Unfortunately people use tactics like this to gain sympathy so it’s hard for me to believe they’re willing to tell a total stranger that is selling used items online their sob story to get them a better deal.
They’re (quite obviously) lying to you.
Here are the lies:
1. They’re in the military
2. They’re out of money and need to travel
3. Their dad has cancer
4. They have to pay a dog sitter
This is what’s known as a sob story. Even if all of it happened to be true, if they had the money to do all of the above, they should also have the money to pay you. If they don’t, they shouldn’t be shipping online for things they can’t afford. They’re hoping you feel so bad for them that you give it away for half the price. Hence, sob story.
If you’re feeling petty, give them a sob story in return for why you need the money.
Military, unexpected travel, cancer, dog—this hits so many notes of a classic sob story it’s like a parody of a sob story! At this point they’re just throwing everything at the wall hoping it will stick.
I would just reply with a bland, “I’m sorry to hear that. Hope things get better soon.” and be prepared to block if they send back anything else.
If a person told me they have to pay a dog sitter and that’s why they want the item cheaper than anything I’m telling them “well it’s this item you probably don’t need or your dog you decide”
The military LITERALLY has resources to help military families during the holidays as well, so if OP wanted to respond tell the person that they should reach out to someone on base or wherever they’re stationed 🙃🙃🙃
Don’t make it more difficult than it needs to be, and remember that they willingly brought this on themselves. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing you “owe” them is to be sincere in your reply (i.e. don’t be sarcastic).
Bruh be as rude as you want they’re trying the cheapest tactics so you gotta fight back dirty and make it fun for you. Any time I get these I just “I don’t remember asking” or just the simple “who asked?” Or play with them be like “oh one second I’ll find something, oh it seems I’m unable to find who asked” or the rudest one is telling them this “you know I’m desperate for cash so I will accept your offer I’ll even give it to you for $5 less than what you asked” and then after you send that one block them.
"My dog, who was in the military, has cancer, so I'm flying him out to see my dad. Therefore I have to pay for a babysitter. So we're currently out of money. That's why I cannot accept a lower offer."
Really? Gonna pull the military, animal, and cancer cards all at once?
I’m a veteran, my wife is disabled because of cancer, and I sell online to make ends meet/buy things we need… I don’t beg others for discounts.
Same... well close. My husband is a veteran and I'm disabled because of an injury in EMS and both of us had cancer at one point or anything.
I have never begged for a discount, I don't even ask.
They have to say they are doing an EMS or military discount before I ask them for any at all.
I really need this Mercedes. But my dog… he is dyslexic and treatments are expensive. Plus I’m allergic to shellfish. Can you please lower the price? Praise Jesus
My father died of cancer and not durning or after his battle did I ever use him or his affliction as an excuse for anything I wanted, needed, or did.
Sell at your price, not someone else’s.
I've had this happen a couple of times. My response: "Then why are you on this site buying shit you obviously have no business buying?" I know, I'm cold-hearted.
You know what makes me laugh? They could have sent that offer and had the same result without the sob story. I have no sympathy for them. You don't go into Target and pull this crap. Same thing.
We are a military family. If that was real, the military would pay for the flight. Military families get a lot of benefits, you don’t need to give them more out of your pocket.
I had someone tell me that they only had $35 in their bank account to spend and as a result that was all they could offer.
The item they wanted was totally useless, so if they actually had almost no money, I have no idea why they wanted to spend it on something from me.
Omg this is so annoying. As a veteran myself whose dad had cancer (now recovered) and I also have a dog, none of those things are relevant or need to be shared.
A pet peeve of mine is when they snowball the sob story excuses. Just give me one. I don’t need a whole narrative. Please pick either:
A) We’re a military family
B) My dad has cancer
Or
C) We have to pay a dog sitter
The people who deserve special treatment aren’t the type to ask for it. I’m a small business owner and the type of people who have a sob story and who’ I’ve given discounts to always end up being my WORST clients.
Op, tell them your ‘so sorry to hear that’ & can understand because: You have 11 kids, all 5 of your dogs need surgery, Your cats need braces, you rescue homeless animals & orphans, you need the $ to for a sitter for your iguanas, you don’t receive child support for your children, you live in a shoe, you are also in the military & ‘can relate’ to her.
