Are fruitcakes running rampant on eBay lately? Selling, buying, listing, feedback, etc...

[jaisonline]

I'm failing to understand the rage and derision. If someone wants to go to the trouble and expense and test the market for this kind of thing, why is that bad? I don't see the seller making any false claims in his description, or claiming that it's worth that amount for bogus reasons.

This kind of grading will either take off (I doubt it) or not (probably) in the LEGO market, but all markets start somewhere if they're going to start and provided the sellers are honest it's pretty much up to the buyers to determine what the market will be and what the market will bear.

Sorry if my tone / context was misleading as I didn't post "rage". An auction like this isn't about basic buyer - seller market economic theories. Bottom line is the auction is funny because it's 99.9% absurd.

$20 poly bag that uis getting harder to find sealed. However, the toy itself is common as are the elements.

Buyer paid a company to open his poly and build the Lego toy.

Then encase the toy for protection and investment (although specific elements will unclutch - I know from having this set). Will make nice baby rattle sound?

All makes the buyer think he now has a rare and expensive toy.

Thus, it's a fruitcake auction.

Side note : Do you know what "U" grading is and the it's negative impact ? There are only so many sealed items in existence and in-time, they become less and less. Here is a good link.

http://powerofthetoys.com/afa/

Anyway., I placed an offer of $50 only to make a video of removing it out of the plastic case. With $50, he'll make his money back. He countered with $250. Ha

[stephen_rockefeller]

Yeah kid you put it out there a long time ago that you were bacon.

[justafrog]

Sorry if my tone / context was misleading as I didn't post "rage". An auction like this isn't about basic buyer - seller market economic theories. Bottom line is the auction is funny because it's 99.9% absurd.

 

 

Sorry, I was no doubt misled by the part that stated you were "livid", but I see on re-reading that the lividity was possibly for mis-construction of the toy? Rather than the auction? I wouldn't waste rage on that, either - save some, you might need it later in the day!

 

Either way, I'm still failing to grasp the reason to be upset in any way about this. The seller is trying a newish angle to see if there's a market. If there's not, he won't bother again. If there is, he'll try to capitalize on it. It really doesn't get any simpler than that.

 

Based on the apparent lack of interest in any large group of buyers for sealed and graded LEGO, I'd expect this sort of thing to continue to be an interesting anomaly rather than a truly viable and widespread market.

[jaisonline]

Sorry, I was no doubt misled by the part that stated you were "livid", but I see on re-reading that the lividity was possibly for mis-construction of the toy? Rather than the auction? I wouldn't waste rage on that, either - save some, you might need it later in the day! .

Now we are on the same page. My post was about what was done to a sealed ploy set with the U grade. I was "livid" about the toy plus AFA U and not the auction itself. People can list items for whatever they want.

Now if I was typing "Hulk Smash" then that's rage. Ha

Thanks for rereading the post.

[Ciglione]

This evening I received a strange message from an ebay user/customer. I have the 3368 City Space Centre up on ebay. I priced it very high and from the 5 available (MISB) I am the most expensive (about 20 euro above brickpicker value). In the message the lady asks me to put down my asking price. I wrote back and thanked her for the shown interest. I wrote that I will enable the "send a price proposal" option and if she sends me a price proposal that is acceptable for me I will accept it. Did not hear or see anything anymore.  

 

What could be the reason behind this request? Innitially I thought it was cause she was interested in my product. But then she could buy one of the cheaper ones. Right?

 

Anyone have an idea?

[scuttfarkas]

Crazy.

[M4x18]

This is buyers trolling or just not that interested.

I have had several cases where buyers make idiotic offers, I counteroffer with a 5-10% discount and then they do not accept nor decline my offer.

Really annoying.

[stephen_rockefeller]

Why is this weird? The buyer doesn't want to pay your inflated price? Would you?

[Ciglione]

Like I said... the buyer has other cheaper options. Buy one of those. That is what I mean.

 

And if no one wants to pay inflated prices we are out of business.

[justafrog]

She's just one of the folks who gains enjoyment writing to sellers to tell them their prices are too high. You get them sometimes. I always seem to end up behind them in the line at the supermarket.

 

You can ignore their messages, or send back a polite, "Thank you for your interest, but this is our best price at this time."

[minicoopers11]

Yeah, this really isn't weird. I get discount requests on Bricklink regularly. "No, these are my lowest prices. Sorry."

[donliu]

i don't think it is strange. If she gets back to you great... if she doesn't oh well... you tried =) 

[Ensche]

Yes strange things happen on ebay... I once had an Italian guy who started to insult me because I didn't want to sell him a set for about 40% cheaper and outside of ebay

Just go on and don't think too much about it.

