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Mike, T-Satt has it right. eBay transactions are FOB destination meaning title of ownership does not change hands until tangible goods have been received by buyer. Seller is de facto owner while items are in transit and responsible for items safe arrival in a reasonable time frame (I think 30 days?). These transactions are governed by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) at least for transactions within the USA.
This issue has come up time and time again when people argue about who is responsible for insuring the package and in every case the seller is responsible for the safe and timely arrival of the item. Item damaged or lost in transit? Too bad so sad for the seller, buyer will be made whole by eBay, PayPal or their credit card company. It’s up to the seller to make an insurance claim and in many cases will need the buyers help.
Possibly a Yixing (chinese) red clay tea cup but difficult to tell from the photo. Is the overall theme of the items chinese? I don’t recognize the mark and it doesn’t give me a chinese vibe, but don’t know for sure. Antique Yixing can get very pricey, very fast. Even more modern pieces sell well for decent money.
I had a similar sale some years ago. A partner and I had bought out an estate that included a 1920’s era musical instrument in it’s original case. We had a lot of merchandise to process and my partner listed this item in haste, pricing it way to low. It was purchased in the first hour and when I saw the sold price, well, I’ll just say I wasn’t very happy with my partner.
Agonized over it for awhile but ultimately came to the same conclusion you two did. I messaged the buyer and apologized citing a pricing error. Wow were they hot and I don’t blame them. He was a professional vintage instrument dealer and he had already resold it to a client. Threats were made, angry emails he sent and knowing I really didn’t have a leg to stand on all I could do was continue to apologize but stay firm.
Long story short, we sold the instrument for about $900 more and in an effort to clear my business conscience I sent him a snail mail apology letter with a $200 check. Never heard from him again and I was at peace with the issue.
Great photos. That looks like a bonsai tree on the table, maybe he’s nurturing seeds in a pot?
I’m curious, why didn’t you price this mega high with best offer like you usually do? It’s very possible you left another 1k on the table. Note the four players bidding in the last few minutes of the auction. After the buzz that was created after the first sale, maybe deep research and consultation would’ve been the way to go?
Re: color perception and nuance, photograph item next to a plain white piece of printer paper to give the potential buyer perspective on true color. Most people intuitively know the shade of printer paper and it will help with different monitor types and settings.
Brian, unfortunately the auction items you just listed are likely all fakes. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but having read your contributions to this site you seem like a stand up guy and a good seller. You might want to reconsider the descriptions and pricing.
Please cite your source(s) for these stats. It’s always interesting to dig deeper to see if the numbers are agenda driven or just raw facts. Thanks.
I only do eBay, shows, flea markets, private sales (no amazon) and As a rule of thumb, you net AFTER tax roughly 50% – give or take 5%. Schedule SE is always a 2×4 to the tickly bits.
And don’t forget to contribute to your retirement fund every month, what ever form it takes.
Mike, that basement snake had no business coming at you like he did, but….
He’s right, that is a fantasy piece. Not worth much unfortunately. I would be wary of your auction house and auctioneer. Back in the wild west days of the 1990’s when everyone was going to be an internet millionaire via ebay and numerous other online auction sites, on site auctions were packed and prices sky rocketed, at least in my neck of the woods. Many auctioneers, I hate to say, started to salt their sales with this … garbage …. and duped many unaware buyers. Glass, porcelain, advertising, cast iron, etc… it became an epidemic.
One very good site to get a working knowledge of the continuing problem is:
https://www.realorrepro.com/ Be careful out there.On Facebook there is a Studio Pottery Appreciation & Identification group that has been helpful to me in the past.
Nanisdad – I was just going to suggest the same thing. Find out if there are any Postal Contract Units near you. I think you can do a search on the USPS site by zip code. Like mentioned above a PCU will give you an ‘Acceptance’ scan and take your package to hold until the USPS truck picks up either same or next day. Mine is awesome as well, it’s main business is hardware and lumber, open 7 am til 6 pm.