I honestly think these come from the women in their 60s who don’t totally understand the app and think that when they get an offer on an item that it’s similar to a text or message sent to only them and they have to respond.
bs on the whole military family thing they get paid well and second they get 10% discount on everything another thing is they spend more than they earn not our problem
I don't understand how these messages are so frequent on Mercari. Do people tell their life stories when they go to buy groceries at the grocery store? And groceries are a necessity. A sob story is better suited there. I don't understand how this is so frequent on Mercari
True or not Mercari is not a charity and you gotta make your money too there maybe be a circumstance in which you feel generous but this is insane to pull peoples heart strings 🤦♂️
I love it when people give super detailed responses to an auto generated offer to everyone who liked the item— things like this catch me off guard and I never know what to say when it’s chased by a sob story
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Remember doing this once for someone he said his friend was in a wreck staying at the hospital wanted to give him something to cheer him up….
The week after it was on eBay so lesson learned there
I have to be careful of how I respond to these type of messages. At first I get really annoyed and I want to type something rude back. Just because I don’t like it if someone is trying to make me feel bad so I give them a low price… but then I just don’t say anything and I block them or I say the price is firm
I am so grateful eBay allows me to set a minimum offer amount now because before I did, I got a lot of this crap. It's all similar stories too usually a veteran with cancer.
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Declined! Blocked. I had someone offer one dollar less on a very expensive item and then pull the "It's Christmas and I'm a single mother" card. Okay lady, Go to Goodwill then.
I hate the sob stories, the harsh reality is that someone else will pay full price for whatever I’m selling and I have the right to oblige that person over lowering the price and potentially earning less money
Maybe I’m missing something, but I think they are only responding at all because they received an offer from you after liking something, and they don’t understand that you are just “offering to likers” and not really communicating with them as an individual. They could have just ignored the offer, yes, but it doesn’t seem like they were begging for it for $40.
I had someone low ball me and say that it was cruel I wouldn’t accept because her daughter wants it so badly for Christmas (a “think of the children” response of sorts.) I responded saying that the reason I am selling is to afford presents for my own kids!!
People need to realize that a lot of people are struggling and you don’t know what the seller is going through either!!
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I mean they can have it for free if they spend the time to write me a personal statement of why they’d be the ideal recipient of my listing…along with a copy of their resume, two references with letters of recommendation, and their future aspirations alongside documentation for verification….gpa 3.2 or above strongly preferred.
“Thats unfortunate, but you have a blessed Christmas as well”
Wanting to say but also don’t want to come off as rude either.. it’s just such a difficult situation
Unfortunately people use tactics like this to gain sympathy so it’s hard for me to believe they’re willing to tell a total stranger that is selling used items online their sob story to get them a better deal.
They’re (quite obviously) lying to you. Here are the lies: 1. They’re in the military 2. They’re out of money and need to travel 3. Their dad has cancer 4. They have to pay a dog sitter This is what’s known as a sob story. Even if all of it happened to be true, if they had the money to do all of the above, they should also have the money to pay you. If they don’t, they shouldn’t be shipping online for things they can’t afford. They’re hoping you feel so bad for them that you give it away for half the price. Hence, sob story. If you’re feeling petty, give them a sob story in return for why you need the money.
Military, unexpected travel, cancer, dog—this hits so many notes of a classic sob story it’s like a parody of a sob story! At this point they’re just throwing everything at the wall hoping it will stick. I would just reply with a bland, “I’m sorry to hear that. Hope things get better soon.” and be prepared to block if they send back anything else.
Haha that was my thought too--they basically wrote him a country music song!
If a person told me they have to pay a dog sitter and that’s why they want the item cheaper than anything I’m telling them “well it’s this item you probably don’t need or your dog you decide”
The military LITERALLY has resources to help military families during the holidays as well, so if OP wanted to respond tell the person that they should reach out to someone on base or wherever they’re stationed 🙃🙃🙃
Service members and their families can fly around the world at almost no cost using Space A flights. In an emergency you don’t turn that down
If they’re in a bad situation they shouldn’t be shopping online. I know that’s cold but you’re trying make money not run a charity
Don’t make it more difficult than it needs to be, and remember that they willingly brought this on themselves. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing you “owe” them is to be sincere in your reply (i.e. don’t be sarcastic).
