to make an offer and ask pictures? eBay-related

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

So I was eyeing this Balenciaga bag on eBay and there's a Make Offer option. I made offers, which the seller rejected. Fine by me. Seller offered final offer. I was ready to bite that offer so I asked for clear, close up pictures of the needed parts for authentication.

Seller got mad at me and told me it's not worth it since we can't agree on the price and it's not worth it. I told her, alright, no problem, I asked for those pics since those are the ones needed for authentication.

Apparently this got on the seller's nerves even more and they sent me a message saying "if I look", all the pics I am requesting are in the listing that they're not wasting time taking pictures and that they're a VAT-registered business and they "don't sell fakes!!!!!"

I replied that I looked and no, the listing didn't have the clear, close up pics. (The listing had pics took from above, not close-up). Told the seller that the clear, close up pics are actually needed to check the intricate details. I said thank you and have a nice weekend.

Seller sent me an irate message again saying they won't waste time taking pictures because my offer is not near the price they want (which I was about to accept once I see the pictures I requested :/) and that again, "we're VAT-registered!!!!!"

Did I just dodge a bullet?

Was I wrong for requesting for making offers? Asking for more pictures?

[shakingmyhead1]

i would say you dodged a bullet there, if it was real they would have happily taken a couple more pictures close up for you

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

if it was real they would have happily taken a couple more pictures close up for you

Yeah that's what I was thinking too. I sell on eBay and I have no problems taking more pictures. I explained to the seller that the pictures are needed for authentication, which, it seems insulted the seller.

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

The pictures in the listing aren't close-up pictures. Sort of taken at a distance.

[TheCatsMother99]

Dodged a bullet, definitely.

[JanetStWalker]

Definitely dodged a bullet. If she was kosher she would've happily taken the pics you asked for but her defensiveness suggests otherwise.

[sentenceinterrupted]

Would have said she should take pictures, but perhaps she just thought you were a time waster. Bad customer service indeed, but not necessarily a fake... but I probably wouldn’t buy from them just because of customer service!

[BzyB]

I'd probably contact eBay and tell them you suspect fake goods - save someone less savvy than you from making a mistake!

[bettytaghetti]

If you are ever interested in buying a designer handbag on eBay again, please think about getting it authenticated on The Purse Forum. There are some wonderfully knowledgeable members there who will check out the eBay listing and give you some comfort before going ahead with bidding. If they think the pictures are not sufficient then they will recommend asking for more. If the vendor is not happy to do so then it is most likely to be fake. A real vendor would have confidence in what they’re selling. Also by looking at previous ‘verdicts’ on that forum you will get a good idea of what to look for yourself when looking at any listing and learn how to spot fakes more easily. HTH.

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

Would have said she should take pictures, but perhaps she just thought you were a time waster.

Maybe, but she kept messaging me eventhough I already said no problem and have a nice weekend. lol

[Ellie56]

I would contact eBay and get the listing checked out. It sounds dodgy to me.

[Intercom]

Yes, contact eBay. Sounds dodgy to me and not the attitude I’d expect from someone who wants happy customers!

[strangeEvents]

You sound like a time waster to me. I wouldn't have bothered with the extra photos if you kept making low-ball offers I was rejecting.

Are you sure you mean 'irate'? I've learnt from MN that that, along with livid etc. are rarely used appropriately.

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

I checked the feedback and while most are positive, they're mostly for low-priced items. Around 150 below.

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

You sound like a time waster to me. I wouldn't have bothered with the extra photos if you kept making low-ball offers I was rejecting.

My offers were lower than BIN (of course -the seller has the "Make Offer" feature on so I offered) but my last offer was £50 lower than his final offer.

Are you sure you mean 'irate'? I've learnt from MN that that, along with livid etc. are rarely used appropriately.

And yes, I know what irate means.

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

I wouldn't have bothered with the extra photos if you kept making low-ball offers I was rejecting.

Maybe, but you probably wouldn't have bothered sending me three messages telling me the exact same thing - that you "don't sell fakes!!!!!!" and you're "VAT-registered!!!!"

[pret]

I wouldn’t have bothered taking more photos either.

I would think you’re a time waster trying to knock the price down.

Sorry.

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

Thanks, bettytaghetti! I was going to do that exactly that's why I asked for the pictures. I was prepared to agree to the seller's offer. :)

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

I wouldn’t have bothered taking more photos either.

I would think you’re a time waster trying to knock the price down.

Sorry.

No worries. You're entitled to your opinion. :)

However, as a seller - and a business seller at that - they should have known that the pictures I requested are important for authentication. If they didn't, well, I explained my reason.

If the seller thought I was a time-waster, they shouldn't have sent me a final offer and ignored me.

[LilQueenie]

I would report her emails to ebay for harrassment

[Mouikey]

Definitely dodged a bullet! In the time they sent the three emails they could have taken the pics!

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

Moulkey

Yes exactly!! Also, if they thought I was a nuisance, why even send me a counteroffer (which is just £50 lower than my last so definitely I wasn't sending low-ball offers)

[ThisTimeItsTrue]

I wouldn't think you sounded like a time waster. Wanting extra photos is normal. I might have told the seller I was planning on accepting the offer but would like more photos first. I'm not sure that's what you did as I think it sounded like you just asked for more photos - Even so taking more photos takes seconds. They sound rude but I don't think that indicates it's fake or not fake. IYSWIM

[Intercom]

If people want a particular price as a minimum why bother with the “Best Offer” feature? Just set your minimum as the starting price, or as the reserve price. How is anyone meant to know what exact offer the seller is looking for? If you put “Best Offer” then of course people will send you their best offer, whether it’s high or low. You could say “well of course it means you should offer at least 40/60/75/90 per cent of the Buy It Now price” but that isn’t actually clear.

[ReallyConvolutedCareerHistory]

Intercom - exactly! The seller could have set the listing to automatically reject any offer below what they are looking for.

Plus, I wasn’t even doing low ball offers.

Seller even gave me a counteroffer. It was only when I asked for pictures that they started sending me those messages.