Comical/Strange selling experiences on eBay

[npa589]

So, I sold a T206 SGC 60 card via eBay on Tuesday, May 21st. I shipped it out that Wednesday, and got a message on Wednesday night from the buyer.

It read:

please dont mail until friday
thx
"Name Name"

My response was:

Name:

Very sorry, I shipped it this morning at 630, on my way to work. You might be able to ask the post office to hold packages for you there. I'm typing this on my phone from work, so I don't have the tracking number readily available but it is definitely uploaded in eBay. Let me know if you need anything else.


His response....

no problem--trying to hide purchases from wife


That was the last I heard. Then, today I got the Quinn in the mail without any message from anyone on eBay requesting a refund. Instead, there was a typed note asking for a refund, signed by the wife...


As much as I hate it, sometimes you just have to laugh. In addition, it has a nice scratch on the front that wasn't there. In the middle of a fight maybe?


I'm sure many of you have some rather "hilarious" (after a few months maybe) selling experiences on eBay and elsewhere.




.

[sycks22]

My most confusing / funny ebay experience happened when a buyer offered me I believe $1300 for a card on the BIN/BO and I accepted. After accepting it he writes me "Will you take $1100 for the card? I can pay immediately".

2nd best one happened last week. Guy was selling a Brett rookie for $49.95 BIN/BO so I offered a pretty good amount and he countered at $49.95 (full price). I laughed and offered him $1.24, needless to say he didn't respond. Why offer the best offer option if you counter at full price?

[Matthew80]

That's awesome!

Admittedly, and regrettably, I bet I'd side with the wife, though. If my own experience is typical of others here, I've almost spent too much on my collection plenty of times. I'm not sure how much others make and how they prioritize their funds, but I've had to remind myself to remember other priorities more than once when thinking about buying for my collection.

Collecting can be a dangerous hobby for someone of modest means who also wants to be in a position to afford braces for kids, sufficiently save for retirement, etc.

Here's to open communication with family about budgeting for our collections! Being guilt-free when buying added a whole new level of enjoyment to collecting for me.

[Runscott]

My weirdest experience was when I sold a beat up straw hat for $5 and the buyer got upset because I wouldn't give him express shipping for free.

Moral of the story: throw away your old straw hats, or feed them to your horse.

[steve B]

I had a few odd ones when I was actively selling.

One guy bought a couple $1 cards. After about two weeks I sent a gentle reminder. Along the lines of "maybe it slipped through the cracks, or you got busy, Just let me know if you've sent the payment." Next day I get an email saying it was from his girlfriend and that he'd been drunk that friday and being new to Ebay bid on some enormous ammount of cheap cards. And surprise, he won enough to be more than what he made in a month So I checked his purchases. Yep, around 1200 items won, none over $5. Total bill without shipping probably around 4000. I told them to pay me whenever they could. To my surprise I had a check in about a week. AND it cleared.

There were the usual bunch of "where's my card" questions, my favorite sent 30 minutes after he won and about 3 days before he paid.
I had to wait a couple hours before answering that one.

And at least one really tough one. I sold a Naval academy souvenir mug but didn't get paid. (VERY strange for any of the service academies, I've sent out a few West Point things before payment just because the buyer was a graduate. Never a problem.) Anyway, after about a month I got an email from a family member saying they were trying to sort out what he'd bought and what had or hadn't been paid for. Apparently he had cancer and had gone into the hospital for what was likely the last time. I offered to send it out for free but they asked me not to. I told them that any payments would be returned or simply not cashed if it was a check and they were ok with that.
I still have it here somewhere. It's odd, but I get a wierd feeling whenever I think of selling it. Not spooky wierd, just a "I just don't want to sell it" sort of thing even though it's pretty far outside what I think of as collection rather than "inventory".

Steve B

[npa589]

Great stories you guys.

Lol, I have more to add.

I asked the eBay user (whoever is answering)" can someone explain what is going on?"

This was the response:

I'm the someone
A clerk in my office sent the card to you in ERROR
Please return and charge my palpal for postage
Sorry for the inconvenience
No more free lunches for her


I don't know if it's because it's Friday, but I'm laughing hysterically about this. I guess the girl who signed the typed note was the clerk and not the wife (...so the husband who wants the card says), but, since he already said something about the wife --- something just tells me this isn't true. Maybe the wife contacted the clerk? Oh the possibilities! Hilarious.

