Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
You list something on eBay and right away you have people emailing asking if they can buy it for its reserve if it doesn't sell? How's that for a boost of confidence? (the whole I don't think it is going to sell, but I would like to buy it anyways!) Or better yet asking you to end the auction so that they can buy it right away?Why not just bid on it then? I don't know about you, I just find this most annoying.....I may be odd, but I would never think to ask someone if I could buy it for its reserve or to end their auction, just bid you max if you want it that bad and cross your fingers!
Sorry I guess I am just frustrated I thought for sure my yorkie was going to do well, but I guess I was mistaken...not looking for sympathy just venting and trying to understand this torture called eBay that I constantly put myself through....I know there are other places, but when you don't make many bears, more puppies and such the other sources aren't the best option.
Hugs,
Krista
Posts: 227I know that I've emailed people to ask what their reserve was, simply because I tend to push past my affordable max bid wondering if maybe I might just win the bear if I put a bit more money into it. Good thing I don't gamble 
My poor family would be starving. I wouldn't insult someone asking them if I can buy it if it didn't sell
AND, I've never asked (nor would I ask) anyone to end an auction for me. Geez, I mean that's like asking someone to take a loss on something considering you never know how high a auction may go.....
Ebay is an emotionally exhausting roller coaster ride at the best of times. It makes it even more frustrating when we add eccentric personalities in the mix (that's a kind way of describing some of the odd clientel on Ebay 
)
I feel your frustration :hug:
Canna Bear PaintI have many years of experience selling on eBay (for everything but bears, pretty much) 
Anyway, I did want to tell you that those comments may not be as insulting as you may think. Think of it like this. The people who want you to stop your auction right away and sell it to them at a fixed price? Often, these people are worried that the item is good enough to warrant a bidding war far above your reserve, and they are worried they won't be able to afford it when the competition kicks in. Also, they may be so infatuated with the item that they cannot stand the possibility of not winning... even if they could well afford it, what if someone steps in at the last second and they lose anyway? Or what if they know they won't be home to bid as the auction ends? And the people who want to buy it "if it doesn't sell", may well be acknowledging how screwy eBay is about what does and doesn't sell. They may also not want to bid through eBay's system, one reason might be that it's a present that they don't want a friend or family member to see (especially going into this time of year). So... don't feel too badly! There may be some hidden compliments in those comments.
However, if those kind of comments do bother you and you receive a great many of them, I would recommend adding some text to your auctions. Something along the lines of "Thank you so much for your interest in my auction! Please do not ask me to end the auction early, this auction will run uninterrupted until it ends to be fair to all interested parties." And then just copy and paste that response whenever someone emails you anyway.
Best wishes,
Kelly
Thanks Gina, and Kelly!
WoW thanks so much Kelly, I hadn't even looked at it that way, I looked at the other side of it instead! I love your suggestion and I think I will do that.
That is exactly it though, I am trying to build a mailing list I tell people on the list the reserve and some of them wait until the last minutes and pop the reserve on...so I think I would really tick a lot of people off if after my email that didn't have a buy it now on it , I went and ended it to sell privatley or put on a BIN? I know I would be annoyed if someone who's mailing list I subscribe to did that.
Hugs,
Krista
Matilda Huggington-beareI feel your frustration Krista. I found my insides were doing topsy turvys when I sold my few on ebay. It was so bad that I couldnt concentrate for days. It was just too emotionally stressful for me to cope with. I just had to stop.
I know that is NOT an option for you. So I am sending you "boost to the moral hugs" to try and make things a wee bit better for you. :hug: :hug: :hug: :dance: :dance: :dance:
Wendy
Your puppies rule by the way!!
I think Kelly is right..I think it's the fear of not getting the item that makes people ask...I have had this a few times. I think like you that if I have sent out an email promoting the autcion, saying it's running for 7 days or whatever..then I go and end it for a BIN..I'd very soon have fewer customers. I can't and won't entertain it..and, I have to say...if it didn't reach it's reserve I would sell it on my website...but I wouldn't promise it to anyone prior to the auction close on a 'what if' basis. Mainly because that then makes the person you promised it to not bid, very probably, and also might have an effect on the outcome of the auction.
I think the best all round is to say, if people ask, to be fair to all, barring disasters, the auction will run till the finish.