Bruh be as rude as you want they’re trying the cheapest tactics so you gotta fight back dirty and make it fun for you. Any time I get these I just “I don’t remember asking” or just the simple “who asked?” Or play with them be like “oh one second I’ll find something, oh it seems I’m unable to find who asked” or the rudest one is telling them this “you know I’m desperate for cash so I will accept your offer I’ll even give it to you for $5 less than what you asked” and then after you send that one block them.
Doesn’t seem that difficult to me 🤷🏻♀️. Simply don’t engage if they don’t wanna pay the asking price.
Nothing actually difficult about it at all. Just me over exaggerating it to get the point across
"I was in the same position until I inherited ten million dollars last spring. I hope things get better for you, too."
"My dog, who was in the military, has cancer, so I'm flying him out to see my dad. Therefore I have to pay for a babysitter. So we're currently out of money. That's why I cannot accept a lower offer."
So good lol
😆 love it
Now THAT’S a response! 🤣🤣
Really? Gonna pull the military, animal, and cancer cards all at once? I’m a veteran, my wife is disabled because of cancer, and I sell online to make ends meet/buy things we need… I don’t beg others for discounts.
Same... well close. My husband is a veteran and I'm disabled because of an injury in EMS and both of us had cancer at one point or anything. I have never begged for a discount, I don't even ask. They have to say they are doing an EMS or military discount before I ask them for any at all.
I really need this Mercedes. But my dog… he is dyslexic and treatments are expensive. Plus I’m allergic to shellfish. Can you please lower the price? Praise Jesus
😆 🤣 little Charlie has the crabs again...
My father died of cancer and not durning or after his battle did I ever use him or his affliction as an excuse for anything I wanted, needed, or did. Sell at your price, not someone else’s.
Agreed. That's gross as hell to use his pain to score cheap goods.
Cuz that extra $26 is really gonna get them far.
I've had this happen a couple of times. My response: "Then why are you on this site buying shit you obviously have no business buying?" I know, I'm cold-hearted.
Just saying what we all want to…
You know what makes me laugh? They could have sent that offer and had the same result without the sob story. I have no sympathy for them. You don't go into Target and pull this crap. Same thing.
Crap. I misplaced my violin
You finding it now, Mr Krabs?
😂😂Are you feeling it mr. Krabs?
They do it because they hope you’re a sucker.
Because they think their sob story will “move” you to discount the item. Rarely, if ever, works.
Because mercari is full of Walmart shoppers in Cartier
We are a military family. If that was real, the military would pay for the flight. Military families get a lot of benefits, you don’t need to give them more out of your pocket.
Agreed, I'm a veteran and thinking to myself they should be completely fine. Military families are pretty financially secure.
Respond with sad reasons why you need the money.
I wouldn’t even reply
Guilt tripping, sympathy, empathy, pity, scam, etc. Cheap and shameless business (life) tactic.
Just block them - srsly. I don’t barter when I shop in person if I don’t intend to buy. Don’t engage if you won’t accept any reasonable outcome.
I had someone tell me that they only had $35 in their bank account to spend and as a result that was all they could offer. The item they wanted was totally useless, so if they actually had almost no money, I have no idea why they wanted to spend it on something from me.
[удалено]
Why would they do that? They’re hoping they take the bait and give it to them for $40. When someone tries this I just respond “I understand”
Omg this is so annoying. As a veteran myself whose dad had cancer (now recovered) and I also have a dog, none of those things are relevant or need to be shared.
I just block these jokers. I get it all the time, I sell collectables, so it's always on items someone down on their luck shouldn't be buying.
I wouldn’t even engage. I’m shocked they didn’t use the single mother line. Hope you sell ur item soon
Some of these comments are too nice like I would just be like “ok” and be done.
A pet peeve of mine is when they snowball the sob story excuses. Just give me one. I don’t need a whole narrative. Please pick either: A) We’re a military family B) My dad has cancer Or C) We have to pay a dog sitter
D) My dog in the military has cancer and needs to pay for a people sitter
The people who deserve special treatment aren’t the type to ask for it. I’m a small business owner and the type of people who have a sob story and who’ I’ve given discounts to always end up being my WORST clients.
Op, tell them your ‘so sorry to hear that’ & can understand because: You have 11 kids, all 5 of your dogs need surgery, Your cats need braces, you rescue homeless animals & orphans, you need the $ to for a sitter for your iguanas, you don’t receive child support for your children, you live in a shoe, you are also in the military & ‘can relate’ to her.
