Kill with kindness. . .

OK. . . maybe it's because 'tis the season. . . or I was in an exceptionally good mood, or the chocolate truffles were kicking in. . .WHATEVER the reason--I decided to BE NICE and PLAY FAIR with this situation--and dear hubby said this was 'blog worthy' so I'm posting it here for your perusal and enjoyment. . .

Here's the story:

I sell stuff on Amazon as well as eBay and take pride in my quality items and excellent customer service. (OK--that was a shameless plug, but so be it--IT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!) Anyway. . . I had an apparently rare CD listed on Amazon that was in MINT condition, it had been opened and never played and I described it as such and listed it several months ago in about the 'middle of the pack' as far as pricing goes, since mine was in better shape than any of the others listed. (in other words, mine wasn't the LOWEST priced, nor the HIGHEST--but like baby bear in the Goldilocks story. . . 'just right!')

OK--so move forward to today--and I get this LOVELY inquiry from a potential buyer:

I will copy and paste it here without any incriminating evidence of who this lovely person was:

"I'm interested in your CD but I have serious reservations. Why would you foolishly price your CD for less than half the price of the other sellers yet claim it's in better condition? That doesn't make sense. Seriously, what's really wrong with it?"

OK--just to make mention here that I've sold hundreds and hundreds of items on Amazon and have 100% satisfaction feedback rating to date. . . and I was a little 'miffed' by the tone and the accusation of this question. . . but I always take a deep breath (and a Valium) before I send off a hasty retort. . . sooooooo I went back to look at the 'item in question' and sure enough! My CD was now HALF the price of all the other CDs!

Well, spank my bottom and call me Rosy! I quickly priced it to match all the other sellers---so now it was DOUBLE the price---and then I wrote back this VERY NICE e-mail to the 'potential buyer' which I will share with you here. Because this is a valuable business tip for all of you who must work with the 'general public'. . .

Note: You cannot outright KILL them--it's still against the law in most states. But you CAN be overly kind, which is sometimes just as good.

Here is my response, which my dear hubby calls 'A CLASSIC' and one for the record books---as well as required reading for all Business 101 majors. I will copy and paste it for you here:

"Hi!

I appreciate your concern and question when buying a rare CD of value. I would be happy to answer your question. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the CD--it is exactly as I stated in the description.

When I listed it several months ago--there were quite a few that were priced in the same price point range that I had my copy listed for. So it did not seem so 'foolishly priced' as you put it, at the time. (Mine was not the lowest priced at that time, either.)

But apparently now, that I have gone back and looked---it does seem ridiculous compared to the other sellers' price points. So I have made proper adjustments.

Thank you for pointing out to me my error. Perhaps now mine will sell, since it no longer seems 'too good to be true.'

There are those nice folks, such as yourself who point out discrepancies and like to buy at true value---and there are those who will sit back and say nothing and just snatch up those good deals and get away with a steal when they can. I am so glad you are one of the former.

I'm a collector and have bought a truly magnificent collection of interesting as well as rare CDs and items over the years--and do this to help supplement my family's income---so I am not always quite so savvy about pricing.

Thank you very much for the tip--and have a great holiday season."

That was my response! WONDER WHAT HE NOW THINKS????

It looks to be a promising season of buying and selling this year FOR SURE! And all the 'nice folk' are coming out of the woodwork to do their annual mayhem.

I hope I can survive this season--and as Tiny Tim would say: 'God bless us, everyone!'