What is going on with Customer Service?

[danielledowry]

Last month I contacted Ebay customer service 2x and I had one representative tell me I should just auction off all my listings instead of using buy it now, as if I pull my inventory out of the closet and it is just free.  I was floored by this suggestion.

The other suggested I should list items in the wrong category to avoid additional listing fees.   I think this one is outright against Ebay policy and could really hurt my account standing or have me restricted.  What are these people thinking?  Ebay, what is going on with your customer service reps?  Has anyone else had a similar experience?  

[emerald40]

Ebay CS are poorly trained.

I have seen posts where ebayers have taken their advice and suffered the consequences of it.

That is why I always advise to run that advice by the very knowledgable posters here to see if it should be followed.

[a_c_green]

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@danielledowry wrote:

Last month I contacted Ebay customer service 2x and I had one representative tell me I should just auction off all my listings instead of using buy it now, as if I pull my inventory out of the closet and it is just free.  I was floored by this suggestion.  

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Some items are better at auction; others may be better as BuyItNow. What was your issue that led them to tell you that?

[castlemagicmemories]

I'm unclear on the statement, as if I just pull my inventory out of the closet and it is just free.

Did they suggest you start an auction at 99 cents?  Ebay suggests that to generate interest, as they say, but it is best to start an auction listing at the price you are willing to accept for the item.  You may only get one bid on it, if any.

I believe 80 per cent or more of current listings are fixed price, immediate payment required.  Many buyers just want to buy the item and get it over with.

But if you have something rare, that you are unsure of what the value might be, then an auction listing might be a good idea.

Your call.  Good Luck.

I don't think it is a good idea to deliberately list in a blatantly wrong category, but some categories could be interchangeable for an item.  For example, a doll could go in dolls and bears or collectibles.  A christmas decoration could go in collectibles or home and garden decor.  There may be price advantages in one as opposed to the other.  

But I don't think buyers search by categories much if at all.

[*eponymous*]

I was floored by this suggestion.

Could you reword what the rep suggested since what you wrote is not a complete thought?

What did you ask for help with?  What is your selling goal?

What have you done to move your stock - lower the prices, run auction listings, use markdown manager in your store, check completed sales by sellers who have similar items and a better STR, change your titles/description, sell in lots, use a dark background and take better pics, list karat quality in the title to get more views, etc.?

[plumbingspecials]

Most eBay reps have never been sellers, and are entry level or ESL speakers. Your best time to call is after 10 a.m. Pacific time.

[castlemagicmemories]

OP, people here can better help you if you provide more info as to the particulars of your situation.

Right now, we are only guessing.

[gramophone-georg]

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@emerald40 wrote:

Ebay CS are poorly trained.

I have seen posts where ebayers have taken their advice and suffered the consequences of it.

That is why I always advise to run that advice by the very knowledgable posters here to see if it should be followed.

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On the contrary... eBay CS are very WELL trained.

I have seen posts where ebayers have taken their advice and suffered the consequences of it.

And we keep seeing these posts, year after year after year... and it never changes, does it? To me, the level of foregone consistency here shows quite intensive training... eBay CSRs all seem to be on the very same page of leading customers by the hand into problems and/ or policy violations.

The fact that this never changes tells me that these CSRs are delivering the results eBay trains them to produce.

[thenobletuckylife]

Evening,

My experience with Ebay CS many times has been, "I wonder if they realized they were actually talking to someone from ebay."

So much so, I could have sworn I heard someone in the background answering the phone for a completely different company one time.

Mr C

[luckythewinner]

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@danielledowry wrote:

Has anyone else had a similar experience?  

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I do not know anyone who would seek or accept advice about their finances from a minimum wage customer service representative at eBay. 

Think about it ... if eBay customer support reps knew how to be successful making money on eBay, they would not be eBay customer support reps.

[papyruspapillo]

Ebay deliberately under-informs its reps, especially those who are off-shore. If they are ignorant, they can't always be accused of lying when spouting the company line. All they know is what ebay tells them.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@danielledowry wrote:

Has anyone else had a similar experience?  

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I do not know anyone who would seek or accept advice about their finances from a minimum wage customer service representative at eBay. 

Think about it ... if eBay customer support reps knew how to be successful making money on eBay, they would not be eBay customer support reps.

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There's a new seller reading here every few minutes I bet.....come to us, don't call CS! We are sellers! 

[nawlinsron2]

Calling ebay CS for other than the time of day is like going to a vet for a root canal.

[michael_atw]

I had one lie to me a couple days ago.  Let a buyer lie and lied to me.  

[papyruspapillo]

I'm a BIN seller. Recently, I've tried a few auctions, mostly on items the value of which I am ignorant, but when I sell them at all, I usually get the opening bid and no others. I have read that 85% to 88% of ebay sales are now fixed price.