Selling Toys - Horror Stories & "Happy" Customers

Right, if someone wants it so bad, they can come get it. But it's more like, just the beggar approach of asking to end an auction at the starting bid AND they can't even afford that unless I wait a week, come on... you don't need this thing, get off of eBay.
 
Ru1977 said:
I have bought here and there on Mercari and never had a bad experience, even when one item took an extra month and arrived looking like the neighbor kid on Toy Story had received it first. Seller made it right, Mercari handled it well, all good. I just... I have been on ebay so long and it's just a thing of starting all over as a seller at the new place. but yeah... maybe I should. I know they handle the fees differently and such.
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I haven't done it so I can't verify, but I believe Mercari has an option to import listings from other sites. Not sure if that will help in your situation.
 
Well... I guess I need to decide what my issue really is, but of course that sounds incredibly helpful. Hrm. Maybe that's how I should be spending my Sunday.... it's really about learning how it works. I know ebay's setup really well. But really seems worth it.
 
TheRealSmallville said:
In January, I had a Hot Toys Padme Amidala from Attack of the Clones that I put up on eBay. After bidding, it went for just north of $400. I shipped it to the guy, and when he received it he immediately left me positive feedback thanking him for such a great item and how pleased he was considering the cost.

A week goes by and I receive a new message on ebay from the buyer. He's sent pictures of the shipper box and outer box, both with a big hole in them. He says the figure is undamaged, but it's worthless now because the box is damaged. He wants to get a refund and "offers to return it" (what am I supposed to do with it now?) Thankfully, after many back and forth conversations with ebay customer service, ebay had my back and he didn't get shit. What did it was the initial positive feedback he had left. The boxes were pristine when I mailed them, and if there was any damage it would have happened from the carrier (UPS), which I found out you're still responsible for as the seller. But honestly, I'm pretty sure the holes were put in afterward...maybe a significant other wasn't happy about the $400 purchase and demanded it go back lol

In March, nearly two months later, I received another notice stating that his bank was investigating because he had challenged the purchase on his card. I contacted ebay again, and they told me to straight up ignore it and they'd take care of it. In April I received a final message telling me his bank sided with me and it was finally all over and done with.

Anyway, that's the only bad thing I've experienced while selling. It all just seemed very scammy, especially after receiving the positive feedback right away and then he waited a week to complain. I've heard people say you shouldn't sell high-value items to buyers with small feedback numbers, or bad feedback in general, but I don't know how to prevent that sort of thing as the seller. I could cancel the order after it's purchased, but it seems like that would just garner negative feedback for me and I like my pristine 100% positive number lol
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This may be the only instance of ebay siding with the seller that I've seen. It's why I won't sell on ebay any longer.
 
I actually had two instances where a buyer said they never got it but eBay sided with me based on the tracking. One I felt the guy was trying to screw me, but the other I had a feeling it ended up at a neighbor's house or something. Sometimes USPS likes to mess with me and not update tracking until the day it arrives in the destination city. Until then I get to freak out if they ever even got it in their possession or did someone fish it out of the thingie or someone dropped it and kicked it until a table or what heh.
 
Schizm said:
Listed one figure from a two pack at a high price - always start high, you never know! You can make three whole dollars.

Got a message saying this pack is available for X price at Hasbro, so I'll buy this from you for (a much lower) X - if you are willing.

I so want to respond:
a - do you think I'm not aware?
b - do you think I care?
c - feel free to buy it there then
d - the price is the price at this time
e - your message is a waste of my time
f - u

My sympathy is just at an all-time low for idiots these days.
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You can never win with two packs.

For a 55 dollar Thunderbolts set (after discount), listing my extra Guardian for 20 elicits outrage because for 40 more they could get Yelena. Okay, do that.

I parted out my extra HFC and everyone acted like it was available at Wal Mart right now, years later.

I'd just respond, "I have a pending pick up, but I'll get back if it falls out."

It's pass agg, but it's letting them know you're already taken care of, which really seems to twist their knives and that's fun for me. I need them to know that people who are direct and don't bullshit are getting the item, even if it's a bluff.
 
Ru1977 said:
. But just so many red flags, and he was on the phone with this guy like 15 minutes and I pointed out his patience. I'm not even that patient with people at my job where I'm getting paid.

but it's just amazing to me how people can enter into a completely simple interaction and make it painfully complicated. I see something I want and if it's too much money, I move on. I just don't have it in me to dick people around.
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I dunno if it's AudHd or what, but my therapist and friends always point out how patient and extra mile I am with scenarios like that. To me I'm just always assuming the best intent, which has of course burned me in life and love.

