Is it me or has reading comprehension fallen off the face of the earth?

[mr_lincoln]

Return #1:  Sold a copper bottom 2 1/2 QT pot, the listing stated there was a high spot on the bottom and the pot wobbles.  Buyer gets it and messages they will be returning it because they tried it on their stove and it wobbles ... REALLY?

Return #2: Sold some small Christmas tree ornaments and the listing stated 1 1/2" long.  Buyer receives them and processes a return stating they didn't realize they were small ... REALLY?

Possible Return #3: Buyer buys an electric train that's over 90 years old, I have to quote from the listing so you can appreciate this one, "Tested and in working condition both forward and reverse.  The lights work but the sockets are not original and droop a little.  It is missing the bell on top but includes one Pantograph.  One coupling droops.  Direction is changed via a manual switch.  There are some dents.  The painted finish has scratches in numerous spots."

Buyer receives it and messages a list of issues (I am inclined to think they want a partial refund PLUS you can pick anything apart that's over 90 years old) ... anyway, I simply advised them I offer 30 day Free returns and have no issue if they want to return it.  A week goes by, Buyer says they are considering repairs to it and what am I willing to do considering I would pay to get it back and the hassle of the return to Relist it?  (SERIOUSLY?)  Okay, no problem, I gave them a number which is $ 5.00 over my actual loss if I were to take it back and give them a full refund ...

-currently waiting for the other shoe to drop LOL!

[femmefan1946]

@mr_lincoln 

We will never agree about auctions, I know.

But this is another weakness of that option, that the bidder who Searches on Closing Soonest is in a rush (and excited) when he makes his last second bid.

And that can lead to bidding on something that is almost but not quite what he thinks he bid on.

Which makes Buyers who annoy us by asking for an immediate cancellation almost a blessing compared to the guy who pays and then sends the unwanted purchase back.

On our dime.

Fixed Price selling is more contemplative. 😆

[mr_lincoln]

No worries @femmefan1946 on our differing views on Auctions, it's always handled politely and professionally AND they're discussions so different views will always happen.  But I think what you described may explain why sometimes I see an auction with 3 bids but only one person bidding and the price staying on the starting price ... they may "THINK" they are buying something Fixed Price and keep entering the price wondering why won't eBay accept my purchase?!?  That's about the only reason that would explain why I see that once in a while ...

[this*old*attic]

@mr_lincoln 

Or they just keep rethinking their max bid...

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

It can also happen when a collector shops newly listed. I don’t want to miss a one of a kind item because of something buried in a wall of text. I don’t return anyway so it’s on me.

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

@mr_lincoln  The multiple bids from the same buyer are because they are increasing their max bid.  Ebay asks buyers if they want to increase their max to keep from being out bid even when there is no other bidder.   So that just means they really want it...  NOW if they are the same buyers that can't/ don't read then that is really confusing since if they really want it they must have read the description 😉   

[earlyant-77]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

@mr_lincoln 

We will never agree about auctions, I know.

But this is another weakness of that option, that the bidder who Searches on Closing Soonest is in a rush (and excited) when he makes his last second bid.

And that can lead to bidding on something that is almost but not quite what he thinks he bid on.

Which makes Buyers who annoy us by asking for an immediate cancellation almost a blessing compared to the guy who pays and then sends the unwanted purchase back.

On our dime.

Fixed Price selling is more contemplative. 😆

---

That 'option' you refer to is the only thing that keeps most collectors coming to this site. And is also how this site started. And also the best way to sell certain things. And  most important, is that it's the only site that has them available to the general public.

You've obviously never watched or participated in an online toy/train/folk art/Americana auction. That's when the money comes out - in full force.

[mr_lincoln]

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@earlyant-77 wrote:

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

@mr_lincoln 

We will never agree about auctions, I know.

But this is another weakness of that option, that the bidder who Searches on Closing Soonest is in a rush (and excited) when he makes his last second bid.

And that can lead to bidding on something that is almost but not quite what he thinks he bid on.

Which makes Buyers who annoy us by asking for an immediate cancellation almost a blessing compared to the guy who pays and then sends the unwanted purchase back.

On our dime.

Fixed Price selling is more contemplative. 😆

---

That 'option' you refer to is the only thing that keeps most collectors coming to this site. And is also how this site started. And also the best way to sell certain things. And  most important, is that it's the only site that has them available to the general public.

You've obviously never watched or participated in an online toy/train/folk art/Americana auction. That's when the money comes out - in full force.

