New ebay scam?

[jb stanislas]

I sold an item on auction for $87.00. Then after 3 days, I get an email from winner (gunnarsnyder) saying that he thought end price included postage and so given that he can;t afford postage, can I be flexible and include postage in the $87.00?
I have never had this happen in my life and I think it is a scam of some sort, to get things cheaper. I only say this because what he says makes no sense, given he has 17 purchases under his belt (presumely they were not all free-postage items) and all 100% positive so why would he think postage was free? It has the postage fee written in the postage section.
Maybe he thinks people will feel sorry for him. Being so poor and they will pay for postage.
I have no fucking idea so I am asking if you have any thoughts on this bizarre thing?

[moecurlythanu]

I think he needs to find another hobby.

[Col Wolfe]

contact some of the other sellers to see if he's said the same to them.

[jb stanislas]

contact some of the other sellers to see if he's said the same to them.

Yes, good idea. Will do - thank you.

[amidar]

Its his own fault and he obviously doesn't know eBay too well, personally I'd say no out of principle but then if he doesn't understand eBay he probably wont get how to accept a purchase cancellation.

Either way unless it owes you very little or your'e feeling kind cancel the transaction mutually and if that doesn't work take the long route around with a case etc.

There are a great many computer illiterate people out there, you should meet my mother in law being signed out of Facebook is a disaster and its not like she can use that anyway. Last week she rang me and she had caps lock on!

Speaking of the mother in law, whilst fixing her tablet before Christmas I posted loads of bizarre stuff on her Facebook page, pictures of cardboard boxes, a donkey drinking a bottle of brown ale. The ruse was to to try and teach her how Facebook works. It didn't go down well at all and she got the wife to delete them all.

"People were very worried and they did not find it funny at all!". I have to admit announcing the death of 'Bruce Forsyth' (in a roundabout way, 'sad news' could have meant anything!) was probably pushing it a bit too far but it did make me fall out of bed laughing so there is that...

The kids said I had 'Fraped' her!

[tjh392]

With 17 purchases it sounds like he should know what to do now, so I wouldn't trust him. I'd cancel the order or give a second chance offer to the second highest bidder.

[The Divine One]

Imagine being so poor you can only afford $87 for a record... It's a harsh world out there.

In your shoes I'd offer half price postage as a compromise and re-use a mailer. If I was second highest bidder, there's no way I'd pay the full price - I would insist on paying the price I WOULD have won the item for if the high bidder was taken out the equation...

[tjh392]

If I was second highest bidder, there's no way I'd pay the full price - I would insist on paying the price I WOULD have won the item for if the high bidder was taken out the equation...

Just had a look at it and it works that way:

When you send a Second Chance Offer, you give the bidder the chance to buy the item at a Buy It Now price equal to their last bid amount. It's up to the buyer to decide whether to accept the offer.

I'd go with the compromise instead. Out of curiosity what was the record?

[emperor tomato ketchup]

I'm not sure this even warrants being called a scam. That implies some kind of clever trick - this is just asking for a discount after the event.

I'd suggest he paypal you as friend to reduce the fees you pay.

[medlar]

Ask him if he asks the postmaster to stick on the stamps for free when he goes to the Post Office to send a letter.

[Paul-K]

I sold something to someone once, and they did something. its a new scam.

[amidar]

I'd just compromise and send him some 'James Last' and 'Jim Reeves' records, saves you money, clears some space and he gets more bang for his buck as he's getting more records. Sure he would be agreeable under the circumstances.

As said some people just try it on others probably innocently are a bit computer illiterate but weighing it up it sounds like he's asking for a discount as ETK says which is about as much a compromise as the above.

[jb stanislas]

Just had a look at it and it works that way:



I'd go with the compromise instead. Out of curiosity what was the record?

It was by Fya Dezarie (reggae).
I was going to ask some of the sellers if they experienced it, with this buyer but then I hesitated because they all left him pos feedback. I felt it didnt warrant asking.
I ended up relisting the lp after blocking the guys u/name.
Winner was one of the bidders the first time.
Just sold for $70.00 this time - (oof!)
It's a big bad world out there and anything could turn out to be a scam these days. Just because you don;t see an action as a scam, is illogical cos the very nature of a scam is a ruse or trickery that is not made visible to people who have never heard of it.
Let's see what happens now. Should be fine now, I think.

[jb stanislas]

German ebayer won it and paid for it within 5 minutes! Yay!

Then I got this email from gunnarsnyder telling me I didn;t mention postage on my listing (I did. It is there on every listing automatically) and that he was only asking and he would have paid if he had to and because and the "reggae community" help and look out for each other etc...
I don;t think he has a point. I didn't know username gunnarsnyder was part of a "reggae community" and I am not, so I'd have to have ESP and make assumptions everywhere. Help out every winner of of my reggae listings with a postage discount just because it is a reggae lp. Maybe I need to "partake of the herb" before listing reggae to be "in touch" more. Like I said, I have no fucking idea...mun!

[emperor tomato ketchup]

At least you didn't get hit by the Mexican Reggae timewaster being first bidder.

Is that guy still active in the "reggae community"?