eBay

modularmarine · ‎06-09-2017

It's become a common occurance that a buyer will ask if I have a certain product based on the products they have come upon in a search. I usually have what they are looking for in my ebay store so I try to send a link to the ebay listing for the item they need but ebay blocks the email from sending! Ebay has lost way more money in missed sales due to this than they ever would from outside ebay transactions. It's obvious that ebay is falling from it's ranks as a top online marketplace and they are resorting to desperate measures but sellers wont put up with it for much longer. I must thank ebay as it has inspired me to build my own e-commerce site which is now doing amazing (and only charging about 2% vs ebay&paypal's 14%).

Tip to ebay: if north korea ever gets internet, your current business model would work really well there. As for me and my free fellow americans, we will keep exploring and moving in other directions to sell our goods.

ittybitnot · ‎06-09-2017

Many would agree that ebay should turn down their bot meter on communication. They used to think communication was good. They used to think transparency in the marketplace was good. Maybe giving us back the button to "report" inappropriate messages on the ebay message would be a better idea. Nobody does more to direct buyer traffic elsewhere except ebay itself.

tomswifedebbie · ‎06-09-2017

I have to agree here. Well said.

things-n-oddities · ‎06-09-2017

The report button would mean extra work load for actual humans. Ebay wants to save every penny by cutting humans whereever they can.

duchess-at-speakeasy · ‎06-09-2017

There's no need to provide a link. The potential buyer already knows your user ID and easily can select the built-in link to your store within any listing. Just provide the name of the store category and perhaps a couple of keywords . . . voila!

~~C~~

My Glass Duchess
Quoting Mom: In polite society, "hey" is for horses.

modularmarine · ‎06-09-2017

You are wrong, there IS a need to provide a link. When you have dozens of items that are practically the same but with very small differnces for different applications it makes it MUCH easier for the customer to just click on the link rather than scroll through products looking for the one you explained he should be looking for. Ebay is crashing and burning, amazon and etsy will be taking it's place

div_style · ‎06-13-2017

Just give the item number

List more, sell more. Goodwill that other, uh, stuff.

Feeling sleepy? There's an app for that.

badwolf12 · ‎06-13-2017

@div_style wrote:
Just give the item number

Agreed. But a warning will still pop up because eBay thinks it's a phone number.

Ignore the warning and send the item number.

dhbookds · ‎06-13-2017

I've sent a link to the item in several emails....and no problems. Can't remember if I got a warning, but if I did, I just ignored as it was obvious that it was a link TO an ebay item........

terrycanarsky · ‎06-13-2017

Completely agree whatever program they're using needs to be backed off - a lot.

It's become so bad that there are times when I'm typing a response to a buyer - using NO contact information whatsoever, including links or item numbers - words such as "you" trigger the warning. Not even kidding. Take the word "you" out of the message, the warning goes away. (a relatively common example, unfortunately)

Really is ridiculous sometimes.

~Melody R

plumbingspecials · ‎06-13-2017

You do not need a link. Just give the buyer the ebay item number for the product they are looking for.

emerald40 · ‎06-13-2017

@badwolf12 wrote:
@div_style wrote:
Just give the item number
Agreed. But a warning will still pop up because eBay thinks it's a phone number.

Ignore the warning and send the item number.

The warning prevents the email from being sent.

And numbers are interpreted as a phone number.

badwolf12 · ‎06-13-2017

@emerald40 wrote:
@badwolf12 wrote:
@div_style wrote:
Just give the item number
Agreed. But a warning will still pop up because eBay thinks it's a phone number.

Ignore the warning and send the item number.
The warning prevents the email from being sent.

And numbers are interpreted as a phone number.

That's exactly what I said above about the phone #.

I get a warning for adding an item # but the system does not block me from sending the message.

jbbowers12012 · ‎06-13-2017

AGREED that providing a link is easier for everyone & probaly good customer service but, having buyers click on a link is most likely what setting off the bot alarm. in ebays defense the link could lead the buyer off ebay. maybe just providing ur buyer with a item number & "check my listings"

rw011164 · ‎06-13-2017

Just mentioning the word PayPal is also a trigger- even after the sale.

I have a buyer who purchased something and demands to send a paper check and pick up (scam). I told them that they could indeed pay by check through the Ebay payment portal and when they get to PayPal they can process the check information there and pick up would be available once payment clears through PayPal.

This is really something else....