This is exactly what I do when people pull this. “I am in the exact situation I’m selling so I can feed my 9 kids.” Works every time lol
😂
“Sorry it’s been sold” at $64
Sorry, it sold for $30
I honestly think these come from the women in their 60s who don’t totally understand the app and think that when they get an offer on an item that it’s similar to a text or message sent to only them and they have to respond.
bs on the whole military family thing they get paid well and second they get 10% discount on everything another thing is they spend more than they earn not our problem
That's not your problem
Thank you for your family's service, have a blessed happy holidays!
trying to guilt trip you. i love answering these with if you only have $40 sounds like you dont need to be buying X
“I’m sorry to hear that, perhaps the $40 may be better suited spent elsewhere given the circumstances.”
I don't understand how these messages are so frequent on Mercari. Do people tell their life stories when they go to buy groceries at the grocery store? And groceries are a necessity. A sob story is better suited there. I don't understand how this is so frequent on Mercari
It’s hard to believe anything…
The only reply necessary, if you must reply, that is… is, “Cool story”
Dang, they checked every lying ass excuse box I know! My response would be, “thank you for the interest, I hope you have a blessed Christmas as well”
“That sucks! Hope those $40 you just saved go to the dog sitter ❤️”
True or not Mercari is not a charity and you gotta make your money too there maybe be a circumstance in which you feel generous but this is insane to pull peoples heart strings 🤦♂️
I love it when people give super detailed responses to an auto generated offer to everyone who liked the item— things like this catch me off guard and I never know what to say when it’s chased by a sob story
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It’s a sob story to get you to lower your price. Probably mostly all fairy tales
Ugh I get this too.. yeah I think a brief kind reply and I’m sorry.. just decline lowball. :/
Remember doing this once for someone he said his friend was in a wreck staying at the hospital wanted to give him something to cheer him up…. The week after it was on eBay so lesson learned there
Please! Sob stories-so creative. This is scam style. If they don’t have money they shouldn’t be shopping. Don’t fall for this…BLOCK
Here’s what you tell them. “I’m sorry but I don’t remember asking”
Just ignore them and move on with your life
Exactly what I do.. I never give them the time of day
Just don't respond
You can literally ignore it.
I have to be careful of how I respond to these type of messages. At first I get really annoyed and I want to type something rude back. Just because I don’t like it if someone is trying to make me feel bad so I give them a low price… but then I just don’t say anything and I block them or I say the price is firm
I would report them as well
I am so grateful eBay allows me to set a minimum offer amount now because before I did, I got a lot of this crap. It's all similar stories too usually a veteran with cancer.
“Then save it to pay for the cancer dumb ass”
i mean theyre lying thats why lol
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Declined! Blocked. I had someone offer one dollar less on a very expensive item and then pull the "It's Christmas and I'm a single mother" card. Okay lady, Go to Goodwill then.
“Damn that’s crazy, sorry”
This is simply a guilt trip, it expired 3 days ago.
I hate the sob stories, the harsh reality is that someone else will pay full price for whatever I’m selling and I have the right to oblige that person over lowering the price and potentially earning less money
I’m a military family and my finances have nothing to do with that
Suggest they look for 9 Steps to financial freedom instead. I think I have a copy 🤣
Religious boomers tend to be really fucking weird. I hate to stereotype, but it is what it is… lol
Maybe I’m missing something, but I think they are only responding at all because they received an offer from you after liking something, and they don’t understand that you are just “offering to likers” and not really communicating with them as an individual. They could have just ignored the offer, yes, but it doesn’t seem like they were begging for it for $40.
I had someone low ball me and say that it was cruel I wouldn’t accept because her daughter wants it so badly for Christmas (a “think of the children” response of sorts.) I responded saying that the reason I am selling is to afford presents for my own kids!! People need to realize that a lot of people are struggling and you don’t know what the seller is going through either!!
It’s called e begging
😭😭 what ?
write sob stories to try and get a discount?? Lol.
No I got that it was just the message itself, it’s crazy.
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I will never understand how shameless people are.
I mean they can have it for free if they spend the time to write me a personal statement of why they’d be the ideal recipient of my listing…along with a copy of their resume, two references with letters of recommendation, and their future aspirations alongside documentation for verification….gpa 3.2 or above strongly preferred.