Predatory Re-sellers?

[rose-dee]

Someone on these boards recently mentioned predatory re-sellers -- usually US eBay sellers who troll around making low-ball offers on Best Offer items and re-sell them. 

An interesting (possibly new?) wrinkle I discovered today: a US seller making offers then re-selling every single item as a "Private" sale, presumably so that the original seller wouldn't see what the item ultimately sold for. 

Certainly permissible, but I wonder if that was the real reason eBay made the "Private" sale option available? 

Just an observation ...

[toby_le_pue]

That is why a lot of sellers have a different ID for buying.

Nothing wrong with reselling.

After all it is a free country

[i*m-still-here]

Rose....... I'm not sure what you mean by "predatory re-sellers."

All retail sellers are re-sellers, and so I think we all qualify.

Some buy stuff on eBay to re-sell.

Some buy stuff at auctions.

Some buy from wholesalers.

Etc., etc., etc.,.............

Perhaps the predatory re-selers make a little more money that those who are more docile do?  I don't know.

Private sales are pretty much a thing of the past, but some sellers hold onto that mode of selling.

Buyers used to check out what other buyers were bidding on,  and then jump in and nab the item.

Now that buyer's ids are no longer apparent, the Private Sale thingy isn't really necessary but some sellers still use it.

[nuvistors]

According to rose every store is   "predatory"  since all stores must purchase the items they sell at a lower price than what they sell them for.  This includes food and underwear.

[i*m-still-here]

One re-seller I've watched for years and years.................. she used to be on eBay but now other sites too.

She can list a piece for $2,400 and everyone is selling similar items for $1,200 or less.............. and hers sells within the day while the others just sit.

I had a piece listed for $380 fixed price.

She emailed and wanted a discount, and I gladly gave her $80 off my price knowing she'd re-sell it for $900.

I still made good $.

Kudos to her!

I don't begrudge her that profit or asking for the discount one bit.  More than happy to sell to her.  In fact, I'm totally amazed.

She obviously has very happy customers................. wish I could do what she does.  That kind of buying........... is that what you mean by predatory?.............. has apparently worked very well for her.

[surplusdealdude]

I made that comment.

Nothing wrong with buying low and selling high,  BUT

Predatory sellers use unfair tactics, like negotiating after the sale is made, making false claims of damage, feedback extortion and so on.

From what I've seen on the boards, they're responsible for up to half of the "bad buyer" complaints sellers have and, IMO, they should be banned from the site on discovery.

[bb_cool_stuff]

I'm trying to understand the point of this thread.

I've had many buyers purchase product from my store & made a profit & vice versa.

I don't really care once the item is packed in a poly mailer & shipped to the buyer. I just look forward to my next sale.

I make my profit, they make their profit. Win, win for everybody.

I guess we are all predators, hopefully we are better looking than the creature from the film.

[bb_cool_stuff]

I would consider those buyers to be Sociopaths Surplus.

Hey, what ever happened to your avatar that looked like me ?

[rose-dee]

Wow - it looks like I inadvertently hit a nerve!  The reason for the question mark after my title was that I really was not sure "predator" was appropriate, i.e. whether it was a good idea to sell to this person or not. 

The red (or at least yellow) flag for me was that on her FB page, every single listing was "Private" - that tells me there is more involved than just protecting an occasional buyer of high-priced articles. 

Also, in her lowball offer to me she is already making complaints about excessive damage problems that just aren't there - two very minor issues were disclosed in the listing and she's claiming they will cost her money and reduce the value. 

I really don't want to be involved in the sort of transaction that "surplusdealdude" described.  I'm leaving the offer for a bit to see if I get another. 

As an aside, one thing that sellers often do on these boards is assume that their situation must be the same as other sellers, without realizing there may be other ways of selling on eBay.  All retailers are not in fact re-sellers.  I personally rarely buy items to resell at a higher price; all of my important products are my original work, and I've managed to stay afloat on eBay doing it.   

[surplusdealdude]

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@rose-dee wrote:

The red (or at least yellow) flag for me was that on her FB page, every single listing was "Private" - that tells me there is more involved than just protecting an occasional buyer of high-priced articles. 

