Seller blocked me after I asked a question
A seller posted an item listed as "New" but the two photos looked like the item was in an old and slightly damaged box. The item itself (in the box) was not visible in the photos. Through "Contact Seller" I asked "Is this definitely "new"? Package looks opened. Received a reply: "Let me send you more pics first thing tomorrow from the packaging" and I replied "You can just tell me if you know it's clean/unused/undamaged. Thanks." Never received a reply. I then discovered that seller has blocked me: "The seller isn't accepting bids or offers from you."
Why would a seller block a buyer just for asking if an item listed as "New" which does not look new is, in fact, new? I did note that one negative review on the seller said an item listed as "new" appeared to be used. Should I report the seller to eBay and if so on what grounds?
Today I bought the item from a different seller so the transaction is moot but I am very unhappy about this seller.
ccomic
·7 months agoThread not locked yet? 🙂 What is the age limit?
As for a seller ignoring or blocking me, sellers can do as they please. It’s a 2 way street. I would just be glad I dodged a potentially bad deal.
baydealz
·8 months agoShady, huh? I'm a seller and usually only go to that section, but I just went to purchase something that has been in my cart for a while. As a seller, that section was quick to tell others to simply block suspicious buyers - those who want details, etc....Well tonight I found I was blocked as such, just as you mentioned. I simply asked a vendor who is one of few to consistently sell this item, if there was more than one size. Found it odd to not get answer, so I called manufacturer, who sells the item direct. Once found I was blocked, I just went directly for about the same price. As a seller, I suspect his paranoia was that answering anything will be seen as Item Not As Described, resulting in ebay return. I'm not even that paranoid, and I'm pretty bad, but I keep sales and communications honest and timely and all works out. What a loser business, I am glad I found a direct source instead of dealing with bozo. I hate to see shady buyers, but really hate shady sellers.
pickapaper
·11 months ago@scratchbaker
I know you are unhappy with eBay in general, including your recent experience and with the replies that you received on this board that you did not agree with. But, I hope you will not write us off. As others have said, this is where you will get answers to problems from people with years of knowledge and experience. If you call customer service, you will most likely get an answer that is not correct because those agents tend to tell callers what they want to hear rather than the truth.
You have mentioned a few times that this last year has been the worst year for problems in the 25 years you have been buying on eBay. Actually, you are lucky nothing has come up before. Things are not like they were 25 years ago, not even 10 or 5 years ago. Things (and people) keep constantly changing, some good, some bad, and unfortunately, it is up to buyers and sellers to try to keep up with those changes, and that is not always easy. We, both buyers and sellers, have to continually learn and adapt.
I do hope, if you ever have another problem, that you will come back and chat with us. Not always the same people on here, but you will still get good answers even if it isn't always what you want to hear. And for those you don't want to hear, you can always just ignore.
gurlcat
·11 months agoI don't know why none of us picked up these contradictions yet:
I asked "Is this definitely "new"? Package looks opened.
Received a reply: "Let me send you more pics first thing tomorrow from the packaging"
and I replied "You can just tell me if you know it's clean/unused/undamaged. Thanks."
Sooooo ..... @scratchbaker how could they know that without OPENING THE PACKAGE??
gloryglorygifts
·11 months agoReminds me of a beautiful item that I saw and wanted to know about earlier this year. When someone posts on here I very often look to see what they have. The beautiful, framed, item didn't have any sizes on it. I did not think that it was an unreasonable question to ask. I needed to know if it fit in the area I was planning on putting it in. I got the snarkiest, nastiest, response to my question and decided I didn't need that item after all. It was a one of a kind piece on here.
Some sellers think they are amazing because they have cool videos or social media posts, when they don't know the first thing about making a sale. Maybe that seller did you a favor after all.
msha3839
·11 months agoAnd that what is nice about eBay..many sellers and buyers have no idea what they selling and buying..both fail to do their homework..just an example a few months ago seller had a listing for unknown antique dagger for $39.95..multiple views but no offers.. I bought it on spot because this is 17th century unique item and worth $$$..knowledge is power…
gurlcat
·11 months agoI WANT TO SEE THAT PUPPY. 😲
msha3839
·11 months agoðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ðŸ¸
gurlcat
·11 months agoYOWSA thanks for sharing! That looks so cool, and also old, but may I ask how you dated it? I wouldn't think there would be existing records of specific weapon designs (ornamentation and all) from the 1600's. Or maybe more importantly, if a weapon found cheap today looks just like a known specimen from that long ago, I would consider it suspicious as a possible copy. -Maybe not a cheap Chinese one manufactured in the past few years, but sometime more recent than the 17th C. -The Victorians for example; they LOVED to copy old stuff, everything from furniture to jewelry.
Please don't take any of this as skepticism of your knowledge. I actually presume you know more than I, and am sincerely curious how one would go about researching a piece like this. I metal detect and do all kinds of treasure-hunting when I can, and have learned far more history from that than all my years in school, because it's more 'sticky' (and fun!) when it's about something real. So I'm always excited to learn more.
msha3839
·11 months agoI know a few dealers/ experts in Europe who are the top of the field regarding these kinds of weapons..evaluation done based on weight, materials used and disassembled parts..not Chinese for sure because no financial gain to make a single one…all parts are steel and blade is amazing quality…I have hundreds of swords, rapiers, court swords, daggers dating back hundreds of years..interesting that I couldn’t find similar item anywhere on internet and it was made by professional blacksmith..maybe individual order..who knows…but for $50 still a good deal..my guess ,based on experts opinions, that it was made in Spain about 1670-1680’s…the most impressive part in my opinion is a blade..thin and flexible but extremely durable..
gurlcat
·11 months agoFascinating. If I could clone myself for all the hobbies I'd like to get into, blades would be one for sure. Heck I could even see myself getting into antique FIREARMS, despite never having owned one of any kind. Sure do love the smell of the oil!
gloryglorygifts
·11 months agoNice! Good for you! The flea markets used to be like that too. You just reminded me of a pin I bought at a flea market back in the late 70's. Gorgeous little pin with a matching bracelet, but I only got the pin for a whopping $5. Wore it to work the next day and a woman I worked with flipped out over it and asked where I got it. Turns out it was worth $700 and she chastised me for not getting the bracelet too because it would have been worth way more with the set. We worked in Estates and Trust and she knew her jewelry. I still have the pin and still love it.
christworks
·11 months agoI don't think your situation is anything like the OPs. The OP got an acceptable reply from the seller: They would send them photos in following day. The OP is the one who responded demanding the confirmation of the condition of the item. The OP already had negative assumptions before they messaged the buyer the first time. They assumed the item was not new, and the seller had deliberately listed it as new.
