Annoying questions buyers ask.

[patmos-8]

It's not a great time to be an eBay seller.  Judging from the posts on this forum, I'm not the only one struggling with low morale.  I thought it might be fun to share our favorite common/annoying questions we get from buyers.  I'll start with two and I'm genuinely excited to read some of yours.

1. "What's the lowest you'll go?"  So you're basically saying you want to do business with me, but you want it to be as unprofitable as possible for me as well.  Nice.  Imagine going to a job interview and the interviewer says "what's the lowest wage you'd accept?"  Yeah, I'll pass.

2.  "Any rips, holes, stains?"  Yes, this item is covered in blemishes, but I purposely hid them in the photos and didn't mention them in the description.  With my 60-day free return policy, I figured that would be prudent.  You've uncovered my diabolical plot to make my fortune.  

[mam98031]

@patmos-8 

Answering these questions for our buyer is part of our JOBs as sellers.  It is part of the Customer Service we each bring to the site.  

I admit some are a bit annoying, especially when the answer is in your listing but clearly the buyer didn't read it.  Still we should be answering in a polite and professional way.

Every job has aspects that we don't enjoy much, but it is part of the job and to be a successful seller you need to offer good customer service.

As to the threads.  There will always be complaints on the threads.  That is what is attracted to any community forum.  Complaints.  Feel good stories are rarely shared as they just don't get the participation as complaints.  Just the nature of the beast.

[ckimodog]

"Today is my birthday, could you sell this to me for 1/2 off?"  True story.  Didn't reply. 

[patmos-8]

Thanks mom.

[mam98031]

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@patmos-8 wrote:

Thanks mom.

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Not mom, well at least not yours.

When I get a buyer emailing me asking for a price cut, I simply tell them that my prices are as stated and I don't accept best offers.

[maxine*j]

I will tell you one of my all-time favorite customer inquiries, although it was not an eBay buyer.  It was  in a brick-and-mortar bookstore. 

A woman said she was looking for a book but could not remember the title or the author.  I asked her what she could tell me about the book.  She made a few vague comments. 

I asked her another question, when something she said rang a slight bell.  I said, "Could the book be Mistral's Daughter, by Judith Krantz?" 

"YES!" she exclaimed. 

"Well, wait one moment," said I, "and I'll get a copy for you." 

"Oh, no thanks," she said.  "I don't want to buy it.  I'll get it from the library now.  I was there earlier and they wouldn't help me at all,  just because I didn't know who wrote it or what it's called!" 

And out the door she went.

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[evelyb30]

((sigh))  Just.... ((sigh))  

Next day in the toy section: "Hello can you help me find some marbles? I seem to have lost mine."  (and if that didn't happen, it should have.)  

[simply-the-best-for-you]

So, so many!  I don't mind condition questions b/c I've been burned so many times as a buyer, that I understand them.  But anything asking for discount & anything where the answer is clearly stated, often multiple times, in the listing.  

Today's is the person who wants to know where her pkg is, TWO MONTHS LATER.  After MUCH research, since the item had already sold again & been delivered over a month ago, I realize that 2 months ago, she asked me (repeatedly) to cancel the order, the day she placed it b/c she thought it was a different size (size stated 4x in listing).  I politely canceled it that same day, 2 MONTHS ago & now she wants to know where it is.   Now, whatcha wanna bet she's gonna try & claim she never got her refund.  Arrghh.  

[katzrul15]

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@evelyb30 wrote:

((sigh))  Just.... ((sigh))  

Next day in the toy section: "Hello can you help me find some marbles? I seem to have lost mine."  (and if that didn't happen, it should have.)  

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😆😁  Brava!

[justafemster]

Nope.  My job is to list things, with well taken pictures and to mail the items when purchased. 

I'm not customer service, I'm not here to make you feel good.  I'm here to make a profit and not have to work for someone else who give all sorts of arbitrary rules.  Which is why I work here instead. 

Thanks mom.  I'll do things my way. 

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

HOW STICKY IS IT???

I've been selling Velcro Brand products for years and still haven't mastered an answer to that question.

Velcro has all types of scientific data from tests with results in the amount of pounds it will hold.

BUT, if you only use a little tiny piece, it will only hold a little weight.

If you use a large piece, it will have much more holding strength.

SO, I direct them to the widest most expensive Velcro that I have, and they buy it.

[keziak]

Haven't had time to read all the replies, did someone also bring up the classic "I'm in poor health/fixed income/I'm poor/in the hospital/vet so will you take [low ball offer]" gambit. Had one the other day. The book was for repairing motorcycles. Woman wanted it for her 85 year old husband. I found that pretty amusing.

[justafemster]

On this account, I sell discontinued beauty products.  You know the type, things some people love and it wasn't popular, the company went out of business or whatever, it doesn't get made anymore.

I'll frequently get asked when I'm going to restock the item they bought 6 months ago, because it's their favorite and they can't find it in the store.  I told you when you ordered, I had 4 more left and that was it.  I don't have a magic supply and I'll (probably) never get more.

Then I get the people who can't read that the product was discontinued and order it.  THEN get upset when it's "old" and ask me to replace it with a newer one.  Hey lady, they stopped making this in 2015!

Another one.  'Why do you have best offer activated, when none of my best offers were accepted?"  Um, sometimes ebay automatically adds best offer to listings.  And IF I notice it, I make my best offer the absolute lowest I'll take.  Nope, just because you used all your best offers lowballing and got an autoreply that it wasn't accepted, doesn't mean that the next, exact same, lowball offer will suddenly be accepted.    

Don't get me started on the "fixed income" whiners.  

[oneglassman]

Boy are you so very WRONG****I wonder if your buyer read your statement, they would still buy from you.  Just curious**

[justafemster]

Just another opinion in the sea of opinions.  Doesn't make me wrong. 

[chapeau-noir]

Usually it's questions about things already in the listing - then I have to remind myself that they're probably in the eBay app which is rubbish and doesn't show descriptions unless you hunt around for the link.