It took a few years of learning common sense and decency aren't common, and sometimes you gotta fight fire with a nuke. It doesn't even feel bad, it feels... Disappointing.

But yeah, anyone like that these days, the situation is the situation, not my problem if you can't make it work. Time was I'd bend backwards, but turns out being "selfish" works after all.
 
Does it seem like Mercari has a similarly sized audience to eBay? I've always defaulted to eBay because I thought it had the largest customer base.
 
I've actually been going to Mercari more and more lately. It does feel like the audience is a bit smaller, but that's why I'm liking it- it feels like it's easier to find the things I'm looking for. Heck, I found an old 3rd party recreation of an old Hot Toys figure that normally goes for upwards of 500 for a little under 100. Thought it couldn't possibly be real, but it was. So far, from what I'm gathering, Mercari seems to be filled with sellers who just want to sell the thing, not necessarily make a ton of money like on ebay, so it kinda weeds out the scammers and flippers. I think it helps that Mercari sellers don't seem to get paid until after the item is delivered and the customer leaves feedback, unlike ebay which pays you out even before you ship sometimes. The one issue I had on Mercari, where the seller accidentally sent the wrong item, was made super simple by Mercari and fixed immediately; no waiting for back and forth like on ebay.

altcunningham said:
I dunno if it's AudHd or what, but my therapist and friends always point out how patient and extra mile I am with scenarios like that. To me I'm just always assuming the best intent, which has of course burned me in life and love.

It took a few years of learning common sense and decency aren't common, and sometimes you gotta fight fire with a nuke. It doesn't even feel bad, it feels... Disappointing.

But yeah, anyone like that these days, the situation is the situation, not my problem if you can't make it work. Time was I'd bend backwards, but turns out being "selfish" works after all.
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That's me as well. A mix of my upbringing and my years in customer service jobs, but I just can't seem to be rude to people, especially customers of any kind. I want to be, granted, but actually acting on that urge is something totally different. The few times where I actually do stand up for myself and say even the tiniest, meekest little response (sometimes literally just the word "No"), I feel like I'm the worst person in the world. 😅 But, like you, I'm finding that most people, whether their intentions are good or not, are willing to work with you if you stand your ground. Some people, good or bad, just want to see what they can get away with.
 
In my experience people buying action figures are some of the worst lol.

The one that sticks out in my mind was selling a storm collectibles street fighter figure that was literally opened one time and put in the box.

Well the head popped off during shipping and he sent this huge email about how I was lying or whatever.

Like any one that has owned one of these figures… the heads are removable. They can pop off and back on. It’s like… that’s how they work?

Edit: but just in general, a lot of people buying used action figures are just picky and entitled.
 
I know I told these two chargeback stories on the fwoosh, but I'll tell them again because it's a whole new audience here at AT.

The first one, a gal (I think) does a chargeback on the Black series Walgreens Obi-Wan in clone armor. First they were asking for a return the day before it was delivered. Then they ended the return request after it was delivered. I figured they changed their mind, but a month goes by when I get a chargeback notice from eBay. I look at their sold items and find my Obi-Wan figure with my unedited photos in their sale listing. They stole my figure, resold it, and were too lazy to take new photos! This person was going scorched earth because they were taking preorders on Target exclusives that weren't in the store and for the exact same price as Target. I kept an eye on them and I think they were eventually banned or they ran off with the money.

Another guy did a chargeback on MS Lady Deadpool shortly after the movie premier. He left me positive feedback after the case was closed.

Both cases were closed by eBay without any loss of funds.
 
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mrboshek said:
I look at their sold items and find my Obi-Wan figure with my unedited photos in their sale listing
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That is brilliant. I had the same thing happen actually with a ML baf part. I was shocked to see the exact same photo.id used and even emailed them about it and they basically responded "eh, you know".
 
Ru1977 said:
That is brilliant. I had the same thing happen actually with a ML baf part. I was shocked to see the exact same photo.id used and even emailed them about it and they basically responded "eh, you know".
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I was totally not expecting to see my photos. They were taking preorders for things like the TF Outback Cobra Island wave for $19.99 about 8 months before they reached Target. I tried to point out the questionable listings to eBay support while I was chatting about my case, but nothing was done too quickly about those, if anything at all.
 
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