You asked a reasonable question about the size, since the size was not provided (assuming you are right and it was not in the listing.) In that case, that's a very valid question that the seller should have answered, even if it was a simple, "I will get those measurements to you tomorrow."
These two situations are not similar. A very small number of sellers do the social media stuff, so I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.
gloryglorygifts
·11 months ago1) SHE BLOCKED ME for asking about the size.
2) She also used an AI description that gave absolutely no details on the product.
3) She had links in her post on here that bought you to her facebook pages. People that are on here might remember her because she was an underdressed girl, using a celebrity name as a profile, who started to troll the commenters here, even though they were trying to be helpful.
gurlcat
·11 months agoLOL you mean icara? -I would not even trust that she was a girl; could be a 60-year-old man, and it wouldn't surprise me considering how shifty her speech and practices were.
But like christworks, I don't know why the seller described in this thread reminded you of her, other than the fact that someone's account got blocked. All the other details are completely different.
gloryglorygifts
·11 months agoLOL Yes!!! I figured someone else would remember her once I started to give details. Those threads just spiraled totally out of control and were annoying and entertaining too. I'm pretty sure that most of us clicked her links too.
I wasn't responding to anything the OP said in the actual threads. I was responding to the title and the first paragraph, which said the description and pictures were confusing (mine was missing info). They contacted the seller to ask for clarification (so did I), and then found out they were blocked (when I went to look at it again, I saw I was). That is the only seller that I've ever had block me (to my knowledge anyway). So what doesn't apply?
christworks
·11 months agoThe seller should not have blocked you for asking about the size. The OP was (likely) blocked because they have an extensive history of leaving negative feedback and even negative comments in positive feedback. You do not have a history of doing this. Since your question was reasonable, there were no other red flags I can see that would have resulted in them blocking you. This is a different situation than the OP was in.
I was not here when the person you mentioned was posting. I do wonder if she knew who you were from the boards, and maybe there was something in your posts that scared them off? Who knows. From what @gurlcat said it sounds like it is a blessing they blocked you.
gurlcat
·11 months agoOoof you missed a rodeo. In the end I kiiiiinda felt sorry for her, because she wound up running up like $1500 (if I recall) in pay-per-click promotions, resulting in zero sales. I say only 'kinda' because with as much as she showed her hiney to people here, her desserts seemed kinda just too.
EDIT; NO IT WAS $5700 IN PPC PROMOTIONS! And she acted like it was a success because she sold one painting for $3k (but then later it got returned).
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Paperclip-Nosedive-Update/td-p/34832880?lightbox-message-images-34832880=903397iF64E6A1B42AEBF64
gloryglorygifts
·11 months agoThat one was loopy. Too bad you missed it. They really went off the rails but it was interesting while it lasted.
I generally try not to attack OP's and generally respond in a benign way. I only remember once getting very testy and then going back and apologizing to them. As I said to gurlcat, this time I responded only to the OP's post and title and didn't do a deep dive into their feedback history, as you did.
As for the one who blocked me, It was a blessing but I do wonder if they ever sold that frame. I will never know.
onefootflipper
·11 months agoI have done several videos on this on youtube.
Most people incorrectly treat ebay customer service like they are a local brick and mortar and they dare not offend or block a customer because they NEED their business and fear bad word of mouth.
Ebay isn't like that. The pool of ebay customers is essentially bottomless (even in a niche) and customers are usually shopping on ebay and not shopping that particular seller. Even I know that most of my repeat customers are not looking to buy from me, I am just getting them because I have several specialties.
Customers who send messages are highly more likely to be problems than customers who just purchase the item. It isn't a small corellation either, it is huge. The more questions they ask, the more likely a complaint, return or other claim is coming later.
I know sellers who have been blocking everyone who sends them a question, have been doing it for 20 years and are still doing incredible business.
I am fast to block, I don't block just because you sent a question. But I will block on the first question if the customer's feedback left shows a frequent complaint pattern, or if the question telegraphs the return or claim from the very start. I don't always check their feedback left, it tends to be a sliding scale based on how much money I would lose if they returned that item.
If Timmy asks me if that $3 Pokemon card is real or fake I just block him. If someone asks about smells, I block them. Frantic series of questions, I block them. I generally block anyone from outside of America who asks any question whatsoever. If they are not sure, then I don't want that shipping money or my ebay international status on the line.
I usually block people who ask about return policy, but I do from time to time sell untested items that I still guarantee anyway (usually low failure electronics or components that I lack the proper equipment to test). In those cases I just explain that I don't have the equipment on hand to test the item, but I will certainly accept a return if it doesn't work.
I also block anyone who ever opens any sort of claim (including returns) or leaves negative or neutral feedback. I don't want to deal with them a second time.
albertabrightalberta
·11 months agoI see that you have a no return policy so you do have the option of denying remorse returns. But for sellers who do have a return policy, IMO it's unfair to block those who return because the seller CHOSE to allow returns. (OTOH, I will likely block those who file false NAD just because they're too cheap to pay return shipping.)
gurlcat
·11 months agoI feel all's fair when it comes to BBL choices, but I'd assert it might be unwise to block a buyer for a remorse return. One of my best repeat buyers has done a couple remorse returns and I didn't mind one bit, considering how much money she's spent and what an all-around great fellow eBay'er she's proven to be (fun to chat with too -hysterically funny gal). Had her first purchase been a remorse return and I blocked her for it, it would have been my loss.
