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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
 Posted - 03/16/2004 : 19:36:05
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This really shouldn't be necessary, and all but one of the buyers/traders I've dealt with have been more than gracious about everything, but since I got one stinker out of the bunch, here's a tip that will unfortunately probably insult the vast majority of you but sadly will enlighten a few.
I recently sold someone a few Calgary tickets through this forum. She was totally nice at first -- then when we started talking details, she became a completely different person. Now keep in mind, sellers on fb.net are doing something almost unheard of. They are re-selling tickets to complete strangers for zero profit. Why? Because they want to diminish the success of scalpers, and they want to feel like they provided a fellow die-hard Pixies fan the sort of fair price on tickets they would never find on eBay. I know, it's obvious.
So this person, at some point started asking lots of questions -- which at first was fine, she needed to be protective of herself, but at some point it got out of hand. The kind words and thanks disappeared completely, replaced by a barrage of e-mails asking how she can know she wouldn't get screwed. I played along without complaining. Finally, we worked out the transaction, I got the payment in the mail, only it included a very lovely legally-binding letter:
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Re: PIXIES TICKETS
Dear David,
Enclosed is $146.75 Canadian money order for "3 PIXIES TICKETS" for Calgary at MacEwan Hall on April 19, 2004.
I expect there (sic) 3 tickets fully intact, and in no way a fraud or unpresentable at the door to the above mentioned event.
Please respond to this message by sending me the tickets, a delivery tracking number, and an e-mail confirming the receival (sic) of this payment immediately I have copy of this note.
Your attention to this order is highly appreciated (oh wait, she did thank me after all! sort of)
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And that was it. No "hey, thanks again for helping a Pixies fan out, this really means a lot to me " ... nothing even resembling a human touch, just a letter that reads like it was written by a robot rather than an excited Pixies fan. Why I didn't take exception at this point, I don't know. As badly as I wanted this transaction to go 100% swiftly and smoothly from this point so she might possibly feel the slightest twinge of guilt for treating me like some criminal, unfortunately (read my thread regarding FedEx international shipments) FedEx sent her an unexpected invoice for $75 to cover import duty fees (which of course I would not collect a cent of).
I never got a thank-you for sending her the tickets she apparently wanted so badly, either before or after that invoice was received. Instead, without even confirming that the tickets did arrive intact, or expressing any excitement whatsoever that she is SEEING THE PIXIES FOR CHRISSAKES, today I get this e-mail:
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I just got an email from my dad saying that FedEx mailed an invoice for me to pay an extra $75. Some for GST and another some for brokerage. This was not included in your e-mails for the total cost of the package. Sorry, but I'm not going to pay for it, it's an outrage.
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And yes, that was the entire e-mail. And don't forget, even if you tack on the $75 (which I have dutifully offered to pay myself), she is somehow forgetting how awesome of a deal she's getting here.
After all is said and done, just this one bad experience has me feeling like hey, screw it, I should just leave the ticket distribution to the scalpers. Okay, I don't fully believe that, but one more experience like this one and I may go over the edge. But if I were running a business, making a profit, I would understand this sort of treatment, a little bit. But come on, people. In case you haven't figured it out by now (again, I know 99% of you have) ... these people are doing you a FAVOR.
I mean ... I've now lost $60US on this one transaction.
I'm not trying to scare sellers from helping people out ... trust me, there's probably like one lemon in a batch of 100, I just happened to find it ... but please Pixies fans, don't forget treat us with some degree of kindness, it will definitely be appreciated and remind us that we're doing something good here. |
Edited by - roomloo on 03/17/2004 10:19:37 |
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mattb
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
474 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2004 : 20:16:39
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That's fucking hillarious. This reminds me of the bullshit I'm going through with my last buyer who seems to be coming up with any excuse to not pay. Like you Roomloo I don't understand this logic. I'm using my time and efforts to help fans out and 99% of them have given me no problem but it amazes me how the 1% can just fuck everything up for you. It's not like I'm asking for swooning over the fact that I'm selling them tickets for a price that is practically giving them away for free given the demand but I expect full respect and promptness with payment form a supposed pixies fan. If the tables were reversed I would pay immediately and try as hard as possible to accomodate the seller as much as possible. Is that too much to ask?
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http://www.geocities.com/kittridge1/ |
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kromkamp
= Cult of Ray =
291 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2004 : 21:17:16
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I'm not sure why you guys arent just getting cash in hand first. Like any buyer/seller transaction, the buyer pays for it and then the seller ships it, right?
roomloo, as a canadian myself I know the pain of customs brokerage fees. Still, I also know its not the shippers fault, and I would never expect the shipper to pay them. If this buyer doesnt want to pay them, let her ship the tickets back and follow up with Fedex to get the customs fees reversed. Not your problem.
