Sales Forum Rant

[Chopdoc]

As for using the Friends & Family Option on Paypal, to start with it's a crappy move because it's a lie.

Lie=fraud.

For those of us that have substantial revenue streams through Paypal, why would we risk it?

I don't want to defraud Paypal, they helped me build my business, and help me maintain it. They are part of my bread and butter. No bank or financial services institution has been able to beat their services, rates, or products for me.

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[Chopdoc]

I don't know the exact amount, but when a package is insured over a certain value ($500 I think), it requires special handling and a sign off by each person touching it. That way if a package gets broken, or lost, they know who handled it and can hold them accountable.

When a package has this special handling requirement, the scanners make a crazy sound as the package is scanned.

I ship a lot of boxes and use the Package Intercept feature along with high insurance values and have had the process detailed out to me by the local Postmaster at our regional distribution post office

Yup.

Properly packed. Properly shipped. Properly insured. Done.

If one wishes to stick around that requires a reputation. Reputation is built on such things and I will not dick around about it.

It might not be the Mona Lisa, but I will pack, ship, and insure it like it is.

I am a buyer generally, not a seller. But if I sell you something sure as shootin' it will come like the Mona Lisa.

Cost of business? Sure. Eat those fees? Sure. Include it in the price? Sure.

I may or may not be put off by how a seller presents his deal.

I have only once bought a cue from a "dealer", a well known person of long standing reputation in the industry. That cue came properly packed, properly shipped, and properly insured. Period. Done.

How you do this says something to me. And how you handle it if there is a problem says something to me. My friends and those that have regular dealings with me know I take that very seriously.

In this regard I demand more from myself than I expect from others. I follow the Golden Rule.

Have I screwed up? Sure. Life gets in the way. There is one thing that I screwed up on that I will not forget. A minor little thing...he probably thinks I don't care. I do. It will be made right and then some. There was no money involved. If there was, I wouldn't have screwed it up. Period. For sure.

Can I be put off by how someone presents such matters in a sale? Sure. But if I seriously want the cue I am gonna buy it, or trade, or whatever. It's then on me to deal with the bullshit.

And if you hook me up with what I want I assure you I will remember that and return the favor. If you handle yourself like a jackass, I might not. That's on you.

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[croscoe]

They just folk, like you and me. Not big business.

They could sell on ebay, have buyer pay for shipping (and insurance). But they give us first dibs. That to me is well worth the insignificant cost you mention.

Sorry it didn't work out for you. More for the rest.

Great list it on EBAY. Pay listing fee , selling fee, only allowed to charge x for shipping
Buyer pays PayPal seller pays PayPal fee.

I personally thought is most stuff list here is over priced for used.

But good luck to those that sell.

 

[Type79]

Great list it on EBAY. Pay listing fee , selling fee, only allowed to charge x for shipping
Buyer pays PayPal seller pays PayPal fee.

I personally thought is most stuff list here is over priced for used.

But good luck to those that sell.

From a buyer's perspective, the total cost is the determining factor. For me it doesn't make any difference whether it is broken down by cost of the item, shipping, and fees or all included in one price.

If I want extra protection on a purchase from a seller who requires payment via Friends & Family, I pay by Goods & Services and add money for the fees.

Of course, I keep cues for more than a few weeks and I don't buy cues to flip.

 

[336Robin]

They just folk, like you and me. Not big business.

They could sell on ebay, have buyer pay for shipping (and insurance). But they give us first dibs. That to me is well worth the insignificant cost you mention.

Sorry it didn't work out for you. More for the rest.

I agree with Jimmyco. Sometimes you do what you have to in order to deal
with people and get something you can't find anywhere else. Just live with it. Not that
big a deal.

I have to rant about people that post items for sale.

1) People that ask for a percentage of the buyer chooses to pay using PayPal (goods). This is ridiculous. The seller should add the PayPal fees into their asking price, as this is the cost of doing business. Asking for payment via Friends & Family is great way for the seller to screw a buyer, as there is no recourse for the buyer.

2) Telling a buyer that insurance is extra if they want the item insured. Insurance is to cover the seller, NOT the buyer. It is the sellers obligation to make sure the buyer receives his item, and in undamaged condition. If an item is received, and it is damaged, the seller is responsible to make it right if he/she did not insure it. If the item is lost, it is the sellers obligation to refund the buyers money.

3) Ask for Friends & Family only payment. No No No!!!!!!


These are all the costs of doing business folks. I refuse to do business with any of these types of people, no matter how badly I may want the item for sale.