That said, I have blocked a couple of them. From memory: one re-packed the item terribly, resulting in damage. Another gave me a neutral just to say they returned the item because of its size. -They admitted to me that they ordered it without realizing the size, but that feedback made it sound like I listed it untruthfully. I don't need eBay-ignorant wild cards like that.
christworks
·11 months agoI'm split on this for the very reason you gave. It really depends on the item, I think. If it is clothing or shoes, for example, and they are sending it back because "it doesn't fit," then my thought is they have not measured themselves and I don't want them buying again because if they don't know their measurements, then I don't want to take another chance of them guessing. The same is true for auto parts or small appliance replacement parts. If you do not know what you need, I do not want to be your guinea pig.
albertabrightalberta
·11 months agoIt's sad because one would think that those who come here really want to figure out why they're having problems and they want to fix whatever is wrong, whether it's their perception or if there's really a problem. But too many posters only hear what they want to hear and usually that's misinformation or half truths that support them. This is evidenced in the choice of the "best answer" that @scratchbaker chose.
Criticism can hurt feelings, but constructive criticism can teach and if we own our mistakes and correct them, we can improve. Defensiveness and denial doesn't help and can lead to less tactful approaches from others who are truly trying to help.
gurlcat
·11 months agoBingo. The OP asked 2 questions and numerous people gave honest answers to both, yet somehow the "most helpful" only justified the OP's angst regarding the first question, and for the second one gave an incorrect answer about grounds to report the seller. Only POST-PURCHASE could a buyer know that the item was actually used, and if they tried to report the seller for it, the feature prompts would just steer the buyer to file an INAD return.
adamcartwright
·11 months ago@albertabrightalberta
You explained well why the Best Answer chosen is a great example of what's called confirmation bias.
There was so much info given by a number of very experienced sellers, but OP went with the minority answer that confirmed prior beliefs.
bonanza125
·11 months agoTo buyers in this thread and who are reading this who feel it is ok to leave a negative just remember this there is always a consequence to your action. If you constantly leave a negative to a seller regardless if you find it appropriate or not you will have sellers who look at those reviews and frown on deal with you. That's the bottom line. Sellers don't want to deal with the hassle. You will be judged just like sellers are judged.
farmalljr
·11 months agoHaving looked at the feedback left for others by the OP (six pages back), there seems to be nothing "unreasonable" about any of the feedback the OP left. I don't care if the peanut gallery here wants to admit it, there ARE bad sellers that do a very poor job. One of those red doughnuts was for a seller in China that send the wrong size or mis-sized clothing item. Looks like they tried scamming the OP.
If you are only going to focus on the rating or a couple of words, without trying to understand context, then you are just making predetermined assumptions. That's just showing a bias that really means you think all buyers are the enemy if they dare saying ANYTHING other than glowing reviews. People that tend to be "offended" or feel threatened by reviews like these, are just hiding the fact they are likely also a poor seller and do not want to deal with anyone who might be honest about their interaction. If the vocal sellers here are half as good as they think they are, there is little to worry about unless you run into a scammer. If the OP was a scammer, they wouldn't bother coming here.
If sellers are not regular buyers and run into these poor sellers, then you are either in the dark or willfully ignorant of what goes on. If you are a regular buyer and choose NOT to say anything, then that's your own choice. You can't blame others for making a different choice then you might choose. Doesn't make the buyer "bad", it makes them more vocal then YOU may choose to be.
gurlcat
·11 months agoI essentially agree with all that, and I can say with certainty the OP's feedback history wouldn't have caused me to block them. I'd also like to say I would have answered the OP's second question by explaining why I couldn't verify the item until the following morning ..... but I can't say that with certainty. The problem here is we don't have all the facts. We don't see screenshots showing the exact wording of these messages, only the OP's quotes, but even if they're word-for-word quotes, I can understand why a seller might take being TOLD "You can just tell me" as hostile, and think "Or I can just silence your pushy *bleep" 😆
We also have no idea what this item was, how the box photos actually looked or whether it would even matter to most people. Nor do we know anything about the business this seller does. I for one need every sale I get and don't mind answering questions (to a point), but if I had hundreds or thousands of listings, dozens of sales per day, I could imagine putting more buyers in my BBL, if I felt they were looking like more trouble than I want, for sales I don't need.
As you are fond of saying, sellers aren't special. But neither are buyers. And as I'm fond of saying, we're not talking about kidneys or insulin here. The OP said themselves they found the same item from another seller and bought it. So I can't help but be a bit humored by their clinging to feeling wronged. Kinda wish the seller in question could see this thread. 🤣
farmalljr
·11 months agoI agree with you. Call me weird, but when I had over 10K listings, IF someone would have asked something as simple as "is the item really new in box" I could have answered that without even having to actually have held the item in my hand. I would know from my listing and pictures. I'm sure you are not any different.
If they wanted more photos I would have probably been happy to accommodate to a point. To me what the item was, really makes no difference. The seller's attitude says a lot.
While you may think buyers aren't special, and they aren't to some degree, a missed sale is a missed sale, and may never happen again for quite some time. There are only so many buyers for a given item. Looking at certain categories and items, we can see many, many listed and very few sold. Like it or not, most or a large share of stuff listed on eBay is not special or a "hot mover". Sure, eBay is a known place to find odd stuff, but far from the only place. Millions of sellers with billions of listings, but "billions" of listings are not sold.
