Dear eBay Queen:

I’ve been selling on eBay for about 8 years.  Just like you, I think I’ve seen it all.  I thought I would share a crazy email I received from a buyer the other day, because we all need a good laugh.

“I ordered 2 Hot Wheels from you last week.  I received them, and they are in the condition you listed them in, but I have a couple of complaints.  #1.  Why didn’t you ship them together?  #2.  One of them came in a box filled with shredded newspaper!  Who has the time to cut newspaper into tiny little strips? #3.  The second car was wrapped in bubble wrap and put in a bubble mailer. #4.  Can you tell me WHY I should not give you a feedback negative?

 You should know that people (like myself,) buy these to collect and leave them in the packages, a bent package is not something a collector likes to see. “

I’m not even sure how to respond to this.  I sold these in Toys & Games > Cars, not under collectibles.  I sent them separately because she/he paid for them 3 days apart, and I have one day shipping and handling on my eBay items. How should I handle this?
Tracy

Dear Tracy:

I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone complain about shredded newspaper, and I love the comment about “who has the time to cut newspaper into tiny little strips!”  In a situation like this I would send them an email that says something like this:

“I am so sorry the items were not what you expected.  I would be more than happy to refund your money once the item is sent back.  I wanted to address the issues you stated in your email, in hopes that it would shed a little light on why I shipped the items the way I did.

1. 1.      I did not ship them together because you paid for them 3 days apart.  I ship within 24 hours of payment, so I did not have your item long enough to know that you would be purchasing a 2^nd item.
2. 2.      I use a paper shredder to cut the little strips; I’ve not ever had anyone complain about the way I pack their items.

Once again I am very sorry these are not how you expected them to be.  I would be happy to refund your money.”

I know this seems kind of overly apologetic, but I have found when you have a customer that seems one card short of a full deck, it pays for you to be apologetic.

Dear eBay Queen:

My sister had a new and used book store in Oklahoma.  She is liquidating her store, and told me I could have her books to sell on eBay or Amazon.  She wants 200.00 for the rest of her inventory which is over 4000 books.  Do you think this is a good thing?  How should I sell these?  How do I describe the books conditions?

Book Seller

Dear Book Seller:

One of the great things about being a book seller, is that the conditions for books are pretty much spelled out for you.

• Brand New A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages.
• Like New  A book that looks new but has been read. Cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket (if applicable) is included for hard covers. No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, and no underlining/highlighting of text or writing in the margins. May have very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover. Very minimal wear and tear.
• Very Good A book that does not look new and has been read but is in excellent condition. No obvious damage to the cover, with the dust jacket (if applicable) included for hard covers. No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, and no underlining/highlighting of text or writing in the margins. May have very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover..
• Good A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages.
• Acceptable  A book with obvious wear. May have some damage to the cover but integrity still intact. The binding may be slightly damaged but integrity is still intact. Possible writing in margins, possible underlining and highlighting of text, but no missing pages or anything that would compromise the legibility or understanding of the text.

I think that $200.00 for 4000 books is a great deal!  I say go for it.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item: 230786152246 Do You remember the Beastie Boys? Do you have one of their skateboards?  Check out this one!  SOLD $1322.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item35bbed3736&item=230786152246

Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul, Kansas.