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Consideration last modified: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 (9:08:46 PM) Are "unsolicited offers" that odious? I've never had one, so I wonder about those who claim to be besieged by them. If I got one, I'd be flattered. Probably would turn you down *smiles*... but I would let you know. And I'm sure, knowing the nature of people and how they behave online, that a tiny fraction of people have the potential to be jerks. But most aren't. And yeah, some will ask for very silly things, like a payment plan of $1 a week for the next 20 years. I really doubt that to be the majority of the case, or even a -significant- minority. And yes, there are flakes, with whom you will strike a deal and then they back out. Does that mean that all potential purchasers are flakes too, and should just be ignored?
Try it. Type it out. "Thank you, but no." Four words. One don't have to write a novel. There's no need to explain yourself, that selling your cels would be like cutting off your arm, or how terrible the price is they offered. It's about being considerate enough to say something, anything. Do you -have- to? Goodness no. But it's a matter of -should-. Even a "silly lowball" offer, if made sincerely, is worth a moment of of time to say, "thank you, but no." Maybe they're new. Weren't we all once? An offer is not meant to be offensive. It's not an insult to you, what you paid for it, your collecting skills, or your mom. I've seen a lot of offer periods these days. (Some days it seems like -everyone's- jumping ship! Haha...) A little consideration is needed by the seller, as well. If it's about waiting on multiple offers to sell to the best one, then I believe it's -only- polite to answer back, "Thanks, I'm considering your offer. I will get back to you on --.", or state in your terms, "will answer back yes or no by ---." Wouldn't it be frustrating if you were waiting to hear on an offer for one cel you really love and -then- another cel pops up on auction or a dealer site and you have to move on it, but you -may- have a deal going on elsewhere? I've seen that happen. It's frustrating beyond all reason, and can be heart-wrenching. Bird in the hand or whatever -might- decide to come out of the bush in a month? Go for what you -know- you can have, only to have the one you offered on finally answer with a yes? Then you have the consequences if you have to turn that one down... If selling cels is that tough that it takes -weeks- to decide if they're really for sale, then maybe they shouldn't be up for sale. I understand that people sell because of things going on… but then set a price. Or eBay it, whatever - you're going to do it, do it. Otherwise, find some other way to sell to raise cash. I suppose that I shouldn't be as dismayed as I am about this. But it's really hard to shake, even against the other dramas that flare up. Cels are a hobby for most of us. Hobbies should be FUN! It's too bad, though, that other people have the ability to really ruin your fun with something as simple as being inconsiderate. Next time you ignore someone, stall someone... just ask yourself... is this how -I- would want to be treated? Consideration... it may be you waiting for that reply someday.
Offer periods are confusing... and take too much time. I agree @_@ I want to know who gets all of those insane amount of offers on their gallery... i can maybe count one one hand the number of people wanting to buy a cel from my gallery PMing me or sending feedback to me...o_o LOL ah well.
I hope "unsolicited offers" aren''t odious, or I''d be in trouble! I like to peek in on galleries that have been inactive for a while and drop a friendly email, something like..."I see you have (this cel) and I''d like to inquire if you''d be willing to sell..." I don''t think that''s annoying or frustrating. So far, two galleries I''ve left feedback for haven''t replied, but you''d be surprised how many are willing to sell you a cel. There''s really no harm in asking. And like you''ve said, a friendly ''no thanks'' and that''s the end of it. People shouldn''t make it so exhausting, but some do, and that''s when crapola hits the fan. Oi!!!
i am generally flattered by offers, unless they come from a person who does not respect my sentiment for my cels. i dont really sell much. but thats just me. (^_^;)
Heh, I''ve received a grand total of three unsolicited offers in the 2.5 years I''ve been collecting. I refused two of them, and told the third to offer me money (none of the offers actually mentioned a monetary amount; if they had, I might have said yes). I never heard back from that third person . . . but, I answered them all. I just have had good luck as far as not getting a lot of hate mail goes, I guess. Probably because I don''t collect "in" series.
I''ve been lucky enough to work with mostly really nice people, whether it''s getting unsolicited offers or sending them myself. Even the problems I''ve had have generally been handled with complete kindness (if not always respect). So I can genuinely say that I enjoy this hobby very much, but I can understand how one "bad hat" might take a bit away from said fun.
