A new way to handle buyers as a seller. Selling tips?

[gwzcomps]

With the toxic marketplace eBay has created I am trying something new.  With returns it doesn't matter what the buyer says or does anymore so why bother using the messaging system?  Most of the time the messages are ignored, or go no where.  Anything said in the messages generally won't help in the result of the return.

I think this is against policy but I honestly don't care anymore.  I decided to say screw it and called my buyer.  They ended up being very nice.  I was able to walk them through some things and explain some stuff over the phone.  Over the half hour call we talked a little about tech and some diagnostic steps for the issue at hand.  In the end the return was closed and the buyer was happy.  I let them know if they had any other issues or requests they were more than welcome to message me through eBay.

As a seller I provided a better service than my buyer expected from me.  If eBay wishes to shut down my account or restrict me over this go for it.  Your site sucks and I am tired of how eBay treats sellers.  I have a business to run and as a seller it is my goal to give my good customers a good service.

[dhbookds]

Ebay certainly isn't against you contacting your buyer after a sale to help them.............either by phone or email.  Some buyers don't like the idea that sellers can call them, but you sound like you are good enough to talk them around that.......

[gwzcomps]

I don't figure they will all go well, but this seems better than getting screwed on every NAD return.

[stanleysoverstock]

I really like your attitude about customer service. It seems to me Ebay hides or uses the term to take the easy way out. We have had very few problems in the years here but a few of them have clearly been the buyers fault or mistake and we have to eat the entire cost of the sale while the Ebay executives adjust their chair to a more comfortable position. Andrew 

[eleanor*rigby]

---

@gwzcomps wrote:

I think this is against policy . . .

---

@gwzcomps 

I'm just curious if you maybe read somewhere that it's against policy for a seller to contact a buyer? 

[inhawaii]

You may have something there. 

I deal with angry customers a lot  at my "real" job (ebay is just a side job for me).

I know for a fact that it is easier to deal with a angry customer over the phone than over the computer.  They are more "human" over the phone. 

Dealing with them in person would be even better.

[buyselljack2016]

---

@gwzcomps wrote:

With the toxic marketplace eBay has created I am trying something new.  With returns it doesn't matter what the buyer says or does anymore so why bother using the messaging system?  Most of the time the messages are ignored, or go no where.  Anything said in the messages generally won't help in the result of the return.

I think this is against policy but I honestly don't care anymore.  I decided to say screw it and called my buyer.  They ended up being very nice.  I was able to walk them through some things and explain some stuff over the phone.  Over the half hour call we talked a little about tech and some diagnostic steps for the issue at hand.  In the end the return was closed and the buyer was happy.  I let them know if they had any other issues or requests they were more than welcome to message me through eBay.

As a seller I provided a better service than my buyer expected from me.  If eBay wishes to shut down my account or restrict me over this go for it.  Your site sucks and I am tired of how eBay treats sellers.  I have a business to run and as a seller it is my goal to give my good customers a good service.

---

The phone # is provided to you by eBay after the sale.  There for you to use:)

[gramophone-georg]

For well over a decade now, eBay cares far less whether your service is good and your buyer is happy than the fact that you are doing things the 'eBay way', which gives your buyers the same level of frustration you get when you contact eBay CS.

[gwzcomps]

---

@eleanor*rigby wrote:

---

@gwzcomps wrote:

I think this is against policy . . .

---

@gwzcomps 

I'm just curious if you maybe read somewhere that it's against policy for a seller to contact a buyer? 

---

We are supposed to keep all messages through the eBay messaging system last I knew.  Back when there was actual seller protection all messages had to go through the dispute for there to be any protection.  Even the act of trying to verify an error in a buyers purchase address through messages got me a strike on my account.

[myboardid]

If I am presented with a problem from a buyer, I will frequently call them.  I've made quite way, and occasionally an additional sale too. 

I especially call if a buyer has bought two or more of an item, which is usually a mistake, although not always.  It has happened a couple times a week this fall and seems to be a problem with the shopping cart.  Anyway, since I have one day shipping I need to be clear on whether they really want two before I send them out.  I don't want to have to pay for a return if I can avoid it. 

