Ebay item...getting nervous

Irn-Bru-Kid

I am selling the packaging only for a very collectible item. There has been six bids already and its at a crazy price.

I have made it very clear that it is packaging only. Mentioned three times in the listing so there is no confusion.

I am just getting a little nervous. I have managed to convince myself that every bidder thinks they are getting the collectible item.

There have been a couple of threads recently where people have been duped into buying an empty box and my brain is working overtime!

I'm thinking of contacting the highest bidder to make sure they are clear on what they are buying. Do you think this is a good idea?

go_cat

What is the item?

Is the price what you would expect to get the item for?

hiccup123

sometimes some buyers don't bother to read all the details and just look at the picture. i once sold a coin book without the coins. title and listing stated it was an empty coin book even though the picture showed one of the pages with coins inserted. I stated in my description that the picture was taken from a coin book that i had filled. buyer bought and then returned it.

i gave a full refund and he left negative feedback. i sent him a long email saying it's not fair to leave me negative when he was the one who didn't read the description. I said i was going to contact ebay and give them the item number and ask them to see all correspondence between us. he then got worried and agreed to change feedback to positive. Ebay wouldn't have done anything but he got worried.

I think the best thing for you to do is add to the description in very large font that the packaging is empty and that winner will receive empty packaging only.

i'm not sure if you can do the sub title after bids have been placed.

Also contact the higgest bidder.

At the end of the day if the buyer doesn't read the description fully it's their fault but most sellers know that ebay will probably take their side.

Did you list on a free listing day....you still have the option of ending the item if the price gets ridicously high

Irn-Bru-Kid

go_cat wrote: »

What is the item?

Is the price what you would expect to get the item for?

The item itself is quite easy to get hold of, the packaging is not.

The price (unpackaged) for the item, although collectible, is relatively modest. However, throw in the packaging and it goes for three or four times the price.

Irn-Bru-Kid

hiccup123 wrote: »

sometimes some buyers don't bother to read all the details and just look at the picture. i once sold a coin book without the coins. title and listing stated it was an empty coin book even though the picture showed one of the pages with coins inserted. I stated in my description that the picture was taken from a coin book that i had filled. buyer bought and then returned it.

i gave a full refund and he left negative feedback. i sent him a long email saying it's not fair to leave me negative when he was the one who didn't read the description. I said i was going to contact ebay and give them the item number and ask them to see all correspondence between us. he then got worried and agreed to change feedback to positive. Ebay wouldn't have done anything but he got worried.

I think the best thing for you to do is add to the description in very large font that the packaging is empty and that winner will receive empty packaging only.

i'm not sure if you can do the sub title after bids have been placed.

Also contact the higgest bidder.

At the end of the day if the buyer doesn't read the description fully it's their fault but most sellers know that ebay will probably take their side.

Did you list on a free listing day....you still have the option of ending the item if the price gets ridicously high

This is my worry. I have made it very clear that its packaging only, big letters, bold etc.

I'm just convinced that its going to go horribly wrong.

Crowqueen

Is it directly in front of the buyer's eyes? (Sorry to insult you if it is but we can't see the listing in question so have to take your word for it that it is in there clearly.)

Sometimes listings which technically contain the right words hide things in plain sight. A lot of times when an item comes to the boards that is the subject of some complaint, the salient information is buried in a wall of text which is tedious to read and risks people not reading it properly. I try to keep sentences short and make sure anything that might be an issue is on a line of its own.

But as a serious seller, as per other threads, I'm sure you've thought of that already.

Assuming it is in the title and the photo etc. is clear then I would think an email to the high bidder might be helpful. You might try looking at completed listings for packaging as well, if there are other such items on eBay. I once had something that was completely unique and as a result got a very good price for what it was (a secondhand book).

EDIT - crossposted with your other post.

go_cat

Irn-Bru-Kid wrote: »

. However, throw in the packaging and it goes for three or four times the price.

it could be that they have the item and want to triple its value

you could contact the winning bidder before they pay and offer them the option to withdraw

hiccup123

i've seen watch boxes sell for a lot empty. I have always presumed it's because someone has the watch and wants to sell it and I do suspect in a few cases that there are fakes around and an original box makes it seem more authentic.

So yeah sometimes empty packaging does sell for a lot

freddysmith

Do you have a photo on your listing just showing the packaging only and not showing the actual item it is for.
If the packaging increases the value considerably, that must be desirable addition for any buyer, hence the price.

Crowqueen

hiccup123 wrote: »

i've seen watch boxes sell for a lot empty. I have always presumed it's because someone has the watch and wants to sell it and I do suspect in a few cases that there are fakes around and an original box makes it seem more authentic.

So yeah sometimes empty packaging does sell for a lot

eBay disallow that sort of auction, but I am assuming OP understands that and hasn't uploaded anything that could be either easily faked or is liable to be pulled.

I once tried to sell an old House of Commons sweet tin as a collectable item after eating the sweets in it but it didn't sell. That was when virtually everything did sell so it was an extremely bad idea! I used it in a very ill-advised craft project a while later, involving candle wax and googly eyes. Not surprisingly it is long gone, though I hear that people buy that sort of thing on Etsy these days...

Irn-Bru-Kid

go_cat wrote: »

it could be that they have the item and want to triple its value

you could contact the winning bidder before they pay and offer them the option to withdraw

Which is exactly the reason why I listed it.

freddysmith wrote: »

Do you have a photo on your listing just showing the packaging only and not showing the actual item it is for.
If the packaging increases the value considerably, that must be desirable addition for any buyer, hence the price.

There is a very nice photo of only the packaging. I have also put packaging only in the title