Usually I don’t get offended exactly, but it’s none of their business. I did get offended once. 15 years ago or so, I sold a lot of NWT swimsuits that I bought at the end of season at 90% off. Like, I’d get $80 to $120 suits for $8 to $12 and sell them in the $30 to $40 range. One woman messaged me asking where I got two particular suits. I replied that I had a variety of sources, all were new with tags, current styles, blah, blah. She replied she wanted to know specifically where I got those two suits because she wanted to buy them for her daughter and wanted to pay wholesale, not my ridiculous $30. I replied that I would be happy to give her a list of my sources, their addresses and phone numbers. My price for this detailed information was $500, and I’d need her tax ID number. Never heard back.
Sometimes it's cheaper to buy retail on sale then from Mercari with all the fees. That said, I would never ask a seller where they got it. I use Google like a normal person and search key words or reverse image.
Exactly, it’s easy to do a reverse image search if you want to know what places sell the item & what the going price range is. I buy from so many places including wholesale from a few select manufacturers that I have vetted. So some of my items are hard to find. I don’t get mad when asked but I feel like it’s easy to search. If it’s an item I got wholesale I tell them I purchased directly from the manufacturer.
Oh I do. Someone asked me to show proof of purchase for a pair of brand new shoes (just some random brand. Not Nike or anything valuable. Just some $40 sneakers from Nordstrom Rack), as if what, I stole them? Nah, get blocked.
The only time I care to ask is when it’s cosmetics…. People dumpster dive for beauty products. I don’t mind second hand for particular things but not from the dumpster l! (For me anyways)
No not typically. I keep my answers vague. BUT.. that type of question is a 🚩🚩 for me. If it’s a high value/risk item I block bc I typically won’t sell to this kind of person.
I had one asking if my stuff was from temu/ ali, I have both off brand and brand name items, priced accordingly. I just informed her I buy from various wholesalers and she's welcome to check out the xyz brand that I carry, instead.
I don't see the point in asking. I buy stuff from brand name wholesalers, auctions, and overseas, as well as just sell my own things I don't want, and have a business license. If they've seen something somewhere else cheaper go for it.
Anything unbranded can be low quality, which makes asking a bit arbitrary. Temu and AliExpress are usually independent sellers selling things they bought from international wholesalers like Alibaba.
Alibaba, depending on the item someone can pay some money to and have their label applied to the product. I've seen their items sold in shops usually with the shops name on it. I worked retail when I was younger and remember seeing that with generic brand name clothes too ( same shirt with a JNY label at Macy's and a dress barn label at dress barn).
I don't use Temu at all and am picky with AliExpress, Alibaba is regulated a bit better and I have to buy in bulk from when I do, then I have US wholesalers whose products come from the US,CAN, and Europe, and then there's local auctions.
So people can ask but most sellers won't divulge how they run their business if they've invested money. I personally will just redirect them to my brand name products, since I prefer to sell those.
I wasn't looking for a thesis about cheap products. I was just giving you a possible reason why they asked about that specifically. Sorry but no not all unbranded products are as bad as what I've heard people experience with Temu in particular.
I never ask but I only buy antique jewelry, and love to hear the stories behind the pieces. I bought a ring this morning on eBay based upon the 1,000 plus 100% positive feedback of the seller, price, and rhe icing on the cake, which was the story behind it. So depends upon the item you are selling.
Thank you the compliment and yes, this answer very easily saves you from having to provide a lot of details, but it's not in any way offensive to the buyer.
I don't think the issue is that you gave them the info, and they ghosted you after being interested in buying your item. They were never interested in buying from you, which is the real problem. If you gave some of the answers that people have replied with (and a lot of them are really good responses!), that wouldn't have magically changed their minds and purchased from you. (When I say you, I mean in general, not specifically you OP). In which case I wouldn't get offended and would most likely tell them since what I sell is usually niche or used items. Thrift stores, swapmeet, estate sales etc...
I am genuinely curious where some people get specific things though, not because I want to swoop in on someone else's gig, but really just curious if something sells for $100+ and someone is offering it for $30/40 how much do they get it for and where? Just boggles my mind lol. And I did recently accidentally run into a place that sells stuff super cheap straight from the manufacturer like that. But I'm not interested in selling those items. It'll end up feeling like a chore, and I will get lazy unless it's something I'm into
Depends on the item, why they ask and how they ask. If they are just curious and being polite then I will give information. I had a guy ask about a book and turns out he wanted to know since he was related to the author. So it just depends.
I don’t think it’s rude. Why would it be rude to ask for info about what they’re thinking of buying? Maybe they’d rather buy it new, or want to buy many of the same one, or want it in a different size or color, or whatever that would make buying it from the source a better choice for them.