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Edited by - kromkamp on 03/16/2004 21:22:15 |
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DeBased
- FB Fan -
USA
118 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2004 : 21:28:42
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That's terrible! I've never encountered import duty on stuff I've bought, though. Ticketmaster Canada sent my tickets to the states and I didn't have an import fee. Lately I've had stuff sent to me from England and Austraila too. No duties. That really sucks!
the method...of stop tap spin, no talkin'... |
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marbleslinger
- FB Fan -
Canada
134 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2004 : 22:12:23
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yeah thats bullshit roomloo, i wouldnt pay that tax for her, it wasnt your fault or oversight, it is what happens in commerce over the border, sometimes customs lays in their tax, and that tax is the buyers responsibility, and yeah, you guys should def get the money in hand, and if the buyer isnt satisfied tell em to fuck off, there are lots of more respectful pixies fans here who would love the opportunity for face value tickets, like me hahahhaha
i was talkin to peachy peach about kissy kiss |
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marbleslinger
- FB Fan -
Canada
134 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2004 : 22:14:52
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btw, even though i was too late to get in on the ticket sharing threads for most of the shows, i think its super cool that you guys organized that, and took time to try and coordinate things with only the intention to help other fans without any personal gain, so word up roomloo, don't give up cuz of the few lemons, the rest of us really appreciate the effort...
aaron
i was talkin to peachy peach about kissy kiss |
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prozacrat
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1186 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2004 : 23:26:44
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I second that. I am unbelievably grateful for the two tickets I was able to get through this forum (the check's in the mail, Ben!). Who knows what makes a buyer act like that. A bit of it could be the horror stories about people getting screwed over by scalpers, and she just wanted to be precautious. That doesn't explain all of it, but I'm glad you were able to handle it like an adult. And besides, when all is said and done, we're going to see the Pixies. Does anything else really matter after that? 
"And her head has no room." |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2004 : 23:51:52
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I should mention that the buyer did first try to make an arrangement where I would send her the tickets before she sent the payment, but I didn't bite. I'm only out the $60 because I offered to pay the duty fees. I did get the cash in hand before I sent any tickets.
If I knew all this ahead of time, I would have either sent USPS or tacked the fees onto her price (hey, her first e-mail was all "I have more money than other Pixies fans, I'll pay more!" ... I'd think I'd get a little leeway here). I'm just paying the price for being a very generous, but somewhat naive and inexperienced, ticket seller.
She really did sound excited and appreciative at first ... even pretty accommodating and reasonable, so I don't want to make her out to be a total bitch ... it just seemed like 4-5 e-mails into the discourse some inhuman persona who was all business and no longer excited about the Pixies took over her e-mail account and I had no choice but to give her the benefit of the doubt. I figured the gleeful Pixies fan would re-surface in the end and I'd be reminded that I had done something good for the world, but I was way too optimistic. |
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bobo plenty
- FB Fan -
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 00:00:36
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| I've sent lots of stuff international (Canada and all over Europe) and the only time I've run into these types of fees is when a value is declared on the shipment. All countries have import duties on the declared value of goods shipped into their countries. Without a declared value the most fexex and ups will generally rebate on a lost shipment is US100 which is about the face value of the tickets in question. |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 00:06:56
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| There's the rub, I guess. The import duty, I think, should be based on the official retail price of the tickets. However, insurance should be able to cover the cost to replace them. With most goods, these are one in the same. With Pixies tickets, you're just plain screwed. Insurance isn't absolutely necessary, because the chances of the shipment ever being lost is microscopic, but I think most of us would agree that it's pretty important to have that peace of mind considering the worst case scenario. And if the worst case does arise, a face value reimbursement won't help you much. |
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marbleslinger
- FB Fan -
Canada
134 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 00:49:38
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yeah i get stuff from the states all the time, and get dinged with gst taxes and brokerage all the time, ups, fedex, and purolator still send me silly bills for fees they are trying to charge me long down the line....
i ordered $175US worth of glass materials from oregon, and had to pay the ups guy 75$cnd(@$60US) to get my package...that tax and brokers fee was like 1/3 of the total i paid for the materials being shipped in the first place....
anyway, i definitely cant call the company and complain, but the ups guy told me to send ups ground, and i wont get dinged....
