eBay

lichtpriester · ‎02-03-2018

Okay, first let me say that I know that there are problem buyers out there. I am not one of them. I leave good feedback 99% of the time. If something on occasion arrives damaged and I can fix it, I send the seller photos and suggest a partial refund. If I cant fix it, I want to make a return. Who wouldn't? I don't have a history of this however, most of my purchase experiences have been great.

I recently bought a small replica clock. Before bidding, I asked the seller if she'd consider adding a Buy-It-Now option, which is not against eBay policy to ask. No reply, which was fine, she didn't have to reply. I told her I'd be bidding anyways - and got no reply. I won the auction and asked her if she'd ship using bubble wrap and a small box versus a padded mailer, which some sellers might use. I didn't doubt her packing abilities but asked this based on past eBay experiences with bad packing. She didnt reply. Today I messaged her again to ask if she could shed light on a tracking number that she sent which only says that she created a label days after paying.

Her reply was to say, "I'm sure youll be returning the clock. To make a return, you have to...." I have no intention of returning it! All of my messages to her were friendly, not demanding. I am not a "problem cutomer", but she made me out to be just that. Why would anyone who NEEDS buyers act like this? I place importance on seller-buyer interaction. I sign messsages with my name, some sellers do not, and even if something arrives damaged, which is NOT my usual experience with eBay, I'm civil. I don't get it.

Can sellers see buyer's history, in terms of opening cases? I rarely do this, but hate the thought that a seller would judge me based on this or legitimate and friendly email requests re: packing or shipping status. The seller almost seems to anticipate bad buyers when they arent there. If the clock arrives in good condition, I'll leave her good feedback, but if not - I'll ask to make a return - and somehow end up fulfilling her assumptions or preordained "prophecy"?

castlemagicmemories · ‎02-03-2018

wrote:
wrote:
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Although i am sure everything that you messaged your seller is quite innocent, too much chit-chat from a potentional buyer will often put sellers on edge. and it is really a shame that this happens. however from the sellers stand point, a lot of questions, coments etc. from a potentional buyer does more often than not lead to trouble later down the road. i really do feel your stress but i can kind of understand both sides. that being said however, i think that sellers should always remain polite & respectful no matter what the situation.....just my opinion. good luck & try not to take it personally. life is too short...
Possibly the OP thinks it is commendable that he/she is so friendly, but that certainly can come across as too much communication. I would be embarrassed as a buyer if I sent multiple messages.

Just my opinion, and with all due respect, but I don't feel the seller was being disrespectful, even though the buyer took it that way. Seller may just feel she/he is being proactive, that in the stream of correspondence, that will most likely be the next issue on OP's plate. I understand why the buyer could take offense at that, but seller may have no more meant offense than this OP supposedly did, and is just as unaware of how the communication appears.

I often find it is best to look at one's actions from the point of view of the other person.
The seller WAS disrespectful and inappropriate, IMO, and with all due respect.

You never respond that way if you want to come across professionally to a buyer, no matter how pesky and annoying that buyer is being.

Type it if necessary, then delete it.

Did the OP maybe come across as bein a probably a pain and a potentially problematic trading partner? Absolutely! (Sorry, OP, but it's true. No seller can receive that amount of communication without the spidey-sense going crazy.)

That doesn't make it okay for the seller to come back with a sarcastic response. If the seller were really unsure or even suspicious of the buyer's motives, there are better ways to address those concerns.

I understand how you feel, but with all due respect, sarcasm is in the eye of the beholder. I think the seller was just trying to address what she, by this point, felt was surely going to be the next issue to come up. Nipping it in the bud so to speak, putting out there what to do if a return was required. Given the previous communication, that is not a far fetched thought on the part of the seller. To me, it appears she is being proactive. Had OP not had so many "issues", seller most likely would never have mentioned a return.

But to each his own. We can agree to disagree.

femmefan1946 · ‎02-03-2018

I don't think either you or the OP was scamming, but....

It is a common ploy to demand a partial refund on items that are are described. And it is common that those demands are preceded by questions about the product that should have been asked before bidding/buying.

Sellers have the right to protect their businesses.

And just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean no one is following me.

castlemagicmemories · ‎02-03-2018

Actually, why wouldn't the seller think a return was looming on the horizon? OP wanted a BIN to end the listing, then said she would bid "anyways", questioned packing after the fact, and then questioned the tracking number as well! Given the narrative up to this point, it seems logical that the OP's next "issue" might be a return, so the seller proactively mentioned the procedure.

I will grant you that perhaps the seller could have framed the response a tad more diplomatically~such as Should you require a return, you would need to...rather than I'm sure you will require a return, but by that point, it seemed to be a fait accompli to that seller.

7606dennis · ‎02-03-2018

Frankly, while I believe that one should ask questions they may have about an item before listing, I also believe that the type of questions asked are a good indicator of whether or not a seller may wish to do business with the person asking the question.

