Thursday, October 1, 2009

Posts That Strike a Nerve

Since I have been ripped for being a vile, despicable person in a comment to my previous post, I thought I would post my response in a new post. Why not give it the attention it deserves? Here it is:

To respond to the first comment, I feel that the seller withheld the information on purpose, but I do not wish to be accused of defamation of character, so I waited to publish this post. I really do not wish to harm any seller, which brings me to the last comment...

Hmm...interesting that someone would take such offense at my comments. You aren't by any chance that seller are you? If not, then I was not speaking of you, and you had no reason to take offense.

Are you the seller who defrauded me? If not, then you had no reason to take offense.

Are you someone who packs badly, therefore allowing valuable, collectible books to get damaged? If not, then you had no reason to take offense.

Guess what? I have two lots for sale on eBay this week. I am an eBay seller (at least occasionally), yet I take no offense when people belittle eBay sellers. I know whether their comments refer to me.

As to enjoying watching the feedback crumble, I'm sorry you think I enjoy it. I have been defrauded by that seller of more than 30 dollars. I am not very happy about it. I don't know why someone would not understand how I feel when I have lost money, and more importantly, when I am not going to receive a purchase that I very much wanted to receive. I am a victim, just like when people are victims of crimes. Don't they want the perpetrators to be punished? I want my seller to be punished.

I meant the title of that post to be kind of humorous, but obviously you had to take it personally. Of course I am going to take interest in watching the feedback go down. Yes, I want retribution. I feel that bad sellers deserve bad feedback. I suppose that makes me a bad person.

It is a fact that in general sellers who sell series books on eBay at very low prices tend not to pay attention to detail. This does not make them bad sellers. It does provide me with some interesting content for this blog, which of course some people choose to take personally. There is nothing wrong with selling items for low prices. There is nothing wrong with packing badly, except that it stresses buyers out who want to receive their books in good condition. There is nothing wrong with defrauding buyers...no wait, there is. I don't care if this post makes more people angry. I just don't care.

P.S. I am not upset. I just find it amazing that people take offense at comments that are not intended in a mean-spirited fashion and are not aimed at them. If the shoe fits...

P.P.S. Just like on message boards, we tend to discuss the bad more than the good. The vast majority of my eBay transactions are flawless. I don't discuss them here because it would not be very interesting. Don't think for a minute that I think all eBay sellers are bad. 99% of my eBay transactions have been great. I have bought around 3,000 items on eBay in the past 12 1/2 years. I have been defrauded fewer than 10 times. While I have received hundreds of purchases that were packed badly, I have had fewer than two dozen purchases that were received damaged due to inferior packaging. Most transactions, and most sellers are great.

Anyone else want to have at it?

6 comments:

rachel said...

Sorry you've been flamed. Not nice at all.

So... obviously the Nancy D are your favorites, (right?) but what others do you like especially? What are your absolute favorites? I havn't ever tried reading the Nancy D books, but I love the Dana Girls and Beverly Grays- read them faster than they arrive in the mail!

Jared Stein said...

You're 100% right to stand up and explain how you've been wronged--and thus help others avoid it.

Doesn't hurt for the sellers to know that they are being scrutinized, too.

Jennifer White said...

My absolute favorites are Nancy Drew, Beverly Gray, the Outdoor Girls, Betty Gordon, Sara Gay, Girl Scouts Mystery Series, and Trixie Belden.

I read Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden as a child. Of the series I read for the first time as an adult, Beverly Gray is my absolute favorite.

stratomiker said...

Why have you lost $30? Paypal now guarantees sales on eBay. If you file a claim, you'll get your money back. I've had to do it, and it was not a problem.

Mike

Jennifer White said...

The claim has been decided in my favor, and I will have the money back in a few days. I was speaking of the interim period in which I did not have the books or a refund, which has been the status during the last few weeks. I still cannot believe that someone got offended because of my recent comments.

stratomiker said...

I'm glad you are getting your $$$ back. Posts delineating disreputable behavior are often flamed against by those who practice that kind of behavior themselves, or by those who just plain enjoy flaming. Don't pay attention to such nonsense. You are doing a great service to others by posting about these things. You'll probably hear a whine and a grunt from the guilty now and then, but it is meaningless.

Mike