Remember when you were in grade school (or middle school or high school for that matter).  You could never win an argument against a teacher.  They were “always” right.  Well, now that we are in the grown up world,  if you are seller on eBay, they have replaced the role of the teacher.  They are always right – at least in their minds.  And if you want to go sell somewhere else, they know they have the biggest game in town, so you can take your ball and go elsewhere, but you won’t find many people to play with.

eBay has a policy that allows the seller to send an Unpaid notice if payment is not received after 4 days of the auction ending.  In the past, a seller had to wait 7 days.  The seller even has the option to have automate unpaid notices sent for them.

We recently had a buyer bid up 3 of our auctions and after 4 days of non communication, I wrote him and asked about payment.  I didn’t see a response (I have to say that he did respond to my email, but it went to spam), so I then filed a non payment claim.  At that point, I got a scathing email from this buyer telling me that I was “a joke” and the worst seller he had encountered in 10 years on eBay.  His entire email was very nasty.  I wrote him back that I didn’t get his other email, and that I was sorry.  He then proceeded to give me 3 Neutral feed backs calling me “rude” (perfect Freudian transference example) and even mentioned that I filed an unpaid notice against him, but to his defense it was a Holiday weekend.  We had many other sales that Holiday weekend and amazingly everyone else paid within a day.

I contacted eBay about getting these 3 Neutral feed backs removed as they were really retribution for filing the non payment claim – totally following eBay’s rules.  eBay refused to do anything.  I explained my case in as simple English as possible, but they just didn’t want to hear what I had to say.  They said the feed back did not quality for removal according to their rule book.  I asked to see a copy of their rule book and they told me to read their web site.  I told them that the site was only a synopsis and that I wanted to see the entire policy.  They refused to send me a copy.  How can you know the rules if they are kept hidden?  Are we living in the Soviet Union during the Cold War?

eBay, it is time to value your sellers.  You say that retribution feed back is not allowed.  Get a dictionary.  Listen to you sellers – without them, there is nothing for a buyer to purchase.

A few months ago a client gave us only 5 items to sell.  Included was an old Rolex watch that belonged to her deceased husband.  She didn’t like the watch.  It turned out she had bought another watch for her husband as a gift in the 1950′s and he didn’t like that one.  He returned it for a Daytona Rolex.  That was a long time ago, but that exchange left a bad taste for this woman.  She had no idea what the watch was worth and told us to get whatever we could for it.

We didn’t know a lot about different types of Rolex watches, but lack of knowledge has never stopped us before.  After quite a bit of research and writing and talking to people all over the country, we found out that this was actually quite a valuable watch.  It was stainless steel, not gold, and not even in top condition.  However, the model was very collectible.  But my past experiences with eBay left me a little nervous to try and sell this on their web site.  There are probably more fake Rolex watches than real ones, and I was a little nervous about a bait and switch problem happening.  As I wrote in previous blogs, PayPal always sides with the buyer and if someone bought this from me and then mailed me back a fake – I would be out the money and the goods.

My client really needed the money, and although I knew she was in a bit of a hurry to sell this, I told her to give me a little more time.  First I took the watch around to some of the better jewelery stores in Tucson. Either there was no interest, or the offers were insulting.  I then contacted some of the bigger auction houses around the country and although they were very eager, the time frame was too long and their fees were very high.

Over the years we have developed a database of buyers for specialty items and this has sometimes proved to be a more lucrative source than eBay.  So I decided to expand my list of buyers for high end jewelery.  I found a few interested parties in some big cities and after receiving a number of offers on the watch,  decided to pursue this.  We sold this watch for $14,000!  Our client was thrilled – we got her a great return!

Since the sale of the watch, we have sold other Rolex watches and some diamond rings through this same source.  The prices we were able to get our clients was terrific.  Dealing with this new source is extremely safe and there is no risk of fraudulent buyers trying to pull any scams.  It is a win-win for all.  We still believe that eBay is the way to go for a lot of auctions, but sometimes we have found it is best to go other routes.  When a client hires us to sell for them, they should know that we always have their back.

We are involved in a major issue with eBay/Paypal that I want to bring to the attention of all Sellers and the eBay community in general. I am under the impression that eBay doesn’t give a damn about their sellers, the backbone of their corporation. Here are the facts.