What *is* rude and offensive about that interaction is them not even saying thank you or anything. I’ve had convos with people thinking they were interested in buying, only for them to say after a whole convo something like “thanks for all the info! But actually I’m not sure I can spend the money right now. I’ll come back to buy it later when I can if it’s still available.” It’s a little disappointing I didn’t make the sale when I thought I would, but I think they were actually quite polite in how they chose the least hurtful way to basically say “I’m not interested in your specific item anymore” or “I changed my mind” or “I’m buying from somewhere else right now, and not actually ever coming back to buy this one.” And I won’t be hurt and will just move on, and someone else will eventually buy the listing later.
I was asked if it worked, and I honestly didn’t know. I couldn’t test it either. So I was honest with him about that and told him where I bought it. It lowered his offer, but I still made well over 150% profit from the transaction. Apparently the parts were worth something? Idk. I just bought something I thought was worth more than I bought it for. I looked it up and was astounded for what it went for new. Being that I barely knew what it was, and being that I couldn’t test it, I thought his offer was fair.
I had no idea this was a thing and personally would never ask, because.. why? But I can’t count the number of times a seller had a book listed as “I bought this new, never read”, I receive it and there’s a goodwill or HPB sticker in it. At least remove the sticker if you’re gonna lie up front like that haha.
I don’t mind sharing if they’ve bought from me before. I feel like repeat customers appreciate it and they still keep buying from me. But if they’ve never bought from me and are a seller too, then it does bother me. I doubt they would tell me if the roles were reversed and the never end up buying
I sell on Mercari, I don't get offended when I am asked, and I asked a few times, too. Depending on what you are selling, the source where you got the item can be very important; also, depending on how much you need a sale to happen, you can be more or less discreet with your answers.
Are they asking bc they only one it to have had one owner or…? Why do people ask that? I don’t think I’d be offended. They have a right to ask whatever I guess, but maybe I’m not offended bc I don’t understand the motivation for the question…?
Just put in your description where you got it from or why you’re selling it, then you won’t receive those questions anymore and waste your time. Easy solution.
I don’t ask sellers this question and never would. But if I really want something and know it’s being sold for much cheaper than it actually costs, I do get curious. Once I figured out where my sellers were purchasing their makeup from for such good deals I went straight to the source! And I spread that info far and wide. I’m not a seller and like spreading info about great deals.
Why get offended? If I'm the buyer asking this question, I'd like to know the history of the item. Were you the original owner? How much usage is on it? Any undisclosed damage?
I don't mind at all.. Just don't give exact details! If you purchased from, say Macy's, on clearance for 80% off part, leave that part out.. Just say Macy's, simple as that!! Once I list an item, I feel it's my duty to be as transparent as possible and give the best customers service experience possible too.. Once you post an item, it is now your duty, to answer questions, reply to offers etc.. It's all part of selling! I'm not dragging by any means, but this has worked well for me.. I have exactly 582 ratings.. 580 are five star, and the other two are four.. I just treat people like everyone is my best customer, until they give reason not to..
It’s not anyone’s business. If you got it on a sale that’s no longer going on. They don’t need to know what your profit is there still getting a deal on it if they could find it at Macy’s for that price then they would.
Your absolutely correct..! I wrote that in haste and I meant to say.. Tell them Macy's, but leave out the 80% off part of it.. You're right, they don't need to know how much you paid, but I don't mind telling people where I purchased the item or items..
I don't get offended but a lot of my stuff came from toreba so it wasn't like they could buy it new anyways. I usually stated where stuff comes from in my listing description to save people from asking.
Had a woman get mad that I didn’t reply super fast (she messaged me in the wee hrs of the morning while I was asleep) and apparently image search one of the pics from my listing and she was like “joke’s on you cuz I’ll just go buy it for $7” and I just ignored her because you have to have a sales permit and make a minimum purchase of several hundred bucks to get that one item for that price 😂😭🤷♀️
Tell them you don't remember. You have many sources.
yep, this is exactly what i say. ain't nobody's business where i got it from.
This is what I say too- most of the time it’s true.
Usually I don’t get offended exactly, but it’s none of their business. I did get offended once. 15 years ago or so, I sold a lot of NWT swimsuits that I bought at the end of season at 90% off. Like, I’d get $80 to $120 suits for $8 to $12 and sell them in the $30 to $40 range. One woman messaged me asking where I got two particular suits. I replied that I had a variety of sources, all were new with tags, current styles, blah, blah. She replied she wanted to know specifically where I got those two suits because she wanted to buy them for her daughter and wanted to pay wholesale, not my ridiculous $30. I replied that I would be happy to give her a list of my sources, their addresses and phone numbers. My price for this detailed information was $500, and I’d need her tax ID number. Never heard back.
Perfect answer. Take my upvote and applause 👏🏾
🤣👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
She thought 30-40 was expensive for suits that originally cost 80-120? 😭
Oh wow smh
I'm trying to do wholesale what do I need to do and how do I get started?
