Ask a simple question??

[wifetrained]

I asked a simple question regarding the condition of an item being sold that was never answered and when I attempted to go ahead and make a purchase, I find out I was blocked.  I inquired as to why and surprise surprise...no answer. Thankfully I found the item elsewhere, that seller happily answered questions and I made the buy. If asking a simple question gets you blocked from buying, then maybe that seller should be banned from selling on this platform.

[powell-memorabilia]

Nah, eBay shouldn’t kick out sellers that ban certain buyers.  Sellers typically have a good reason - no one likes to turn away sales.  Some buyer questions are huge red flags.

[whorunbartertown]

It sounds like the first seller ruined a potential sale. If they keep that up, they won't need to be kicked off. For the life of me, I don't understand why some sellers seem to hate or distrust all buyers. It's like a doctor who hates dealing with patients.

[mudshark61369]

@wifetrained,

Have you ever see a sign in a store or restaurant that says "We reserve the right to refuse service to..."?  Sellers on ebay have the same right to refuse to do business with anyone they think might cause them problems.   eBay is not going to take that right away from them.

I'm not saying what the seller did was right, but If the seller posted lots of clear photos of the item, and gave more than a one or two sentence description of it, then your question about "condition" was probably not well received, because you are basically questioning the seller's honesty.   You used to sell on ebay, and should know how one too picky buyer can ruin an otherwise perfect record. 

You should also know from your selling days that if a seller blocks a buyer, they probably also use the Buyer requirement that automatically blocks communications from buyers who are on their blocked buyer list (BBL). 

[wifetrained]

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@mudshark61369 wrote:

@wifetrained,

Have you ever see a sign in a store or restaurant that says "We reserve the right to refuse service to..."?  Sellers on ebay have the same right to refuse to do business with anyone they think might cause them problems.   eBay is not going to take that right away from them.

I'm not saying what the seller did was right, but If the seller posted lots of clear photos of the item, and gave more than a one or two sentence description of it, then your question about "condition" was probably not well received, because you are basically questioning the seller's honesty.   You used to sell on ebay, and should know how one too picky buyer can ruin an otherwise perfect record. 

You should also know from your selling days that if a seller blocks a buyer, they probably also use the Buyer requirement that automatically blocks communications from buyers who are on their blocked buyer list (BBL). 

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The discrepancy was clearly evident in the photographs posted which is why I posed the question. That photo has now been changed. 

[mudshark61369]

@wifetrained,

Not to be rude but, since you found the item listed by another seller, you need to get over this. eBay allows sellers to block buyers for any reason they want. They do not have to justify their reasons for doing that and they will not take action against a seller who has exercised that right.  

As a seller I would thank a buyer who pointed out an issue with a listing, not block them.  However, each to their own.  Has the seller received any recent non positive feedback?  If they have they may be overly sensitive about having discrepancies pointed out to them. 

[wifetrained]

I don't see you being rude, you're making your point. Nothing to get over as I did find it from other sellers who had no problem answering the exact same question. When dealing with older products, questions involving corrosion issues on a release mechanism are important. Are we dealing with surface oxidation or something deeper. As a former aviation mech I'm well versed in corrosion control but I needed to know the exact condition so I would know how to proceed on corrective action. Instead of buying multiple items from 1 seller I had to make singular purchases from several. The fact he changed the pictures on the listing tells me he may have something to hide. 

[jameshen1]

If you think he had something to hide, then be glad he blocked you.  

[gosimus]

@wifetrained 

< If asking a simple question gets you blocked >     

Not making any accusations here, but maybe, just maybe, the seller was trying to pull a fast one, but your question revealed that you knew your stuff, and he realized he wouldn't get away with it.  

[12345jamesstamps]

Your last purchased in feedback is a negative...and sellers read feedbacks.

And asking a question..."simple"...to you...maybe not to a seller...maybe seller didn't want the drama.

Seller has a right to block a buyer if seller thinks buyer might not be a perfect sale.

[maxine*j]

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@wifetrained wrote:

...If asking a simple question gets you blocked from buying, then maybe that seller should be banned from selling on this platform.

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Forever banned from selling on eBay because s/he didn't answer your question?  That's hyperbole, I hope.

There are many reasons why a seller doesn't respond to a message from a buyer, and they're a merry mix of good reasons and bad ones. That means that sometimes when sellers fail to respond to messages they miss out on good sales and making repeat customers.  It means that sometimes they save themselves a lot of hassle and headaches. 

But BANNING them for not responding?  I would hope that will never happen.

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[soh.maryl]

There are some sellers that may be just a little paranoid and they see ANY question from ANY buyer as indicating a buyer who may be a pain in the future.  And maybe they've had that problem before.  A seller can block for any reason or for no reason at all.  

Glad you found another seller with the item you want.  

[mtgraves7984]

I inquired as to why and surprise surprise...no answer. 

@wifetrained 

It might have been as petty a reason as the seller didn't like your moniker... which I love, by the way. 😊

[wifetrained]

The last one I left was actually a neutral. I have only left 1 negative feedback in my 23 years on this platform and that was many years ago.

[soh.maryl]

So, just curious, did you open an item not as described case for that item for which you left the neutral?