Question
Please forgive yet another stupid eBay question! Having not sold for so long and just now getting back into it, I gotta learn the new rules. Last time I sold on eBay you could still contact each other thru email, lol!
If you have a bunch of books listed, and someone contacts you thru the "ask seller" link and asks if you have a particular title that you do not have listed yet, and you happen to have it, and the buyer asks to buy it off eBay, are you allowed to do that? Or do you have to list it on eBay just because the buyer used the "ask seller" link? I know if it's already listed, you can't sell it off eBay, but what if you haven't listed it yet? This is one of my good buyers from years ago who has found me again, so I know he's not a scammer, and it's just a common recent paperback so it has no hidden value. It's the type of book I'd be lucky to get one bidder on if I listed it.
BTW, this is not the software buyer from my other thread.
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I certainly wouldn't hesitate to sell it to him direct. I don't care what the rules say. If I don't have it listed, they don't get a piece of it. JMO
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My feeling is, as long as they aren't asking to buy the thing listed on ebay-I'd sell it in a heartbeat. It's not an offer to buy the item already listed. I've even sold things that have closed weeks before and have been offered my opening bid for it.
I do NOT close a listing to sell it off ebay, but once it's closed it's mine to do with as I please. Goes quadruple for anything I don't have listed yet
So my advice-SELL IT.
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if the item is not listed on ebay, it is YOUR item to sell to whom you wish. ebay is still just a venue, remember
however, don't respond to them through ebays system if at all possible. email them back directly or if they didn't provide their email address, answer through ebays system giving them your email address so you can correspond directly. they apparently do scan the questions and answers for key words to indicate off ebay selling.
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I've had so many off-ebay offers in the last 2 weeks (more than I've had in the last 6 months) that I'm beginning to wonder if it's some kind of a "sting" operation...LOL. Maybe eBay is trying to figure out why I went from running 500+ auctions a month to NONE and just let my eBay store work for me..
Anyway...in my case, each person has asked for some "variant" to what I have listed - either they want only a few items of a larger set, or they want some large quantity, or they want something completely custom. In either case, it's not something I am offering on eBay, so I don't feel any regrets about doing an off-ebay transaction. I don't think eBay sellers are somehow obligated to create a unique auction based upon a specific buyer request - as if I am somehow obligated to eBay merely because the request came from their system.
I also figure it's never save to use the eBay system to discuss any of this, so I write them this:
"Please write me at <my email> for special orders. Thanks for writing!"
So far this hasn't triggered any disciplinary emails from eBay.
Coincidentally, as a buyer, I just completed an off-ebay transaction for a large number of custom sewn items. I found the seller on eBay, and asked if I could contact them about custom work. They sent me their email, and we completed the transaction.
In these types of circumstances I'd be very curious - if an eBay rep were here right now answering our questions - what would they think the "proper" way to handle these transactions would be?
Rich
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TECHNICALLY... Yes you are supposed to list it on ebay and let them
buy it there.
PERSONALLY... Sell it to him and don't bother with ebay.
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When you reply to the email, remove any mention of eBay and the "message from an ebay member" subject heading from the email.
If you reply without any reference to eBay, they cannot do anything to you for selling it.
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Originally Posted by Toy Ranch
When you reply to the email, remove any mention of eBay and the "message from an eBay member" subject heading from the email.
If you reply without any reference to eBay, they cannot do anything to you for selling it.
I always used to do that because the emails actually came from the buyers - but I haven't seen one like that in about 2 months. Now they all seem to come from a generic eBay email address ("member*ebay.com") - with the user's id on the "from" line. You CAN reply to them directly via email, but it will be routed through eBay.
Far as I can tell, you can no longer see a questioner's email address unless they are already bidders - and even then, you have to do it via the item page itself. Even if they don't choose to hide email addy - it's no where to be found.
Rich
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Not true, you can't see the email address only if they have "blocked" it when they sent the question or message. If they blocked it, the reply email will be something like "UseTheYellowButton at ebay.com". Otherswise, if you reply to the email, it will go directly to the original sender.
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I've noticed here lately when I asked a seller a question, ebay has the form defaulted to have the checkmark inserted in the hide email address box and I've had to manually remove it.