We sold an item to an individual who presented problems the minute he won the piece. First there were e-mails from him stating that he didn’t need a component of the phone he bought and wanted a refund for part of his purchase price. We refused his request as we sell for third parties and did not want to be involved with oddball situations. He wrote many “crazy” e-mails to make his point, asked us to call him which we did (he was polite on the phone) and then the nasty e-mails started to come and finally the non-payment. We filed a claim and lo and behold, he sent an e-check but also these particular e-mails. “What the hell is this unpaid item case you’ve opened?”… He claimed he was a Colonel in the USMC presently in Afghanistan; meanwhile we spoke on the phone to him a few days before at a Florida number. Another e-mail poorly paraphrased Jack Nicholson from a “Few Good Men”. “Why don’t you come stand the wall and protect ME. I am here in Afghanistan protecting your rights to barbeque… It’s not been a good day. I lost two men…I told you I would pay tomorrow but you probably forgot. When I forget, men die.” Gees, this is one bona fide wacko!! Why would he be dealing with us if he is in battle and lost men.

My wife, who is one of the smartest people I know, did a search on the guy and we found out that he has been arrested for “Scheme to Defraud” and then the next month for “Grand Theft”. I doubt the Marines want a “Few Good Criminals”, a Colonel no less!! His mug shot is above, one scary dude.

Now the eBay/Paypal situation. All during the above back and forth e-mails etc., we were in constant contact with customer service at both eBay and Paypal reporting what was taking place. It was about three weeks later, after sending the phone, since he had paid, and his receiving it that he initiated a claim against us. He first stated that his son made the payment without his knowing, then he said that “item was not as described”, that we had sent him garbage. Again, many calls to Paypal to report his language, the fact that he was a professional felon, and the lies. However, to our amazement, we had the feeling that Paypal was going to rule in his favor. He was following eBay/Paypal rules to a tee (after all he was a professional thief and probably knows the INS and outs of the system better than the customer reps). He sent back a package, with tracking which is all that is required to receive a refund from Paypal, who took the monies directly from our account. We spoke with at least a half dozen representatives from the company, received tons of misinformation and then finally approached the Post Office to warn them that we were about to receive a “suspicious” package. The package arrived and we received a phone call from the Postal Inspector from Tucson, asking for permission to x-ray and then open the package, which we had to agree to in order to protect our interest in the dispute. Although we were not present when the package was opened, what was returned were two pair of used underwear and some glass. We passed the Postal Report on to Paypal and as if from out of a science fiction movie, the ruling came down against us in favor of the felon. Go figure. We are appealing the ruling, but will surely lose in the long run as sellers are the Bain of eBay. Meanwhile we have neither the phone nor our money from this equitable system. What a country!!

We would love to hear from any eBay sellers who are dissatisfied with the present system as something needs to be done to make it even handed and more equitable for all. Our e-mail is sales@joedawolf.com. It is important that we are heard by management.

Next we get an email from a buyer asking the whereabouts of a DVD  that was ordered and delivered months ago.  Well, in this case, the order was over $30.00, so we easily traced the package and told him it was delivered on May 2.  He then writes back that it must have been a different DVD that wasn’t received, but that our DVD is scratched so he wants to return it.  Wait – now you remember you have had the DVD for almost 3 months?  You just said you didn’t get it.  We are not Blockbuster – we sell movies, not rent them until you are tired of watching them.  We told him we wouldn’t take it back after this length of time.  He then wrote back that Amazon allows up to 3 months for returns.  It will be 3 months in exactly 5 days.  How convenient of him.  First he tries to scam us by saying he didn’t get the DVD (hoping we didn’t use tracking).  Then when he loses on that bet, he tries to say the item is damaged and files a claim against us for selling damaged goods.  That case is currently under review.  In the meantime, Amazon freezes the money for 30 days.  Even if we should win this case (which only happens if you have tracking and the buyer says they didn’t receive the goods), Amazon still freezes the funds for 30 days.  No wonder Amazon stock is so high – they make money on shipping costs they don’t incur and hold the seller’s money in their own interest bearing accounts even after it has been determined that the seller did no wrong.

