk wrote:

I don't think anyone has mentioned the fact that people often want to collect to avoid the ridiculously-overinflated postage charges some sellers slap on things, to mislead and to avoid eBay fees. No wonder these people don't want buyers collecting from them!

QUOTE]

Well many sellers include some of their buy it now price included in the postage, so yes it is to avoid paying extra 40p listings fee, it does make sense. I am sure all sellers understand this.

cafenervosa_2

gromituk wrote:

they have eBay accounts with details that can be traced.

I'd not trust that for a second, they could easy have fake details or have just simply moved house since.

cafenervosa_2

gromituk wrote:

And as for the "eBay is full of timewasters who just ask questions" argument - has the poster not considered that these people who ask questions may go no further because they don't get the answer they are hoping for, or are usually bidding in auctions where the price makes all the difference between whether they want the item or not?

I think people who go for the cheapest all of the time will end up getting stung. The are many sellers selling fakes or cheap imports, its up to them if they want to pay a little more for a real genuine UK release.

I think some buyers ask sellers questions because they know there is a better chance of a reply rather than the one they are actutally going to buy from.

I have had buyers who I have given them just the answer they are looking for and they still don't purchase. But having said that lots of buyers do purchase so its always a good idea to answer questions.

gromituk

cafenervosa wrote:

gromituk wrote:

they have eBay accounts with details that can be traced.

I'd not trust that for a second, they could easy have fake details or have just simply moved house since.

Well in that case tell them that they can collect if you can verify who they are by calling them on their landline number. Problem solved.

gromituk

soolin wrote:

I work at home during the day and like to get everything done then, I wouldnt want someone coming to my house while I am there alone to collect a potentially expensive item.

Fine, I accept that.

In the evenings my OH and my children are home, that is 'our time' and we like to spend time as a family, why would I want to have someone intrude on that?

But how is someone ringing your doorbell, giving you some money and taking an item seriously intruding on you? Do you have a "no hawkers" sign on your front door? If it happened all the time, yes, but on the odd occasion I don't see the problem.

I believe my postage costs are fair, but if someone belives otherwise they are perfectly entitled not to bid.

Umm, of course they are. But we all know there are an awful lot of people who put outrageous postage charges on things to mislead, and to avoid eBay fees (both final value and, presumably, listing). These are the people I object to, not you.

soolin

gromituk...you *must* know me...yes I do have one of those metropolitan Police notes on my door saying no salesman and no buying and selling at my door.

In my experience it is never as easy as a quick exchange on the door. My minor celeb for instance arrived with two other people and they came inside as soon as I opened the door and one of the men with her closed the door behind them, which made me a little nervous. She was convinced I would want her autograph, and was a bit put out when the children came to see who was in the house and walked away unimpressed..she tried talking to them and being all cutesy with them by ruffling the hair of my eldest who was about 14 at the time, much to his dismay.

She didn't have the correct money, and there was much tooing and froing about trying to split a £50 note. Then she wanted to talk and I virtually had to throw her out to see to my dinner that was cooking.

Another chap who collected some Warhammer bits from me got all interested in some items in my display cabinets and it was all I could do to stop him opening the cabinets and getting the things out for a closer inspection.

Also, I've had a stalker on ebay before now which made me very cautious of my future dealings, and yes I realise that they all have my name and address but it is a bit different to invite someone round potentially when I am here alone.

Possibly it depends on what you are selling though I suppose. I sold a lot of my baby stuff through the small ads and was happy to have it collected as at that time it was mainly other mothers who were coming to the house. Some of my sci fi stuff was sold through private advert and that did attract some nice, but strange guys who wanted to be my friend and hang around half the day talking about warp drives and such like :eek: That's why I started on ebay really, the sci fi stuff was a lot easier to sell by post rather than face to face.

SOrry, I'm rambling a bit here

Soo

cafenervosa_2

gromituk wrote:

Fine, I accept that.

Umm, of course they are. But we all know there are an awful lot of people who put outrageous postage charges on things to mislead, and to avoid eBay fees (both final value and, presumably, listing). These are the people I object to, not you.

Well all the sellers are doing is trying to run a sucessfull business. If you advertise something a £15.99 + £1.95 p&p = 90p listing, £14.99 + £2.95 p&p = 50p listing fee.

To me that makes perfect business sense by using the second option thus saving 40p

cafenervosa_2

soolin wrote:

In my experience it is never as easy as a quick exchange on the door.


Soo

Thats true, they come in and have a nice chat with you lol. It can take 10 minutes before they go. Its not very customer friendly to have a quick exchange on the door.