What would You Say To This Guy ?

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akivory

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I have been selling quality mammoth ivory scales to knife makers on eBay for the last two years. Most everybody I talk to says things are really slow. I am not going to put any thing more up until after the election. I usually start my auctions at about half of what the scales would go for at a knife show. About half of my listings are selling. That’s Ok with me I will be able to sell all I have later.
I get this email tonight from this bottom feeder. I usually do not respond
But this guy sort of torked me off.

Dear akivory,

HELLO I AM INTERESTED IN THIS MAMMOTH. AND THIS IS IN NO WAY MEANT TO OFFEND YOU. WHAT YOU HAVE IT IS NICE BUT WHAT I HAVE BEEN BUYING IN THE BLUE AND GREEN VERY SIMILAR EXCEPT WHAT I HAVE BEEN BUYING IS POLISHED VERY WELL AND LOOKS EXTREMLY NICE BUT AT HALF THE PRICE IF YOU WILL CONSIDER SELLING AT A PRICE MORE COMPARABLE AND I DO LIKE IT I WILL BUY FROM YOU OFTEN I HAVE BEEN AVERAGING AT LEAST TWO SETS A WEEK I HAVE BUYERS FOR MY KNIVES WAITING AT THIS TIME BUT I HAVE TO BUY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME PROFFITT I REALLY DONT PROFFIT BECAUSE OF THE TIME INVOLED BUT I DO IT TO KEEP MY MIND GOING AND ACTUALLY ENJOY THE FINISHED PRODUCT SO PLEASE LET ME KNOW ABOUT THIS I AM THE SAME MAN BUYING THE BLACK PEARL AND AM INTERESTED IN THE HORNS THANK YOU
 
Sometimes, not responding. . .sends an extremely strong message.


You have a product listed and he/she has the opportunity to hit the bid button. Pretty simple process.


What kind of response do you think that he would get if he went into a retail store and ask them to slash their price 50%, on a sander ? ;)



I wouldn't waste the time responding.
 
I disagree with GigOne. I say, send him a nice response. Tell him that he's fortunate to have found such an inexpensive source for his mammoth ivory and that you can't match those kind of prices and then wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Sometimes you can do a better job of saying "fork you" by being nice.
 
Selling many knives here I have had low ball offers and have responded both ways nice and nasty..nice always works better..the people I have responded to nicely often have bought a knife from me at a fair price later..the ones I was nasty to never contacted me again (no surprise there). Send him a nice email saying your price is as low as you can go..hey you cant fault the guy for asking its Ebay..the worlds biggest garage sale..
 
Every time I've sold an older/rarer knife on e-bay I get at least one e-mail from someone who is willing to do me a "favor" by paying me 10 or 20 dollars more than my starting bid if I end the auction early. Like you, I always start bidding at about half what I think the knife will sell for. The first time it happened it really did pi$$ me off, but you can't take it personally. I always respond with "No thank you.", nothing more or less. Why waste your time and energy. There are people out there trolling e-bay for sellers who don't realize the value of what they have. As Ren said, it's like a garage sale, and many are looking to buy low and sell high. But while it's true that you "can't blame a guy for trying", I believe there are some reasonable limits on "trying". The people who contact me, and this guy that contacted you, with "gracious" offers of buying something from us far below the market value, have moved beyond what I consider to be a reasonable and honest limit. That's my take on it.
 
well, profit is part and parcel of commerce. buy low, sell high. don't fault people for trying...especially on ebay.

in a case like yours, I would just drop a short note saying..."thanks, but that's not something I can consider". that would be enough and not rude either. who knows, paths may cross in the future under different or even better circumstances.

don't spend any energy feeling angry and pissed - life's too short, why spend it feeling negative.

take care....and good karma to you.
 
I've gotta side with the Kinder, Gentler folks on this one:

1) There are a couple of times when I've watched an item that hasn't sold, and because I've either felt it was overpriced or I didn't have the scratch to meet the reserve, I didn't bid. Then, close to closing (or after the auction's end) I've dropped a short note to the seller stating that "I'm interested in [your item], but I can't afford it at the price you've listed it at. I noticed that it didn't sell this time around, so if you're really motivated to turn it over please let me know and we'll talk." I've never had a nasty reply to that, and a couple of times it's worked out well for both parties; I also got a fair amount of "No Reponses." I never intended an insult, I just thought I'd see if it could be had for less once it hadn't / obviously wasn't going to sell.

2) If he's serious about it, maybe you could work something out with him on a quantity basis. Maybe not, too. ;)

3) I fired a guy one time, and he was such a worthless sonofashedog that I couldn't resist telling him so. One month later he was my contact at a large account I already had.... and I spent the next year eating crow until they got wise to him and canned him too. In that case, nice woulda been better... and you never know when someone's gonna pop back up on your radar.

My two cents, of course. And, all of the above having been said, the all caps and strong tone (??) of his email woulda chapped me, too. :rolleyes:
 
"AND THIS IS IN NO WAY MEANT TO OFFEND YOU"

i suspect that he's aware that his low-balling might tick you off, and took the precaution quoted above. i'd take it at face value: he probably figures that you know the value of what you sell, and he's just gonna take a chance and try to get a deal. he mentions some flaws in your product to support his case, which isn't so bad. i'd just tell him "thanks, but no thanks. bid if you like the product, otherwise, good luck to you in future transactions. good day!"

abe m.
 
spyken said:
well, profit is part and parcel of commerce. buy low, sell high. don't fault people for trying...especially on ebay.

in a case like yours, I would just drop a short note saying..."thanks, but that's not something I can consider". that would be enough and not rude either. who knows, paths may cross in the future under different or even better circumstances.

don't spend any energy feeling angry and pissed - life's too short, why spend it feeling negative.

take care....and good karma to you.
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Can't blame a guy for trying. You don't have to spend too many brain cells thinking about it if you don't want to do the deal.

A simple "Sorry, can't do it. Thanks for the message." and you can go on with your day. No sense spending it "torked" off over something as small as this.

Life is short.
 
Tell him you'll give him a break if he'll tell you his better-at-half-price source.

I'll bet you a dollar he's BSing you. ;)
 
I can see both points of view. I would do which ever you feel is right, but in a polite manner. Never know who is on the other end. I guess people don't realize how much mammoth goes for here in Anchorage. It is ridiculous.. :eek:

All part of the game, just be polite and let it roll off your shoulders :cool:
 
fulloflead said:
Tell him you'll give him a break if he'll tell you his better-at-half-price source.

I'll bet you a dollar he's BSing you. ;)
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Ya beat me to it! That would have been my response. :)

And if that's how you reply, I bet another dollar that you never hear from him again.
 
The professional & polite response would be the best route. However, if he gets out of line... :D
 
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