Now comes the eBay whammy.  A buyer who scours eBay for scrap gold buys a broken watch band from us.  We described in the offering that the watch was broken, as was the band.  However, the band was made of platinum, gold and diamonds with a couple of tiny sapphires for color.  A real watch repair/jeweler could fix the band and easily have made triple what it sold for.  It was in the highly coveted Art Deco style.  The buyer was in Canada, and since the auction sold for over $250, we had to send it registered, return receipt.  Without a signature, even tracking doesn’t hold water in a PayPal claim.  If the buyer says he didn’t get a package for over $250, tracking proves nothing.  So it cost about $30 to mail this lightweight package.  The buyer receives the package and gets back to us that the watch is broken.  Duh.  We told her that was true, as stated.  Then she writes back that the sapphires aren’t real and that one is cracked.  You almost needed a magnifying glass to see these miniscule sapphires – and we never claimed that they were real or synthetic in the first place - the value in this piece were the many, many diamonds, gold and platinum.  Anyway, as usual we tried to appease the buyer and offered a $50 refund to fix and replace the itty bitty sapphire.  She said she would think about.  Well, the next day, after probably trying to sell the piece at a profit to her local gold dealer, she wrote back that she wanted to return the watch band.  We reluctantly said OK – there is no such thing as a “No Return” policy on eBay, even though they have that option on each selling page (which is the one we chose).  The next day this buyer files a claim against us on PayPal – instant money freeze!  We wrote back that we would accept the return, even though there was no errors in the listing.  So we will be out the $30 it cost us to send this as per PayPal’s rules. Seller always loses.

People say that bad things usually come in 3′s, now it is 4′s.  The 4th incident was only a return of an undelivered item, so we refunded that Amazon buyer her money.  We can sell that DVD again.  Enough.  Let’s have a few months of easy sales and happy customers.  We are bruised enough for now. Let us heal.

It has been some time since we last posted, so here come the latest “words of wisdom”.

When Judy and I go to new clients, one of the first thinks we ask of them is, do you have any specific selling price in mind? This is commonly known as “expectations” and it is one of the most difficult client issues to deal with. After being bombarded with all the TV Reality shows night after night, from the Traveling Antique Road Show, American Pickers to some of the Pawn Shows etc., people have come to think that they have in their possession some of the last remaining treasures left undiscovered on the planet. They tend to put a value on things with extraordinary price tags and Judy will tell them as much and also tells them that we cannot handle selling for them because we cannot get the price they want.

We have noticed that over a period of time, specific collectibles tend to go in cycles as to what is popular and is selling or not. Try to sell a twelve (12) piece Noritake china dinner set. Not only is the packing and shipping difficult, but getting any price today, let alone the price one wants, is a feat and as a result we are not presently accepting such items for sale. Maybe they will be popular again, but it may not happen in my lifetime. Same goes for such popular names as Hummel, Baccarat and even Waterford. If the china sells, not a given in today’s market, generally it is priced much lower than what would have been realized or “expected” several years ago.

These are difficult times, and it is our opinion that Internet sales have slowed, selling prices have declined and the mechanics of eBay selling has changed substantially. When a client’s expectations are way too high, what is a seller to do? The choices are few. You either do not take the individual on as a client or you try to reason with them that we will list the piece, after considerable research, at a price that will attract bidders and sell. Our experience has shown that eBay buyers are looking for bargains, usually in the 30% range or more, and that one’s expectations are contrary to reality. We have had clients who were insulted when told that their expectations were too high, or become angry when they feel the final selling price was lower than what they had hoped to recapture. Expectations are a factor that may drive a person into action. They hear what a supposed “expert” on the Road Show quotes as a value for a piece on the TV and think that they have something equivalent to it and should realize a similar price. Judy and I just look at each other, laugh and comment that if an item is indeed worth what they quote, than the Road Show expert should just take out his/her checkbook and write a check.

I have great “expectations” that you will enjoy reading this post, but then again, I may be expecting too much.

Well, the day before I was flying off to Florida to pack up my father for his move here to Tucson, I got an email from someone who bought a doll from me on eBay.  It had arrived broken. First she accused me of poor packaging (we pack dozens of items a week, and since starting this business, we have packed tens of thousands of boxes with very few causalities).  The doll was packed well and unfortunately mishandled somewhere between Tucson, Arizona and the continent of Australia.  No matter how much bubble wrap and stuffing you use in a package, these things do happen.  Anyway, I told this buyer that the doll was fully insured and that I was leaving town and would take care of the insurance claim when I returned.  I really didn’t think I had to tell this woman my whole life story, but my word is good and if she checked my feedback, she would have seen that we take care of our buyers.

After a very hard week of cleaning out 25 years of accumulation,  packing up my father’s belongings in hot and humid Florida and taking him home with me, I awoke my first morning back in Tucson to a negative feedback!  My first in about a year!  I actually was going to take care of the insurance claim first thing that morning.  We deal with a private insurance company and they are very quick on paying claims.  She would have had her money back in full (including shipping) by the end of the week.

