Short ebay auction story

[Dragonflitter]

Just a little ebay story I wanted to share. It didn't end badly, but I guess it could have so I thought I would share with the community.

So I bought a Dancing Butterflies off ebay, and the ebay auction photo showed a very pretty Dancing Butterflies plus her backcard! I was really excited that I got both for $15 (including the shipping). The auction info stated that the lady had these ponies sitting in her attic for a long time and just wanted to get rid of them.

When I paid for the auction, I sent a message in the note field that said "please be careful with the backcard while shipping, thanks!" because I was worried about the backcard getting bent in the mail, especially since this was not a collector and just someone selling childhood toys.

The response I got back was kind of snippy. She said "The backcard was not part of the auction you won, I am just including it to be nice. I don't even know why I kept it, I guess I was a weird kid. Some other buyer got mad at me because their backcard had writing on it."

At first I was a little miffed at her overblown reaction because I really didn't mean anything bad by my message, I just wanted her to be careful shipping the item. But then I can totally understand her point of view too, if she was currently dealing with a difficult buyer and then saw my message and thought "Oh no now I have to deal with this." (On the other hand, if you don't mean for the backcard to be part of the auction, then don't put it in the photos, eh?)

Well I didn't respond to her message and just waited for the item to arrive. It came in a bubble envelope and thankfully both the backcard and Dancing Butterflies are in great shape. Dancing Butterflies is a little tacky, I think I've heard of this from plastiziers breaking down, so I'm going to give her a careful wash and hope that fixes it.

In conclusion! I should have checked the auction more carefully (she doesn't mention the backcard in the auction title or the auction info, it's just in the photos) and asked questions before buying. And she probably could have just said she would try to be careful and leave it at that. But everything turned out okay.

[Ponyfan]

I'm glad everything worked out for you. I would have assumed the back card was included also since it was in the picture with the pony. The seller's reaction does seem a little off, she said the backcard was not included but then said she was sending it to be "nice"? Or does she mean the backcard wasn't included in the price the auction went for?

I think I found the auction you are talking about. There is nothing in the listing that states whether the backcard is included or not in the description. This person also has a few other ponies for sale with the backcards in the picture with the pony. I think anyone  would assume it would be included. If she doesn't want to get of the backcard she should state "backcard not included, pony only." somewhere.


Ponyfan

[Ringlets]

I'm glad it all worked out for you in the end   I think the seller just overreacted because of that other buyer. I believe what she means is that the backcard * is*  included with the pony but its not included in the auction price.. as in.. its a free gift   So when the other person complained she felt insulted and upset - which effected how she responded to your message.
To avoid this kind of situation in future she may want to add into her description that she is giving away the back card with the pony for free as a gift to the pony's new owner -but some cards are in better condition than others - words to that effect

[Artemesia's Garden]

Maybe she didn't realise they were worth something before she started getting these requests over condition... and wished she had researched it properly...

[Ponyfan]

I believe what she means is that the backcard * is*  included with the pony but its not included in the auction price.. as in.. its a free gift   So when the other person complained she felt insulted and upset - which effected how she responded to your message.

I think you're right Ringlets. She is trying to be nice by including the backcard as a free gift.  I would be upset also if I gave someone an extra and then they complained about it.


Ponyfan

[Taffeta]

I believe what she means is that the backcard * is*  included with the pony but its not included in the auction price.. as in.. its a free gift   So when the other person complained she felt insulted and upset - which effected how she responded to your message.

I think you're right Ringlets. She is trying to be nice by including the backcard as a free gift.  I would be upset also if I gave someone an extra and then they complained about it.


Ponyfan

I would agree with this. Although if there's nothing in the auction about it, I can also see how the OP was confused.

The happy thing is that DB and card arrived safe at their new home