THE SELLING PERSPECTIVE

THE SELLING PERSPECTIVE
THURSDAY 09/08/2022

I despise the Post Office. I told you how they lost my package for a customer a few months ago. They lost another one. Then I put a trace on the two packages to intercept them at their suggestion if they show back up in the postal system. A day later, I sent another package to the addresses of one of the packages I was trying to intercept. It was the same customer, but another separate order. The morons intercepted THAT package. It had the address of one of the packages because it was a repeat customer. The tracking numbers were different. That package label was created on July 1. The package intercept request was on June 30. This package did not even exist when I did the intercept requests, yet the post office intercepted it. Worse of all, they listed it with the wrong tracking number. They used the tracking number of the other package which was lost by them a few months earlier and went to a different state.

I tried in person several times to get them to not send the package back to me. (It was out for delivery to my customer when they intercepted it.) The postal workers that i talked to in person and on the phone saw that the tracking number made no sense with the package, but they couldn't do anything about it. They couldn't stop it from being returned to me. The credit card company saw the irrationality too and refunded my money when i did a charge back against the Post Office, but in addition to bad feedback, problems with ebay, stress and wasted effort, I lost a lot of money because of the Post Office. I lost $14 on the skeleton key order between the merchandise and the shipping. The package that they lost from my other customer I had to send another $90 item and pay for postage again. The package that got returned to me had to be shipped back out there again at my expense and weeks after it should have arrived.

I can't stand these bastards. They either are incompetent or did this intentionally. You become weak and clumsy when you don't have to be responsible for your own mistakes. You don't try to fix problems when you aren't held accountable for creating them. Eventually you make more and more mistakes until you become so bad that your inefficiency is compared to the post office.

I don't hate the Post Office because I am anti establishment. I hate them because they are a very poor establishment and need to be torn down and replaced with a better system - something not so influenced by the federal government. I hate them because they screwed me over a few times and will screw me over again in the future.
SATURDAY 09/03/2022

Here we go again. A potential bidder on ebay asked if I could sell him items in my auction for less than the price listed. After I said no, he wanted me to sell him just part of the auction. I should take apart my auction and recreate new ones for the leftovers I guess. Take new pictures and everything. Then he wants me to combine that auction with another auction but give him free shipping on everything. Notice how he is demanding that I sell on his terms instead of asking about different scenarios. I don't know what part of the deal is supposed to get me excited. I am making sales every week. This sale aint gonna make me feel glad, especially when I would be losing money, just losing money on more items. I just told him "The prices that I have in place now are the lowest I will go. I set prices so that I won't have to negociate [negotiate] every sale. I have over 200 items here on ebay and 75 - 80 on another system. [ecrater.com store = fun-things] I don't have time to negociate [negotiate] all those auctions with the hundreds of potential buyers. That is business that I don't need."
are these items still available? I would be able to give you $30 for them.
I lowered the price by ten bucks. [$62.99 to $52.99] That is it. I have too many selling expenses which wouldn't be covered any lower. I don't want to sell below what I paid for them and then give ebay a 13 % fee on the sales price including the shipping charge.