Personally, I would probably have blocked the OP upon receiving the first question about adding a BIN to the listing. If I had not chosen to add one when I placed the listing, I see no reason why someone would ask me to add one later. Of course, there wouldn't have been any issues regarding placing a bid even though I hadn't agreed to the BIN request or telling me how to ship the item I'm selling since there would have been no bid in the first place.

For some time now, eBay has been making buyer/seller communication more difficult and have made it clear they do not want it to occur. Right or wrong, that is their wish. Frankly, the amount of communication the OP describes having engaged in, it is no wonder the seller got somewhat annoyed. Would I have made the comments the seller did to the OP? Probably not, but as I said, I would have nipped the whole thing in the bud by blocking the OP after the first question.

"It is an intelligent man that is aware of his own ignorance."

southernfriedbelle · ‎02-04-2018

wrote:
Actually, why wouldn't the seller think a return was looming on the horizon? OP wanted a BIN to end the listing, then said she would bid "anyways", questioned packing after the fact, and then questioned the tracking number as well! Given the narrative up to this point, it seems logical that the OP's next "issue" might be a return, so the seller proactively mentioned the procedure.

I will grant you that perhaps the seller could have framed the response a tad more diplomatically~such as Should you require a return, you would need to...rather than I'm sure you will require a return, but by that point, it seemed to be a fait accompli to that seller.

"Fait accompli" - nice! I like that, and may have to borrow it! 😄

Belle

creoleorchid · ‎02-04-2018

@lichtpriester

What was your reason for wanting the seller to add the BIN? Going out of town, needed a birthday gift? Did you indicate a price you would like her to use?

Every time I’ve gotten an email asking me to do that, it makes me rethink my starting price. They always say something like they need it sooner than when the auction ends but I suspect it’s really because they know the auction is likely to end higher than they want to pay. Invariably, the auction ends higher than I thought it would.

Your seller has probably had the same experience and knew you were going to be a picky buyer.

*madison · ‎02-04-2018

wrote:
Okay, first let me say that I know that there are problem buyers out there. I am not one of them. I leave good feedback 99% of the time. If something on occasion arrives damaged and I can fix it, I send the seller photos and suggest a partial refund. If I cant fix it, I want to make a return. Who wouldn't? I don't have a history of this however, most of my purchase experiences have been great.

I recently bought a small replica clock. Before bidding, I asked the seller if she'd consider adding a Buy-It-Now option, which is not against eBay policy to ask. No reply, which was fine, she didn't have to reply. I told her I'd be bidding anyways - and got no reply. I won the auction and asked her if she'd ship using bubble wrap and a small box versus a padded mailer, which some sellers might use. I didn't doubt her packing abilities but asked this based on past eBay experiences with bad packing. She didnt reply. Today I messaged her again to ask if she could shed light on a tracking number that she sent which only says that she created a label days after paying.

Her reply was to say, "I'm sure youll be returning the clock. To make a return, you have to...." I have no intention of returning it! All of my messages to her were friendly, not demanding. I am not a "problem cutomer", but she made me out to be just that. Why would anyone who NEEDS buyers act like this? I place importance on seller-buyer interaction. I sign messsages with my name, some sellers do not, and even if something arrives damaged, which is NOT my usual experience with eBay, I'm civil. I don't get it.

Can sellers see buyer's history, in terms of opening cases? I rarely do this, but hate the thought that a seller would judge me based on this or legitimate and friendly email requests re: packing or shipping status. The seller almost seems to anticipate bad buyers when they arent there. If the clock arrives in good condition, I'll leave her good feedback, but if not - I'll ask to make a return - and somehow end up fulfilling her assumptions or preordained "prophecy"?

Well, at least the seller finally did reply and let you know they were still alive.

I don't know why the seller thinks you will return the clock. Crystal ball ?

Anyway, fact is, some sellers are just plain useless at communicating, and some are just plain nuts. People from all walks of life use ebay..

Hope you are happy with the clock if you actually receive it.

And, make a note not to deal with the seller again.

missjen831 · ‎02-04-2018

wrote:
@lichtpriester

What was your reason for wanting the seller to add the BIN? Going out of town, needed a birthday gift? Did you indicate a price you would like her to use?

Every time I’ve gotten an email asking me to do that, it makes me rethink my starting price. They always say something like they need it sooner than when the auction ends but I suspect it’s really because they know the auction is likely to end higher than they want to pay. Invariably, the auction ends higher than I thought it would.

Your seller has probably had the same experience and knew you were going to be a picky buyer.