.   

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By itself, that's not a red flag.  Lots of perfectly good reasons to make your feedback Private.

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@rose-dee wrote:

Also, in her lowball offer to me she is already making complaints about excessive damage problems that just aren't there - two very minor issues were disclosed in the listing and she's claiming they will cost her money and reduce the value. 

t.   

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THAT, however, IS a BIG red flag.  If she's complaining already when she makes the offer, it's only gets worse when she gets the product.

I wouldn't just "leave" her bid, I would block her immediately so she can't purchase the item outright.

[i*m-still-here]

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@rose-dee wrote:

As an aside, one thing that sellers often do on these boards is assume that their situation must be the same as other sellers, without realizing there may be other ways of selling on eBay.  All retailers are not in fact re-sellers.  I personally rarely buy items to resell at a higher price; all of my important products are my original work, and I've managed to stay afloat on eBay doing it.   

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Yes, and I thought about that after I posted.  Some sellers make items and then sell...............

But MOST retailers are re-sellers.  A very small percentage of eBay sellers are artisans, artists, and crafters............... 

I buy items for re-sale, and one of the the most difficult and trying situations to deal with is when an item arrives with more damage than described in the listing.

That always puts me in a very difficult position because I can't re-sell "as is" and so my time and money are on the line.

Do I repair?

Do I return?

Do I contact the seller and suggest a partial refund?

More and more I'm just returning when that happens.

Sellers will swear up and down that the item they sent had no damage and was as described.

I mean they are so obviously stressed that I've come to believe that most actually missed the damage and are sincere.

When I send photos their tune always changes.

Perhaps some ............. or even most..........of this so called "Predatory Behavior" is really about sellers sending out items which are more damaged than described?

[cumos55]

Many eBay sellers buy to re-sell on ebay.

The question becomes

What do they do when they buy?

There are some book sellers in Winnipeg that are absolutely and totally despised by some of the local charities that have regular book sales.

How does one be different?

Answer... be comfortable with the people running the sale... buy  without question...  and support them in what they are doing....

I have taken miscategorized books  from one table to another... and it disappears in minutes...  They know I am there to be helpful... supportive......  and they in turn give you an insight in what they do.... and sometimes you just may get handed a book that has "just been reduced in price"

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Thrift shops are a good source for what I sell....and always buy with a smile..... and many times I feel that they do give me a break on the price......if the book has no price tag.. sometimes not....

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The predator concept is real...

They are the people that are grabbers at an estate sale..Everything is for them only.... . Always undercutting the price... never happy with the quality of the item  they want....  that is until  they price it .....

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If I make a mistake.... book is waterdamaged... or I missed many, too  many marks....

I recycle  from one thrift to another... or it goes back into a charity sale...

and then  the book looks so good... I just may buy it again... and that is when I chuckle with my mistake.....

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I have been at a charity sale  and helped others ... those that are not booksellers and a select group of booksellers.... find books.....  as some people who know me, have done for me....

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The predators always feel that they"win".... However, the end result  is that they lose  because of reputation  whether, real, deserved or not....

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

I really don't want to be involved in the sort of transaction that "surplusdealdude" described.  I'm leaving the offer for a bit to see if I get another. 

Rose - I usually only suggest that some sales are not worth having, but please Block this person. This will not end well.

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

I really don't want to be involved in the sort of transaction that "surplusdealdude" described.  I'm leaving the offer for a bit to see if I get another. 

Rose - I usually only suggest that some sales are not worth having, but please Block this person. This will not end well.

[bb_cool_stuff]

Thanks for the clarification Rose, now it makes sense.

I'll agree with the others, "This will not end well".

Too many red flags.

[rose-dee]

'femmefan' - Your advice, as always, is wise and intelligent, thank you.  And to 'bb' - you're always a good friend here to those in a quandary! 

Actually, last night after checking to see if there had been any further offers (there weren't), and re-reading the rather carping message from the offeror, I'd come to the same conclusion as 'femmefan'.  This has trouble written all over it. 

