Weird, confusing messages from bid retractor claiming I stole their photos

[marmots._8]

I really hope someone can help me with this, I am new to eBay and a bit concerned about how to proceed with this.  

I listed a Crown Derby plate that I have had in a cuboard for years as an auction and fairly quickly received an offer for the item.  It has a few lookers so I thought I would wait to see if I got a better offer.  

Then the offer was retracted.  No problem as the item is competitively priced. 

Then the retractor messaged me thus;

Hi, I can see this is security coded is that your coding on it TN2, @@@ -
Please let me know, also I can see its a second quality item, not a first...
Also I can see it has faults which is not as described so I have retracted my bid, due to not being able to contact you after I bid on it 4 seconds after you listed it, please let me know if that is your security code anyway, thank you - regards

I was confused by this.  I don't know what a "security coding" is.  Also it is my understanding that Crown Derby seconds are marked with a line through the backstamp.  

I replied that I did not understand and asked for clarification.  The messages got increasingly strange with the person threatening to call the police on me and accusing me of lying and stealing their photos from a previous auction.  Am I allowed to post their message here?  How on earth do I respond to these messages?  

I told them I would ask the experts at the cermaics boards for avice and they were very sneery and accused me of lying about the board existing.  

This was not the introduction to eBay selling I was hoping for but am doing my best to not get cross with this person.  

I took the photos myself a few days ago and have no concerns about them calling the police and said so.

The alleged security code is TN2

Ca anyone see TN2 anywhere on my listing for the Crown Derby plate?  What on earth does this seller mean?  Should I invite them to the boards to join the conversation?  

I would very much appreciate any help 

Thanks 

[four_mid_able]

Ignore and block.

[marmots._8]

Thank you so much

How do I block them? 

[four_mid_able]

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/setting-buyer-requirements?id=...

[marmots._8]

Thank you so much

I have blocked them but they definitely have a been in their bonnet about my plate 

The messages would have been hilarious had they not been so ranty and threatening 

Thanks again :🙂

[marmots._8]

I was just wondering whether the fact that I used the AI option to describe the plate could have caused this person to be so mistrusting?

I am new to all of this and clicked on the AI option as I am keen to list items quickly before Christmas.   I did not use it as it was, just took a couple of sentences and wrote the rest myself.

It was very effective on 2 ceramic items but awful on a book I have scheduled to auction, where it took the subject as a book about trees rather than the fantasy story it actually is.  

Could the AI have lifted text from another seller's listings? 

If the AI is going to generate mistrust I will stop using it

Also this person talked about their father in law who is the real expert in Crown Derby and said they have thousands of followers.  

So I checked some of the main listers of Crown Derby and even the seconds sell for much more than my plate is listed for.  I know very little about Crown Derby and just listed the plate as a bit less than a similar looking plate sold for at auction.  

I am wondering whether I should change my listing to an auction with a 99p start, that way all the experts can look and bid based on their knowledge of Crown Derby.  I might get less for the plate or I might get significantly more.  

I don't mind too much really I just don't want any drama in my life right now 🤣

I have blocked the person who was contacting me, who has feedback of 3 and have recently set up their account.  

I would very much appreciate any thoughts and advice, especially around the AI option for listings 

Thanks again 🙂

[papso22]

That member seems to have mental health issues, pay no attention to them. 

Don't rely on the AI,  it's pretty poor. 

Only ever start auctions at the lowest you are prepared to sell the item for.  A 99p start price will lose you money if it sells for that. 

[marmots._8]

Thank you 

I strongly suspect that you may be right about the mental health issues.  

I would never rely on the AI without checking for accuracy, but I did like some aspects of it and would use it with caution as long as I can be sure it is not just copying text from other sellers.  

I have been working on various scheduled listings and taken time to write my own descriptions.   Will the AI just lift elements of my text and feed it into the listings of other sellers?

I am genuinely curious as, apart from anythng else I do not want to suspect other sellers of taking my work if they have merely used the AI tool 

I am curious as to whether the AI works to promote or to reduce trust on eBay and in the world generally 

I am an artist and it is an issue in the arts world at the moment in so many ways 

[steve19620_13]

Hi

Having read through the issue now and the very helpful comments you have received, all I can say, from a personal point of view is to ignore AI, your listing description should be personal to you and the item you are selling, kept simple and truthful, the photos you take will generally 'speak' more about the item than cold text.

Please do not worry about other sellers using some of your descriptive comments for your items, take it as a compliment, I've had this done to me many times, I don't mind at all, and it generally puts a smile on my face knowing how good my listing was.

And remember to do your research pre listing, whether it's auction or buy it now, and have a figure in mind what you want/need to achieve after fees.

All the best for your future sales.

[marmots._8]

Thank you so much for the reply 

It is quite nerve shredding as a new seller with a lot to learn and I really apprecite the help 

😊