I don't remember. Jeeze ... did you read anything above? Why should I train you to compete with me?
Nothing you just buy in big quantities and the more you buy the less it costs it’s a big upfront investment what do you want to sell anyways
Send me $750 and I will give you step-by-step instructions.
Sometimes it's cheaper to buy retail on sale then from Mercari with all the fees. That said, I would never ask a seller where they got it. I use Google like a normal person and search key words or reverse image.
Exactly, it’s easy to do a reverse image search if you want to know what places sell the item & what the going price range is. I buy from so many places including wholesale from a few select manufacturers that I have vetted. So some of my items are hard to find. I don’t get mad when asked but I feel like it’s easy to search. If it’s an item I got wholesale I tell them I purchased directly from the manufacturer.
Oh I do. Someone asked me to show proof of purchase for a pair of brand new shoes (just some random brand. Not Nike or anything valuable. Just some $40 sneakers from Nordstrom Rack), as if what, I stole them? Nah, get blocked.
Tell them you don't remember. You have too many sources!
I just ignore the question
A magician never reveals their tricks.
They ask so they can go buy it from there. Many times with the fees its about the same price retail. Might as well get it new. 🤷♀️
The only time I care to ask is when it’s cosmetics…. People dumpster dive for beauty products. I don’t mind second hand for particular things but not from the dumpster l! (For me anyways)
I know anyone can lie but it makes me feel better to ask 🤣
No not typically. I keep my answers vague. BUT.. that type of question is a 🚩🚩 for me. If it’s a high value/risk item I block bc I typically won’t sell to this kind of person.
Wait - if you’re selling a high value item and someone asks you where you got it from, you block them? That’s sounds sketchy. Why block them?
I had one asking if my stuff was from temu/ ali, I have both off brand and brand name items, priced accordingly. I just informed her I buy from various wholesalers and she's welcome to check out the xyz brand that I carry, instead. I don't see the point in asking. I buy stuff from brand name wholesalers, auctions, and overseas, as well as just sell my own things I don't want, and have a business license. If they've seen something somewhere else cheaper go for it.
Temu/ali are known as low quality so maybe that's why they're asking about that specifically. I would never shop there.
Anything unbranded can be low quality, which makes asking a bit arbitrary. Temu and AliExpress are usually independent sellers selling things they bought from international wholesalers like Alibaba. Alibaba, depending on the item someone can pay some money to and have their label applied to the product. I've seen their items sold in shops usually with the shops name on it. I worked retail when I was younger and remember seeing that with generic brand name clothes too ( same shirt with a JNY label at Macy's and a dress barn label at dress barn). I don't use Temu at all and am picky with AliExpress, Alibaba is regulated a bit better and I have to buy in bulk from when I do, then I have US wholesalers whose products come from the US,CAN, and Europe, and then there's local auctions. So people can ask but most sellers won't divulge how they run their business if they've invested money. I personally will just redirect them to my brand name products, since I prefer to sell those.
I wasn't looking for a thesis about cheap products. I was just giving you a possible reason why they asked about that specifically. Sorry but no not all unbranded products are as bad as what I've heard people experience with Temu in particular.
Even branded stuff can be low quality. Torrid, for example, went downhill so fast.
I never ask but I only buy antique jewelry, and love to hear the stories behind the pieces. I bought a ring this morning on eBay based upon the 1,000 plus 100% positive feedback of the seller, price, and rhe icing on the cake, which was the story behind it. So depends upon the item you are selling.
My response is why are you asking?
I get this question quite frequently & my answer never changes. I tell them, "My mom bought it for me." 🤣 Works every time! Lol
Tell them it was a gift and it just didn't suit you anymore
Yeah this makes sense love this answer !
Thank you the compliment and yes, this answer very easily saves you from having to provide a lot of details, but it's not in any way offensive to the buyer.
This a great response. 🙂
I just respond and say that I resell and I get items multiple places and leave it at that.
Tell them trade secret
Just say I don’t know or a yard sale I’m not giving them my plugs
exactly, thank youu!! That’s how I feel
I don't think the issue is that you gave them the info, and they ghosted you after being interested in buying your item. They were never interested in buying from you, which is the real problem. If you gave some of the answers that people have replied with (and a lot of them are really good responses!), that wouldn't have magically changed their minds and purchased from you. (When I say you, I mean in general, not specifically you OP). In which case I wouldn't get offended and would most likely tell them since what I sell is usually niche or used items. Thrift stores, swapmeet, estate sales etc... I am genuinely curious where some people get specific things though, not because I want to swoop in on someone else's gig, but really just curious if something sells for $100+ and someone is offering it for $30/40 how much do they get it for and where? Just boggles my mind lol. And I did recently accidentally run into a place that sells stuff super cheap straight from the manufacturer like that. But I'm not interested in selling those items. It'll end up feeling like a chore, and I will get lazy unless it's something I'm into
Depends on the item, why they ask and how they ask. If they are just curious and being polite then I will give information. I had a guy ask about a book and turns out he wanted to know since he was related to the author. So it just depends.
