eBay

ir0nmaiden66 · ‎11-16-2019

I had a quick question about something that you may get daily Vet/Long Time sellers.

If a buyer asks you an obvious question , or something that was in the description of the item they bought, do you go ahead and answer it anyway, or tell them that it was stupid of them to ask that? As a long timer buyer on this site, I thought the goal is to have a smooth transaction and have me come back to buy from you again, or is decent customer service too much to ask for?

supercharger-parts · ‎11-16-2019

I answer every question even the ones that seem obvious. With all the different platforms people use to shop on eBay and purchase I'm never sure that they can see the entire description, I have issues looking at things on my phone sometimes. It is sometimes a pain, but if they ask, they are probably interested in purchasing one of my items, so I don't think it's too hard to answer. I try to do it as if they did not see the information in the listing so that I don't come off as unfriendly.

7606dennis · ‎11-16-2019

Frankly, any questions that the buyer has gives me the advantage of being able to review the buyer's feedback left and retraction record. I would ordinarily answer civilly depending upon the nature of the question. However, repeated questions about something contained in the listing gets old quickly and usually results in them being blocked.

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

7606dennis · ‎11-16-2019

Can I assume that your question is being asked from a buyer's point of view? If so, I would advise to read the listing thoroughly to make sure that the answer to your question isn't there. If not, ask your question, but be careful about such things as questioning authenticity, asking for a reduction in shipping costs or item price. Those types of questions may result in your not being a welcome buyer in the eyes of seller.

As I mentioned in a previous post, asking a question gives the seller the opportunity to check your feedback left for others and your retraction record.

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

unusual_retail · ‎11-16-2019

As someone that tries really hard to focus on the details as much as possible, even I miss things. I tend to give people an inch UNTIL they take a mile. Then I shut them down. Simple questions usually require simple answers.

But, it's the toughest challenge of owning a business. Do I rule with an iron hand, or do I keep everything PG?

mam98031 · ‎11-16-2019

@ir0nmaiden66 wrote:
I had a quick question about something that you may get daily Vet/Long Time sellers.
If a buyer asks you an obvious question , or something that was in the description of the item they bought, do you go ahead and answer it anyway, or tell them that it was stupid of them to ask that? As a long timer buyer on this site, I thought the goal is to have a smooth transaction and have me come back to buy from you again, or is decent customer service too much to ask for?

Speaking for myself. I always answer they buyers question and then I do let them know, politely and professionally that the information is stated in the listing and where it is located in the listing. But what I would NEVER EVER do is use the word "stupid" to a potential customer. That word is actually one of the most insulting and harsh words in our language and should rarely be used. It is meant to demean someone and that isn't anything you should ever want to do to someone that has the need to ask a question.

If a seller on this site or any other can't tolerate a few questions from potential customers, they are in the wrong business and really need to rethink what they are doing and why.

I sincerely hope as a buyer that you have NOT ran across too many sellers that would address you that way. That is just wrong for so many reasons.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎11-17-2019

@div_style wrote:
Well now, if it was a family member asking I would say, "Well, duh, did you even read the description???" But for anyone else who just might be a potential buyer I would simply answer the question without any mention of available information and close with, thanks.

We wouldn't be having this discussion if ebay didn't hide the description beneath rows of other items for sale inserted into our listings on the desktop, and darn near completely hidden descriptions on the app.

Yes there are some dumb questions, but most likely the dumb award goes to ebay for not putting the description front and center.

earlyant-77 · ‎11-17-2019

@kensgiftshop wrote:
I like when buyers ask questions before they buy, so I don't have a problem answering them, even if the answer is mentioned in the listing 10 times.
Depending on what the buyer is using, they might not be able to see all the details, so I'll answer them if I can.

And if they bought directly from a product page, they might be getting something different than what that shows.

the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth · ‎11-17-2019

Sometimes sellers get questions because the description is half a sentence long buried in paragraphs of flashing brightly colored threats.

So the answer is there but it’s like playing Where’s Waldo to find it.

mam98031 · ‎11-17-2019

@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
@div_style wrote:
Well now, if it was a family member asking I would say, "Well, duh, did you even read the description???" But for anyone else who just might be a potential buyer I would simply answer the question without any mention of available information and close with, thanks.
We wouldn't be having this discussion if ebay didn't hide the description beneath rows of other items for sale inserted into our listings on the desktop, and darn near completely hidden descriptions on the app.
Yes there are some dumb questions, but most likely the dumb award goes to ebay for not putting the description front and center.

