Bidder wants me to offer free shipping if he sends SASE?

[Johnny G]

Just had a prospective bidder ask if I will ship for free if he sends me an envelope with stamp, and he will do it at his risk. I said no and feel it was the right decision. Anyone agree?

 

[finestkind]

That's just weird. I agree with you.

 

[deaconblues63]

This is a no win situation for you. If he wins and you don't let him use a SASE, he might ding you on feedback. If you do let him use the SASE, you have no proof he got the card and he could win a claim against you.

Not only would I refuse his request, I would probably block him from bidding.

 

[lambert58]

Yeah, that's a big no for me as well.

 

[BunchOBull]

As long as he's paying in cash or a money order that clears it's no big deal, but it's strange either way. If he paid by PayPal, it's definitely a NO.

 

[MansGame]

Yea. I don't know that I'd do that. It's just weird and I'd keep moving.

What is with people and shipping. It's like the biggest game of all time is how to avoid s/h or get it cheaper. I can't wait for the day where the system is figured out where the buyer pays the exact cost of getting the item to them and no more of this BS with how much you pay.

 

[gmarutiak]

At least he asked before he bid, instead of demanding after he won.

 

[JEBJJA]

Cash only deal....he wants it his way then you want GREEN so he can't pull any B.S.!

 

[lambert58]

I can't wait for the day where the system is figured out where the buyer pays the exact cost of getting the item to them and no more of this BS with how much you pay.

This would be great, but since eBay does not want sellers to include their cost (fees + s/h) it can't happen. It's like Ebay wants all sellers to eat so many cost it is impossible. Think how cheap things would be if Walmart didn't add in the cost of sending products to their stores. Fuel, driver's pay, wear and tear to their trucks, albor to load and unload trucks it's all included, but no not eBay too bad sellers just suck it up you can't have fees covered as they are not expenses, when they clearly are.

 

[Pine Tar]

What come on really? What can happen? You should honor his request, your the seller and he could be the buyer, and the customer is always right............ALWAYS

 

[tribefan26]

This is a no win situation for you. If he wins and you don't let him use a SASE, he might ding you on feedback. If you do let him use the SASE, you have no proof he got the card and he could win a claim against you.

Not only would I refuse his request, I would probably block him from bidding.

This

there is no upside to doing it his way.

 

[BBCgalaxee]

What come on really? What can happen? You should honor his request, your the seller and he could be the buyer, and the customer is always right............ALWAYS

Ha!

 

[Johnny G]

Yeah I told him no I don't do that. Just asking for trouble. Thanks for the opinions.

 

[LWMM]

I've definitely asked for that before, though without much success. On cheaper cards now I sometimes ask if the seller will take $1 for shipping in a PWE at my risk; probably about 40% of the time the seller agrees.

Why is it so weird to ask to use a SASE? $3 shipping turns a $1 card into a $4 card. Over time, hundreds of $4 cards add up.

I asked for $1 shipping a lot when collecting the 2008 Moments & Milestones set of Placido Polanco. With 800 cards (200 each of white, black, blue and red), spending $3 s/h on each card would have cost $2,400 in shopping alone. With $1 shipping in a PWE, the shipping cost becomes $800. I'll keep my $1,600 thanks, even if it means a couple cards might arrive damaged (which, incidentally, never happened).

 

[Musial Collector]

If sale amount is an amount you are OK with having a potential charge back against you for non-receipt of item then do it, if it is not an amount you are OK with then dont do it.

 

[hrbek14]

No benefit to doing it.

 

[gracecollector]

No benefit to doing it.

That's not true. The benefit is making the sale.

S/H is a real issue on low dollar cards. I can't buy $1 cards on eBay anymore with $3 shipping costs. I have to buy dollar cards on COMC, where they can be banked and shipped together. I wouldn't mind a seller asking for free shipping if they send me the SASE. If they're sending me the SASE, they can send me the payment too. Avoid the ebay fees. Ebay is beginning to only be feasible on $5 plus cards, which sucks.

 

[olerud363]

Shipping to Canada can be extremely pricey, with some sellers charging $10 to $15 per card or even more. It's gotten to the point for me that ebay is no longer an option for my card buying. My budget is low end (the most I've spent on a single card is about $30), so COMC suits me perfectly.

It's a shame that ebay has been ruined by scammers. I've never asked if a seller would accept an SASE, but I'll sometimes ask if he'll will offer PWE shipping at a lower price at my risk, but most refuse. One guy even told me, "No, because when you file your ebay claim I'll be screwed." It wasn't "if anything happens"... the guy accused me of trying to scam him.

Long-winded answer to the OP, but the bottom line is I think you were right not to accept an SASE. The buyer was probably honest and just trying to save a few bucks, but sellers have to protect themselves. Just be courteous and don't automatically assume the other guy is trying to pull a fast one.

 

[rsmath]

Just had a prospective bidder ask if I will ship for free if he sends me an envelope with stamp, and he will do it at his risk. I said no and feel it was the right decision. Anyone agree?

I think it's fine if the SASE has a USPS tracking number so you can prove he received it.