SCOTTY
What about this. I will take only some of the puzzles and make an offer for another one.
I attached a picture with some items highlighted.
How about 60 dollars to buy those 6 as well as this 1 item?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/284792655739?hash=item424ef70f7b:g:7uUAAOSwbHFibMjP
Redoing an auction is a pain. I would have to take new pictures, trim them down, rewrite an auction setup,
find out the make of the items, and how much I paid for each one. Then to sell them well below what I had listed when I have costs
which the buyer doesn't see or appreciate. Then selling the next item below what I can get for it and not much above what I paid for
it. Can't do it. It's not worth it. I am not the kind of seller that can easily do piece by piece sales. And I can't sell as cheap
as you want because I am not able to buy cheap like large companies with a lot of money and resources. I buy in quantity, but it is
small quantities. Another seller might be able to accomodate you, but I can't.
Well I do actually appreciate you responding to my messages. Ill take the whole lot for the price of $53 and won't make you re list anything,
and I will pay full price ($42) on the 3x3x15, but would you afford me free shipping on my items? that would dent me less than 100 for everything
and then hopefully youre still happy. What do you think?
The prices that I have in place now are the lowest I will go. I set prices so that I won't have to negociate every sale. I have
over 200 items here on ebay and 75 - 80 on another system [ecrater - FUN-THINGS]. I don't have time to negociate all those auctions with the hundreds
of potentoal [potential] buyers. That is business that I don't need.
"It is perfectly reasonable for me to ask for free shipping on a $100+ order. That won't break you and it will get your 2004 puzzles out of your inventory.
I didn't ask for combined shipping because I thought that would be easier for you but apparently you think I am wasting your time."
The retailers who offer free shipping get their goods at much cheaper wholesale prices than I do. And they do many more sales per year. They can afford
to do shipping discounts like that. I can't. If you don't like my pricing, then buy somewhere else.

Free shipping would take me from about a $3 profit to a $12 or $13 loss.You need to try selling new items on ebay and see how much money you make.

I keep telling you "NO" and you keep coming up with another way to do it. When I said "The prices that I have in place now are the lowest I will go. I set prices so that I won't
have to negociate every sale.", that means I don't want to negotitate at all. It is wasting both our time when you are asking for something that I clearly said I'm not doing.
He's back. He just responded again. I can't get rid of him. You can't tell him anything. He is just too dense. I'll tell you his ebay member name so that you can avoid him or play with him.
unhoo_73

Sounds to me like a whole lot of whining and being stubborn. I don't care about your comparisons to other retailers I expect high quality service wherever I look. You don't have time to negotiate 
your prices or maintain your store, but you can stand to be argumentative on websites where people are trying to do legitimate business. If you are so set on making your three dollars
 profit, then go ahead and don't bother working with people to buy individual items from your outdated listings, If you can't afford to cover 10 dollars of shipping on my 100 dollar order then you
 don't have to throw a tantrum as if I made your business model so bad. You actually made me go look and I just ordered a red 3x3x15 for 35 dollars. thanks!
High quality service doesn't mean giving a buyer whatever he wants. That is good that you found what you wanted cheaper. Now you don't have to beg others to give you a deal.
You can earn it by searching around for it. Calling me argumentive is silly. You are the one who kept pressing the issue. All I did is respond (in disagreement which is my right.)
to what you are saying. I gave you explantions instead of giving you a straight "NO", but you couldn't handle that. I am not throwing a tantrum. In fact, you are amusing.
I am putting this entire conversation on my webpage. I'll let the internet be the judge.

SCOTTY (ILOVEME)
SATURDAY 08/06/2022

Do you know what sellers I don't like? The ones without inventory. They got pictures of stuff to sell, but when you try to buy something, you get all kinds of road blocks. I have been ddealing with that lately. I was trying to buy some stacking bins in different color. I bought a few for myself for my business and I sold a few. I was trying to buy more of the rarer colors to sell.

One of the companies where I failed to receive what I had ordered correctly and in good faith is RS Hughes. There are several more, but I will single them out now. A few days after I had put in my third order, they told me it was cancelled.
"The order you placed on R.S. Hughes web site has been cancelled.

For complete information about the order please visit:

   https://www.rshughes.com/account/orders/A11207067.html

You can call our Baltimore Division directly at +1 (443) 893-7767 or
you can reply to this email to contact the division." 
I replied to them. At first, I was serious. Then I started taking humorous jabs at them. Just trying to relieve a little frustration. They say not to burn your bridges, but this was a bridge to nowhere. With such difficulty that I encountered ordering from them, it would be easier to swim across if I needed to.
"Three orders with every item cancelled out of three. How do you stay in business if you can't fulfill orders?

Do you have inventory that you can buy and I keep trying to buy the inventory that you can't buy?

Are you just teasing us with stuff that we can't buy?

