eBay

lichtpriester · ‎02-03-2018

Okay, first let me say that I know that there are problem buyers out there. I am not one of them. I leave good feedback 99% of the time. If something on occasion arrives damaged and I can fix it, I send the seller photos and suggest a partial refund. If I cant fix it, I want to make a return. Who wouldn't? I don't have a history of this however, most of my purchase experiences have been great.

I recently bought a small replica clock. Before bidding, I asked the seller if she'd consider adding a Buy-It-Now option, which is not against eBay policy to ask. No reply, which was fine, she didn't have to reply. I told her I'd be bidding anyways - and got no reply. I won the auction and asked her if she'd ship using bubble wrap and a small box versus a padded mailer, which some sellers might use. I didn't doubt her packing abilities but asked this based on past eBay experiences with bad packing. She didnt reply. Today I messaged her again to ask if she could shed light on a tracking number that she sent which only says that she created a label days after paying.

Her reply was to say, "I'm sure youll be returning the clock. To make a return, you have to...." I have no intention of returning it! All of my messages to her were friendly, not demanding. I am not a "problem cutomer", but she made me out to be just that. Why would anyone who NEEDS buyers act like this? I place importance on seller-buyer interaction. I sign messsages with my name, some sellers do not, and even if something arrives damaged, which is NOT my usual experience with eBay, I'm civil. I don't get it.

Can sellers see buyer's history, in terms of opening cases? I rarely do this, but hate the thought that a seller would judge me based on this or legitimate and friendly email requests re: packing or shipping status. The seller almost seems to anticipate bad buyers when they arent there. If the clock arrives in good condition, I'll leave her good feedback, but if not - I'll ask to make a return - and somehow end up fulfilling her assumptions or preordained "prophecy"?

pf9000 · ‎02-05-2018

Buying on Ebay is not the same thing as buying from a local retail store, where you can just go inside, inspect the merchandise, pay for it and take it home. Sometimes, surprisingly enough, you can find a lot of the same exact items locally, for a lower price, however more times than not, the lowest price will come from online shopping, such as from ebay. I have purchased items on ebay for as low as 1/10th retail. Most of us are well aware, that dealing with an online seller, offering a bargain price, sometimes carries with it some additional issues. It is a tradeoff you have-to be willing to accept, or don’t buy merchandise in that way. Sometimes you have to deal with some hassles, in pursuit of getting a lower price. It sure is fun when your low bid wins, or your low ball offer, is accepted, and you end up with a real bargain. Sometimes a seller is offering a $1-dollar starting bid, however these days, some of the sellers will cancel the auction before it finishes or will not fulfill the obligation of the sale, if the price remains too low. A reputable seller on ebay with a proven track record, does not conduct their business in that manner, so it is always best to buy from an established seller with a proven track record.

comfycozies · ‎02-05-2018

There is Nothing wrong with asking a seller to list as bin. I dont understand why someone would get paranoid because it happened. And No its not appropriate on Ebay or in life for seller to respond like that but unfortunately it takes all kinds......

castlemagicmemories · ‎02-05-2018

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Personally, I would probably have blocked the OP upon receiving the first question about adding a BIN to the listing. If I had not chosen to add one when I placed the listing, I see no reason why someone would ask me to add one later. because they need it now! have been there, hard to find part comes up with a couple that are buy it know but in poor/fair condition. yours is nicer but auction only. not only do i need it before the auction end, if i did wait and loose the auction, the other bin ones will surely be sold. i am forced to buy one of the others. asking for bin would be about time, not money! i might pay double its value to get it today but wont even bid after i buy one of the others. it would depend a lot on what your selling, an antique lamp probaby wouldnt apply where a part to get my car fixxed would.
Frankly, you have a point regarding needing it now, but as the seller I'm the one that determines how I offer the item for sale. From my experience, people that want something quickly do not have the seller's best interest at heart.

Many years ago, I owned a photography studio specializing in portrait and wedding photography. I also accepted occasional photojournalism assignments from a local weekly newspaper. The editor had the most annoying habit of always calling at the last minute and claiming that he needed everything immediately to meet his deadline. Finally, I decided that if he was going to continue to procrastinate, the work was worth more than the paper's regular rates. So the next time he called with a last minute assignment I asked him how badly he needed the pictures and how much he was willing to pay for the rush service. He quoted a figure and I told him I would take the assignment for triple the amount he quoted. Admittedly, I got fewer last minute assignments from him after that, but the work I did for the paper after that didn't pull me away from the studio and my other duties to my clients.

