eBay buyers - idiots?

[Blackthornone]

I said he can bid that amount if he likes and hope to win

I've got a ton of messages asking to deal outside of eBay though

That isn't how you worded it.
You said you said--
"i don't have a buy it now option, you can bid that amount if you wish"



It certainly could have been taken to mean that, but it also could have indicated to him that if he REALLY was serious about paying $200 for it, then he would have to bid to prove it, and to make it an official buyer's agreement, as opposed to someone who just intends to play around and get you to end the auction and then change his mind.

Keep in mind, he WANTED to buy it from you for $200, so that's what he wanted to hear from you, and that's what he wanted to read from you.

 

[devilof76]

Then he should learn how to read.

 

[thenammagazine]

Then he should learn how to read.

Or you could stop playing devil's advocate for tards.

 

[Maglor]

That isn't how you worded it.
You said you said--
"i don't have a buy it now option, you can bid that amount if you wish"

"Bid" means bid. That's what you do in an auction. Why is that confusing?

It certainly could have been taken to mean that, but it also could have indicated to him that if he REALLY was serious about paying $200 for it, then he would have to bid to prove it, and to make it an official buyer's agreement, as opposed to someone who just intends to play around and get you to end the auction and then change his mind.

Keep in mind, he WANTED to buy it from you for $200, so that's what he wanted to hear from you, and that's what he wanted to read from you.

"Bid that amount if you wish" is secret code for "make it an official buyers agreement"? I don't see it.

If there's a "tard" in that scenario, it's clearly the buyer.

 

[F0RSAK3N]

To me there is nothing unclear about what Nova wrote. That buyer may just fit right in with the topic of this thread, or he might have had a blonde moment.

 

[Solidus]

I thought that I'd share this. A few months ago, I was selling a signed copy of a Metal Gear Solid game. I listed it for $300 on "buy it now" but gave the option for offers. That's when the "fun" began. The auction was set for 7 days, but a buyer messaged two days into it, and asked if I could sell the game to him for $80 because his rent was too expensive . Then there was this other ******* who offered to buy it for $12.50, and then cursed me out when I refused.

I would have lost my faith in humanity - if I still had any. But, I eventually sold the game to someone who really wanted it - who had the money to spend, and wasn't a brain-dead moron. That's the type of buyer I like dealing with.

 

[Kiva]

Thought i'd share this.

I've got an item up for auction, no reserve starting at £180

A guy messages me offering £200 buy it now.

I replied, "i don't have a buy it now option, you can bid that amount if you wish"

He replied, "I placed a maximum bid of £200 i think you can assign me the listing now"

Its nobodys fault, but you could of been more clear. You could of just left out the whole " bid that much if you want " part. Its something that happens to me alot. These days, (im also in the UK) i notice that ALOTTTT of people are terrible with speaking english. Whether it be because they are just thick, or english isnt their primary language.

So where as a few years i could use a bit of lingo, and be lax about the way i typed i have to type everything clear and concise just to put fourth what i mean.

I also get about 30% of my questions sent in capital letters. -_-

 

[Solidus]

Its nobodys fault, but you could of been more clear. You could of just left out the whole " bid that much if you want " part. Its something that happens to me alot. These days, (im also in the UK) i notice that ALOTTTT of people are terrible with speaking english. Whether it be because they are just thick, or english isnt their primary language.

So where as a few years i could use a bit of lingo, and be lax about the way i typed i have to type everything clear and concise just to put fourth what i mean.

I also get about 30% of my questions sent in capital letters. -_-

DO YOU MEAN TYPING IN CAPS? YEAH THAT IS REALLY ANNOYING. sO iS tYpING LiKe tHiS!

 

[ProgMatinee]

Its nobodys fault, but you could of been more clear. You could of just left out the whole " bid that much if you want " part. Its something that happens to me alot. These days, (im also in the UK) i notice that ALOTTTT of people are terrible with speaking english. Whether it be because they are just thick, or english isnt their primary language.

So where as a few years i could use a bit of lingo, and be lax about the way i typed i have to type everything clear and concise just to put fourth what i mean.

I also get about 30% of my questions sent in capital letters. -_-

At work especially, I find it really hard to communicate the essential information in a concise manner without writing a huge essay, but if you try to be brief inevitably someone missunderstands the message.

Its really a no win situation anymore as people don't have the attention span to either communicate a thorough message or read one.

 

[thenammagazine]

"Bid" means bid. That's what you do in an auction. Why is that confusing?

It's the way it's worded. It honestly could go either way whereas a "No" included anywhere in that equation makes considerably more sense. Instead Nova's babble about not having a BIN and then offering the bid in place could be mistaken as the alternative with an assumption that the auction would be ended post bid. Yes the buyer assumed, but the lack of a definitive "No" leaves it open to do just that. How is that so confusing?

 

[Maglor]

It's the way it's worded. It honestly could go either way whereas a "No" included anywhere in that equation makes considerably more sense. Instead Nova's babble about not having a BIN and then offering the bid in place could be mistaken as the alternative with an assumption that the auction would be ended post bid. Yes the buyer assumed, but the lack of a definitive "No" leaves it open to do just that. How is that so confusing?

Nova didn't babble, nor did he stutter. I can see how someone might prefer a yes or no, in which case clarification could be asked for. But for the buyer to make the assumption he did makes him the tard.

 

[thenammagazine]

Nova didn't babble, nor did he stutter. I can see how someone might prefer a yes or no, in which case clarification could be asked for. But for the buyer to make the assumption he did makes him the tard.

Because being incapable of responding with a clear and concise answer isn't retarded?

 

[Maglor]

You win. Everyone's retarded.

 

[thenammagazine]

You win. Everyone's retarded.

I know this.

 

[devilof76]

Or you could stop playing devil's advocate for tards.

But what if I wanted to defend your inability to comprehend Nova's response, which was clear to everyone except for yourself and Blackthornone?

Its really a no win situation anymore as people don't have the attention span to either communicate a thorough message or read one.

Another common failure is maintaining context. People can't seem to integrate the next step into those previously established.

 

[thenammagazine]

But what if I wanted to defend your inability to comprehend Nova's response, which was clear to everyone except for yourself and Blackthornone?

I don't recall saying I didn't get it. I recall saying it was open to interpretation. You're smarter than that.

 

[Blackthornone]

I don't recall saying I didn't get it. I recall saying it was open to interpretation. You're smarter than that.

That is what I said as well. I said it suggests the possibility of something other than he intended, not that he was actually saying that he would sell the item to him for $200 if he bid that, definitively. When in a business conversation, your communication should be as clear and as unambiguous as possible. There should be no chance of any misunderstanding because of how you word your correspondence.

A business transaction isn't the time for teaching other people what the right interpretation of what you say is, when it isn't worded clearly enough, and then telling them they are wrong for misunderstanding you.
It's just a waste of time, and time, in business, is money. Always be clear and concise.
You seem to know that, Nam, but other people here don't.