For some reason, I thought this buyer was in Austria.  I couldn’t believe it when I saw she was from Australia!!  No way.  The nicest people on Earth are in Australia.  I wrote to her and asked her why she left me a negative feedback.  I told her I was going to take care of everything that day.  First she lied that I never communicated with her.  I reminded her about our 6 emails back and forth the night before I left for Florida.  I needed photos to show my insurance company.  She sent me a bunch.  Then she changed her story and told me I didn’t care about the claim. It was only a week and I wasn’t home.  I told her all would be straightened out by the end of the week.  I kindly asked her to remove the negative feedback.  She wouldn’t.  She even filed a claim against me in PayPal.  Really?  Well, normally I would have told her to keep the doll, but she was not playing nicely.   I told PayPal I would refund her money, but she had to return the doll at her expense.  Silly really, because the shipping would be about $30, the actual cost of the doll.  So she didn’t send me back the doll.  Now I have a negative feedback for nothing.  I became disillusioned with my favorite country until my daughter told me – don’t worry Mom – she probably isn’t even an Australian – just a recent transplant from somewhere far, far away.  That made me feel better.  I still love the Aussies – there’s sometimes just one bad apple in the barrel.  I just found mine.   The rest of the Australians are just great.

Ever hear the expression, “Timing is Everything”?  Well, this certainly applies to the auction world.

If you are lucky enough to have a very rare and unique collectible, you could sell it on Christmas day and still demand a high return.  However, more often items require good timing to result in highest returns.

Last year we were given a number of Dept 56 Christmas buildings very close to the actual date of the holiday.  We sold a number of them for a good price, but when we tried to list the remaining buildings after December 25, they didn’t even get a nibble at the opening bid.  This year we were given over 35 Holiday Barbie dolls at the beginning of December.  Again, we rushed to get them up quickly and they sold pretty well – they will all be out in time for the lucky winners to open them under the tree.  These dolls would just linger in January.

Richie and I were watching an episode of the new TV show, Storage Wars – where people buy out the contents of unclaimed storage lockers.  Two guys got a box of Holiday Barbies and stated they were worth $40 each – these clowns give a bad name to the auction world – these dolls don’t even command that price at the height of the market, with very few exceptions.

If you want to get the best value with jewelry adorned hearts – aim for the few weeks before Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.  I know it sounds glum, but when a celebrity, like Michael Jackson, passes away – if you have any memorabilia of his – put the auction up immediately – a few weeks later the value will drop like a lead weight.  A few years ago we sold a Bob Hope video for over $20 only to find out that he had died the night before.

If  a new video game system or an Apple product allows you to pre-order it – scan a copy of your receipt and make it a one day auction.  Once the general public can buy the same item, your chance of making a profit plummets.

Even time of day or day of week can make a difference.  Unless you are looking to reach an audience in a different country and you think they may be the only ones to bid on your item, it is best to start an auction at a reasonable time for people across the United States.  We try to start our auctions in the early evening on the West coast, so that the East coast is still awake.  Ending an auction in the middle of the night is not going to get the best bids, since these days, most of the bidding comes in the last few minutes and sleeping people don’t bid.

An auction demands the best price that someone is willing to pay.  However, sometimes you can get a little advantage when you think about the best time of day, week or month to list the item.  A little thought can sometimes go a long way to better returns.

We have alluded to this topic many times over the past months, but it takes a special type of individual to sell on the internet in general and eBay in particular.  We started selling on eBay to unload a bunch of video games that our son had collected over the years…this was more than 9 years ago.  Some 50,000 sales later we are still going and Judy has become an expert in many areas especially navigating around eBay.  Over the years eBay has evolved, in our opinion to the detriment of its users, into a large and difficult environment to work within.  We also feel that final prices have come down some over the years.

The many rules that one must learn and adhere to, make it most difficult and frustrating to sell on their platform, and they are always changing things without notice.  When one calls support, you are told that you should know what is taking place, a college degree is easier to obtain than learning what is and isn’t permitted to be sold.  Our general feelings and experiences are that sellers have been relegated to a subordinate role and it has hurt our business somewhat.

