Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Strange question, but I find a number of my clients like to correspond after the event.  Once they've bought an item which they're happy with - normally a puzzle in my case, they're quite happy to send you back a snippet about themselves like: "I enjoy doing puzzles and normally sit with Tiddles on my lap doing them after watching Coronation Street.."  So sweet, so you feel obliged to reply with a few lines about yourself, and before you know it, you've got a penfriend who'll happily natter away for hours.Smiley Happy  I feel happy for them, because they've "met" somebody new.  As long as you don't drop your guard by mentioning the fact that you're going away on the 6th. June for a week, I see no harm in it.  Play your cards right, some dear little old lady might actually decide to leave you her collection of Capo Di Montes  Smiley LOL Although I say that in jest, sadly there are jackals out there who'll befriend the aged purely with that in mind.Smiley Sad  The one thing I always do,  is delete their messages for diplomatic/security reasons.  What they say to me in confidence remains confidential.  Do you correspond or do you find yourself too busy?

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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Hmm, not normally, but a couple of months ago, we sent some candlestick phones to someone, so they could have them brought over to their freinds new bar in Barbados that they were setting up.... cue several photo's of the bar and beach area Smiley Surprised Few messages regarding the phones later, we receive more pics of the bar, with the phones, the beach area.... Smiley Surprised Smiley Surprised Another message regarding the phones... yup, more pics, of the bar, group of people, of the guy who bought the phones, supping a glass of rum with the missus and the pal Smiley Surprised Smiley Surprised Smiley Surprised Smiley Surprised

 

A weird sale... but I got some nice pics of the Barbados sands and clear waters and one is now my computer's desktop image Smiley Very Happy

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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

I would find something like that quite bizarre!!!

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"I am made entirely of flaws stitched together with good intentions"
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Message 3 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Obviously satisfied customersSmiley Happy  Don't let your guard drop, though.  You don't really know who you're dealing with on the other end of an email address, especially in Barbados!Smiley LOL  I'd be a bit wary Smiley Indifferent The old saying beware of the Greek who comes laden with gifts springs to mind.  Set a sprat to catch a mackerel?  

 

I once had a penfriend in Malta - in less than two months she said that she'd like to come across to the UK and settle down etc. etc.  I could see her intentions a mile away.  She even told me how to move money around.  I would have had a ready family at seventeen with a three year old child clinging on to my leg!  Alarm bells rang loud and clear!

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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

I have become cyber friendly with a couple of folk I have bought from...
Message 5 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Why 'especially Barbados', the Bajans are lovely people.So friendly & helpful, yet you're depicting them as coming from some scam country. Having been there loads of times nothing could be further from the truth
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Only once but then I don't sell very often. I had listed a silver item listing the marks on it and a lady contacted me to say - very nicely - that she thought one of the marks didn't appear to be right. We both delved deeper and it turned out she was right. By "chatting" we discovered we both collected and had similar collection interests, so I helped her out by identifying a couple of items which she then sold on at a good profit!  Smiley Happy

 

My buyers tend to be very pleasant and are normally quite chatty because I sell in a small specialised area and they too are collectors.

 

 

 

 

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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Last year, I bid for some garden furniture for my summer house, described as 'vintage'. I won it for 99p.  It wasn't too far away, so my local removals guy went and  got it for me and when it came it was lovely.  Kinda Conran/Habitat 70s.  

 

I emailed the seller and said I could not possibly take it for 99p and she told me it had belonged to her Mum and she had made the seat covers.  Anyway, I sent her a cheque and she sent me a lovely letter, with photos, of where they lived (they have horses and lots of land), she had bought roses and planted them in memory of her Mum, wasn't that nice?  We keep in touch by snail mail every couple of months, she's horse mad and is the one encouraging me to go to Arizona, which is great.  I always look forward to opening her mail.

 

Barbados - I have never been, but my Dad has and he describes it as Gina does, and he has always said if he won the lottery that is where he would go, buy a little house and lie on the beach all day and says the people are magic.  **waves to Gina ** XX.

