Sellers Too Lazy To Answer Questions

[buytodayshipnextday]

As an 18 year ebay seller I do buy on ebay as well, maybe 5 purchases at best a year & it amazes me how frequently sellers do not answer questions.

As a seller, I get my share of STUPID questions. STUPID? Yes, they're questions that are answered in the description &/or item specifics if the buyer would just READ! I get it. It's easier to look at a photo or photos than to READ but when a buyer asks a legitimate question & you don't reply, quite honestly you don't deserve to make the sale.

One of the biggest complaints buyers have are messages or questions not answered. How hard is it to reply to a message?

Too often sellers can be L A Z Y with bad photos &/or little to no description & because of that a buyer needs to ask about size or quality etc...& you're so lazy you can't reply.  Maybe you do deserve to make the sale! Only to have the buyer ask for a refund because the item wasn't as described forcing you to pay for return shipping or worse, ebay steps in refunds the buyers & let's them keep the item.

[lovefindingtreasures2]

I get those 'offers' all the time, such time wasters. I would like to ignore them too as they usually ignore my counter offer. One of the unknown eBay questions I have is does the eBay Bot God ding us in any way for ignoring buyer offers. They remind us to respond to offers, have the 'questions not answered' button on a listing in our faces, etc.,

With sales getting so dismal, I fear not answering for fear of slipping down the searches 😞

[lovefindingtreasures2]

My top 3 questions:

What's the lowest you will take?
A: I usually give them a very good straight out of the gate deal.
NO SALE.

Is that stone real?
A: Yes, all my stones, crystals and fossils are genuine and authentic.
NO SALE.

If I buy more than one, do you offer a discount?
A: Yes, I love to bundle. I will give you a great price and throw in a fun freebie and free shipping.
NO SALE.


Next!!!! This is cathartic!

[turquoisetulips]

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@buytodayshipnextday wrote:

As an 18 year ebay seller I do buy on ebay as well, maybe 5 purchases at best a year & it amazes me how frequently sellers do not answer questions.

As a seller, I get my share of STUPID questions. STUPID? Yes, they're questions that are answered in the description &/or item specifics if the buyer would just READ! I get it. It's easier to look at a photo or photos than to READ but when a buyer asks a legitimate question & you don't reply, quite honestly you don't deserve to make the sale.

One of the biggest complaints buyers have are messages or questions not answered. How hard is it to reply to a message?

Too often sellers can be L A Z Y with bad photos &/or little to no description & because of that a buyer needs to ask about size or quality etc...& you're so lazy you can't reply.  Maybe you do deserve to make the sale! Only to have the buyer ask for a refund because the item wasn't as described forcing you to pay for return shipping or worse, ebay steps in refunds the buyers & let's them keep the item.

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I know , some sellers just won't answer  questions  but that's their loss  because most  buyers will just move on . I had an important question I needed to ask a seller one time.  This seller had made it a point to assure the buyers  that questions would be answered quickly . The truth was you couldn't pry an answer out of them with a crowbar . Tulips 

[turquoisetulips]

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@escuintla wrote:

I don't answer low ball offers or questions. Period!

I got an offer of $8 on a $15 item. No time to explain the offeror that my time is not worth it for < > $4 profit. 

Sorry, that's the way it is with me. 

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I got an offer of 5 dollars on a 15.65 cent item today . I just declined it - no comment was needed  and that's a good thing - grrr  - Tulips 

[turquoisetulips]

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

That may hurt the seller in ways other than losing the sale.  They may GET the sale, because the buyer knows they are protected by the MBG, and can return it, no charge, when the item is not as described.

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Very good point !!!!!!  Tulips 

[disneyshopper]

Sales have been so dismal the past few months, so when I see I have a Message, I get all excited.

Especially when I see the photo the question is attached to.  Then I get all disappointed.  The message is referring to something I posted on one of the discussion boards.  The buyer didn't know how to send a private message, or reply in the thread, so they asked the question attaching it to an item I am selling.   😞

[futurespast1113]

I'm having that issue right now. There is a vintage item that I don't easily come across and condition is important with this type of collectible. No one else is selling one of these on ebay right now. The seller who has over 400 sales and is not a newbie used one sentence to describe it and said "fair condition" and was very vague. He only took two photos and they were very blurry and out of focus and the pictures were taken in bad lighting. I asked him one specific question about the item and he never got back to me. 

All it would have taken is two minutes to reply yes or no. I wrote him a message one more time, because I thought maybe he did not get my first message, but still no reply.  My messages were very polite and friendly with no hint that I would be a problematic buyer whatsoever. When a seller does this it baffles me and makes me feel like he or she does not care.  If he looks at my feedback it is several hundred and all positives and I do not leave negatives for people, so he could see I am not a problematic buyer. Doesn't he want a sale? I guess not.

[robot-hands]

It is a dream of mine to have a BBL button attached right to messages I receive.

[hillbillymedia]

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@lovefindingtreasures2 wrote:
Are these Chinese sellers you see with this? They have a different deal with eBay than we do, eBay looks the other way with most of them, we would be suspended for what some of those sellers get away with daily.

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Not necessarily sellers from China but just mega sellers in general. I agree...they aren`t having to play by the same rules as we smaller sellers do.

[uncseniorsportsfan]

I don't consider myself lazy,  but I don't feel the need to answer all the questions I receive especially those that make an offer even though I don't use Best offer or want to buy one item out of a group - those two things account for probably 90% of the questions I receive.   Most other questions I answer - even some of the stupid ones.

I am also guilty of providing only one or two photos, and they are certainly not top quality photos but when your hands shake and your eyesight is failing it is a waste of time to try to get a perfect photo or take 8-10 of the same item - especially since most of my items are under $20.   I sell very few items that aren't in very good condition, and I list any flaws that I see.   

I may miss out on some sales because of my photos, not accepting Best Offer, or not offering  "free" shipping and returns, but I prefer to muddle along as I have been for the past 18 years on ebay.   I have very few returns - two in the past year - both of which I relisted and sold at a higher price, so those that buy despite my less than stellar listing style are usually satisfied with their purchases. 

If I was selling higher priced or "rare" items, I might invest more time. 

[patio31hockey]

How about sellers from China saying they shipped an item, and they have not, wait till 30 days is up and you cannot do anything about, questioned the seller multiple times about the item not arriving, get a response saying we will just send another one, 15oceanshop I will not be doin* business with you again and hope that no one else does either, contacted eBay and received no response, very disappointing.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

This thread is from January. I doubt anyone is going to answer from the original thread.

[kh-vince]

Hi everyone,

Due to the length of time that has passed since this thread began, we have locked it from future replies. If this is still an issue that warrants discussion, don't hesitate to begin a new thread here.

Thanks.