It's like with my service business. Thousands of houses where I am, but those thousands of houses are not all going to buy my services, or anyone else's for that matter. Much the same can be said of every listing on eBay. There is a limited buyer pool for anything for sale, and when sellers are busy eliminating their buying pool in one form or fashion, it only damages themselves and the platform they sell on. Yes, there are some bad buyer who should be blocked, but there is plenty of knee jerking and "gut feeling" dystopia going on here.
Buyers can buy ANYWHERE, but sellers can't sell just anywhere.
gurlcat
·11 months agoWe are different though, because you believe you can transpose your seller experience onto a seller who you know absolutely nothing about, regarding a listing you haven't seen, based on what this one poster is claiming. There are countless reasons why a seller might not feel certain enough to answer that question just by reviewing the listing. And if you as a buyer had gotten that quick, affirming answer from the seller, but then found the item did appear used, I can't even imagine the hellfire you'd unleash. 🤣
With buyers like you in mind, I absolutely would get up and at least take a look at the item in-person before replying. I do that even with my 100-items-or-less store size.
farmalljr
·11 months agoAny seller, be it you, me or anyone else, should be able to know if an item is actually brand new or not. If they can't tell, they probably are not well suited to resell. It's not rocket science. If you are listing something and are not sure if it's new or not, you shouldn't be listing it as new. Again, seller has a duty to describe items accurately. This all leads back to listing practices. No seller should be listing something as "new" if it's not actually new. It's your job as the seller, the listing maker, to accurately describe your items.
I sold plenty of used stuff that came with the original box. It was not hard to tell the difference between new and used. You can argue otherwise, but I've sold tens of thousands of items in my time. You've sold enough as well to know the differences. eBay does not care if today is your first day or your 25th year selling here, you are responsible to describe your items accurately. No breaks are given for newness, ignorance, or lack of care.
gurlcat
·11 months agoEven if the seller knows the item is new, that is not all the buyer wrote about when they asked. They specifically mentioned the box's condition which very well could have made the seller want to take another look and provide more photos. You said it doesn't matter what item it is. Really? So, health/beauty item, highly collectible action figure where the box is part of the value, set of brake pads ... all the same, huh?
AGAIN there are way too many things we don't know, and as usual, all your "shoulds" are only applicable to knowable things!
So when are you going to reply to my question in that other thread, asking what you meant by the "droves" of sellers who'll be here complaining about the automated feedbacks within 30 days?
christworks
·11 months agoExactly. You have some system in place to know who won't be a good customer for you. Whether it is someone who does not have a need for you to fulfil or someone who may not be a good fit for you. For you to be successful and as stress-free as possible, you have to have some type of system in place.
With your service business, I presume you go out to the buyer's home to talk about estimates? You have to go through some sort of sales process, right? So my question is, are you going to spend 3 hours with a potential client trying to make a sale or do you have practices in place to eliminate those people you know won't buy from you.
I will give you an example. I used to be in sales many moons ago. If someone called up and was interested in an advertising package, I'd have to go see them. Within 5 minutes of meeting them, I would know whether I was going to spend two hours with them. For instance, let's say I walk through the door of a mom/pop cake shop. The first question I am asking, "Is there anybody else who needs to be here for our discussion who is part of the decision-making process?" If they answer, yes, then the meeting ends there. If they answer no, it makes it more difficult for them to come back later on and say they need to talk to someone else about it first. There are other questions that are asked in the first few minutes to help determine whether this person is worth my investment. This is practiced by anybody who does sales who knows what they are doing. Behavioral red flags are our best friend.
In one of your posts to @gurlcat you said buyers can shop anywhere, but sellers cannot sell anywhere. I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. If you are talking strictly about online shopping, that is true to an extent. There are websites that don't allow 3rd party sellers. The flip side to that is that is if a buyer buys on those websites, they will likely pay more. Those websites are marketed toward a different customer base altogether, so those customers were never my customers to start with. Plus, certain things are only going to be found on eBay. I sell a lot of replacement parts. Sometimes I'm the only one with that part. I've been told several times by customers they could not find what they needed anywhere else. Imagine if one one of those customers who needed that part had acted all crazy and I blocked them. Yeah, I lost them, but they also lost their ability to get the part they need.
Everybody just needs to be honest, respectful, and take responsibility. This applies to both buyer and seller. This will reduce, but not eliminate all the friction that can happen at times. When problems arise, buyers and sellers have a responsibility to clearly communicate and handle things as adults. Period.
christworks
·11 months agoI did look at the context of the negative feedback the OP left. I saw a common theme, even on back-to-back negatives they left. If I recall correctly, there were three negatives in a row, all different sellers, and all saying basically the same thing. It could very well all be true. I don't know. That is a very bad stretch of bad luck though.
I absolutely believe negatives should be left when they are deserved. I certainly look at them when I'm a buyer. Whether I'm a buyer or a seller, I have no idea what is true and what it isn't. I have to look for themes. As a buyer looking at a seller's ratings, I study to see if there are themes to the feedback. If a buyer has typed in all-caps or their feedback makes no sense, I tend to ignore it, those are other red flags. The same applies to sellers who show the same behavior in their feedback response. I don't want to do business with them either. I actually hold sellers to a higher standard. I expect better from sellers. This should be a professional environment. Typing in all capital letters, accusing sellers (or buyers) of always lying, or saying they need to be kicked off the platform, even if those feelings are valid, send the wrong message.
As you've noted, as a buyer, you have millions of choices of people to buy from. A handful of people blocking you will not impact your buying power. The same isn't true for sellers. There is little protection we have. We don't have an eBay Money-back Guarantee to fall back on when a buyer scams us or when the carrier is late. We don't have the benefit of viewing honest seller feedback because we have to leave a positive or not leave any at all. Some sellers set their account up so that feedback is left as soon as a payment is received. This certainly isn't helpful because the transaction has not fully completed.