---

I agree with you 100% and would add that Auction style listings are prefect for some categories but not others.  The GTC mandate from March 18, 2019 was a total failure in many categories, instead of sales for Fixed Priced listings going UP they in fact wen the opposite direction.  After one account got killed off by that poor business decision I upgraded the main account another store level just so I could run more pre-paid auction listings.

@femmefan1946and I have an ongoing difference of opinion in this area but its strictly business and never taken personally (joked about at times LOL).

[jennieaa]

Now for a buyer's perspective:

I recently purchased a book.  The title said hardcover, the price and shipping were right, I read where it was shipping from and ....gave up trying to read the description.

I didn't read the item specifics that popped up.  I ignored the '"other items from this seller" that were displayed.  I ignored the "other items from other sellers" that was displayed.  I ignored all the seller's other information about shipping / paying etc.  I never did find the actual description of the item. 

After I received my book I went back and scrolled through all of that......and I found "this book may be ex-library".  In the item specifics it said "large print".

So it was somewhat difficult to find all the key information.  eBay didn't help the seller or buyer...

For me, I just wanted a reading copy.  So the large print and ex-library didn't bother me.  I know I didn't pay for a like new book.

But I can see how some buyers might not be happy.  

[earlyant-77]

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@jennieaa wrote:

Now for a buyer's perspective:

I recently purchased a book.  The title said hardcover, the price and shipping were right, I read where it was shipping from and ....gave up trying to read the description.

I didn't read the item specifics that popped up.  I ignored the '"other items from this seller" that were displayed.  I ignored the "other items from other sellers" that was displayed.  I ignored all the seller's other information about shipping / paying etc.  I never did find the actual description of the item. 

After I received my book I went back and scrolled through all of that......and I found "this book may be ex-library".  In the item specifics it said "large print".

So it was somewhat difficult to find all the key information.  eBay didn't help the seller or buyer...

---

How can ebay help you(the buyer) if you(the buyer) ignored everything in the listing? Ebay COULD help the seller, though(if they wanted to), if you went to return it because it wasn't what you 'expected'.

[jennieaa]

My point was ....too much **bleep** to read / scroll through before I got a description.  This was on a desktop.  Mobile devices are even worse.

Move the other items, other sellers stuff to the bottom.

eBay pushes item specifics as search criteria, not fulfilling the description.

KISS - keep it simple silly  -  first thing I should see when I open an item is the description.

[bar-29368]

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@pburn wrote:

You do realize potential buyers read the discussion boards, right?

The same kinds of examples could be posted on the Buying board about sellers, too. It cuts both ways.

This is obviously just my opinion, but I think it's kind of not very nice for sellers to publicly mock their buyers. It reminds me of gossiping about friends or relatives. It just seems disloyal and sort of smacks of some sense of superiority.

Not everyone has the same level of intelligence or education, or, as you say, reading comprehension. It should not, however, make them the target of jokes--it's really rather like punching down.

What if someone went through your listings and posted--in a mocking fashion--everything they found to be below their standards? How would that make you feel?

I guess making fun of buyers in a discussion-board thread is just a sore subject for me--especially for a Community Mentor.

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To be brutally honest, not as many buyers as you seem to think.

It's hard enough for sellers to find the discussion boards let alone buyers who are only interested in finding, buying and getting their stuff.

I didn't see the poster "mocking" his buyers in any way.

Could possibly be in the eye of the beholder?

[luckythewinner]

Is it me or has reading comprehension fallen off the face of the earth?

Sellers have been complaining on these boards for two decades that buyers do not always read the listing description. It has been a common refrain pretty much since the day eBay started.

[buyselljack2016]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

@buyselljack2016 

Initially there were 5. There is a photo of the 5 items so they can be viewed for condition. Currently 3 available. Used items.

If you were only selling one per order, why would you have a picture of all five together? I'm on the customer's side with that. Five separate pictures, preferably numbered if they are different (beyong normal wear) would be better.

---

All five pictured because it is a GTC , "multiple available items", listing. Allows the buyer to see all items "side by side" after showing them/telling them the purchase is for 1.

I guess I see your point. I will have to reduce the # offered to be able to do that, as I only get to display 12 photos in a listing. Maybe save my time, and only display one stock photo, as it really makes no difference what is shown if the buyer wants to return an item.

I have some things that a buyer may want more than one of, so I suppose next will be the buyer that will message saying that they want two/three of an item in a "multiple available", "price is for 1",  listing, but the photo only shows one, and they want to know if there really is more than one.

This is a car part. 2 photo allotments are used up with photos of the item installed on the vehicle. Those photos are needed as there have been cancellations because the buyers did not know the difference between left/right, driver's side/passenger's side, front/back by reading, or looking at a photo with the mounting position/part # stamped on the back.