Of course, the point of this true story is that procrastination isn't a good thing and can be somewhat costly in the long run. So if time is a factor, perhaps one needs to seek only items where time isn't a factor.

This reminds me of that old saying. A lack of planning (or foresight) on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

missjen831 · ‎02-05-2018

wrote:
There is Nothing wrong with asking a seller to list as bin. I dont understand why someone would get paranoid because it happened. And No its not appropriate on Ebay or in life for seller to respond like that but unfortunately it takes all kinds......

Ebays crackdown on off eBay sales is why sellers are so paranoid. Sellers have good reason to be paranoid and it’s NOT ok to contact every seller here and ask for a BIN. It’s only OK if the seller is OK with it.

One life is all we have to live
Love is all we have to give

**Formerly known as MissJen316**

castlemagicmemories · ‎02-05-2018

wrote:
wrote:
There is Nothing wrong with asking a seller to list as bin. I dont understand why someone would get paranoid because it happened. And No its not appropriate on Ebay or in life for seller to respond like that but unfortunately it takes all kinds......
Ebays crackdown on off eBay sales is why sellers are so paranoid. Sellers have good reason to be paranoid and it’s NOT ok to contact every seller here and ask for a BIN. It’s only OK if the seller is OK with it.

So true. I wonder, though, if Ebay allowing buyers to message with a Best Offer on any listings, whether or not Best Offer is on the listing, has spawned this inappropriate messaging from buyers. I know that Ebay has put Best Offer on many listings independent of the seller choosing that. But possibly they go from the thought, if I do this, message about a Best Offer, I might get it cheaper, but if I do THIS, hint at an off ebay transaction, I might REALLY get it cheaper as the seller won't have any fees.

comfycozies · ‎02-05-2018

Wellllll, it doesnt bother me getting messages from potential buyers with offers or questions interested in my things on this marketplace.

midnight_mystic · ‎02-06-2018

So you are upset about a seller making assumptions about you ... after you made the same assumptions about her.

"there are problem buyers out there. I am not one of them. "

Yet ...

"I asked the seller if she'd consider adding a Buy-It-Now"

and ...

"I told her I'd be bidding"

and to top it all off ...

"asked her if she'd ship using bubble wrap and a small box"

and now...

"I messaged her again to ask if she could shed light on a tracking number"

So in other words, you told this seller how to list and then told her how to pack, and you just keep pestering her. You ARE a problem buyer. I would have blocked you upon receiving your very first demand.

"Why would anyone who NEEDS buyers act like this?"

No one NEEDS to deal with a PITA. I would much rather lose a sale any day than be dragged into the kind of drama you're creating.

"The seller almost seems to anticipate bad buyers when they arent there. "

Just like you hypocritically anticipate bad sellers when they aren't there.

"hate the thought that a seller would judge me based on this or legitimate and friendly email requests"

Your so-called "requests" are neither legitimate nor friendly. They are unwanted, unnecessary and rude demands on sellers who have done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment. Stop telling sellers how to do their job and leave this poor seller alone.

BTW, thanks for posting.

missjen831 · ‎02-06-2018

wrote:
Wellllll, it doesnt bother me getting messages from potential buyers with offers or questions interested in my things on this marketplace.

Good for you. You don’t get to tell other sellers how to feel though.

One life is all we have to live
Love is all we have to give

**Formerly known as MissJen316**

jetlow28 · ‎02-06-2018

I agree. I am noticing that a ton of sellers are suspicious of sellers and vice versa. However, the seller suffers more in this case because you cannot operate a successful business if you find everything off-putting.

How are you running a business, but get upset if someone asks you questions? I have never heard anything more nonsensical. People are spending their money; you are not supplying the product for free. Another thing I noticed here on Ebay is that a lot of sellers (not all) who respond in this community board are biased when given feedback. They take a lot personal and instead of being objective they are ready to rip posters (buyers) who have legitimate issues to shreds or try to. LOL.

This past weekend I also posted and people were ready to fight (it is much easier hiding behind a screen) and I thought I had entered a bizarre alternate universe. This post, however, shed a ton of light on the real issue. Some sellers want people to purchase items without question or request. I cannot name a reputable business owner, online or otherwise who has been successful with this attitude. It is fascinating really.

OP, I really hope things end satisfactorily for you both.

*madison · ‎02-06-2018

wrote:
wrote:
There is Nothing wrong with asking a seller to list as bin. I dont understand why someone would get paranoid because it happened. And No its not appropriate on Ebay or in life for seller to respond like that but unfortunately it takes all kinds......
Ebays crackdown on off eBay sales is why sellers are so paranoid. Sellers have good reason to be paranoid and it’s NOT ok to contact every seller here and ask for a BIN. It’s only OK if the seller is OK with it.