[spener90]

She's just one of the folks who gains enjoyment writing to sellers to tell them their prices are too high. You get them sometimes. I always seem to end up behind them in the line at the supermarket.

 

You can ignore their messages, or send back a polite, "Thank you for your interest, but this is our best price at this time."

I lean towards the ignore their messages tactic.

[Quacs]

I particularly enjoy the messages that instruct me what to do.  For example I received the following eBay PM the other day:

 

"pls offer $60 for this item, thanks!"

 

Well, since you used an exclamation point, maybe I will...you seem friendly enough!

[KShine]

While most eBay users are great, and some might just be a bit unaware - there are others which can be truly scary.

[mscheaf]

I listed a sealed 30th Gold C3P0 and some person kept emailing and asking how he can find one in a sealed boxed set. Needless to say, he never placed a Buy It Now offer after I asked if he was interested. Then I finally received a decent offer that I accepted. The UK buyer never paid after asking me twice if shipping will require a signature.

I won an open UCS Vader Tie Defender and the seller doesn't want to claim my payment via PayPal. Although feedback was low, his email is legit. I just sent him one.

My son wanted a Batman 1 Batmobile so I won one, Auction stated complete except for the road block. 16 minor elements ended up missing from both vehicles and seller shipped the set in the original lego box (wasn't listed in the auction) w/ supermarket brown paper around it. Never the less, the box was a pleasant surprise.

 

Lowers the bar for the rest of us doesn't it. I will sell something and people will be so shocked that it matches the description and was shipped fast and packaged correctly that they will think I am some ancient deity who has taken the form of a Lego reseller. Gozer the Gozarian?

[Brickshopper]

Buyer takes 8 days to pay finally pays after we open a case but we are out of town unable to ship with the store closed... then leaves Negative Feedback for Slow Shipping...It takes very tough skin to sell on ebay these days

[hxckid88]

Buyer takes 8 days to pay finally pays after we open a case but we are out of town unable to ship with the store closed... then leaves Negative Feedback for Slow Shipping...It takes very tough skin to sell on ebay these days

I was threatened to be beaten up today because I would not pull an item from eBay that has bids and sell off of eBay.

Do they not that I'm Hxckid88 and capable of hulk smashing a house with my bar hands.

Edited September 5, 2014 by hxckid88

[jaisonline]

I was treated to be beaten up today because I would not pull an item from eBay that has bids and sell off of eBay.

Do they not that I'm Hxckid88 and capable of hulk smashing a house with my bar hands.

 

[Locutus001]

Those are bidders who want the item for a specific price that might not be offered...

 

I once had a woman who wanted to buy a Black Pearl for her son (birthday or something...) and she was willing to pay 70

[Locutus001]

Hi everybody,

 

I just had this bothering me for such a long time now that I had the need to share it.

 

More than once I've seen this on ebay and it's just freaking me out.

 

Sellers who offer fake items or even the real deal but so massively overpriced that you just cannot believe it.

 

Don't get me wrong I'm not talking about an EOL set that's out for more than retail price or a new set thats 20% more expensive but about BIG stuff.

 

For example:

This seller offers the SET LOTR Pirate Ship Ambush 79008 for 9.000.00$ (with a nice discount of 10% it's 1.000 bugs cheaper as it has been before...).

(See picture)

I hope I do not post anything against the rules of the forum here! If so I am sorry and hope that I can be told so and be forgiven! ;-)

 

Another time it was a Jabbas Sail Barge from another seller for 1.000.00

[Fcbarcelona101]

You can't be ripping anyone off if they voluntarily agree to pay your asking price and you accurately described your item.

[stephen_rockefeller]

Exactly......This kinda stuff bothered me in the past but now I'm like who cares. There are more important and legitimate things to worry about. Let it go man you will live a longer happier life :)

[Locutus001]

@Fcbarcelona101:

You really think so?

 

Of course I know what you mean and some part of me agrees.

 

But those sellers are trying to deceive people as the price suggests that the product is worth it.

 

You and me we won't fall for something like that so it obviously is not a big deal as we do know the prices etc.

 

But there has to be a reason why people are doing this which for me is either something like money laundering or ripping off poor grandmothers and other people who are easily deceived.

 

So what else would you call it then if not rip-off? Honest good guy everyday businessman doing?

 

For me peronally this is not too troublesome and as stephen_rockefeller puts it "who cares" is what one part of me is feeling.

But every once in a while I stumble over something like that and I feel like this is just not okay (and obviously bad greedy people are behind it ;-) ).

 

Anyways this is getting off-topic too much and I already opened a topic for that one.

Would be glad to hear your opinion there though!

(After all it is part of the world that could concern brickpicker ain't it?)