@this*old*attic    I guess I am also open to a snad when the buyer does not get the vehicle, or at least as much of the vehicle as is shown in the photos even though the main photo agrees with the title, and detailed item description🙄 😁  

I will have to use the mrlincoln approach (egg not included) , but that obviously would not work either, as we fall back to the "photos, and description" do not match.

Even beyond that, the buyer wins the snad anyway, because that is the way it is.  Listing for right side. Sent right side. Buyer opens a snad stating that they the wrong item was sent because they wanted the left side. Been there, had that😥

Perhaps I have fallen into the bad seller category by expecting people to have just a bit of common sense which for some, no longer exists, and eBay never had  to start with. Well, maybe they did, but it's gone now.

OK, off I go to revise a bunch of listings.

Perhaps I've gotten too old to be bothered with this foolishness 😞

[zamo-zuan]

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@pburn wrote:

You do realize potential buyers read the discussion boards, right?

The same kinds of examples could be posted on the Buying board about sellers, too. It cuts both ways.

This is obviously just my opinion, but I think it's kind of not very nice for sellers to publicly mock their buyers. It reminds me of gossiping about friends or relatives. It just seems disloyal and sort of smacks of some sense of superiority.

Not everyone has the same level of intelligence or education, or, as you say, reading comprehension. It should not, however, make them the target of jokes--it's really rather like punching down.

What if someone went through your listings and posted--in a mocking fashion--everything they found to be below their standards? How would that make you feel?

I guess making fun of buyers in a discussion-board thread is just a sore subject for me--especially for a Community Mentor.

---

Considering the OP didn't say any names, I wouldn't consider it making fun of them. The OP seems to be venting that he's being held responsible for mistakes the buyer made by not thoroughly reading the description as the issues in question were clarified in description. The buyer even wanted additional compensation beyond eBay policy, which the OP offered in addition to completely taking care of them with a free return.

If we're taking how people feel in to consideration, shouldn't we feel a little bit for the OP considering he's taking losses when he hadn't actually made any mistakes in his listings? And that his buyers are still trying to take what they can even though the OP is going above and beyond what he has to do in order to help the buyer?

I think it's a bit unfair to attack the OP for "mocking" or "making fun". People actually have tried to to go through our listings and mock us a number of times. I also seem to remember you supporting posters who mocked our business (sometimes implying us, other times even specifically talking about us in the message) and trying to "punch us down".

So it doesn't really seem to go both ways when people get made fun of on here. It seems to be okay to make fun as long as the target being abused is a seller, or someone that is disliked by the poster.

[mr_lincoln]

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@zamo-zuan wrote:

---

@pburn wrote:

You do realize potential buyers read the discussion boards, right?

The same kinds of examples could be posted on the Buying board about sellers, too. It cuts both ways.

This is obviously just my opinion, but I think it's kind of not very nice for sellers to publicly mock their buyers. It reminds me of gossiping about friends or relatives. It just seems disloyal and sort of smacks of some sense of superiority.

Not everyone has the same level of intelligence or education, or, as you say, reading comprehension. It should not, however, make them the target of jokes--it's really rather like punching down.

What if someone went through your listings and posted--in a mocking fashion--everything they found to be below their standards? How would that make you feel?

I guess making fun of buyers in a discussion-board thread is just a sore subject for me--especially for a Community Mentor.

---

Considering the OP didn't say any names, I wouldn't consider it making fun of them. The OP seems to be venting that he's being held responsible for mistakes the buyer made by not thoroughly reading the description as the issues in question were clarified in description. The buyer even wanted additional compensation beyond eBay policy, which the OP offered in addition to completely taking care of them with a free return.

If we're taking how people feel in to consideration, shouldn't we feel a little bit for the OP considering he's taking losses when he hadn't actually made any mistakes in his listings? And that his buyers are still trying to take what they can even though the OP is going above and beyond what he has to do in order to help the buyer?

I think it's a bit unfair to attack the OP for "mocking" or "making fun". People actually have tried to to go through our listings and mock us a number of times. I also seem to remember you supporting posters who mocked our business (sometimes implying us, other times even specifically talking about us in the message) and trying to "punch us down".

So it doesn't really seem to go both ways when people get made fun of on here. It seems to be okay to make fun as long as the target being abused is a seller, or someone that is disliked by the poster.

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Thank you ... I doubt I could have explained it that well ... when I saw that as the first reply I was a little confused considering all the other threads mentioning Buyers not reading.  So I decided that at the time it did not warant a reply ...

As to the specific Buyers the 3 examples apply to AND do they or might they possibly read here the answer of course is yes but I gauged the probability of that to be low ...