eBay

Location, Location, Location: eBay Seller Rejects NY, Jersey
This may seem like the most stupid thing I could do as a seller. I get email all the time from East Coasters, demanding to know why I don't ship to the brick cities. To start, let me say that I AM FROM MANHATTAN, so I am not "discrimihating" (Andre3000 term) on the Big Apple. In fact, my fave bag right now is a canvas one that says "I <3 NY" on it. No big brand names or logos, just my hometown. So why restrict New Yawk?

Simple: I'm a seller; I am in business to make $$. New Yorkers' sense of entitlement and sheer audacity is world renown. My current user ID, as I have stated in former blog posts, is one of several in my years on eBay, so I have tons of experience dealing with clients. I was twice a PowerSeller. (Sometimes my "day job" takes precedence in my life, and I have to curb my auctioneering.) I have been scammed on eBay, just as many others have, and guess what??? Every time, the seller/buyer was from New York or New Jersey. Not only was I cheated, but I also had to deal with a belligerent attitude on top of it. Think awful Paypal negotiations where buyer lied and said that he/she never received an item (expensive Gucci) or that he/she received an empty box (lies), even though I provided USPS tracking info to prove that I shipped. How terrible my experience(s) was/were having to pay for the bag to Gucci and not getting my merchandise back!!

You can sell to New York and New Jersey if you wish... If it's up to me, I'd let 'em shop at Bergdorf; let a large corporation deal with the whining, complaining, and scamming. I am a small fry who spends her hard earned dollars on the luxe in my closet, and I don't want (forget whether I can "afford to lose" or not) to lose a dime of the thousands I spend on designer finds. Imagine chunking down $2500 for a Louis Vuitton purse. You decide after it sits in your closet for a year that you could sell, recoup your funds, and go buy a new Louis style that you like. You honestly sell it on eBay. The buyer "pays" through Paypal, then files a claim that he/she/scammer never received the bag. Paypal debits YOUR account for the $1800 you sold the bag for, and now you're out $1800 AND the bag!@#$$#@!@ Yeah, I guess you could hire a lawyer for the price you're out... Let's be logical.

That's why I don't deal with NY, NJ, third-world countries with shady postal/military systems, and other places known for their underhandedness. The chances of getting my merchandise back or recovering $$$ from Costa Rica is nil. And the therapy appointments I would have to make after dealing with a foul-mouthed New Yorker are not worth the mental or financial stress.

When anyone writes to me to "discuss" my non-negotiable policy, I promptly block 'em from bidding. ;P