What's your ratio?

[u_cant_take_it_with_u]

Of those would-be-buyers who ask for additional information, how many actually buy your item?  Personally, the norm for me, is that they rarely (and even that might be a bit ingratiating) buy the item.  I often wonder it they are just on a power trip, to see if the seller will jump through their hoops.  And of those who ask "ridiculous" questions , they NEVER buy- 

[moo*cow*corner]

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@bubbleman2010 wrote:

I want 6 plates and they can just go in a bubble mailer to cut down on postage costs....  Sorry I only have two and they have to go in a box to avoid being damaged... Only buys one and two hours before it arrives emails and informs me it arrived broken and to go ahead and ship the other one out as a replacement.....

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Had one recently. Multiple lot purchase. The cart charged her $21 for shipping, she messaged me saying she thought that was too high and she fully expected a partial shipping refund...the P.O. charged me $24 and change for the box. Gets pricey in a hurry to ship bowls that stack but do not nest.

And interestingly enough, got this message a couple of days ago...from a low FB buyer....Do you send replacements for shipping damage or do you refund only? I answered. She purchased. We'll see what happens....

[a_c_green]

I can't say at this moment what my ratio of sale to no-sale would be, but I think it depends heavily on whether the answer to their question is favorable. That is, if I can let them know that the item isn't going to work out for them, based on their question, then I almost certainly am not going to hear from them again. If I can confirm that it's what they're looking for, then I'll usually see them bidding on the item after that. 

Side issue: has anyone noticed that the "Copy this Q&A to your listing description" option doesn't seem to be working anymore? A day or two back, I had a slightly obscure technical question on one of my items that I decided would be worth adding, so I checked the relevant box when replying, but that Q&A is nowhere to be seen in the listing. My messages section shows it as one of my "Answers previously posted to listings" (you can see that if you click Reply to the message that you already answered), so I know I selected the option, but in fact it doesn't seem to have been posted at all. (The auction has days to go, so deadlines are not a factor.)

That's annoying, because if a prospective buyer does ask a useful question, it looks like you now have to manually edit or append to your description in order to show it.

[dubiousgain]

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@fashunu4eeuh wrote:    Do you resent prospective buyers asking questions, because they might not buy after you make the effort to reply? And feel contempt for those whose inquiries suggest they havn't done their due diligence as a buyer, perhaps missing information already provided? The buyer-seller relationship doesn't have to be contentious. But i wonder why the hostility towards your shoppers?

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Oh, honey....Take off those rose-colored glasses...They just don't work, in the real world.  Face ir;  Crazy people, don't know their crazy,  Cult members don't know their in a cult, and sketchy ebay bidders/buyers, don't know their sketchy ebay bidders/buyers!