I agree with this completely and I also think that the crackdown on off-sales May have played in a part in the sellers decision to ignore the BIN message. I have seen a few items lately that were auction only and while I considered asking the seller to add a BIN (not because I wanted to get it for less than what an auction would bring but because it was a 10 day auction with 9 days left and I wanted the item sooner and was willing to pay $$ for it). But I didn’t dare do that because while a sanction against ME wouldn’t bother ME in the least, I would feel a horrible if the seller got in trouble for MY request (which wasn’t against the rules but these dang bots are out of control!). Basically eBay has created a horrible environment. They have done everything possible to discourage communications between buyers and sellers. And they’ve made it extremely easy for sellers to get screwed with false SNADs and hit with partial refund scams. This seller has obviously experienced that. I can’t blame the seller here for her reaction. I don’t blame the OP either. The only thing he did, IMO, that I can look down upon, is ask about shipping materials after he won. I think that is something that should be discussed prior to purchase BUT alas the seller did ignore his first message. So basically this is a perfect example of the environment eBay has created!

One life is all we have to live
Love is all we have to give

**Formerly known as MissJen316**

jrinam · ‎02-04-2018

Personally, I would probably have blocked the OP upon receiving the first question about adding a BIN to the listing. If I had not chosen to add one when I placed the listing, I see no reason why someone would ask me to add one later. because they need it now! have been there, hard to find part comes up with a couple that are buy it know but in poor/fair condition. yours is nicer but auction only. not only do i need it before the auction end, if i did wait and loose the auction, the other bin ones will surely be sold. i am forced to buy one of the others. asking for bin would be about time, not money! i might pay double its value to get it today but wont even bid after i buy one of the others. it would depend a lot on what your selling, an antique lamp probaby wouldnt apply where a part to get my car fixxed would.

missjen831 · ‎02-04-2018

But they don’t always “need it now”. Sometimes they want to get it for less than what they think the auction will end at. Especially with popular harder to find items.

One life is all we have to live
Love is all we have to give

**Formerly known as MissJen316**

jrinam · ‎02-04-2018

wrote:
But they don’t always “need it now”. Sometimes they want to get it for less than what they think the auction will end at. Especially with popular harder to find items.

probably the more common scenerio! again, i quit asking because of the 'assumed' reasons. my thought was they would ask for MORE than what they thought auction would bring.

etacarina11 · ‎02-04-2018

all questions should be to the minimal short and to the point and before bidding and if they don't answer in a reasonable amount of time that would be my que to look elsewhere . As a seller on a different venue I kind of would feel insulted to be contacted and told you wanted wrapped in a certain way...kind of implies I dont know what im doing.

castlemagicmemories · ‎02-04-2018

wrote:
wrote:
Actually, why wouldn't the seller think a return was looming on the horizon? OP wanted a BIN to end the listing, then said she would bid "anyways", questioned packing after the fact, and then questioned the tracking number as well! Given the narrative up to this point, it seems logical that the OP's next "issue" might be a return, so the seller proactively mentioned the procedure.

I will grant you that perhaps the seller could have framed the response a tad more diplomatically~such as Should you require a return, you would need to...rather than I'm sure you will require a return, but by that point, it seemed to be a fait accompli to that seller.

"Fait accompli" - nice! I like that, and may have to borrow it! 😄

Thank you!

7606dennis · ‎02-04-2018

wrote:
Personally, I would probably have blocked the OP upon receiving the first question about adding a BIN to the listing. If I had not chosen to add one when I placed the listing, I see no reason why someone would ask me to add one later. because they need it now! have been there, hard to find part comes up with a couple that are buy it know but in poor/fair condition. yours is nicer but auction only. not only do i need it before the auction end, if i did wait and loose the auction, the other bin ones will surely be sold. i am forced to buy one of the others. asking for bin would be about time, not money! i might pay double its value to get it today but wont even bid after i buy one of the others. it would depend a lot on what your selling, an antique lamp probaby wouldnt apply where a part to get my car fixxed would.

Frankly, you have a point regarding needing it now, but as the seller I'm the one that determines how I offer the item for sale. From my experience, people that want something quickly do not have the seller's best interest at heart.

Many years ago, I owned a photography studio specializing in portrait and wedding photography. I also accepted occasional photojournalism assignments from a local weekly newspaper. The editor had the most annoying habit of always calling at the last minute and claiming that he needed everything immediately to meet his deadline. Finally, I decided that if he was going to continue to procrastinate, the work was worth more than the paper's regular rates. So the next time he called with a last minute assignment I asked him how badly he needed the pictures and how much he was willing to pay for the rush service. He quoted a figure and I told him I would take the assignment for triple the amount he quoted. Admittedly, I got fewer last minute assignments from him after that, but the work I did for the paper after that didn't pull me away from the studio and my other duties to my clients.

Of course, the point of this true story is that procrastination isn't a good thing and can be somewhat costly in the long run. So if time is a factor, perhaps one needs to seek only items where time isn't a factor.

"It is an intelligent man that is aware of his own ignorance."