You know, sometimes you just get a gut feeling about a transaction, and this is it.  I'm going to decline the offer and block this person.  I think there is more here than meets the eye, a pattern of behaviour perhaps?  The item in question is a particularly attractive article and will sell anyway.   

I should clarify with respect to what I said earlier that I am in effect a designer/manufacturer of the more important products in my store, and in that sense I do sell to retailers (re-sellers) and I have absolutely no problem with that.  I will give them a discount if they're buying several of my patterns or a couple of dresses at a time.  I figure that if a buyer from London, England has a swanky shop on Picadilly Circus and can sell my products for twice or three times my price, so be it!  I can't afford a swanky shop on Picadilly Circus, and if I can get a reasonably fair price at this end and make a sale, I'm happy.

So thanks all for your input!  Sometimes it's helpful to have one's intuition confirmed. 

[bb_cool_stuff]

Thanks for the compliment Rose, we have a lot of good friends on the boards that are more than willing to point us in the right dirction.

[dandycottencandy]

Hi Rose. 

I recently started selling again after taking a few years off.  It's good to be back! 

A few years back I was a, "predatory" buyer.  I am from a small town where there are no auctions and we only have yard sales a couple months out of the year so it is hard for me to get my hands on the goods. 

I ended up finding some really great eBay sellers who would sell me all the toys they would get from auctions, yard sales, etc.  Seller would even give me a better discount if they didn't have to clean the toys first.  They were making making money from me and I was making money from them.  It was wonderful. 

Of course doing it this way is a lot of work.  They buying and selling was constant.  I burnt out.  lol

Since taking a few years off I have now collected a garage full of cool stuff to sell again.  (1/4 of it in my kitchen...ugh).  Going through it all has been fun...and not fun lol.  Good thing I love to sell! 

Surplus (I haven't talked to him in years.  Sweet guy he was, very nice to me.)  He also has a point.  I did what I did because I have such a passion for selling.  Others are just weird....

[bb_cool_stuff]

Welcome Back.

Good luck with your sales.

Your hard work will probably pay off.

Yes, Surplus is a great guy, always willing to help, much like many others.

[rose-dee]

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@dandycottencandy wrote:

A few years back I was a, "predatory" buyer.  I am from a small town where there are no auctions and we only have yard sales a couple months out of the year so it is hard for me to get my hands on the goods. 

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Hi, and welcome back to eBay - I'm sure you'll have found a few things that have changed.  

I wouldn't call what you describe as a "predatory" buyer/re-seller.  To me, someone who is a predatory buyer is not simply looking for a good deal but is out to cause a lot more trouble than making a lowball offer.  

This particular person was already magnifying and complaining about the minor issues (clearly described in the listing) on an otherwise attractive and expensive item, and that was before I responded to her offer.   Taken together with the fact that every one of her sales had been private, and also judging by her unusual ID (which I suppose I can't state here), I just had a sixth sense that this transaction could be trouble if I accepted it.  

There are reports on these boards of such "professional" scam-buyers who make multiple offers (or purchases) at a low price, pay for the goods, then choose which items to accept when they're shipped, or launch INAD or INR complaints to get a refund.  They then sometimes trash the original seller's DSRs, presumably with the purpose of eliminating (or beating down) a competitor.  This can obviously cause havoc.  

You may find that eBay has become a less friendly, more difficult place than it was even 2 years ago, and with eBay tightening the rules so much on sellers, one wrong move can mean a serious problem for a smaller volume seller.  This particular offer just wasn't worth the risk for me to accept or counter, given the alarm bells.  As it turned out, I sold the item a few days later to a buyer who made a decent offer - all's well that ends well. 

Keep an eye out on these boards as you get back into it.  You'll find a lot of helpful insight and reports here. 

Cheers! 

[soextraco]

You pretty much I think proved what people are saying about resellers and not people buying for personal use. Re-sellers are trying to make money off the item and are extremely picky. Beyond the normal person. Or once a reseller buys an item and realizes they can't make their mark up they want a refund. Its a huge problem considering ebay allows the no hassle refund.