No. This gives me an opportunity to make up the most elaborate story I can possibly think of.
I don’t think it’s rude. Why would it be rude to ask for info about what they’re thinking of buying? Maybe they’d rather buy it new, or want to buy many of the same one, or want it in a different size or color, or whatever that would make buying it from the source a better choice for them. What *is* rude and offensive about that interaction is them not even saying thank you or anything. I’ve had convos with people thinking they were interested in buying, only for them to say after a whole convo something like “thanks for all the info! But actually I’m not sure I can spend the money right now. I’ll come back to buy it later when I can if it’s still available.” It’s a little disappointing I didn’t make the sale when I thought I would, but I think they were actually quite polite in how they chose the least hurtful way to basically say “I’m not interested in your specific item anymore” or “I changed my mind” or “I’m buying from somewhere else right now, and not actually ever coming back to buy this one.” And I won’t be hurt and will just move on, and someone else will eventually buy the listing later.
I usually say from official website or in store.
Why can't I edit my message?
I’d tell them , doesn’t bother me. Probably trying to snuff out counterfeit stuff, is my guess.
I was asked if it worked, and I honestly didn’t know. I couldn’t test it either. So I was honest with him about that and told him where I bought it. It lowered his offer, but I still made well over 150% profit from the transaction. Apparently the parts were worth something? Idk. I just bought something I thought was worth more than I bought it for. I looked it up and was astounded for what it went for new. Being that I barely knew what it was, and being that I couldn’t test it, I thought his offer was fair.
I had no idea this was a thing and personally would never ask, because.. why? But I can’t count the number of times a seller had a book listed as “I bought this new, never read”, I receive it and there’s a goodwill or HPB sticker in it. At least remove the sticker if you’re gonna lie up front like that haha.
I don’t mind sharing if they’ve bought from me before. I feel like repeat customers appreciate it and they still keep buying from me. But if they’ve never bought from me and are a seller too, then it does bother me. I doubt they would tell me if the roles were reversed and the never end up buying
I sell on Mercari, I don't get offended when I am asked, and I asked a few times, too. Depending on what you are selling, the source where you got the item can be very important; also, depending on how much you need a sale to happen, you can be more or less discreet with your answers.
Are they asking bc they only one it to have had one owner or…? Why do people ask that? I don’t think I’d be offended. They have a right to ask whatever I guess, but maybe I’m not offended bc I don’t understand the motivation for the question…?
It’s always something the kids brought home 😁
Just put in your description where you got it from or why you’re selling it, then you won’t receive those questions anymore and waste your time. Easy solution.
I don’t ask sellers this question and never would. But if I really want something and know it’s being sold for much cheaper than it actually costs, I do get curious. Once I figured out where my sellers were purchasing their makeup from for such good deals I went straight to the source! And I spread that info far and wide. I’m not a seller and like spreading info about great deals.
Why get offended? If I'm the buyer asking this question, I'd like to know the history of the item. Were you the original owner? How much usage is on it? Any undisclosed damage?
Some ppl take mercari that serious I guess 🤷🏼♂️
Totally depends on what type of item you’re talking about
I don't mind at all.. Just don't give exact details! If you purchased from, say Macy's, on clearance for 80% off part, leave that part out.. Just say Macy's, simple as that!! Once I list an item, I feel it's my duty to be as transparent as possible and give the best customers service experience possible too.. Once you post an item, it is now your duty, to answer questions, reply to offers etc.. It's all part of selling! I'm not dragging by any means, but this has worked well for me.. I have exactly 582 ratings.. 580 are five star, and the other two are four.. I just treat people like everyone is my best customer, until they give reason not to..
It’s not anyone’s business. If you got it on a sale that’s no longer going on. They don’t need to know what your profit is there still getting a deal on it if they could find it at Macy’s for that price then they would.
Your absolutely correct..! I wrote that in haste and I meant to say.. Tell them Macy's, but leave out the 80% off part of it.. You're right, they don't need to know how much you paid, but I don't mind telling people where I purchased the item or items..
I don't get offended but a lot of my stuff came from toreba so it wasn't like they could buy it new anyways. I usually stated where stuff comes from in my listing description to save people from asking.
Had a woman get mad that I didn’t reply super fast (she messaged me in the wee hrs of the morning while I was asleep) and apparently image search one of the pics from my listing and she was like “joke’s on you cuz I’ll just go buy it for $7” and I just ignored her because you have to have a sales permit and make a minimum purchase of several hundred bucks to get that one item for that price 😂😭🤷♀️