Ebay Seller Story - WOW !

I listed " Three Steel 1943 Cents - 1943, 1943 D & 1943 S" on ebay and the winning bid was $4.59. I posted photos of the obverse,reverse and some close ups. I give no Grade unless already slabbed and have a 100% feedback. After two weeks of the buyer receiving the coins, this is the response I get from the buyer:
"There is a huge difference in silver and copper and the picture shows copper you sent me 3 silver pennies. I am not happy with this at all and not sure who your trying to fool I shouldn't have to return anything to get my money back. You tried to scam me and send complete opposites of what are listed in the auction I don't appreciate anyone trying to pull a fast one on me it's ridiculous what lengths people go to now just to make a lousy dollar. You should be ashamed of yourself"

I'm not sure where the copper color comes in but here is my response:
"First I'm sorry your not happy with the coins. However the listing was for "Three Steel Pennies" which is what they are. A cooper 1943 penny is worth around $10,000 . I don't appreciate your comments and if you would like to send them back, I will gladly refund your money. Your inability to understand what you are buying before you bid isn't my fault. You are trying to keep the coins and get a refund. Send them back or NO REFUND ! "

Not heard anything back, so I'm sure the buyer will file a complaint - WOW !!

 

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Tell them to open a case if they're unhappy. You have all information to support a claim, I wouldn't be worried.

 

Well he said silver did he? Remind him that if it is silver, the price of silver is worth more than copper. Dumb but hilarious. I know as a seller it can be annoying.

 

Sounds like the guy did not know 43 cents were steel but he should read what he was bidding on. Did the images make them look copper?

The buyers words were harsh and you came back with more harsh words.
I'll guess he just gives you a neg.

 

My wife has re-sold estate sale items on E-bay for years. 99% of the time there are no issues, but sometimes the complaints that come back can be either irritating or hilarious and you have to wonder what they are thinking. I always like "You made it look much bigger and that is fraud!" when not only were actual dimensions provided but the picture included things of known size like a coin or soda can, lol.

She always offers the return, but the majority of the time I think it is people who routinely complain in an attempt to get it for free and then just move one when it doesn't work. Account has been open since 1998 and so far she has managed to avoid even a single negative, but she has bent over backwards to avoid it and sometimes I thought she should tell someone to take a hike, Hopefully yours is one of those who sees it as worth a shot and will move on.

 

I have had that exact thing before...and this is where the Internet works in your favor.

You read their comments.
You think to yourself, "What is wrong with that person? I should write them a strongly-worded letter!"
You type out a strongly-worded response, but don't hit the "send" button.
You get it out of your system.
You delete your previous reply, and type out a more levelheaded and diplomatic response.
NOW you hit the send button.

My buyer actually admitted to getting his purchase from me mixed up with another purchase he had made. By leaving him an "out", a place in which he could be wrong but still save face, I avoided an argument and kept from getting him 100% defensive with my first reply.

Of course, that worked once. Some people are just crazy...but at least I give them a sane reply or two. After that, they receive "reality counseling."



Hope your situation works out for you!

 

One of the problems with selling on eBay is that you are dealing with people of all intelligence levels. You happen to hit one on the lower end of the scale. Keep us informed of his response, but also link the auction if you can so the rest of us can block this dimwit.

 

Here are some of the photos, I re-sized them for the forum. I don't see the problem ??

 

Is it April 1 already?

 

First thing I thought was they are copper cents. The pictures definitely make the steel cents look like copper. Typically if there is any discrepancy on what the title says and what the coins look like, I usually don't bid. Could be an honest mistake or maybe not. Seems like the buyer probably read the description, but saw the pics and just had it in their head that you were selling copper cents because that is what you showed in your pics. I have seen fake copper plated 1943 cents. Maybe that is what they thought they were buying. Hope it all works out.

 

well, i must say they sure dont look like my steel cent in those pics..

 

I would have nicely offered a refund including the return postage.
I would not have belittled or scolded the buyer.

 

Yep, especially with those "copper" photos. I take back what I said about the buyer... he was thinking he hit a jackpot, lol. The only 43's I have that look like that were minted in China. The OP should have had those babies re-plated.

 

Your response was far too harsh, in my opinion, and your images have awful white balance problem that makes the cents appear copper in color. I think you over-reacted to a problem that should not have occurred, but to one where you were a contributor.

 

Well, the buyer was foolish to think that he/she would get copper cents out of this auction, but those photos couldn't be more copper-toned. You need to learn about setting color balance on your camera. As a first step, don't photograph coins against a blue background -- your camera will generally shift everything toward yellow in an attempt to compensate. Neutral gray backgrounds will work best.

 

Bottom line: eBay is a Jungle, and every word, each nuanced phrase, and all pics must be vetted for how they will be perceived by your buyer, no matter their IQ.

It's a tough market to maintain 100% in...I never offer reality counseling, but always a sweet mouthful of reasonable and accommodating comments. So far, so good; I've got over 1200 at 100%.

The suggestion to write...then discard...a steaming flame-note is great. But business is business. The goal is repeat customers, deliriously happy with your goods and service.

 

WLW - I agree, but with the caveat that there are just some people who will never be happy, who are absolutely insane, or who are trying to pull a fast one on you. I agree that every reasonable effort should be made to provide the highest possible level of service, product, etc...but without sacrificing the level of respect you can provide to yourself. At some point I feel it necessary draw a line where, if crossed, a customer can no longer consider themselves eligible to do business with me.

 

I get frustrated as an eBay seller because the whole show is so skewed for the buyer. Heck, sellers haven't been able to leave negative feedback for a buyer in years, and that's nonsense. I've given refunds in cases like you describe above before and it's frustrating, but like you, I have 100% feedback and like to keep it that way. It's kind of an unfair venue, but it's one of the most effective for selling items.

 

Your photos support the buyer so far. How about a link to the actual listing on eBay?

 

After seeing the images you used for the listing, I can only assume that you're the only one who is unsure.

With all due respect, it seems that your inability to understand the other side is a big part of the problem here. Even with your description, I cannot blame the buyer for being upset considering the photos you provided. His email to you regarding the purchase, while not pleasant, is from an understandably upset buyer, so it is beyond me as to why would you respond as you did. It rings of not truly understanding what you are selling, or the likely buyers of such coins, which in these conditions are nothing more than novelties or the widgets of widgets. Unless you do not care about receiving poor feedback, you should have apologized for his being unhappy even if you still think this was entirely his fault. It is not worth arguing with someone over coins that can easily be purchased bulk for a tiny, tiny fraction of what this guy paid, so if I were you, I would apologize to this person and tell him to keep the coins. Eat the very small loss and accept it as tuition. Good luck to you.