Well IMO, no, unsolicitated offers are not rude when accompanied w/ common manners. Ive gotten plenty of offers and inquiries that are short and sweet to long and lengthy. And I I *always* reply w/ an answer when I get the email. HOWEVER, I have received a good handful that come in and say "I want X cel.. give ya (insert ridiculous lowball offer amount here) for it" ... thats it... no "hi my name is" "would you sell.." "is X ok amount?" "i''d like to offer" none of that included!! >_<;; So of course, those emails I dont even bother with. :P To me its a giant red flag of things to come. Its disrepectful, rude, and flakey.. not to mention the WTF-ness of offering somethng ridiculous like 30 bucks for a 300 cel. I understand the newer folks may not know the price ranges... but I''m always happy to say "sorry I would look for x to x amount" but to not even send me a complete sentence and to even acknowledge me as a person w/ feelings.... to those I say "fuck off" And in answer to your comment about flakes and why treat every newbie like that-- your right! its not fair at all... but what do you expect when 40% of the recent transactions on ebay or yhjj or galleries turn up sour and the person in question has only been around a while? You start to become very very paranoid. Its a timeless squabble: takes a couple of rotten apples to ruin the tree. Cant say I blame anybody for being more alert these days about transactions. Anyways, good luck w/ the cel purchases in question! :)
I agree that for the most part the people I have dealt with has been honest and courteous. The offers I''ve received usually goes for my heart so I have to turn the offer down. Nowadays I just use ebay to sell things that I feel someone else would like owning. I have made unsolicited offers, quite a few of them I try to be very nice about it and give them what I consider a fair price, of course there will be times a fair price IMO is not fair at all to others, in those cases it''s still necessary in my opinion to be courteous about it whatever the answer might be. Necessary in words and prompt as well. The reverse is also true an offer that is low, simple say "No thanks." and don''t dance around hoping for something better, sometimes a "better" deal just isn''t there. With regards to what Shampoo said, I''m afraid I don''t agree about expectations... for one I don''t think we can prove 40% of online transactions recently turn sour. I''ve taken some big risks on complete strangers and I have not been burned yet. Even if we can prove that to be true, it''s only a good enough excuse to be cautious (we should always be cautious anyway) but not to a point that we treat others unfairly because we are paranoid. If one is afraid to deal with a new person, then perhaps let them know as well. They might be able to come up with references or feedback especially if they are really wanting to do a transaction. One interesting I did find out recently is that I seem to have a better time doing transactions with newbies and/or retired collectors, also collectors who are not active in communities... I am not sure why this is but perhaps they are less subject to the drama and so has more faith in others? Perhaps they are less competitive? I do not know. And although I share this collecting experience in a community full of active collectors, it is not to be condescending to others, I am an active collector myself who visit AB and RS a lot... But it''s simply an observation from past tran
(continued...) But it''s simply an observation from past transactions. In retrospect there has been quite a few active collectors who has helped me out greatly in collecting. I can count them in one hand but they are absolute treasures to me and make this sometimes frustrating hobby, worth while for the most part.
I, too, get very annoyed with people that never send a reply to an offer I''ve made. But that got me to thinking: I bet some of the more reclusive collectors have their RS feedback set up so that it gets dumped in a "junk" e-mail account. They never even see the messages (good or bad)! But still, being rude is a cardinal sin in any good society, internet or otherwise.
I have gotten a few unsolicited offers and many times it has been for something that I didn''t want to sell. For the most part they have been very polite and I have replied to all of them. Recently, I have actually been fortunate to have a couple offers I found tempting enough to follow thru on and everything went very well. Maybe I just have been lucky with the offers and ppl that are interested by my gallery.
Completely agree, consideration is quite important in this often rude hobby. I for one do not receive many offers so cannot imagine how troublesome it must be for others who claim they are bothered constantly by them. But yes, people should try to at least should some consideration and try being polite when turning people down. Think about it this way, for all of you who are bothered by offers, why not politely draft up one form rejection email and save it? You can use this and simply copy and paste it. Happy hunting all. |
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