Unless the listing is an auction, we have no control over who buys from us. The very narrow exception is if we are able to pinpoint a shopper. Most of the time we can't. They have to send a message or, through a series of clicks, we can find them after we've sent out offers or if we have offers turned on and receive one. Only then can we get an insight into the shopper, and make the decision to block or not. It isn't paranoia. It is good business practice. Problem shoppers cost even good sellers money. I need business, but I don't want all business.
scratchbaker
OP11 months agoI did have one short string of very bad luck with sellers and as a buyer it was very disturbing. I've been buying on eBay since the year 2000 and it's only in the last year or so that I've hit some real klinkers. That's why I posted in this forum which I didn't even know existed until yesterday. Now I regret posting as some people using the forum don't even seem to have anything to sell, but just cruise the forum to give out free venom.
Thanks for your post. It was refreshing.
adamcartwright
·11 months agoYou've gotten advice from some very experienced and successful eBayers. Many are commenting here under their posting/buying accounts, not their selling accounts.
scratchbaker
OP11 months agoAgree, some comments have been fine. But I doubt I will ever post a question again. I've been using eBay for 25 years and it's only in the last year or so that I tend to check seller feedback before buying almost anything. Once burned, twice shy. I buy a lot on eBay, too.
gurlcat
·11 months agoThat's too bad because if you ever need actual help, this is where you would get it.
adamcartwright
·11 months ago@scratchbaker
Don't write it off.
Some of us can be crusty at times, but I've been with eBay for over 25 years now and have learned more here than I ever knew going it alone.
albertabrightalberta
·11 months agoYou'll get much more accurate information here than you will from offshore contracted customer service phone people.
christworks
·11 months agoI know there are bad sellers here. It can be disheartening. Believe me, as a seller, I don't like it either. Bad sellers run good buyers off, even if only indirectly. I'm the type of seller who will help someone find what they are looking for. I do get messages sometimes asking, "Will this work for this? or that?" I had a lady ask me if the Smith Corona font wheel I had for sale would work in her Brother typewriter. I was glad she asked before buying. I took the time to research to make sure it wasn't universal, and I learned she would need an actual Brother font wheel. I found what she needed by another seller, who appeared to be a good seller. I sent the business their way, but made sure my shopper knew about the money-back guarantee by eBay in case the seller ended up being trash. Thankfully, they were not. They did right by her and she was so happy she got what she needed. This is why I do protect my reputation and, when possible, block people who I do not want to do business with. They may very well be good people who get caught up in emotion. I get it. We all do that. But as a seller, I don't know that. Having dealt with the public in some fashion most of my life, I know there are lot of people out there who can't be pleased for anything. I love my sister dearly, but I wouldn't want her as customer because she is hard to please and quick to fly off on leaving negative feedback without first contacting the seller.
I know the answer you selected fed into what you wanted to hear. That's fine. But please, if you are going to leave negative feedback especially, try to avoid doing it when you are upset. This way you focus on the facts. It makes your feedback much more likely to be taken seriously by other buyers and sellers as well.
Finally, don't take your toys and go home. Stay on the forum. Post questions when you need to. You will butt heads with people sometimes and probably with me again. But I'm the type of person who can have a strong disagreement, and sit down with you and talk about sports, food, etc and have good conversation.
bonjourami
·11 months agoEasy enough to see why that seller blocked you,he wont be the first.
toysaver
·11 months agoIn a perfect world there'd be a BSE rating and we wouldn't have to.
msha3839
·11 months agoCount your blessings…too many low intellect individuals trading on eBay..
christworks
·11 months agoThe first thing I did when I read your post was to read the feedback you left other sellers. I even noted multiple positive feedbacks that had negative comments, which is a violation of eBay policy. In one you complained about the price. H-E-L-L-O?! If you do not like the price, here is a really radical idea: Don't buy the item from that seller.
There is also a common theme in your negatives, where you type in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS that the seller is a liar or non-responsive. This is the exact theme of your post. You suspect the seller has lied, then complain that they did not respond in the manner you wanted them to respond.
We don't know the seller. We don't know if they have 100 items or 10,000 items. They may be unsure if there was an error in their listing, and needed some time to pull the item, verify, and send you pictures. This way you can see for yourself. It was the right response and you, as a buyer, should appreciate they wanted to send you pictures.
When a buyer messages me I always look at the feedback they have left other sellers. This way I get to decide whether I want to do business with them. I have a system in place as to what triggers a block. Based on my system, you are prime for blocking. I believe in taking advantage of the tools eBay offers sellers. Blocking is there for a reason. Other sellers may feel differently, and that's fine. More business for them. I like my peace of mind.
Maybe all the negative feedback you've left is true. Even so, you come across at times as unhinged. I am not saying you are. I am saying your writing style gives off that vibe. A simple, straight forward note like this is all that is needed:
"I had X issue with this transaction. The seller said they would do Y, but did Z instead. I reached out to resolve the issue, but the seller never responded." You can add more details, if needed, just stay factual. Once you get into the weeds of saying the seller should be kicked off of eBay, it tells other sellers, even good ones, you will threaten their livelihood. Even now, you want to report this seller for doing something they are allowed to do.
The example I gave you clearly communicates to others the facts of the transaction from your view. The feedback will be more effective, because buyers will ignore negatives where people sound unhinged. (Note: They also avoid sellers who respond to feedback in an unhinged manner.)
scratchbaker
OP11 months agoPlease block me. There isn't a grain of truth in what you wrote.
kickin.assets
·11 months ago@scratchbaker
Your reply to @christworks tells me all I need to know about you
duffy4444
·11 months ago@scratchbaker :
You're just not getting it, and this response from you to @christworks is proof. Rather than realizing that it may be a good idea to consider cleaning up your own side of the street where feedback is concerned, you've got your knickers in a twist and are digging in and grinding your ax. That's why I've already preemptively blocked you as well, even though my listings may not be something you would even want.
Cheers, Duffy
christworks
·11 months agoDone.
duffy4444
·11 months ago@scratchbaker:
You talk here about "honesty" in your feedback. Honesty is one thing, but a pattern of a LOT of neutrals and negatives given to sellers is totally another.
