SELLERS WHO DON'T RESPOND

[lichtpriester]

Bought an item six days ago, asked the seller a question about packing, got no reply. Asked another question five days later (when will you ship), got no reply. Item still not shipped. I don't know if the seller is ill, dealing with a family issue, in jail, on a secret spy mission, or just decided that he should have asked more for the item and regrets selling it as he did. (Yes, there is such a thing as 'seller remorse". I once bought a BIG telescope at a low price -should have been more- I was excited to have found it) only to have the seller tell me that she "couldn't find it."  How do you lose a freaking huge telescope on a tripod?)

Nothing on the seller's page says "on vacation" or "closed for a month due to the virus". Ebay tells me of course that nothing can be done until after the expected arrival date, which is in another five days, after which there will be a period of days in which the seller can respond to a claim, and then a period of days before any refund shows up on my credit card if I get a refund. The seller's shipping method is USPS snail mail, so there's no way a package would get to me from his state to mine in another four days even if he shipped today. It's clear that something is wrong. Oh, another thing - the seller has been on eBay since last year. Mine was his second sale, and his store is now empty. 

I'm not rich. Having money tied up like this for weeks is ridiculous. I do see a similar item from another seller (for more money of course) that I could purchase, but who knows if it will even be available by the time the above described process has run its course. I asked eBay why it can't make it a requirement that sellers respond to questions from buyers and was told, "Oh, we don't like to tell sellers what to do"  and, "It's nice if sellers respond but they don't have to." Really? From what I can tell, eBay DOES tell sellers what to do. If I get no replies and no sign of shipping in a week from a seller, eBay could at least step in to ask the seller what's going on, even if the projected date of delivery hasn't arrived. That wouldn't be blaming the seller for anything, and may actually help get the seller TO respond. I do give sellers benefit of doubt - but sometimes telltale signs add up that say "trouble" long before the expected date of delivery arrives, and eBay should step in.

[sunnysouth1]

Seller are not required to respond and aren't required to ship with tracking or mark items as shipped. The item could be on the way to you.

The last estimated delivery date was shown to you in the listing. That is the date you can expect to receive your item.

You can't open a request until after that date has passed.

Ask all questions before bidding and buying.

[hurryagain]

@lichtpriester 

Yes, sellers are not required to reply to any questions/concerns.  It would be nice if they did, but it's not a requirement.  There is a chance that the seller shipped the item without a tracking# which would be weird but since he only had two sales, he may be just plain inexperienced.  Now, I doubt these things but we can speculate this situation forever.

Yes, you will have to wait until the last day of the ETA to open the claim.  The seller will have 3 days to respond.  Remember to escalate the claim on the 4th day, do not delay and  do not let the case close by itself or you will not get the refund.  I find that I get my money almost immediately returned to me so that may very well be your case after you escalate your claim.

Sorry and I know it's irritating when everyone does not follow the rules of buying & selling here.

Good luck.

[terrycece62]

eBay sellers r required 2 ship items out within a determined time period this is found within sellers listing.
As Sunny posted sellers r not required 2 contact u or respond 2 qts.
There r good and bad sellers on every forum and avoiding bad sellers takes a bit of due diligence
look at feedback and read reviews good and bad years of selling experience things like that
For me yes Sellers who do not respond 2 my qts do not reflect well and I am not likely 2 bid/buy their items period
I ask qts prior 2 evening bidding this is often an important sign 4 me when choosing 2 buy from a seller
Follow Sunny's advise

[ed8108]

Your position is eBay should have certain New policies in place to help minimize unhappy buyer experiences that would promote sales ?

[msha3839]

 "...It would be nice if they did.."..not only nice but extremely beneficial to some sellers from business perspective... about a moth ago I ordered certain item from seller but unfortunately some small item was missing ..contacted seller but got no response...well, seller's loss because I needed about 150 similar items   and contacted manufacturer directly...few weeks later seller contacted me with some lame excuse without attempt to rectify the problem..well, his/her loss..p.s. as a cherry on the cake, submitted , via e messages,   edited copy of my order from manufacturer...I would like to be able to observe this seller's facial expression after calculating his/her financial loss... common courtesy  goes a long way..

[sephiroth6900]

I hate it when my sellers go on secret spy missions. Happens way too often

[7606dennis]

The time to ask questions is before making the purchase while you still have the time to no do it.  Since sellers aren't required to answer questions, although I think it a good idea for them to do so, it is even more important to ask your questions first.  Then if the seller fails to respond or respond to your liking you still have time to look elsewhere to do business.

[hurryagain]

@msha3839 

I always respond to buyer's questions so not every seller behaves in this manner.  I personally believe that it is poor CS not to respond to a buyer but it is not required that the seller respond.

...Like you say...their loss sometimes...

...and more sales for us who do take the time and respond...😁

[msha3839]

"...and more sales for us who do take the time and respond..."...Bravo..:-)  p.s. I built and expended multi million dollar business based on top quality customer service and excelled above and beyond my competitors even during current situation with c virus...good luck..:-)    

[hurryagain]

Cs service has always been huge with me.  I get personal emails from customers after the transaction telling me how they appreciated my service...for me, that in itself is a huge payoff.

Sadly, CS skills are waning in the tech oriented non face to face society that we now live in,  I think that gives us CS oriented people an edge.

---

@msha3839 wrote:

"...and more sales for us who do take the time and respond..."...Bravo..:-)  p.s. I built and expended multi million dollar business based on top quality customer service and excelled above and beyond my competitors even during current situation with c virus...good luck..:-)    

---

...and that proves my point...

Awesome post @msha3839 

[msha3839]

 "...Then if the seller fails to respond or respond to your liking you still have time to look elsewhere to do business..."..in many cases sellers fail to respond after delivery and there is a problem with merchandise ...

[7606dennis]

---

@msha3839 wrote:

 "...Then if the seller fails to respond or respond to your liking you still have time to look elsewhere to do business..."..in many cases sellers fail to respond after delivery and there is a problem with merchandise ...

---

In that case you should request a return using a not as described reason.  That opens a SNAD dispute and the seller is required to pay the return shipping.

Frankly, eBay has for years tried to limit communication between buyers and sellers for fear that someone might work an off eBay deal.  Personally, I liked it better before eBay began to pit buyer against seller.

[dirk12955]

I find many buyers & Sellers on ebay either won't,  or don't respond to their messages.    Seems sort of rude to me.   

As a seller I try to answer all questions.      I'm constantly amazed at the number of people that don't respond when I message them.     

[karefletche_13]

Good Morning!

I am going through the exact same thing with a seller who I purchased ink cartridges from. Like you, I want to give them the benefit of the doubt but I am beginning to think that they just don't value me as a customer anymore. I placed an order for Epson 220XL ink cartridges on May 1st. I understand that they are probably having delays for delivery because of the pandemic, but they haven't uploaded any tracking information any they seem to be ignoring my emails.

I spend a lot of money on ink cartridges and I would have been a loyal customer. Instead I have decided that I will never order from them again. I found a seller on Amazon and they seem to be serious about making money in these hard times. BTW, the seller is Ldp_outlet.

In your case, I hope you hear from your seller soon. Please know that you are not alone. Good luck and best regards!