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Nobody told me there'd be days like these,
Nobody told me there'd be days like these,
Strange days indeed, strange days indeed,
Most peculiar Mamma.....................................
Message 8 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Hi Carol.Woman Happy I know a couple who went there on holiday, found jobs & never came back! Can't be bad can it!!! 

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"I am made entirely of flaws stitched together with good intentions"
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Message 9 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Hiya M. - yup, if I ever sell this bleedin flat, it is one place I'd like to go.  I might not come back either!!!!  Oh for some decent sunshine.

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Nobody told me there'd be days like these,
Nobody told me there'd be days like these,
Strange days indeed, strange days indeed,
Most peculiar Mamma.....................................
Message 10 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Been there loads of times????  Lucky girl Smiley SurprisedSmiley SurprisedSmiley Surprised  Business must be good!Smiley LOL

 

Had it been italy I would have warned her about the Italian Lotharios Or Spain about their hot bloody young men paying absurd flattery to naive middle aged ladies etc.  Barely a week goes by without some woman's magazine running a story of  "I thought he really loved me, but all he wanted was to use me as a ticket to the UK - I've spent all my money on him, and now he's deserted me.  Not even my family want to know me after the fool I've made of myself.  Oh, woe is me"  That type of drivel.   

 

There are scores of paradise islands such as Bali, Penang, Sumatra etc.  I didn't single out Barbados.  Why should I?  I've never even been there.  All I'm saying is be on your guard - look at my case - what started offf as a straight pen friendship soon eculated to where she was telling me what her intentions were in no uncertain terms.  Idle flattery comes easy.  You may as well say why do people make jokes about dumb blondes from Essex?

Message 11 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

I think you'll find that it's not blokes from Spain.They belong to the EU & can come & go as they please. It's non EU that use women for this. I see it so often in my job.
And, I think you'll find that you did single out Barbados.
By the way, my going loads of times isn't down to luck, it's down to sheer hard work & sacrificing other things (I don't drink or smoke) to be able to afford it. No luck involved.
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Message 12 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Alright, so I got it wrong - on Italy, Spain the EU and I singled out Barbados if you want to split hairs - and dumb blondes in Essex, and God knows what else you want to trip me up on! 

OK - so I'm a fool - NOW are you happy?

 

I'M NOT WALKING ON GLASS FOR YOUR BENEFIT! Smiley Mad

 

 

Message 13 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Fred, you don't need to walk on glass for anyone. What you should perhaps do is stop talking carp, integrate yourself into the 21st century and google misogynist. I appreciate you have 'old fashioned values' but you also only seem to keep the worst ones
Message 14 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

This is FHG, yet we don't really hear about Mrs. Fred? You tell us you don't socialise? So why go on forums? Don't know how your garden grows Fred?
Message 15 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

You think I should stop talking "Carp" do you, even though I'm the one who started the thread?  That's rich.  Perhaps I could improve on that, and stop talking altogether - would that keep everybody happy?  I don't need to look up the word misogynist in the dictionary.  If you want to become my personal Flying Dutchman, following me around and nit picking every third word I write on the web, you've obviously got a great deal of time on your hands.  MOST people on FHG are quite happy to take me as I am, warts and all, but of course, not all.  I don't know what a man hater is, if there is such a word - perhaps you can enlighten me.  Thinks... interesting thread, that - how many people here hate men and put them down at the first opportunity?

Methinks you've got too much time on your hands.

Message 16 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

You don't hear much about Mrs. Fred?  You won't! Smiley Very Happy  The computer is my domain - I'm the talkative one.   

Message 17 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Ugg, not sure many would take on warts!

Don't worry about my time, it's free x
Message 18 of 23
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

this board is becoming a bit unfriendly  towards you fred  Smiley Indifferent

I mean my dear mum comes out with stuff tooSmiley Very Happy but we tend to ignore it lol old age and ignorance

 but picking at some one for the sake of it because there are a tad over opinioned  it a bit harsh 

and btw I am not a man hater either Smiley Wink

Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away.
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Do your eBay sales "develop" into anything?

Well said! C'mon Fred roll with the punches will all get em from time to time! & I'm not a man hater either. lol.




**********Sam**********
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