aaron
i was talkin to peachy peach about kissy kiss |
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SelfEscape
- FB Fan -
83 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 01:08:10
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| Ugh, wow roomloo, that's a really "fun" thing to have happen. I can say along with pretty much everyone else I think that we greatly appreciate your helping to set all of this up. I do feel like somewhat of a jerk because I ended up telling Havalina I didnt want my tickets to Winnipeg anymore because i managed to get ripped off on ebay for minneapolis tickets and my gf refuses to drive to winnipeg too since we're going to minneapolis(its only 80 miles compared to 550). Didn't think I had a chance in hell on here because there were so few :( Anyway with all the costs of driving up there and hotel minneapolis ended up being a lot cheaper. I was trying to find a way to still get to the winnipeg show at least by myself and give someone a free ticket and gas, food etc so I didnt let roomloo(who i originally talked to about the ticket)or havalina know about it asap though it was just a few days later. I already apologized to Havalina in a email and roomloo im sorry about it too, its not as big a deal as what that girl did but I feel terrible about it anyway so please accept my apology. |
Edited by - SelfEscape on 03/17/2004 02:11:17 |
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_swerve
- FB Fan -
Canada
11 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 04:09:30
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Please accept my apology. But I'm sure you'll read all about it..
I'm really not a bitch. Just a little too excited with the business aspect. And yes.. horror stories. Plenty. First hand. |
Edited by - _swerve on 03/17/2004 04:33:30 |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 05:32:10
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To everyone concerned ... she did write me a really nice e-mail explaining things, there aren't really any hard feelings, and there was a reason I didn't include her name in this thread in the first place: I didn't want to drag anyone's name through the mud and give a person a bad rap, I just wanted to put up a nameless example of what a buyer shouldn't do when dealing with sellers on here. So my original post stands, even if this particular person has been really nice about it in the end and it doesn't really apply to my feelings about her anymore ... so even if that example were purely hypothetical, buyers, do NOT do that to your sellers :)
Going back onto the advice thing, buyers, a lot of things she did you should all not feel discouraged from doing. I'm not going to generalize here and say each and every person on this forum is bona fide and is certified to never screw a person over. Do be protective. Even include a legally binding letter if you feel it necessary. But if you do so, soften it with another letter assuring the seller that they're doing a nice thing for you that you do appreciate ... because remember that the one and only thing we're getting out of this is the feeling that we've done the right thing and are making someone's Pixies life a little better, and it's hard to get that feeling when you're treated exclusively with skepticism. A little skepticism is fine ... just keep it balanced. |
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mattb
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
474 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 16:55:37
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quote:
Originally posted by kromkamp
I'm not sure why you guys arent just getting cash in hand first. Like any buyer/seller transaction, the buyer pays for it and then the seller ships it, right?
Oh, I'm not shipping wihtout getting payment first. It's just that people were dicking me around about paying in the first place.
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http://www.geocities.com/kittridge1/ |
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shineoftheever
> Teenager of the Year <
Canada
4307 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 17:47:41
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soooooo....... can anyone sell me a ticket to either of the vanouver shows? please and thank you. i am very polite and i work for a courier company so i can send a driver to pick up with cash in hand. this is called a "return delivery". and, yeah, it was the declared value that cost the money dude.
"My upbringing gets me down" |
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porkbone1
= Cult of Ray =
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 18:29:26
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Typical Porkbone non-sequitor post:
People seem to complain the most when you give them favors. I don't know why this is, but it reminds me of when I used to work for a hotel that had free breakfast. If you have ever stayed at the Embassy Suites, you know the free breakfast I am talking about. They have fucking EVERYTHING. Eggs, pancakes, french toast, sausage, bacon, 3 kinds of cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels, muffins, etc. etc. etc.. I have stayed in many hotels and have yet to see a free breakfast as good as the one they serve.
BUT People used to complain all the time! Why don't you have my kind of cereal? Why don't you have this other type of fruit? Why do you stop serving breakfast at 10:30 (doesn't everybody - including McDonalds?)... every day we had people bitching. I could never figure it out. It's FREE! Just EAT and shut up! Haven't you ever stayed at a normal hotel and eaten the sorry free breakfasts?
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If I had not been able to get tickets to Winnipeg, and someone hooked me up, I would be eternally grateful. In fact, someone is helping me with tickets to Minneapolis, and I don't even know how to express my gratitude. Even if they said shipping was 75 bucks, I would say, "Wow that seems like a lot, but thanks for everything you have done. Here is the money."
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The joke has come upon me |
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swfc69
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
16 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2004 : 05:34:07
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Yep, people can be pricks.
Regarding the moaning cow from Canada, I would advise you to pay for a ticket to fly to her country, break into her house, take the tickets back and then invoice her for the flight, etc. Then poo on her carpet. Or is it just me that thinks that way?
An abstract mouse |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2004 : 07:02:07
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| Nah, she's nice. |
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_swerve
- FB Fan -
Canada
11 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2004 : 17:34:17
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Just you..
Needs Calgary tickets for the Pixies. :\ |
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Tip for buyers re: politeness