But how does a buyer know if the seller is OK with it or not ( up front ) before the buyer asks if the seller will do a BIN ? Some sellers do state on the listing not to ask for a BIN, but many of them don't.

I have been tempted to ask sellers if they will do a BIN when I have seen items I want on auction, but only because I didn't want to wait until the auction ended, and not because I was hoping for a cheaper price. So far I haven't actually asked a seller if they will do a BIN, but one day I might just do that..

When I list auction items, I get tons of messages asking for a BIN, it doesn't bother me though, and I never block a potential bidder for asking, providing the message was polite of course.

castlemagicmemories · ‎02-06-2018

wrote:
There is Nothing wrong with asking a seller to list as bin. I dont understand why someone would get paranoid because it happened. And No its not appropriate on Ebay or in life for seller to respond like that but unfortunately it takes all kinds......

You have to be careful how you phrase it; Ebay is cracking down on off ebay transactions so a carelessly worded message from a buyer can get both buyer and seller on Ebay's radar, first with a warning, then with sanctions.

It was not that simple request that causes this seller concern. It was the sequence of communication, telling the seller they would bid anyway (not necessary, just bid), asking for packing post sale (again, we don't know how this was expressed but should have been addressed before buying, not after) and questioning the tracking number that showed no movement, when the seller would have handling time, and most items have their tracking number printed first but are shipped several days later. Given this many issues, seller believe the next issue would be a concern so they addressed that.

Seller could have been a bit more diplomatic in the response but looking at the whole sequence, it is entirely possible this seller was being proactive and addressing what OP's next issue would be, and seller was no more aware of anything offensive in her communication than the buyer was in the buyer's communication.

moo*cow*corner · ‎02-06-2018

I don't necessarily see you as a PITA buyer, but I can see how many sellers would see exactly that.

I see buyers who like micro-managing transactions as an opportunity to exercize my customer service muscles. The only caveat to this approach is ebay's message bots have been running amok lately.... so, there's that to consider.

I would have answered your questions. *Shrug*

I also would have asked if you were willing to pay extra for shipping in a box if it were to cost more than the padded mailer you anticipated...and invoiced you appropriately at the end of the auction.

I don't mind shipping questions, however-- I do mind buyers who want upgrades over and above what the listing offers and expect those upgrades to be on my dime.

Déjà Moo: The strange feeling that I've heard this bull before...

castlemagicmemories · ‎02-06-2018

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Wellllll, it doesnt bother me getting messages from potential buyers with offers or questions interested in my things on this marketplace.

That's great; but sometimes the messages, their quantity and what they address, are a signal of possible problems later that you might want to take care to avoid.

Sellers and buyers are getting warnings and sanctions for inappropriate messages, and sanctions.

castlemagicmemories · ‎02-06-2018

wrote:
So you are upset about a seller making assumptions about you ... after you made the same assumptions about her.

"there are problem buyers out there. I am not one of them. "

Yet ...

"I asked the seller if she'd consider adding a Buy-It-Now"

and ...

"I told her I'd be bidding"

and to top it all off ...

"asked her if she'd ship using bubble wrap and a small box"

and now...

"I messaged her again to ask if she could shed light on a tracking number"

So in other words, you told this seller how to list and then told her how to pack, and you just keep pestering her. You ARE a problem buyer. I would have blocked you upon receiving your very first demand.

"Why would anyone who NEEDS buyers act like this?"

No one NEEDS to deal with a PITA. I would much rather lose a sale any day than be dragged into the kind of drama you're creating.

"The seller almost seems to anticipate bad buyers when they arent there. "

Just like you hypocritically anticipate bad sellers when they aren't there.

"hate the thought that a seller would judge me based on this or legitimate and friendly email requests"

Your so-called "requests" are neither legitimate nor friendly. They are unwanted, unnecessary and rude demands on sellers who have done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment. Stop telling sellers how to do their job and leave this poor seller alone.

BTW, thanks for posting.

Absolutely~I understand~not all sales are sales that are worth having.

southernfriedbelle · ‎02-06-2018

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all questions should be to the minimal short and to the point and before bidding and if they don't answer in a reasonable amount of time that would be my que to look elsewhere . As a seller on a different venue I kind of would feel insulted to be contacted and told you wanted wrapped in a certain way...kind of implies I dont know what im doing.

I hear ya, but I have to confess I've been guilty of that bfore, especially if it were a newer seller or one that didn't usually sell breakable items.