Should I reply to buyer or block?
A buyer sent me a message asking for two measurements of a shirt. Both measurements are shown in a provided size chart in the listing description as well as a photo uploaded with the gallery pic.
I was about to reply to him until I saw about 3 hours after his first message he sends a second one with a yawning emoji and saying “You want to sell these or not?”
Would you reply or block?
27 comments
ten_o_nine
·5 months agoBuyers who ask questions already answered in the listing description or photos often skip reading other important details, such as shipping times or return policies. Many times, this leads to "Item Not As Described" (INAD) claims or demands for partial refunds later on.
Use of a yawning emoji and the aggressive "You want to sell these or not?" message indicates a high maintenance and abusive personality.
I would say block.
mamacassidy
·5 months ago"You want to sell these or not?"
Absolutely not to this person.
There is no reason whatsoever for a stranger on the internet to treat me and/or my business this way. That is rude and disrespectful. It's not cheeky or funny.
I would probably reply with my usual: "I'm sorry, I was working a 12-hour shift at the hospital and I was unable to answer your question as quickly as you would have liked. If you look at the listing, you will see the measurements you were asking about are shown in the size chart as well as the photos. Thank you and have a great day!"
Then I'd block.
cityslickercreations2004
·5 months ago" I was about to reply to him until I saw about 3 hours after his first message he sends a second one with a yawning emoji and saying “You want to sell these or not? ”
I don't necessarily block potential buyers that ask me polite question(s) even if the information is within the listing. Irritating, but it happens.
And then there are questions from the smart "apple" pile.
The buyer's question may have been tongue-in-cheek but this is the internet. There are no visual or audio clues for sellers or buyers to gauge the tone.
If I received a similar question, I would block. And block quickly.
pickapaper
·5 months agoI have never blocked anyone for asking me questions...until a couple of weeks ago. A buyer wrote me why did I have closeup photos of some areas of the item, was I trying to point out damage? Also, one of my photos was a little out of focus and she wanted to know what I was trying to hide (it was an ID label and still readable). I told her the closeups were just to give a potential buyer better views of certain areas, and the fuzzy photo of the label was just my poor photography. And then I blocked her. She wasn't a newbie, either.
a_c_green
·5 months agoMy first thought was Block and Forget.
As for second thoughts: I would look at his Feedback Left for Others to see if there might be any further clues there. If everything seems hunky-dory, I might answer by giving him the numbers he asked for, and then saying, "You can find further dimensions and details in the description and photos. Let me know if you have any further questions!"
I guess that means I would let the snarky followup slide, just once, and only if I didn't see anything else of concern in his feedback.
P.S. I just remembered that I have in fact gone through this same situation within the past year. I had a rather high-maintenance buyer who I kept around because he bought stuff, despite being a bit of a jerk in how he asked questions, etc. Mister Diplomacy he was not, but we sellers are supposed to remain businesslike and all that.
But one day he sent a jeering comment about how no one was going to buy such an ugly color of some bike parts I had listed -- why he wrote it, I have no idea -- but that was enough, and into the Blocked Buyer List he went.
I was happy to see that the very next day, one of the "ugly" parts sold anyway. 😄
iamalwaysright
OP5 months agoPlot twist, it was your buyer with a guest account. 😉
stainlessenginecovers
·5 months agoI would reply like this:
If I were you I would
a.) read descriptions and then you won't have to ask questions that are already answered
b.) take some 'no-dose' cause seems you are sleepy
Then of course, blockity block.
darn_yankee
·5 months agoI would block in a heart beat.
reallynicestamps
·5 months agoBlock.
Asking for information that is already available can be a ploy to see what kind of customer service the seller provides. Not a great one, or a polite one, but here we are.
But the emoji?
Block block block block.
It will not get better.
tobaccocardyahoo
·5 months agoI am would definitely be inclined to block. People like him are never happy unless they are making you miserable.
inhawaii
·5 months agoPersonally...
I would not block -and- I would answer him/her without mentioning that the answer is already in in listing.
It happens to me all the time.
After reading everyone's reply...
Wow you guys are tough!
jonathanbrightlight
·5 months agoSame. I’ve had more problems from buyers who never messaged us than those that ask questions, I can guarantee that.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoI was about to reply to him until I saw about 3 hours after his first message he sends a second one with a yawning emoji and saying “You want to sell these or not?
My decision to block would be based on the above part of the message, not the fact that the info is in the listing. That kind of message is not just rude, but speaks to a level of impatience that might well bite you in the backside down the road. Three hours is not excessive, especially for folks with jobs or families. This person is the person who will be asking where his package is 12 hours after you print the label.
iamalwaysright
OP5 months agoI agree. I didn't expect this many to say to block. But then I might just be a glutton for punishment.
I think I recall in the past on threads like this most people would've said to not block. Could it be as the years pass, more and more sellers are getting more tough as a whole? Not wanting to take anymore potential 💩 from buyers?
onefootflipper
·5 months agoThe ebay buyer pool is effectively unlimited. You can and should block anyone who gives you the slightest evidence that they will cause problems.
Because of my youtube channel I talk to a lot of sellers behind the scenes and there are some pretty high volume sellers out there that block everyone who ever messages them for any reason. Because people who send messages prior to the sale file claims at incredibly high rates compared to those that do not.
funfactorychannel
·5 months agoblock not cause he asked for measurement but cause he was being cheeky
grand-and-glorious-purpose
·5 months agoIf the question is to block or not...
ALWAYS block
asset_liquidators
·5 months agoBlock without hesitation.
jameshen1
·5 months agoDefinitely block. The sooner the better.
12345jamesstamps
·5 months agoPotential buyer is probably looking at it on his iPhone and not a computer maybe.
Description has to be clinked on after scrolling looking for it on an iPhone.
I use my iPhone sometimes when I am too lazy to go to the computer.
It's up to you if you want the sale immediately.
Seems like you have to do more work to get the sale.
I wouldn't block the person.
He'll probably buy it.
iamalwaysright
OP5 months ago12345jamesstamps
·5 months agoWhen in doubt...block!
iamalwaysright
OP5 months ago😁I keed I keed
iamalwaysright
OP5 months agoFor what it’s worth you’re probably right that he’s using a phone since I received a yawning emoji in his message.
spreadlovelikefire
·5 months agoI would block, no problem. But I'm trigger happy from my experiences with buyers like this. The ones I've given the benefit of the doubt always end up biting me in the butt so I started just blocking when my gut tells me to. I blocked a guy earlier because he sent me a message asking for the colors of shirts, which is pictured and listed in the description and details with the exact colors. I answered him and then he messaged back immediately and said "what about the thickness of the fabric". That was my red light to block. I'm not getting caught in the thickness/thinness circle. They weren't listed as heavyweight or featherlight. They are standard cotton shirts. I almost guarantee he would get them and not like them. When buyers are this picky they can go to the store and feel things with their own hands, not my headache!
iamalwaysright
OP5 months agoYea I recently got hit with this twice in like the last year or 2. Two different times, two different listings, two different buyers. Where the buyer filed not as described and said it was thinner than advertised. My listing doesn't state anything about thickness and is a standard shirt like yours. Both times the buyer left negative feedback saying "It's not as thick as advertised" despite my listing not advertising any thickness at all.
When I asked them where in the listing does it mention how thick it is, one buyer replied and said the photo looks like it's thick. That made me think, you mean a 2 dimensional shirt listing photo like this shows you the thickness of it? 🤔 Of course, that last part I just thought it. I'm just glad ebay helped me out on those. Smh.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoBlock, avoid the headache.