Is there a company giving you pictures of inventory without supplying you with the actual inventory?

Do you have the inventory and just can't find it?

Are you a shell corporation for a criminal group and people like me putting in orders threaten to blow your cover?

Is your entire site just a test run for a business that you are thinking of getting into?


SCOTTY"
That last one should hurt. It is humorous, hits hard and deep, and mirrors the company's actions. I'm insulting their company at a basic level calling it ineffective. Well it is. They offer stuff you can't buy. The business is a failure. It's like a vacuum cleaner that doesn't suck up the dirt. What good is it? What good are they?
THURSDAY 05/19/2022

I just had to reimburse a customer for something that wasn't my fault. It wasn't his fault either; so I gave him his money back and took the loss. The culprit was the Post Office. I sold some old skeleton keys on Ebay that he never received. I checked the tracking number and it showed that the package was picked up; so I am not the one who screwed up. It showed no movement after the initial pickup on April 30. I just found out about it yesterday.

Why can't the Post office take responsibility for their screw ups? By responsibility, I mean reimbursing the customer, not just apologizing and feeling bad for the customer. I can feel badly for people that I hurt, but I should try to fix problems that I am responsible for. The Post Office or the Government for that matter, don't understand this. Return money to the customer for his loss that you caused. I have no respect for your organization otherwise.

And none of this Bull of having to buy insurance to protect you from loss when THEY screw up. They should be paying for their mistakes - plain and simple. Others in society pay when they screw up. Why does the Post Office think they are different. I don't know why the law doesn't hold them accountable. Whatever happens when it is in the Post Office's possession is likely their fault. So why should you lose money over it? I have no respect for those who run the Post Office. They are just another example of inept government officials. Unfortunately we got inept people all around us (such as greedy Ebay officials) when we try to run a business.

Wait! As I was writing this, the silly Post Office sent me a questionnaire asking me about my experience with their screw up, I mean unfortunate incident. Here are the paragraph questions that they asked and I answered.
"We apologize for having fallen short on your expectations and your overall satisfaction with the USPS. What is the primary reason behind your satisfaction rating? Please be as specific as possible."
Not reimbursing me when it is totally your fault. Once it is in your possession, I have no control. You don't know how you screwed up, but you know you did. I should be reimbursed for that. Especially the postal fee since you screwed up delivery. I should get that back since there is no contesting the value - whatever I paid. Insurance shouldn't have to be bought to cover YOUR screw ups. You should be responsible for that.
"Thank you for providing us your feedback. Please explain why your issue was not resolved successfully:"
I did not get reimbursed for a package that was lost in YOUR possession. I didn't even get reimbursed on the postal fee which you should have no problem refunding. You should be ashamed of yourself keeping my money when you screwed up like you did. Shame Shame Shame!
I think it is pretty pathetic that the customer has to buy insurance to pay for the Post Office's mistakes. They make mistakes and then they make money off of those mistakes by keeping the customer's money. That is a garbage way to run a business. They would be out of business if they were a real business instead of an inefficient government funded entity with the blessing of a bunch of idiot politicians.

SCOTTY
MONDAY 03/14/2022

I know I shouldn't be updating my website while I am driving, but I am trying to save tiiiiiii
Aaaaaaah! SMASH! Ouch!
I am hurt real bad, but don't call the ambulance until I call the finance company first and buy some insurance so I don't lose my license. Is that lady all right? She is sure bleeding a lot. I'm bleeding too. Why do these things always happen to me?

If you do much selling on Ebay or other online auctions, then you probably encounter this too. There are a lot of people who don't like your price for your auction and suggest a better price - a better price for them. And they make it seem like they are doing you are favor taking that merchandise off of your hands. I get this a lot. Do any of you?

I put a lot of thought into what I charge for an auction lot. I consider what I paid for it, what the competition sells it for, and what seller fees I have to pay. That time isn't respected by those who always want me to sell it much cheaper than I have listed.

