What Do You Think Of This Ebay Question?

Recently I got this message from an Ebayer unknown to me. What do you think?

First thought: the sender might want to look up the difference between "accept" and "except."

Second thought: sounds like a typical innocent-sounding written introduction to what may turn into a Nigerian money scamming operation.

I would delete the message with extreme prejudice.

Jim

In my opinion- Red flags and lights go off. How and why did he pick you to sell his stamps? Have you been dealing with him previously? Does he own them? What is is ebay rating /history? Except for accept, and what percentage you give rather than what percentage do you take on sold items ? The grammer is off, and it could be from translation to english.

He can sell them on ebay himself but maybe does not want to put in the research and time for lotting, and knows little about philately, or the buisness aspect of selling. Personally, I would be skeptical if I had not dealt with the person previously. Caution should be exercised.

Mike

I would not respond. Wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.

You guys make me feel naïve. I responded;





I didn't get suspicious until I didn't receive a response, I would expect at least a "Thanks".

Here are some ideas -

1. If it is a scam, they will either want some banking information from you or will want to send some documents or pictures that you will open on your computer.

2. If it is for real, they will want to send you the stamps so you can scan them and put them up for sale.

Now that you have quoted your rates, see what happens next and just be careful.

Hey Ken ,I also got stamps for you to sell ,I bought a collection from a women with dementia,who's husband use to collect before he died . She sold it to me for a can of soda on a hot day down here in Florida .I rather have you sell it and kick back the cash because I don't want her relatives or the Law sticking their nose in my business dealings .Let me know the commission rate you will charge .



accept or except = Kelliher or Kelleher

This has really nothing to do with stamps or covers. The message could have easily been about bottles, jewelry, etc. Why clutter up the bulletin board with this type of nonsense. Me thinks that people should use a little bit of common sense once in a while.

I regularly get inquiries about U.S. revenues, their value, whether I will buy, whether I accept consignments, etc., both through my website and through ebay messages.

It could be a genuine inquiry, it could be a scam. The devil is in the details.

I think your response was fine. Whether it is a genuine inquiry or not will be determined by the follow-up, or lack thereof. You committed to nothing.

I get this type of request once every few years. Sometimes it is a former buyer, sometimes a stranger who likes the way you list. It's better to say "thanks, but no" unless you want / need the work.

Never give your full name. It could be a scammer or it could be a robber. I have been robbed before and they pumped me for info first. Careful Careful Careful! You don't know but that is a punk hacker down the street.

If you have no selling history with them and don't know them, then simply tell them to sell them to a local stamp shop and that you don't do consignments. The only people I consign for are customers who I have dealt with for years. Even then I rather buy their material outright for resale. If someone online I don't know asks me to sell his stamps I would decline. Bare in mind the high cost of selling online these days, the cost of mailing winning lots and time involved. There is no profit left to give someone a % of the sold lots. And especially risky to consign for someone you don't know. They could if legit simply consign to an auction house. Why ask an ebay seller they don't know? Seems fishy.

No response yet. I have no interest in selling this "consignment" for this guy. I have only done 2 consignments both from former buyers. In both cases they were high end collections that would add zing to my listings and bring buyers in and I'll get some crossover purchases. I don't like doing consignments because as duncanvr said there is no money in it. I charge 25% but after I pay ebay fees, Paypal Fees, buy shipping supplies, subsidize shipping there is not much left. I make much more buying at auction and reselling on ebay.

Thanks for the responses.

I recently was talking to a collector wanting to sell his collection but the difference is I had been selling to him for years. In the end it was easier for me to buy his stuff outright and then resell myself. So I bought 574 QV stamped covers at a couple of pounds each as there were good ones I have easily made profit. I dislike consignments have tried it in the past once the fees come out and you only get a small % since you have to pay back the consignee there is not anything left. Then you spent time listing and shipping. For people your don't know asking you to sell their stuff tell them to look at the stamp auction network and select an auction house. I only buy mostly other stamps and letters from a couple of dealers I trust as they know what I need. I buy the odd lots on ebay but now days ebay adds 10% online buying tax on every purchase for Aussies plus shipping is up. Consignments just don't work unless its high end and you get a good % out of it avoid doing it. But even then what happens when you sell a valuable stamp on ebay a consignment, pay the consignee then your buyer raises a ebay or PayPal case? You loose out big time!

I wouldn't touch consignments on ebay with a 10-foot pole. You're taking on someone else's liability. With the 180-day return window, that could be a nightmare. 4 months after you pay the consignor you then get a dispute/claim... no thanks.