I disagree. Sellers had the problem of buyers reading the descriptions in a listing LONG BEFORE Ebay ever did those darn rows of other listing pics and links. That certainly doesn't help, but it has always been an issue as long as I've been selling.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

aramintaca · ‎11-17-2019

I'll answer the first few questions and start the answer off with "As per the listing" then cut and paste straight from the listing. You said they start asking Questions AFTER buying the item. That's when I start seeing red flags and try to judge where their minds are. Problem with buyers address can be your friend if you feel they are going over the top. The time to ask questions is before you buy an item.

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ersatz_sobriquet · ‎11-17-2019

@mam98031 wrote:
@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
@div_style wrote:
Well now, if it was a family member asking I would say, "Well, duh, did you even read the description???" But for anyone else who just might be a potential buyer I would simply answer the question without any mention of available information and close with, thanks.
We wouldn't be having this discussion if ebay didn't hide the description beneath rows of other items for sale inserted into our listings on the desktop, and darn near completely hidden descriptions on the app.
Yes there are some dumb questions, but most likely the dumb award goes to ebay for not putting the description front and center.

I disagree. Sellers had the problem of buyers reading the descriptions in a listing LONG BEFORE Ebay ever did those darn rows of other listing pics and links. That certainly doesn't help, but it has always been an issue as long as I've been selling.

Since it's an obvious problem, ebay is the culprit. Ebay could do something to alleviate some of this pain for sellers, but instead made it worse. So yes, ebay has not done their part, and ebay has made it worse, and ebay has made it so that buyers do not have to be responsible, and ebay has their backs but not us sellers, and ebay is out for ebay--to make money no matter how it affects the seller, and ebay doesn't hold buyers accountable, and ebay...etc, etc., etc., etc, I could go on but won't bother, everybody here already knows!

movieman630 · ‎11-17-2019

Depends on my mood. Ha ha. No, most of the time I will answer the question but politely point out that the info is in the listing. It's not uncommon. I've had people buy things without reading and then complain when it doesn't work for them. That's where I draw the line.

mam98031 · ‎11-17-2019

@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
@div_style wrote:
Well now, if it was a family member asking I would say, "Well, duh, did you even read the description???" But for anyone else who just might be a potential buyer I would simply answer the question without any mention of available information and close with, thanks.
We wouldn't be having this discussion if ebay didn't hide the description beneath rows of other items for sale inserted into our listings on the desktop, and darn near completely hidden descriptions on the app.
Yes there are some dumb questions, but most likely the dumb award goes to ebay for not putting the description front and center.

I disagree. Sellers had the problem of buyers reading the descriptions in a listing LONG BEFORE Ebay ever did those darn rows of other listing pics and links. That certainly doesn't help, but it has always been an issue as long as I've been selling.
Since it's an obvious problem, ebay is the culprit. Ebay could do something to alleviate some of this pain for sellers, but instead made it worse. So yes, ebay has not done their part, and ebay has made it worse, and ebay has made it so that buyers do not have to be responsible, and ebay has their backs but not us sellers, and ebay is out for ebay--to make money no matter how it affects the seller, and ebay doesn't hold buyers accountable, and ebay...etc, etc., etc., etc, I could go on but won't bother, everybody here already knows!

Why? How can it be Ebay's fault for a buyer choosing not to read the description? This issue did NOT start when Ebay started inserting those darn other listing pics and links. It was an issue LONG before that.

But what is it that you think Ebay can do to make a buyer actually read the description a seller places on their listing?

Speaking for myself only, I have not seen an increase in buyers not reading the description since Ebay redesigned how the listing present. But that is just me. While I absolutely don't like those rows of other seller's listings, I've seen no increase in problems resulting from buyers not reading the description. I know for others, there experiences may be different or they may not have been selling before Ebay made the change and therefore don't have a baseline to work from.

But I'm with you on disliking it. I absolutely hate the format as it is now.

And I also agree Ebay needs to do a serious overhaul of the current Simplified Return policy.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎11-17-2019

@mam98031 wrote:
Why? How can it be Ebay's fault for a buyer choosing not to read the description? This issue did NOT start when Ebay started inserting those darn other listing pics and links. It was an issue LONG before that.

But what is it that you think Ebay can do to make a buyer actually read the description a seller places on their listing?

Speaking for myself only, I have not seen an increase in buyers not reading the description since Ebay redesigned how the listing present. But that is just me. While I absolutely don't like those rows of other seller's listings, I've seen no increase in problems resulting from buyers not reading the description. I know for others, there experiences may be different or they may not have been selling before Ebay made the change and therefore don't have a baseline to work from.

But I'm with you on disliking it. I absolutely hate the format as it is now.

And I also agree Ebay needs to do a serious overhaul of the current Simplified Return policy.

I think outside the box mam. It would be very very easy for ebay to put the listing description front and center, impossible to miss. It is all about ebay's priorities, or lack thereof.