Annoying questions buyers ask.

[patmos-8]

It's not a great time to be an eBay seller.  Judging from the posts on this forum, I'm not the only one struggling with low morale.  I thought it might be fun to share our favorite common/annoying questions we get from buyers.  I'll start with two and I'm genuinely excited to read some of yours.

1. "What's the lowest you'll go?"  So you're basically saying you want to do business with me, but you want it to be as unprofitable as possible for me as well.  Nice.  Imagine going to a job interview and the interviewer says "what's the lowest wage you'd accept?"  Yeah, I'll pass.

2.  "Any rips, holes, stains?"  Yes, this item is covered in blemishes, but I purposely hid them in the photos and didn't mention them in the description.  With my 60-day free return policy, I figured that would be prudent.  You've uncovered my diabolical plot to make my fortune.  

[vintage_suite]

No, they don't read...then when they received it, they expect something different. Selling bedding-listing always read "includes" with details on separate line to be clear. I always say: if I showed you a comforter displayed on a bed, doesn't mean the furniture comes with it. Send my sister these silly questions all the time, she loves to hear them. Reading (sometimes looking at pics) seems to be optional with no accountability! 

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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@patmos-8 wrote:

I understand sometimes people ask those questions because they've been burned in the past.  But here's why it's still nonsensical: if I'm the type of seller that will volitionally misrepresent the condition of my item in the listing, what makes you think I'll magically be honest with you when you message me and ask about the condition?  If someone is willing to lie in the listing, they're willing to lie in private messages.  

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You're absolutely right, of course.  But in Clothing, where condition can be really subjective, I find that many buyers just want reassurance.  I don't mind giving it b/c once they buy & see MY standards for quality, many of them become repeat  buyers.  So, I guess it's self serving LOL. 

[Anonymous]

get them every day - this morning's was can I get combined shipping and also lowered prices. 

[oneglassman]

This should go for anything that is sold through any selling platform. Customer Service is a MUST**

[evelyb30]

Too many of us expect customer disservice, so we ask questions before purchase.  If i'm buying on line and a seller won't answer questions  about info not in the description ... NEXT.  

[evelyb30]

Just got one on an item the person already won: "Is this legit"?   Uhmmm.... if it weren't I wouldn't be selling it?  The maker is not one anyone would bother to fake.   My reply stated that I'd tested it for silver if that's what the buyer meant.  (sigh)  And why ask _after_ you already contracted to buy it?  (head on desk) 

[house*of*paws]

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@maxine*j wrote:

I will tell you one of my all-time favorite customer inquiries, although it was not an eBay buyer.  It was  in a brick-and-mortar bookstore. 

A woman said she was looking for a book but could not remember the title or the author.  I asked her what she could tell me about the book.  She made a few vague comments. 

I asked her another question, when something she said rang a slight bell.  I said, "Could the book be Mistral's Daughter, by Judith Krantz?" 

"YES!" she exclaimed. 

"Well, wait one moment," said I, "and I'll get a copy for you." 

"Oh, no thanks," she said.  "I don't want to buy it.  I'll get it from the library now.  I was there earlier and they wouldn't help me at all,  just because I didn't know who wrote it or what it's called!" 

And out the door she went.

@maxine*j 
You mean you let her walk out the door without maiming her for life … or claiming her first born?!?

[WONDERFUL story!  😂]

[maxine*j]

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@house*of*paws wrote:

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@maxine*j 
You mean you let her walk out the door without maiming her for life … or claiming her first born?!?

[WONDERFUL story!  😂]

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The truth is, that after a moment of being stunned, I laughed out loud.  I thought, "Well, that's a resourceful woman!"   And I knew it would be a story to dine out on for years to come, and it has been.

-

[blu_owlie]

"Does it power on?"

It's powered on in the first photo.

[downunder-61]

How many knives in the 7pce knife block set? 

Now some seller's count the block as a piece - my manufacturer and I do not, and in addition to that there is an image showing the block, the knives both in and out of the block, and on the back of the box (also pictured) actually showing and naming each knife - that's right each of the SEVEN visible knives.

Watcha gunna do - copy paste reply: Thank you for your enquiry, 7 knives and the hardwood block are included in this set.

[katzrul15]

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@downunder-61 wrote:

How many knives in the 7pce knife block set? 

Now some seller's count the block as a piece - my manufacturer and I do not, and in addition to that there is an image showing the block, the knives both in and out of the block, and on the back of the box (also pictured) actually showing and naming each knife - that's right each of the SEVEN visible knives.

Watcha gunna do - copy paste reply: Thank you for your enquiry, 7 knives and the hardwood block are included in this set.

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@downunder-61 

You expect your buyers to count AND read at the same time??

Whew.  You drive a hard sales pitch bargain there!

[vintagecraze50]

Yet another one of my good one’s, “is the diamond real ?”. Like what am I suppose to reply when we have a diamond tester on the thing  in the picture and a GIA certification. Uh, no not real just tests as real and some dumb gemologist with a degree says it is real. LOL!

[downunder-61]

Those one's always make me laugh, sometimes you read on the boards - ''I contactd the seller and asked if'' they were genuine....... is the item authentic......... is the diamond real..........

Seriously, who does this and what is the point? A good seller could be offended and a scam seller is going to lie LOL

[dippitydoo]

Hiya Chapeau!   I kina like cheap beer, myself!  My mom used to buy a case of 24 of Lucky beer for the same price as a 6 pak!

-Dipp

[pickapaper]

I frequently get messages from buyers who ask me to sell them one item out of a lot/group of items I have listed.   

Right not, I have several lots of a certain type item listed.  I recently had a guy ask me if he could send me a want list of the ones he needed for his collection and would I go through and pull just the ones he wanted out of those lots and sell to him.   I told him no and he came back whining that he only needed those certain ones and it shouldn't be any problem for me to pull them and sell them to him.   I told him if I pull the items on his want list, I would have to redo all those listings with his items omitted and for the time involved for me to take new photos and redo the listings, the price of the ones on his want list would have to be a lot higher and would he agree to that?  No, of course not.