To sell on the internet, one must be very patient, detailed and open-minded.  You are dealing with people from all over the world, looking for a quality product at a “cheap” price.  The process to post an item for sale is extremely laborious and remember you are dealing with the individual whims of the buyers.  One is continually asked questions about the item for sale, even though, in our case, Judy is extremely descriptive in her presentation.  If an item is not described to the smallest detail, someone will come back at you with a complaint.  Often we find that the buyer just hasn’t even read what had been posted.  Often, the questions come with very little time to answer as the auction will end within minutes of receipt of the inquiry.

When selling for individuals, which is our primary role, we are often asked to deal with unreasonable expectations as to selling prices and even sometimes how the pictures and descriptions are presented.  This makes for very difficult auctions and on occasion, we simply tell the client that we cannot sell for them under such circumstances.  It is the nature of selling and dealing with people.

In spite of the drawbacks, the excitement surrounding selling an unusual piece, which you sometimes consider “junk” makes for interesting times.  Judy in particular is very detailed and spends an inordinate amount of time researching pieces she puts up for sale.  We have developed a network of knowledgeable individuals who do help us identify puzzling items, and usually we will sell something for a reasonable price, often for more than we have seen the particular item recently sell for.

It is a challenging business, with the world as your competitor.   eBay is a great place to sell the occasional item that one is trying to unload,  but when a hobby turns into a full-time endeavor, beware and be forewarned…it is not for everyone!

We would love to hear from eBay users about their own experiences and observations, just post any comments here on the blog.

I know there is currently a television show on Cable TV about hoarders which I personally find hard to watch.  However, in the life of an eBay Trading Assistant, I actually have come across some of these people in real life.  The worst one was an older, very intelligent woman who had a house full of antiques, mixed in with a lot of junk piled up from the floor to the ceiling.  There was literally only a small, single file path from her front door through her living room to the kitchen on which to walk .  I couldn’t believe someone lives like this.  She knew everything she had and where it was, but the hard part was getting to it without being in danger of something falling on your head.  Even her bed was completely covered with things.  There was one place to sit in the house – a small space on the living room sofa.  If the fire department could have seen that house, I’m sure it would have been condemned.

Now, whenever someone apologizes for their messy house, I mentally compare it to that woman’s house.  If I can walk without fear of objects landing in my path, I feel safe.  There are certainly a lot of hidden treasures in these homes, but getting to them can be a challenge.

Working with hoarders presents additional issues.  We have to inspect their items more carefully than those whose owners have lovingly displayed or stored their valuables.  Listing on eBay requires careful attention and disclosure of many details – including any flaws that an object may have.  These homes are usually not going to win the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval and we often have to clean up many of these pieces which takes additional time and work on our part.  We also have to spend time cleaning our hands and sometimes changing our clothing.

We work hard for all our clients to bring them the highest returns.  In these cases, we often work double time.  No wonder I am writing this blog at 9pm on a Friday night – there is so much to do in this business and the days are way too short.

For the women – remember when mini skirts were all the rage?  Or maxi skirts?   Shoulder pads?

For men – remember skinny ties?  Fat ties? Wide lapels? Thin labels?  Nehru jackets?

Well, styles come and go.  I have one friend who never gets rid of her clothes.  Lucky her, she has stayed the same dress size forever.  She says all the clothes will come back in style one day.

In the antique world, there are also many items that just don’t capture the attention of many collectors these days.  China and glassware come to mind.  Depression glass used to be highly collectible.  Today, unless you have a rare, one of a kind piece, you can barely give it away.

We get calls on a daily basis from people who want to sell things.  I don’t even take dishes or glassware anymore (with very few exceptions).  It is just not in style to make elaborate dinner parties.  Your mother’s Noritake service for 12 just doesn’t have too many takers.  People use Chinet at their dinner parties.

Years ago, Bennington, Wedgwood, and various other pottery companies brought in big money.  Not today.  A woman called us yesterday with something she called “Creamware”.  She hired an appraiser who told her she was “pessimistic” about the value.  I agreed.  She didn’t want to hear this from me or the appraiser, so hung up.  Sorry, but there just aren’t too many buyers of creamware platters in today’s market.

There are things that do great regardless of the times.  Pocket watches, old clocks, original Barbie doll clothes from the 60′s, model trains, WWII and Civil War memorabilia.  These things will sell even on Christmas day.  There are collectors all over the world on the look out for these items every minute.  Prices may fluctuate, but the demand is always there.

Some antiques may come back in vogue one day.  But for those collectors of Norman Rockwell plates and Beanie Babies – I would suggest a yard sale – those things will never have any value again.