I'm not sure if I should send it back, or if I should just keep the darn card and put it back on eBay...!!! I'm leaning towards sending it back...

[npa589]

Originally Posted by Runscott

My weirdest experience was when I sold a beat up straw hat for $5 and the buyer got upset because I wouldn't give him express shipping for free.

Moral of the story: throw away your old straw hats, or feed them to your horse.

Happens all the time, lots of straw hat conventions... Buyer probably found himself in a bind, and needed a straw hat due to claims made prior to the convention. I can't tell you how many times someone has used hyperbole to describe how long they've owned their straw hats!

[Craig M]

My wife better not complain about my card purchases; I never have complained about the UPS truck showing up each week with boxes of new shoes, all of these years.

Our walk-in closet is proof; on her side is row after row after row of shoes, some not even opened.

Maybe on my side I will line up all of my T206 graded cards!

[jcmtiger]

I sold a lot of comic books and shipped the comics in a box that once held a coffee maker. The buyer emailed and said he did not receive the comics only a coffee maker. He opened a case against me and I disputed it. About a week later the case was closed in my favor. I guess he finally opened the box. I can just picture an apartment full of comic books all over the place.

Joe

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by Craig M

My wife better not complain about my card purchases; I never have complained about the UPS truck showing up each week with boxes of new shoes, all of these years.

Our walk-in closet is proof; on her side is row after row after row of shoes, some not even opened.

Maybe on my side I will line up all of my T206 graded cards!

Craig, sounds like a good deal to me.
Mine ended up in divorce! She kept the shoes, I got the cards. No kidding.

[KCRfan1]

Originally Posted by Craig M

My wife better not complain about my card purchases; I never have complained about the UPS truck showing up each week with boxes of new shoes, all of these years.

Our walk-in closet is proof; on her side is row after row after row of shoes, some not even opened.

Maybe on my side I will line up all of my T206 graded cards!

The AVERAGE female will spend around $25,000.00 on shoes in her lifetime. It sounds like you have more room in your closet with your wife, than I have in mine with my wife. My wife occupies about 80% with clothes and shoes and I have the remainder.

[Craig M]

"The AVERAGE female will spend around $25,000.00 on shoes in her lifetime."

I think my wife has that beat by a long shot!

[bigtrain]

Originally Posted by Craig M

My wife better not complain about my card purchases; I never have complained about the UPS truck showing up each week with boxes of new shoes, all of these years.

Our walk-in closet is proof; on her side is row after row after row of shoes, some not even opened.

Maybe on my side I will line up all of my T206 graded cards!

I feel your pain. What is it with women and shoes? Is there a psychological explanation?

[itslarry]

Originally Posted by bigtrain

I feel your pain. What is it with women and shoes? Is there a psychological explanation?

i believe the official term for it is "crazy as all hell"

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Craig M

"The AVERAGE female will spend around $25,000.00 on shoes in her lifetime."

I think my wife has that beat by a long shot!

To paraphrase Brody in Jaws... You're going to need a bigger closet.

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by Craig M

"The AVERAGE female will spend around $25,000.00 on shoes in her lifetime."

I think my wife has that beat by a long shot!

Craig, who's your wife, Imelda Marcos?
If you include my wife's shoes, boots & sneakers, it might add up to a dozen pairs total.

[Julz24]

Originally Posted by Craig M

"The AVERAGE female will spend around $25,000.00 on shoes in her lifetime."

I think my wife has that beat by a long shot!

Staying off topic: My wife has just four pairs of shoes and two sets of sandals in rotation. The other 35 pairs are still in their original boxes in the back of the closet.

Collectors are weird.

[Craig M]

....hmmm I saw that she was ordering color variations of the same shoe.

On a few occasions I saw her looking inside the shoes for factory anomalies and bottom shoe mis-cuts and other freaks!

No wonder I am attracted to the T206 Freaks also.

[mybuddyinc]

Comic_Power_of_a_woman_-_1.jpg

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by bigtrain

I feel your pain. What is it with women and shoes? Is there a psychological explanation?

Estrogen makes them do it, just like testosterone makes us buy pictures of dead baseball players. Trying to understand it better is like trying to reason with a farm animal. I've been married for 18 years and I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of comprehending the bundle of insane, conflicting, infuriating and endearing energies that is my wife. And I'm sure the same is true of her--she just thinks she has me all figured out!