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Sellers who ignore questions
How on earth do we report a seller, WHEN WE HAVEN'T YET ORDERED ANYTHING FROM THEM YET, when they repeatedly ignore reasonable questions (for example, about their item's condition)?
9 comments
mudshark61369
Mentor8 months ago@joeybleaux ,
If you started messaging the seller since last weekend when 21 states were hit by the winter storm that rolled across the country, maybe your seller's area was affected by it. Many of the states hit are not equipped to deal with winter storms and some still have people who are experiencing power and/or internet outages.
If your message was about the item's condition, the seller may have taken offense at the question and has decided not to deal with you at all. Checking a seller's feedback profile will usually give you an indication if the seller does a good job of describing items or not.
joeybleaux
OP8 months agoThank you for mentioning the storms. Although neither of the two sellers in this case -- both of whom are offering the same two books I want, and both of whom are ignoring my questions -- has indicated that they're on vacation, the weather aspect hadn't occurred to me. I'll see if I can determine where they're located.
inceptions
Mentor8 months agoHi @joeybleaux
There is no report for this. eBay does not require sellers to respond to questions. If the listing doesn't provide the information you need and the seller doesn't respond to your messages, I would suggest moving on to another seller who provides better customer service.
mr_lincoln
Mentor8 months agoHi @joeybleaux
While you can try this link it may not be effective as you point out that you have not made a purchase yet. Report an issue with a seller | eBay
You can bookmark that link for future reference if you ever need to use it.
If a Seller is not willing to respond then it would be best to look for another seller. eBay does NOT force Sellers to respond to messages.
joeybleaux
OP8 months agoWell, sometimes there's a rare or unusual item that cannot be found offered elsewhere. To those of us who've spent thousands of dollars on this platform, eBay owes respect and consideration . . . even in cases where we haven't yet placed an order . . . and they **bleep** well should require sellers to be responsive to reasonable questions about the condition of their items.
inceptions
Mentor8 months ago@joeybleaux
And how would eBay enforce that? Not all messages require a response, but for those that do, even if eBay had a way to identify them, which they don't, what would they do to force the seller to answer?
joeybleaux
OP8 months agoSorry, utter nonsense to ask that. How does a platform enforce ANY of its rules? Common courtesy and respect are what "require" a response. Look, once in a while, when I've asked about a book or CD, the seller responds that the size of their inventory, or their warehousing setup, makes it impossible to answer the question. OK. Well, I look for the item elsewhere. Nothing hard about providing that answer, and it's what a respectful and ethical seller does.
In this case, my question was prompted by something that MANY others online have identified as a growing annoyance: buyers receiving their purchased items, and finding that they reek of Febreze, or similar perfumey products. Many of us are not only sensitive to the chemical crap that such things consist of, but recognize that, contrary to the manufacturer's barrage of advertising, the stuff is NOT "fresh", or nice, or pleasant smelling. It gets onto one's hands and is hard to wash off. Its odor spreads into its entire surroundings, in the home of the unlucky recipient. So, just as with musty odors on books that some prior owner stored in a damp basement, this new phenomenon is something that I don't want to discover when it's too late: when I've opened the package.
mr_lincoln
Mentor8 months ago@joeybleaux
Oh, I agree that Sellers should respond to reasonable questions ... all of my Descriptions have "Questions welcome" in them for that very reason. In the area of collectibles it is easy to miss a minor detail when one is listing 20 to 30 or more items, each a unique item. I've done that myself more than once. Then a potential customer messages a question and I am like, "Oops ... "
eBay really has not way to force Sellers to answer questions, it is not their business, it is the Sellers'. eBay just happens to be where the Seller has their business set up.
joeybleaux
OP8 months ago"It is not their business, it is the seller's"? eBay might as well say "It's none of our business if a seller on our platform lies or cheats" (play on words intentional). While arrogant defiance, and refusing to answer questions out of pique, or a [mistaken] belief that a buyer's questions are unwarranted or trivial, are not as serious as cheating or lying, nevertheless no platform should countenance any seller who ignores an interested buyer, in favor of other, as-yet-unseen potential buyers, who will please the seller by keeping their **bleep** mouths shut (so to speak).