Your experiences – your stories! Since eBay, private online sales have been booming. Initially in the form of online auctions, now increasingly popular as free classified ad formats.
Isn't it wonderful when you can sell unused things?
Or even the other way around, you finally get something you've always wanted at a cheaper price. Our column with reader stories. We asked our readers to submit the craziest stories that have happened to them while communicating in classifieds. Reader Katharina tells us her annoying story... via a balcony privacy screen for 2 EUR
And all for just €2!
The following happened to me on eBay classifieds: I bought a balcony privacy screen in the store for €8.
Since I needed less than half, I advertised the remaining 4m for €2 or 2 Toffifee. Interested party 1 asked whether it was still available. After saying yes, there was never another answer. I received a PM from 100 km away asking if I could ship the item. I pointed out that the shipping cost exceeded the actual value and that he could just as easily buy a privacy screen at the nearest hardware store. Strange reasons later (4m would cost from 15 euros in the store) I agreed and shipped uninsured.
When I said I had sent the package, the buyer responded by asking how he could play the lottery online. I told him that I couldn't tell him that either. The guy was probably not at his best physically but also mentally. 2 days later I was asked where the package was.
I pointed out that sometimes a package would be in transit for longer than a week. Of course, I didn't assume that it might have been lost, as this has never happened to me as either a seller or a buyer. Every 2 to 4 days I kept getting emails saying that the package still wasn't there and that he wanted his money back. I have to say that it was about €7. It went on like this for a week, under threat that he would take advantage of buyer protection.
I replied that he should please do that because I can prove that I sent the package and didn't want to communicate with this crazy person anymore. He said that if the package was returned to me, I should let you know and he would pick it up. Ultimately it culminated in the package being sent back to me because he had not picked up the package at the store.
I told him the same thing and said that he could pick it up from me or that I would send it to him again after paying for insured shipping, so that this time it would be with tracking. He said he wanted to pick it up. Since I obviously didn't want to give him my address, I said we could meet at the main train station. But that it is cheaper to pay shipping than a train ticket. He did not want. So I drove to the main station with the balcony privacy screen, worth €2. However, accompanied by a man, he handed him the goods and was happy to finally be able to block him on eBay classifieds.
From now on, reader Markus at least knows what question he will ask the sellers in the future:
To pressure or not to pressure, that is the question!
Last year I was looking for tickets to a sold-out concert.
After I was able to get two regular tickets, I quickly found the third one, even at the original price. We agreed that I would pick up the tickets from her house. The lady selling the item was also very friendly, so I didn't care about the 40 minute drive in one direction. When I arrived at my destination I rang the bell, the lady came down and handed me an A4 piece of paper for the agreed price. I thanked her and since, as already mentioned, she was very friendly, I didn't have the heart to point out to her that it would have been enough to send me the PDF of this Print@Home ticket by email to print out, and I could have saved myself the long car journey.
Your story is in demand!
We are looking for your craziest, most absurd, most annoying, greatest, boldest or even most surprising story regarding online classifieds. It's crazy what you experience when you place advertisements and answer inquiries. But the other way around too... because there are sellers that you wouldn't dream of. What have YOU already experienced? Send YOUR story, let us all share it! We are opening a new column about classified ads on the Internet, your story can appear there (anonymized, of course). Send the email with the subject “Classifieds” to [email protected]
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )