eBay

electrola_man · ‎06-26-2023

I've been shocked at the increase in questions that are clearly answered in my listings lately. Has something changed? I recently listed an item, declared, "For parts or not working," and described how it was functional but beat up with details as to specific damage, and noted that it was declared "for parts or not working" and sold as-is. Photos showed it looking beat up. I got a question asking, "is this in perfect condition" (no punctuation, from a zero-feedback person). How can that be? I've seen that descriptions don't show up on the phone app unless I click on something. I almost never buy on my phone, but I know a lot of people do. Are there lots of people out there who don't even look at descriptions and condition statements? I sometimes waste some characters in my title field by adding, "PLEASE READ." Sometimes that seems to help.

soh.maryl · ‎06-26-2023

Maybe I'm in the minority. I confess I no longer sell, but, if I did, I might feel that such questions and inquiries have the potential of being from a buyer who is interested enough in buying to ask for details, even if those details were clearly spelled out in the listing.

But, then again, was never a high volume seller, so that would probably make a difference.

maxine*j · ‎06-26-2023

@electrola_man wrote:
... Are there lots of people out there who don't even look at descriptions and condition statements? ...

Yes, I believe so. Just based on threads started on these boards, it seems that the percent of the population that is functionally illiterate is growing rapidly. Then add impatience to that.

Mull over these figures:

79% of U.S. adults are literate in 2022.
21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2022.
54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level.
66% of 4th grade children in the U.S. could not read proficiently in 2013.
66% of current students are reading below grade level

https://www.thinkimpact.com/literacy-statistics

https://www.apmresearchlab.org/10x-adult-literacy

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maxine*j · ‎06-26-2023

As an addendum, these countries have higher literacy rates than the U.S., in order:

Finland
Norway
Luxembourg
Andorra
Greenland
Liechtenstein
Uzbekistan
Latvia
Estonia
Lithuania
Azerbaijan
Guam
Kazakhstan
Poland
Tajikistan
Armenia
Ukraine
Georgia
Belarus
Russia
Slovenia
Cuba
Barbados
Turkmenistan
Slovakia
Palau
Kyrgyzstan
Tonga
Hungary
Maldives
Croatia
Moldova
Cyprus
Italy

UNITED STATES

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craft-stash · ‎06-26-2023

@soh.maryl wrote:
Maybe I'm in the minority. I confess I no longer sell, but, if I did, I might feel that such questions and inquiries have the potential of being from a buyer who is interested enough in buying to ask for details, even if those details were clearly spelled out in the listing.
But, then again, was never a high volume seller, so that would probably make a difference.

It sure does...

Experience counts!

itsjustasprain · ‎06-26-2023

@maxine*j wrote:
@electrola_man wrote:
... Are there lots of people out there who don't even look at descriptions and condition statements? ...
Yes, I believe so. Just based on threads started on these boards, it seems that the percent of the population that is functionally illiterate is growing rapidly.

Not sure if you are referring to messages to the seller written by potential buyers or by the sellers themselves making the posts here - and I know that English may not be their first language - but sometimes I will just stare at some incoherent mess of words posted here - either by the seller or quoting a message he has received - and think, "Did you seriously think someone is going to understand that?"

As for the descriptions I would agree that Ebay does nothing useful for making the seller description easy to find and read - ESPECIALLY in mobile format.

maxine*j · ‎06-26-2023

@itsjustasprain wrote:
Not sure if you are referring to messages to the seller written by potential buyers or by the sellers themselves making the posts here ... but sometimes I will just stare at some incoherent mess of words posted here...

I was referring to all posters and all boards, both original posts and replies.

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sumsum70 · ‎06-26-2023

eBay is converting the site to "shop by picture" now, so people aren't going to find/see/read anything you describe with words. Apparently, the CEO and his cronies are square-peg-round-hole types and this makes sense to them.

electrola_man · ‎06-26-2023

@soh.maryl wrote:
Maybe I'm in the minority. I confess I no longer sell, but, if I did, I might feel that such questions and inquiries have the potential of being from a buyer who is interested enough in buying to ask for details, even if those details were clearly spelled out in the listing.
But, then again, was never a high volume seller, so that would probably make a difference.

If it seems like a legitimate question about something that perhaps the person just missed, that's okay, or if it goes deeper into something I showed and wrote about, that's great, too. That shows genuine interest. When a question demonstrates a complete disregard for all the work I did to describe and show what they are asking about, that is when I have a problem. I suppose that if they ask, it at least gives me the opportunity to do something. These are the kind of people who buy, then don't pay, or want to cancel the deal because they didn't understand what they were buying, or worse yet, want to return it for a condition that was clearly described. It's such a waste of my time. It seems people should need to go through some kind of "Ebay 101" class that they should need to pass an online final for before their account is allowed to interact with sellers and bid or buy.

electrola_man · ‎06-26-2023

@sumsum70 wrote:
eBay is converting the site to "shop by picture" now, so people aren't going to find/see/read anything you describe with words. Apparently, the CEO and his cronies are square-peg-round-hole types and this makes sense to them.

It seems so. It is really frustrating. They need to fix the mobile app so the description automatically shows up.

marnotom! · ‎06-26-2023

Apropos of nothing, are you supposed to be set up for international shipping or not? I’m in Canada and when I see your listings in “list view,” I get a “not specified” message for your shipping rate to my location.

duffy4444 · ‎06-26-2023

Occasionally I get similar unnecessary buyer questions that could have just as easily been answered by simply reading my thorough descriptions. Depending on the degree of potential illiteracy of the questioner and the requests in their inquiry, not very often but on occasion I will sometimes go right to my BBL and block them. I have to make a determination as to whether such an inquiry will morph into problems down the road. I don't have time for that.

Cheers, Duffy

ed8108 · ‎06-26-2023

@electrola_man wrote:

. . go through some kind of "Ebay 101" class that they should need to pass an online final for before their account is allowed to interact with sellers and bid or buy.

It's logical, I argued for this years ago.

Unfortunately Ebay has not complied.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎06-26-2023

Some buyers do not read the description especially if using a phone. Only a part of the description is visible and they have to CLICK MORE to see more of the description Many won't do that click. Some are stupid. I do not mind answering questions as a seller. Sometimes, by asking and you answering, they decide to buy or go elsewhere. It's best that you answer and then they decide. one way or the other. The alternative is that they buy and are not happy and want to return the item. Answer the questions and thank God that you are smart enough to read and not ask dumb questions.

collectfest · ‎06-26-2023

U said “functional” but beat up… in your description, then for parts only. Honestly I’d just move on and wouldn’t buy from you. If it read works, which means functions to me, then said beat up, I’d buy.

To me it’s like you’re saying it works but I won’t back it up(no returns) cause it’s beat up.

sorry, long winded but to me your description invited questions.

You declared it was functional.