Responding to poster's questions

[emerald40]

Do the posters on here sometimes go overboard in responding to a question?

Just left one such thread where a question was asked on how to do something.

If the question is narrow, should we be going through this seller's entire history or just answering the question as presented?

[coolections]

One last point before moving on. If all people do is tell the OP how to remove negatives then the OP will never make any changes and just keep calling Ebay complaining and getting negatives removed. It is a buyer's opinion so if one buyer had that opinion, then other buyers will eventually have the same opinion so the OP will continue getting negatives. The purpose of feedback is to allow a seller to see what they can do to become a better seller otherwise there is no need to even have feedback. Making a change to avoid the same mistake over and over you will allow you to never have to call Ebay again.

[pingpong517]

did i miss the part that any of this isn't free..... You get what you get... read, use what you want...it's fee to ask, and free to answer....can a politician answer a question without asking and answering three others with a prsonal point and view coming back to say something that makes you wonder what the question was in the first place?  Does any one have to use a comma here to make a point?

who know why an answer is more or less than a simple thing...sometimes there simply isn't a yes or no...and depends on other facts....but to answer your question, we did land on the moon, the U.S. is a good as ever, spring is right around the corner, and god bless .... oh and yes they should proble stick to a simple answer...who reads them all anyways?...

[fern*wood]

I agree that many times helping a poster involves more than covering the initial question---especially if the problem is mostly due to the poster themselves.  Those can be the most difficult to help since many become defensive and refuse to accept the answers. 

Sometimes the "pile on" is unjustified, but often it is more experienced sellers trying their darnedest to get the point across or the OP's problem will just continue.

[myboardid]

Would someone pass those Werther's?  My absolute fave!

[missjen831]

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@emerald40wrote:

To be clearer of what I am referring to -

A poster posts a question of a narrow scope.

And then others scrutinize every other listing he has, both live and sold, and then continue to tell the OP everything they feel he is doing wrong.

I do not see how this is helpful to lurkers other than to keep them hidden.

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Who is more important? The OP or the lurker? 

I think it goes both ways. Because telling the OP everything is doing wrong can also be helpful to lurkers. It’s not that I’m disagreeing with anything you’ve said, I just can’t see why lurkers are that much of an issue. I for one am not going to refrain from offering an OP unsolicited advice because it may be unhelpful to someone lurking. 

[emerald40]

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@coolectionswrote:

One last point before moving on. If all people do is tell the OP how to remove negatives then the OP will never make any changes and just keep calling Ebay complaining and getting negatives removed. It is a buyer's opinion so if one buyer had that opinion, then other buyers will eventually have the same opinion so the OP will continue getting negatives. The purpose of feedback is to allow a seller to see what they can do to become a better seller otherwise there is no need to even have feedback. Making a change to avoid the same mistake over and over you will allow you to never have to call Ebay again.

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Yes, and that is why imo you need to see what the OP is asking.

Is he asking what is he doing wrong?  

Or he is just asking you how do I contact customer service to report a negative?

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[coolections]

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@emerald40wrote:

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Yes, and that is why imo you need to see what the OP is asking.  Is he asking what is he doing wrong?   Or he is just asking you how do I contact customer service to report a negative?

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@emerald40

No one should ever tell a person how to get a neg removed without first seeing if the neg "should" be removed. It would be like telling somehow how to steal an item from a store without first seeing if it is OK to do it. Questions must be asked, and maybe a bit extreme but hopefully you get the point.

[chrysylys]

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@emerald40wrote:Yes, and that is why imo you need to see what the OP is asking.
Is he asking what is he doing wrong?
Or he is just asking you how do I contact customer service to report a negative? 

But isn't it also helpful to point out why they may have gotten the Neg and what to do to avoid getting another?

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[lovtaco0]

@emerald40wrote:

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Yes, and that is why imo you need to see what the OP is asking. Is he asking what is he doing wrong? Or he is just asking you how do I contact customer service to report a negative?