I promptly and courteously reply to nearly every question I receive as a seller. But whenever I receive a question or two from a buyer that smacks of potential drama and doubt (and yours does), I always check their feedback left for sellers. I saw all 10 pages of your feedback. Your pattern of discontent would be a big red flag to me, and is an indication that an otherwise avoidable hassle could be coming down the line.
You're probably not interested in anything I'm selling. But in seeing the pattern of neutral and negative feedback (some of it quite nasty) that you've left for sellers, I've also blocked you. The BBL is one of the last bits of protection sellers have, and it helps to keep my head clear and my business well-oiled and more time for my good customers.
Cheers, Duffy
slati_2013
·11 months agoAre you buying the item or the box? Many seller sell new items that come in damaged boxes. And most sellers open boxes to verify the contents and make sure the items work. I would block you too. I don't need the hassle of someone using a damaged box to file a claim. If you are a collector and the box is damaged, move on. By posting here and and showing your "worst seller ever" negatives, you are on hundred more block lists. "Worst seller ever" is as horrific a negative you can leave for a seller. It sends other buyers fleeing.
sin-n-dex
·11 months agoIt's bad feedback, maybe not the worst... a guy who was trying to scam me compared me to Satan because I told him I didn't send him an empty box (or any kind of box at all for that matter, it was an envelope). Thankfully I was able to get that removed after eBay read the messages he sent me.
C.
chapeau-noir
·11 months agoI tend to think it'll just make most buyers roll their eyes - SO dramatic!
0219dv
·11 months agoIf I look at a potential buyers feedback & see they leave a ton of negative feedback, I will block them. If they've left 17 feedback & 15 are negative, I can guarantee they will be a problem. As a seller that is the only reason I block. I just looked at the feedback you leave.
Edit after looking at the feedback you leave. I ABSOLUTELY understand why they blocked you. You leave a ok comment then Nuetral?? You also leave a LOT OF NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.
rugerskick
·11 months agoSeller may have seen your feedback history for others and decided to avoid the drama, as you already had doubts about the item. I think in these cases (and I am a both a buyer and seller), as a buyer, if item photos dont seem to match the description, I'd check their fb history comments for extra context, and based on that, probably avoid and find another seller. Don't even ask a question, just skip them. Anytime your gut warns you about something, its best to listen to it.
bgt_masters_of_tiki_d
·11 months agoFirst thing I do if a buyer asks me any question is check feedback left. I checked the first pages of the ones you leave people and I think there is your reason. I only went back to the second page but that was enough, honestly I would have likely blocked you as well because you seem to be very hard to please and or have lots more problems than your average buyer. Regardless you leave a high number of neutrals and negatives.
ten_o_nine
·11 months agoWhy would a seller block a buyer just for asking if an item listed as "New" which does not look new is, in fact, new? I did note that one negative review on the seller said an item listed as "new" appeared to be used. Should I report the seller to eBay and if so on what grounds?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're unsure about the grounds for reporting the seller, means "No Grounds", sorry.
ten_o_nine
·11 months agoI reviewed the feedback history and noticed that you've left negative feedback for other sellers in similar situations. It's possible that the seller blocked you due to concerns about your feedback style. Perhaps it's worth considering how your feedback might be perceived by sellers in the future.
scratchbaker
OP11 months agoFrom your feedback, I have to presume that the seller was indeed selling something used as "new" and didn't want me to buy it and discover that my initial take on the listing was correct. Being blocked in the long run spares me buying from someone who would deliberately attempt to deceive a buyer. Doesn't ethics count for something (even in 2025)?
gurlcat
·11 months agoThat would be a totally unfounded assumption. Just because the box looked "slightly damaged" (your own words) doesn't mean it was ever actually opened or the item was ever used. eBay allows sellers to use their own discretion when assigning item condition, and then the buyer has the right to return anything at no cost for shipping, if they feel the item was described untruthfully. If this item was actually used and the seller was actually dishonest, she would have just said "Yeah it's new!" -but she didn't; she offered to take a closer look and provide you more photos. She probably realized the item MIGHT have been used but she could have created the listing as a "sell similar" from a previous listing of a new item, and forgot to change the menu choice for condition. She wanted to accommodate you, just not as fast as you wanted.
And there's the part where your (buyer's) lack of awareness came in. -You pressed her to "just tell" you how the item looks, like immediately. You assumed she had a clear memory of the item, or had it somewhere close enough that she could lay eyes on it right away. But in reality, it's totally possible that she photographed and listed it a year ago, has hundreds of other listings, and keeps the inventory somewhere miles from wherever she was when she got your messages. In fact that would explain why the following morning would be the soonest she could take another look at this item, when she went to her workspace to pack and ship her sales.
In other words, you can't assume that all eBay sellers are like Craigslist sellers -some are more like retail stores. Heck she might even be a consignor, therefore more like a store employee than a business owner.
scratchbaker
OP11 months agoI wasn't sure whether to post this question under Sellers or Buyers. It's been real enlightening to read sellers' perspectives on honest feedback that may not be Positive. I don't think Buyers would warn me about my how my neutral or negative honest feedback might be perceived by sellers. I sure hope Buyers don't stop posting honest feedback on all their transactions. It's helpful.
adamcartwright
·11 months ago@scratchbaker
The bottom line is that you have a right to leave FB on your purchases, and you've exercised that right with gusto.
Some of us choose not to exercise our rights in certain situations for various reasons. If I'm slightly displeased with certain aspects of a transaction, I will likely not leave any FB at all.
But if you're a person who likes to go for it at every opportunity, that's okay.
Seller has a right to block you, and he's exercised that right.