I don't use "Best Offers" in my auctions. I picked a price that I want to offer my items and I don't want to always be second guessed.

Despite not using "Best Offers", I get a lot of them anyway. Some of them are reasonable. Some are not. Some of them are worst offers - not best offers at all. I have taken a few of them in my time if they are reasonable and I needed the money. However, I don't go looking for them.

I have too many auctions to want to negotiate on every one of them. I look at the price that I bought something to decide what to sell it at, but I can't remember that a week or a month or six months later. Right now I have over 200 auctions on Ebay and about eighty on Ecrater online auction site.

Sometimes I receive offers that are way below what I paid for the item. I'm not selling there. That is not very good business. Go to a yard sale if you want something that cheap. Don't waste my time with such low ball offers. Then you just become a pest. Ebay has its share of low ball pests.

I don't ask a seller for a lower price unsolicited too often. When I ask for a lower price from a seller, whether solicited or not, I try to pick a price where the offer is likely to be accepted. Sometimes I point out why a lower price is warranted. I point out some damage evident in the items which makes them less valuable to me and to other potential bidders. I don't make such low offers that I am wasting their time. They have better things to do too.

I also receive requests to split up my auction lots because someone wants only one item from that auction. Breaking up an auction to sell one item is so inconvenient. It takes time to set up and auction. If I break one up, I have to redo one of more auctions for the leftovers. I need to retake a bunch of pictures and then trim them down to size. I will get charged a fee for adding more auctions. It is also cheaper to sell with multiple items. I have a lot of three dollar items which it isn't worth the trouble selling by themselves. Also, postage is porportionally more for less or cheaper items. It's usually not worth it. I can't sell the way every person wants me to sell. I have to sell in a way that is good for me. Everyone is different and I can't please them all.

I probably should put some of this material in the text of each of my auctions. That way people will think twice about what kind of offers they make and how often they do it.

SCOTTY
SATURDAY 03/05/2022

I just got out of the hospital a few days ago after three weeks of hell. I went in for a simple procedure and ended up almost moving in there permanently. Two and a half weeks later, I was getting out, but I started having trouble breathing. I had to alert the nurse. Then I was out like a light from Thursday evening to Saturday morning and I woke up in intensive care. So much for my discharge.

It was a horrible experience. I was in the hospital before, and it was never this bad. I was having panic attacks and couldn't sleep more than one or two hours a day until I was unconscious for a day and a half near the end of the ordeal. I was so uncomfortable much of the time. Those beds suck. Besides not wanting to be in this overcontrolling, stressful place with a lot of health issues happening, I also had the problem of not being able to fill my orders while I am in prison, I mean in the hospital. I had three orders happen right after I was imprisoned in the hospital. They aint gonna let me call a time out and go home for a few minutes to send out my packages. It's in the rule book, but they don't allow it. Anything important will have to wait, even if it is more than three weeks, like it was in my case.

It's a helpless feeling when you want to help your customers get their orders but events beyond your control are hindering you. It is also a pain when you have trouble communicating with your phone as I had no computer which would have made communication over the internet much easier. I wanted my customers to know I was in the hospital and not wonder why I am slow sending their orders out. I like to get my stuff out in a few days rather than weeks later.

I would try to send messages through Ebay to reach my customers who had long standing orders, but sometimes the messages would be addressed back to me. It was hard to see what was going on and hard to hit the right letters since they were so tiny on the phone. I've been having problems with my laptop and hadn't taken care of them by the time I had to go to the hospital. I decided to start over and get a brand new laptop. That way I am not so helpless in the hospital. I can get on the internet, communicate much more easily, play pinochle, and have my music to listen to.

SCOTTY
I also have a Collecting Perspective Page on my other site where I talk about different issues relating to collecting. That website is exclusively about my collections and has nothing to do with selling. These are two separate activities for me. Check out my perspective and the rest of the site with the link below.

COLLECTING PERSPECTIVE ON SCOTTY'S COLLECTING PAGE
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