Q&A: Are off-site sales a good idea, or probably a scam?
QUESTION: Why do so many people contact me to ask whether I will do a private sale? They see a book I have listed on Amazon, Alibris, or ABE, and then they want to buy it from me directly with a money order, check, or PayPal. They will say they don't like to buy things using the computer (so they email me about something they saw online?) or that they don't have an account with Amazon. I would rather sell via a site for the protection it offers me, but am I just turning away good money, or are these folks more likely to be scammers?
ANSWER: I used to get those types of inquiries all the time when I first started selling, and I rarely get them anymore. So that makes me suspicious that at least some of the people who ask for off-site deals are up to no good. I would be very concerned about getting a counterfeit check or ending up in some other type of scam. When you get paid via Amazon Payments, you don't have those worries.
I really have a hard time believing anyone nowadays who says they're scared to buy on the Internet. If they don't want to buy on the Internet, then they should shop only at brick-and-mortar stores, if you ask me. Perhaps the reason they don't "want" to buy online is because they're broke and all their credit cards have been cancelled.
It's entirely possible that some of these people aren't scammers, they're just cheapskates. They think you'll offer them a great deal when you don't have to pay a commission to Amazon, Half, or someone else. But personally, I'm not willing to go out of my way for them, just to eliminate a dollar or two in commission. I don't think it's worth the aggravation.
The other thing, of course, is that Amazon and all the selling venues prohibit off-site deals. So while it's probably unlikely, there's always the chance that somebody asking for an off-site deal would end up reporting you. Again, it's a risk I'm not willing to take.
I'm curious to know if other sellers have had good or bad experiences with off-site deals.
ANSWER: I used to get those types of inquiries all the time when I first started selling, and I rarely get them anymore. So that makes me suspicious that at least some of the people who ask for off-site deals are up to no good. I would be very concerned about getting a counterfeit check or ending up in some other type of scam. When you get paid via Amazon Payments, you don't have those worries.
I really have a hard time believing anyone nowadays who says they're scared to buy on the Internet. If they don't want to buy on the Internet, then they should shop only at brick-and-mortar stores, if you ask me. Perhaps the reason they don't "want" to buy online is because they're broke and all their credit cards have been cancelled.
It's entirely possible that some of these people aren't scammers, they're just cheapskates. They think you'll offer them a great deal when you don't have to pay a commission to Amazon, Half, or someone else. But personally, I'm not willing to go out of my way for them, just to eliminate a dollar or two in commission. I don't think it's worth the aggravation.
The other thing, of course, is that Amazon and all the selling venues prohibit off-site deals. So while it's probably unlikely, there's always the chance that somebody asking for an off-site deal would end up reporting you. Again, it's a risk I'm not willing to take.
I'm curious to know if other sellers have had good or bad experiences with off-site deals.
Labels: payments
posted by Steve Weber at 1/09/2007
5 Comments:
I've had a person asking me to sell the book after the eBay auction ended (with no sale). She said that she put me on a watch and missed the end of auction. I went ahead with transaction. The amount was small(<$8), and the topic of the book was religious/ethical, so I figured it would be the wrong book to scam on. I received the e-mail from her about 2 weeks later -- she got the book and was happy with it.
I sold a book via Paypal to a guy in Singapore who said Amazon wouldn't accept Singapore credit card payments. I still don't quite get that, but I did enough research to see he wasn't making it up. So if Amazon wouldn't allow the sale, why not go around them? Didn't have any problems.
Steve: You say "it's a risk I'm not willing to take."
Well, it's not just a cost-benefit analysis. It's just plain wrong.
It violates our contract with Amazon, which means it also violates the law, which upholds the validity of contracts.
If the buyer finds you through whatever site brought you together, then we owe the site their share.
As for anonymous #2, if Amazon doesn't allow the sale then you can't sell it. Period. Wait for a buyer Amazon allows. Or else list your book on another site.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but when we signed up we accepted the rules. If we don't like the rules,
then we take our marbles and play elsewhere. But we can't simply "go around them" to make an extra buck or two.
George, you are right. I should have stated my position more clearly: Even if you came across a situation where a one-off sale isn't in violation of any of your agreements with sales venues, I still believe it's not worth the trouble or risk. Special negotiations for routine transactions are just a waste of time, in my opinion.
Now, if you have your own Web site where you're selling books, that's another kettle of fish -- sellers can deal with hagglers as much as they please. Still, if you're selling at fixed prices it's not a good idea to negotiate with individual customers, if you ask me.
I remember getting at least two solicitations like this. One person wanted me to sell a $35 book for $20, including shipping to Mexico. Of course I said no--besides it being against the rules, it would have been like selling the book for $10. The book sold for full price a month or so later.
I get people trying to haggle with me more than I get trying to solicit an off-site sale. But even that is pretty rare.
I take the time to say no, but I leave it at that. Plenty of people are willing to pay the listed price for my books, so there's not much point in wasting a lot of time with these people. It's much better to spend time packing and shipping legitimate sales, and finding more good books.
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