Just find another seller who wants your business.
powell-collectibles
·11 months agoHonest feedback is one thing. Maybe you are a great buyer, maybe you aren’t. A lot of that feedback would give me pause. I’m very pro buyer – don’t get me wrong. So much of that stuff just looks like you not being happy with online shopping and the USPS. That’s the kind of stuff that makes good sellers block buyers.
gurlcat
·11 months agoFor future reference, buyer questions belong in the Buyers forum, and you don't have to worry about lacking seller perspectives because the vast majority of regular participants here are sellers. A lot of us are both sellers and frequent buyers actually, but few are buyers only.
- Why give a neutral if you got what you ordered and it was as described???
-It is your responsibility to make sure you know what you are purchasing, including things like instructions. If the listing didn't SAY the torch came with instructions, then you shouldn't have expected it to. You also could have asked the seller before buying.
As for negs and neutrals, (just my opinion; others may disagree) most of yours read like legitimate complaints. It's true they do make up a higher than average portion of your feedbacks than the average buyer, so I don't know if you just have really bad luck or what.
But I do see at least a couple of unreasonable ones. Like this:
And this:
pickapaper
·11 months ago@scratchbaker
Often, when a seller receives a question(s) from a buyer that they think might be "questionable", they check the buyer's "feedback left for others" to see what kind of feedback they leave for sellers. In your case, you have left quite a few neutrals and negatives and even some of the positives you have left have a negative undertone, complaining that a color wasn't right, or the packaging wasn't good but the item arrived okay, or a package arrived one day too late, or other things. This seller may have read those and decided that they didn't want to do business with you and take a chance of getting one of those bad reviews.
I know you think you are being honest in your feedback you leave and that is fine for the worst ones, but it might be better to either just say "thank you" or not leave any feedback at all. (Feedback is optional; it is not required. eBay likes to badger us to leave feedback for things we buy, but sometimes it is better to just ignore those messages.)
scratchbaker
OP11 months agoI've been looking at buyers' feedback much more and passing on some sellers because I don't need the hassle of buying something that isn't as presented if I can avoid it. It's a shame that some sellers don't want to do business with buyers who leave HONEST feedback, because any other feedback is worthless and if you're not an honest seller on eBay, buyers need to know. I wouldn't be using eBay if they did not have the back of buyers who run into bad sellers (and vice versa). Most of my messaging with sellers is helpful and pleasant. This one was a real clinker.
farmalljr
·11 months agoSee? What did I tell you? Other sellers will "justify" a seller doing something bad. There ARE a fair amount of BAD sellers here. You don't run into them every transaction, but the amount of them have increased quite a bit the longer eBay has been around. I run into them way more frequently now then I did 5-10-20 years ago.
Sometimes it's like you are dealing with bratty children. What's ironic is sellers have been whining for years that most buyers don't leave feedback and their feedback doesn't reflect "how awesome" they think they are. Now eBay is going to implement forced feedback for buyers. Some like me, will not allow eBay to leave feedback FOR me when I would not have left feedback. Now I'll be handing out a ton of neutrals and more negatives when appropriate. Sellers want praise, not real feedback. Most buyers were silent on feedback, and didn't bother to complain about things. They should have, but they didn't.
Again, lots of sellers have the attitude they think they are "special" and should be put on a pedestal since they are selling stuff. Like there are not others in retail doing it everywhere else in the world. Feedback is a reflection of how you perceive or feel about the transaction. It SHOULD be honest, or what is the point at all of feedback? eBay could easily just show how many transactions each account has that was a buy or a sell transaction, without even allowing feedback. It could easily reflect how many returns and for what reason a seller receives. It could show how many cases a seller did not resolve on their own and eBay had to do it for them.
Sellers don't like buyers that leave bad feedback for no reason other than to scam them. I understand that. But sellers just don't like less that positive feedback either, even if they did something wrong. They only want "praise" like they are the greatest thing ever. Again, some act like children having an tantrum, like you see here. Some play it off they are "avoiding" problems, but what they really mean is they don't want to be held to standards. If you list something, you have a duty to be accurate. eBay is not a yard sale in your yard, though some seller think it should be. They want the reach and sales of this platform, but want the responsibility of selling in a yard sale.
My advice? Just keep doing what you have been, stay honest. There is no reason to praise a seller doing a subpar job. There is no reason to stay silent, because eBay actually wants your feedback (by evidence they are now going to force it if you don't leave it). So, give sellers what they want, give them honest feedback. The few that haunt these boards are not even a blip on the millions of sellers eBay has. Who cares if they block you? The likelihood you would ever buy from them is zero anyway. It's killing their sales, not your options to buy.
doc-holmes
·11 months agoBut your feedback left isn't honest, it's retaliatory. You have multiple "WORST SELLER!" feedbacks left. That's impossible and contradictory. There's can only be one worst seller.
gurlcat
·11 months agoMaybe the OP could start doing it like awards shows, but with item categories.
WORST SELLER: Shoes>Women>Sandals
toysaver
·11 months agoPlenty of eBayers erroneously list items as new just because the box / packaging is present. Nothing you buy at Goodwill, a garage sale or the like should ever be sold as new.
12345jamesstamps
·11 months agoSeller might have looked at your neutral and negative feedbacks given to other sellers.
It took me 2 seconds to see the problem.
hartungcards
·11 months agoYou may want to cut back on the number of neutral and negative feedbacks you leave for sellers. Sometimes it's best to just let it go, even if deserved, so as not to look like a compulsive whiner. Save the negs and neutrals for the most egregious cases. No feedback at all is always an option, and can be your friend.
scratchbaker
OP11 months agoI can't leave feedback on the seller. I didn't buy anything from her. But in 25 years of buying on eBay I've never had a seller block me from buying, and here it's just for questioning the Condition she stated in the listing which didn't match her photos.
albertabrightalberta
·11 months agoActually, you don't know that unless and until you try and buy from a seller who blocked you. Over the years, you may have asked questions, had them answered and decided not to bid or buy. So if they blocked you, you'd never know.