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He had already contacted CS, the case was decided in the buyer's favor and CS did not remove the neg. The OP asked what others would do in this situation. That's not necessarily a narrow question.

Many sellers replied that they would find what caused the issues and make changes to avoid them in the future. Most posters offered suggestions specific to the listing in question.

[emerald40]

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@lovtaco0wrote:

@emerald40wrote:

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Yes, and that is why imo you need to see what the OP is asking. Is he asking what is he doing wrong? Or he is just asking you how do I contact customer service to report a negative?

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He had already contacted CS, the case was decided in the buyer's favor and CS did not remove the neg. The OP asked what others would do in this situation. That's not necessarily a narrow question.

Many sellers replied that they would find what caused the issues and make changes to avoid them in the future. Most posters offered suggestions specific to the listing in question.

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Unless we are talking about 2 different threads, the OP said that CS promised to remove the negative in 24 hours, but 3 days later it was still there  And what would you do in that situation - meaning when CS does not do as they said they would.

[18704d]

I haven't read all the posts in this thread...

but..

has any other long-term poster even been on these boards as a Beginner themselves?

I remember lurking on the Seller boards for a couple years as a newbie.

I copied and pasted into Word the questions and best answers I read.

I also remember studying the eBayers who posted on the boards.

How they listed, what they did, what terms they used.

So yes

I feel that if we Only stay on the Narrow Question..

.. it's very possible that a new lurker(s) could feel an OP's

Terms, Listings, Modus Operandi,

are Acceptable and Recommended.

I mean,

how many times have we seen a seller here in distress

Not understanding why They got their listing pulled

because they thought it was Ok because everyone else did it.

Many feel it's easier to learn how to Properly do eBay listings

simply by copying how others do things.  (not always valid)

That's my focus in .. broadening out .. from an OP's narrow question.

Respectfully,

Lynn

[lovtaco0]

Same thread but we're both interpreting it differently. The poster was discussing both feedback and what happened with a case. To me it looked like he was asking about the whole situation.

[mistwomandancing]

Occasionally there is a discussion thread that dissolves into argument between an OP and various members who are commenting on Everything the OP seems to be doing in a less-than-perfect way.. that is either pretty much to-the-point in explaning what is causing the problem to happen, or seems to show a past history of actions/work ethic/listing practices, etc. that may be causing a lot of the problem in the first place.

I suppose you could say it might be best to simply answer and let the OP's continue running into problems of their own making in the future until they quit in hatred and frustration.   Simply give them a straight and narrow answer and brush your hands of them.

I would say though, much of my eBay education came (and still does) from the Discussion Boards and often the extended discussions here that range far and wide, as opposed to the simple Answer Center responses that are pretty shallow as much help in any real eBay *How To* education. 

[retrose1]

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@chrysylyswrote:

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@emerald40wrote:Yes, and that is why imo you need to see what the OP is asking.
Is he asking what is he doing wrong?
Or he is just asking you how do I contact customer service to report a negative? 

But isn't it also helpful to point out why they may have gotten the Neg and what to do to avoid getting another?

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But in many cases the situation breaks down not because a poster pointed out what the OP is doing wrong - it is HOW they are pointing it out.

Someone can see that the OP has a policy violation in their listings and can say, hey when I looked at some of your listings I saw that you are doing this, did you know that ebay frowns on it and changed policy and it could come and bite you later?  But some posters go off on them like the old SNL Point/Counterpoint sketch with Jane you ignorant (bleep) and start raking their listings over the coals by saying that you are doing this wrong and that wrong and why the heck aren't you keeping up with policies and maybe ebay isn't for you.  Of course their superior and attack attitude is going to do nothing but put the OP on the defensive and they will fight back. 

[18704d]

"But in many cases the situation breaks down not because a poster pointed out what the OP is doing wrong - it is HOW they are pointing it out."

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And sometimes just reading the first three words of an OP's opening post
sets such a tone...
that is makes us want to find out more.

Lynn