 

[cuesblues]

Of course demand for a certain item and overall cost regardless of fee's would be the deciding factor, but asking for the buyer to pay the fee's is indicative of that type of seller.
I buy hundreds of cues and I'm yet to see an attractive deal from a seller who is worried about the PayPal fee's.
If I wanted something and the deal was right I would buy it and pay the fee's but it has never happened, although I have added the fee's many times because I just felt like doing it.

 

[Black-Balled]

Of course demand for a certain item and overall cost regardless of fee's would be the deciding factor, but asking for the buyer to pay the fee's is indicative of that type of seller.
I buy hundreds of cues and I'm yet to see an attractive deal from a seller who is worried about the PayPal fee's.
If I wanted something and the deal was right I would buy it and pay the fee's but it has never happened, although I have added the fee's many times because I just felt like doing it.

I agree that inflexibility about 3% of price is often telling...

In all you deals, surely you dealt with someone who considered the fee and included it in the listing price though.

 

[cuesblues]

I agree that inflexibility about 3% of price is often telling...

In all you deals, surely you dealt with someone who considered the fee and included it in the listing price though.

I'm in an inherently different market than these overpriced greedy sellers who are afraid to leave 3.9% on the table.
When the two worlds collide the price is so high I wouldn't think of tying to make a deal.
When they come to me, often through a 3rd party it's real easy to say no.
The price has to be in the ballpark before I can make an offer, and guys who worry about 3.9% are never in the ballpark.

 

[Black-Balled]

I'm in an inherently different market than these overpriced greedy sellers who are afraid to leave 3.9% on the table.
When the two worlds collide the price is so high I wouldn't think of tying to make a deal.
When they come to me, often through a 3rd party it's real easy to say no.
The price has to be in the ballpark before I can make an offer, and guys who worry about 3.9% are never in the ballpark.

Righto... there are certainly a lotta f/s offers that aren't rooted in reality.

 

[logical]

With US Postal Service any package insured for $500 or more requires a signature on delivery so I believe that would be a tip-off

Right, and the cost of insurance shows up in the total printed on the label. I shipped a watch in a flat rate (about $15) priority mail box yesterday but insured for $3500. I'd say the$80 postage label makes it pretty clear it isn't a 6 pack of tube socks inside.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[KRJ]

I don't see the issue with asking a buyer to cover the PayPal fees if the seller is also willing to take no cost options like money order or wire transfer. PayPal is a convenience option for the buyer.

I forget your second thing but I think I agreed with it.

Actually, PayPal is a convenience for the seller....bam, got my money instantly, address has been verified, and I’m protected as well from scams, etc.

It also shows your customers you are on the up and up, and helps you make the sale, I have thousands of transactions thru PayPal, and only a few paid by personal check,which is not convenient for me At all. And it’s much better for large ticket items, could not imagine buying a cue without it....

 

[erhino41]

If you're responding to my post which stated "As a buyer I prefer to have the option to not insure my cues." you might have misread it.

I don't want my packages labelled as valuable and potentially become a target.

That makes sense on your end. The seller is the one who needs the insurance, though. Your feelings on the matter should not come in to play. If I'm selling a $3000.00 cue I am going to insure no matter what the buyer thinks about that, they are not the ones who will be out $3000.00 if something happens.

 

[Chopdoc]

"Security by obscurity" has a place.

One mundane package among millions does not draw attention.


But paying for higher levels of insurance and tracking brings higher level security. It also brings more effective investigation if the package is missing.

"Flying under the radar" has it's merits for those willing to take the risk of under-insuring or not insuring and/or not using the better tracking services.

In the end, the seller/sender assumes those risks as far as how I understand the law works.

As the buyer/receiver, if the cue is a one-off or very rare and not really replaceable, the level of disappointment is tremendous if there is a loss, it goes beyond the money. I expect to be made whole financially by the seller whether he is insured or not. But I still don't have the cue.

Communication is priority one. The buyer and seller need to understand each other and agree to the nature and details of the deal including contingencies such as loss, damage, or dissatisfaction with the cue once in hand.

If you don't like how someone presents a deal or how they talk if you contact them that is the first bad sign. They may not be a bad person or a scammer, but it's a sign that you don't get along, so if there is a problem, it is less likely to be handled to your satisfaction.

If you don't feel comfortable with how a seller presents the cue, the deal, or himself, move along. If it's a cue you really very much want, go in carefully, knowing you may have to deal with issues. And it may just be that you don't get along with how the seller conducts himself...so use your best diplomatic skills.


As for the original topic of this thread more specifically. Something rubbed somebody the wrong way as far as how something was presented. It's a rant (and he said so). He isn't necessarily right or wrong, so I don't look at it that way. It's good stuff to chew on to see how people feel and think.


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