And it's very possible that after sellers have read this thread, you may be blocked by other sellers too. But you'll never know, especially when the blocks are by sellers who haven't posted but have read or by sellers who post with posting IDs.
doc-holmes
·11 months agoSome people's children. 🙄
msha3839
·11 months agoNo. In majority cases children learn, develop and become productive members of the society..in this case, gray matter size of the golf ball bouncing in the skull 🤯
farmalljr
·11 months agoYou are going to find, the more you buy here and the more you read these boards, you'll discover there are some unstable people that sell. IMO, this seller would be one of them. You asked a question that was reasonable, in a reasonable way. The seller wanted to waste your time, make you wait, and not just simply answer the question FIRST, then offer photos if you needed more information.
Lots of questions can be answered with short and to the point answers. If that is too much time for a seller to give, they are doing the wrong thing to make money.
You'll find before this thread dies off, lots of responses like #6 justifying bad behavior by sellers. Some of them think they are special and deserve some special treatment, like what they do is unique.
You can report the seller for deceptive listing practices, since they list something as "new" when it's used. Though I'll be honest, nothing will happen unless others report the listing too.
Make your own list. When you find bad sellers, keep a list of them and never buy from them again. And if a seller is poor to deal with or is deceptive, and you HAVE bought from them, do not be afraid to give feedback that reflects your experince.
It's because of sellers like this, that jump the gun putting buyers on the BBL, that I think eventually that list will go away and no longer be an option for sellers. It costs eBay money and chases away buyers, just like it did when eBay allowed sellers to leave negative feedback.
albertabrightalberta
·11 months agoI stand by my opinion that there's nothing to report the seller for. You don't know that they "list something as "new" when it's used."
Depending on sellers' photography expertise, lighting, angle, editing skills, etc., items can appear new and be used and they can be used by appear unused.
If @scratchbaker had been patient enough to wait for the picture(s), they may have shown exactly what they needed to see. It's not unreasonable for a seller to be at work, out of the office, in a place where lighting was less than ideal, etc. and for whatever reason be unable to take pictures at the instant that the OP wanted them.
thhn-thhn
·7 months agoI was looking at this item & thoughts I might have seen some what looked like corrosion in the item like
it had been in a flood. I had asked the seller to uncouple a belt buckle so I could see if there was corrosion & bare metal showing. I messaged the seller twice after the seller gave me an offer on this item. The seller flat out ignored me. & then I was blocked.
I was upset with ebays policies because the sellers actions were unacceptable & should not be tolerated by ebay especially after I talked to an agent. I feel that this seller was hiding something about that item I happened to pick up by seeing a photo of it.
I had made a reply NOT realizing I was breaking rules so Im now hopefully doing it within your guidelines.
Id like to see ebay change its policies on lock outs! because they are extremely unfair & rude to the buyer.
Your agent said I cant lock out these sellers on my end.
I had mentioned going to social media but I do NOT have such an account & DONT want one because I do NOT like social media or smartphones. I am very old school & want to stay that way. I use land line phones only & hope to do that until I pass on. Im not young anymore.
I have been using ebay for over 30 years & have met some of my closest friends on ebay when they were more open with their policies. I have even met some extremely nice people lately on ebay but also have ran into some not so nice ones like those that lock you out ONLY for giving the wrong feedback or for only asking LEGET questions about an item.
Since 2020 I have been more distant because of the damage it[COVID 19] caused me & countless others
I hope this message is acceptable because Im not showing anger or using caps excessively or putting sellers names up here. Im having a hard time using this ebay community because I have never used it before.
Alls Im asking here is that ebay modify its lock out policies because unscrupulous sellers abuse lock outs which is really abusing ebays policies. like Ive been explaining here in this message.
gurlcat
·7 months ago@thhn-thhn Well you're not going to like this, but this thread will soon be closed to any further replies, as soon as the moderators notice it has new replies, because the original post is pretty old.
So when that happens, don't think it's because of anything you said -threads get closed due to age all the time; it's nothing personal.
What you should do is start a brand new thread of your own, with your own title and message body. But before you do that, you should know that this Community board is just other eBay sellers and buyers. It is not a way to get eBay to change anything or perform any procedures for you. But it's a great place to get help from experienced sellers who may know how to fix something yourself, if you run into any kind of problem.
mindeyefirestorm.2
·7 months agoI had this happen many times.. Some people shouldn't be selling ebay .
That have alot issues.. One numbskull canceled my order after him the item shipping was a mistake..
He relisted it then blocked me after I wanted to bid again.
Needless to say I turned him to ebay for seller violations...
albertabrightalberta
·11 months agoI think the seller may have thought you were unreasonable when they agreed to "send more pics first thing tomorrow" but you seemed unhappy with that and a bit impatient to want an answer now.
Your response of "just tell me....." probably sent them to check your feedback left for others and they saw a history that (although not terrible but not great) made them decide not to do business with you.
There's absolutely NOTHING to report the seller for. They didn't do anything wrong. A seller can block you for ANY reason or for NO reason.
This isn't meant to be insulting but the fact that you came here to complain and look for a reason why you could report the seller probably means the seller made a good decision for that seller.
cityslickercreations2004
·11 months agoIn some measure, being blocked is a twisted gift.
You won't accidentally purchase something from this seller in the future.
roccotacodad54
·11 months agoThe seller seems to have been avoiding putting into words (typed) what you already suspected.
You asked and didn't get a satisfactory answer. Moved on as I would have done..................
Hard to come up with a reason to report......................
dirk12955
·11 months agoSome sellers will block a buyer for a good reason, Or no reason at all.
It's a mystery to me how many sellers
sit and invent out of thin air reasons to not make a sale.
theteamsetguy
·11 months ago@dirk12955 ,
As a 100% commissioned employee at my daytime job I would never try and prevent from anyone from buying from me.
My eBay blocked buyer list is less than the number of toes I have one foot.