Newcastle, OntarioHi Krista,
I've had people email and ask the reserve price, but I've never had anyone ask me to stop an auction! Geesh! Don't give up yet - there's still lots of time left in the auction. Someone might just be "sitting in the bush", so to speak. Good luck with it - your Yorkie is fabulous!
hugs,
Brenda
Posts: 227Wow Kelly....good point. Thanks for giving me some food for thought Always good to see things from a fresh perspective
Bears by JodiOh gee !!! I wish I could get things for less also !! My funds don't allow me to buy my happy things any more......my attorney gets all my money , so maybe these are people who are in the same boat as me, they LOVE it , really desire it and pray they could buy it at a price that they could come up with. Not because it is not good but because they love it soooooooooooooooo much and just take the chance at the rejection , so it is a compliment , I am sure.
I agree with Kelly. It's not people being cheap, they really want the item. I bid (and lost) on a Walton's lunchbox from the 70's so many times I was getting upset. Thing is, it had a sentimental value to me and I could not afford over $100 for that dang box. My husband thought I was nuts. I must have done six auctions before I won a Walton's lunchbox. I ended up getting one without a thermos and in "fair" condition for around $70. I know other folks do big business with vintage lunchboxes but I just wanted it for myself to sit on my shelf and remember my glorious elementary school days.
Ruby Mountain BearsYou could always email them back and offer to make a similar, not identical bear, dog whatever then negotiate a deal. make sure you get half the cash up front. i have done this and made the bear only to have the person say they weren't interested after the bear was completed. Make sure if they are serious you get the money up front then go to work on it. They probably want one of your bears but don't want to do the auction deal. Besides your Yorkie is doing just fine all your animals are incredibly cute and do so well!!
Cat Gabriel CraftsI had something similar with one of my miniature horses I had on ebay. I had an email from a lady asking me if I could end the auction early and could she buy it at the starting price! I said no, and told her to please bid if she was interested.
In the end, the horse got no bids and within 2 minutes of the auction ending I received an email from her again asking me for a paypal invoice! I ended up selling it to her, although I didn't like the way it all happened.
Ebay is a funny thing and can be very disappointing at times. You just never know what will do well and what won't....The current bear I have on ebay at the moment I think is one of the best bears I've ever made, but no interest yet
I think your yorkie is gorgeous Krista and I hope you get some more bids
Hobart BearsFunny, I just finished looking at Ebay, and came over here to check out TT. I had just LOOKED at the little yorkie and thought she was sooooo cute. I can see why someone would want her just for themself without having to compete for her.
Good luck with your auction.
Also looked at the bear Maurice(?) very nice too.
Karen
Thank you so much everyone, I see it now as a compliment instead of insulting...so from now on I will take it as such, and will for sure be putting that statement in my auctions.
HUgs,
Krista
BlondheartI think ebay is frustrating all the way around. I am still doing it for now, but I am not loving doing it. It's frustrating to have people be so insulting, even though I am sure they don't realize they are doing it. I had one the other day, so I can commiserate with you. I don't think she meant to be insulting, but it certainly was. I have come to discover that ebay is a mecca for...unusual...shoppers. I prefer selling from a set price, but that's not the world I live in at the moment so I am playing the game and practically giving stuff away for prices at about a third what I usually sell for. I see that a lot on there, established artists who make wonderful stuff going for a song, and a few others who do poorly at shows...but since they photograph well, even though they don't really produce a quality product going for hundreds or even thousands.
From a buyers standpoint it's also frustrating to keep trying to get something from an artist only to have "sniper bids" at the last second every single time. I am bidding higher each auction, but it's never quite enough. I am not going to bid more than I feel the bear is worth, she is a newer artist who hasn't even learned to pick seams. Since I haven't actually held one of her pieces in my hand I am not going to go TOO high. I would prefer to be able to go to the persons website or a shop where they sell and just buy it outright, but the person in question only sells on ebay. If someone came to me and said I really want one of your bears but I can't seem to get one, and I felt they were bidding fair prices, I would just offer to make them something for private purchase.
Maybe that would be a good way to go for the people who are asking you to end your auction early. Instead of taking it as an insult, take it as a compliment and buyers frustration because they can't get one of your pieces. Just tell them you wouldn't feel that it was ethically right to end the auction early, but they are welcome to bid and if it goes to someone else you would be happy to make them something comparable. Then get a deposit, and charge a little extra for your effort since they wouldn't bid, it's not as if they know what your reserve is anyway.