Other times I call to see if they want a replacement for a broken item or a refund.   Most often they want a replacement but didn't see that option when the opened a return case. 

I also sometimes call if a package is stuck somewhere in the postal system and is running really late.  Keeps buyers from closing a case against me if it is not getting scanned.  Showing that you care and promising to replace a potentially lost item works wonders. 

[city*satins]

I deal with angry customers a lot  at my "real" job (ebay is just a side job for me).

I'm having a flashback.  But I'm hoping not to see history repeat itself.

To change the subject slightly, back in spring of 2001,  the CEO of the company I worked for, angry that I had invested $10,000 in my friend's goat dairy instead of in company shares (never share fun facts at work), got it into his head that I'd been stealing time from the company, despite having had his permission to use the company email address to do my eBay business, having done eBay outside of working hours (though he thought working hours should be 24/7) and having brought due to eBay sales, 2 $200K worth of new client  contracts into the company and would have brought a $1 million job in if he hadn't insisted I turn it over to our brand new marketing manager who was fresh out of the UK and had never heard of this huge company (hint, think big spire shaped building in SF)   

Anyway, I took a look at every single incoming eBay  email I had received during working hours, even those I didn't respond to, calculated a $ value for clicking on it to see if it was company vs eBay, and put 73 cents in an envelope and handed it to the CEO with a log showing that the start and end times of every single listing I'd run was during non-work hours.  I said- here's $ value of the time you think I stole from you and here's proof of it.  Then I handed him my letter of resignation.

In the end, we negotiated terms of my departure and I kept my 73 cents.

/end of sad but fun fact

[myboardid]

I've made quite way, and occasionally an additional sale too. 

Don't know what happened there.  It is supposed to read "I've made quite a few friends that way"

[southern*sweet*tea]

Just a thought, but could you include some sort of set up manual, or maybe a list of common problems and solutions when you ship out your computers?  That  might help out with some of your problems.

You may already do so, and IF so, feel free to ignore my comment.

[Anonymous]

Hi @gwzcomps, I can confirm that while we typically do not allow contact information to be shared prior to purchase (some exceptions exist where legally required), after a buyer has paid or otherwise committed to buy your item you are welcome to exchange contact information. Keeping communication on eBay is the best course of action in most situations, as it allows us to review messages if needed, but reaching out to provide some troubleshooting steps is a great way of addressing your customer's concerns.

I wanted to add that while you may have been notified previously to not share contact information/take transactions off of eBay when you were seeking to clarify an address issue with one of your buyers, this would not be considered a "strike" on your account. Consequences are only applied when we have reason to believe a transaction has been taken off eBay. Educational warnings are sent to both parties automatically when we see that contact information is being shared or requested, but we review each situation individually before any violations are recorded. If we see that you were simply trying to clarify an issue with the buyer's address, no violation would exist and thus would not be recorded.

@ms*havisham wrote:

@gwzcomps wrote:

I think this is against policy . . .

@gwzcomps 

I'm just curious if you maybe read somewhere that it's against policy for a seller to contact a buyer? 

We are supposed to keep all messages through the eBay messaging system last I knew.  Back when there was actual seller protection all messages had to go through the dispute for there to be any protection.  Even the act of trying to verify an error in a buyers purchase address through messages got me a strike on my account.

[chapeau-noir]

---

@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

Just a thought, but could you include some sort of set up manual, or maybe a list of common problems and solutions when you ship out your computers?  That  might help out with some of your problems.

You may already do so, and IF so, feel free to ignore my comment.

---

We do that with the computer equipment I sell, though I've helped several customers post-sale when they've had setup problems (i.e., different OS and the like, one needed a non-standard type of nano receiver for their setup and my tech did a bit of research to give them a recommendation).  But in general I've found that it helps a lot.  I just sell mostly peripherals, though - only every once in a while a laptop or CPU.