EBay mentor

[sha_sha1074]

Maybe it's me being new to certain aspects of eBay or its my sense of fairness. If I ask a question to the forum I would appreciate an answer by the Ebay mentor that isn't condescending. Telling someone to relax for not knowing is unnecessary and maybe you've been mentoring here too long. 

[soh.maryl]

Welcome to eBay -- hope this is an enjoyable experience for you!

The folks who've answered your queries here gave thoughtful replies.  I did not see anything condescending.  They all wanted to make sure you understood the process and also to reassure you that, as a buyer, you're pretty well protected by the Money Back Guarantee.  Hope you've read it.

The responders on this Board are all fellow eBay sellers and buyers.  To make sure your experience here is a good one, they'd like you to feel free to return and ask questions whenever you want.  

[frugalmarketplace]

@sha_sha1074 

This is a board filled with good people. We don’t all agree , but you will get honest answers…there are a lot of years represented here. 

[lakefor94]

@sha_sha1074  it is all about educating members that come here with questions, problems, rants etc.

You may not receive the exact answer you "want", but you will usually get the correct answers.

If members don't learn anything, there is not a point in going through the motions here.

[redmodelt]

Every listing shows an estimated delivery date, until that date passes, you can relax. How many days the seller has to ship is irrelevant; the only important thing is that estimated delivery date. 

[wastingtime101]

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@sha_sha1074 wrote:

Maybe it's me being new to certain aspects of eBay or its my sense of fairness. If I ask a question to the forum I would appreciate an answer by the Ebay mentor that isn't condescending. Telling someone to relax for not knowing is unnecessary and maybe you've been mentoring here too long. 

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Hi @sha_sha1074 . I read the post in question.

In my opinion, that mentor used the word relax to be reassuring and to explain you don't need to worry or keep checking on the order; you can relax until the estimated delivery date.

It had nothing to do with not knowing the process and there was no condescension.

Between both of your threads you've been given accurate responses of what to expect.

I can add a few things to the advice you already received:

1. Sellers are not required to use tracking so it's always possible your item will show up without being able to track it.

2. You can set a calendar alert for the tail end of the estimated delivery window and until then don't worry about it.

3. The estimated delivery window is never accurate on the front end; it's way too short. The last date of the estimated window is closer to accurate, and even then, it's just an estimate. So if the seller does ship with tracking and there's active tracking movement you can give it more time before filing a claim (you have a 30 days from latest date of estimated window to file a claim)

Hope that helps.

[posh_n_thecity]

Hi there! I'm new to the eBay Community Platform as well, I truly believe that mentorship should be practiced without embellishments, it works best when it's  grounded in kindness and clarity. We can all learn something new every day, that's why we're here, at least that's why I am!

That said, I've seen that sometimes feedback comes across as unnecessarily sharp or condescending as you mentioned, even if it's meant to be helpful. Tone matters. Bluntness without tact is just cruel, and it can discourage rather than support. 

Hope you have a better experience going forward. This space is meant to welcome questions, no matter how basic, and for every seller, new or experienced to feel respected and encouraged to grow. 🤗

[soh.maryl]

Sorry you interpreted it that way.  In all fairness, since you mention your own "sense of fairness", your post made it seem like you're unduly worried about an issue.  The responder used the word "relax" to reassure you that you were unnecessarily concerned.  eBay's Money Back Guarantee for buyers works very well when a transaction doesn't go exactly as expected.  If he were addressing you in person, he might've said something like: "Hey, relax.  There's nothing to worry about.  The MBG has your back.  Have you read it?" 

[tinsoldierunderground]

In my experience, most of the time when things escalate to near boiling over, it's typically because an OP isn't being told what they want to hear.   When you spend time volunteering on these boards, abuse from people who have no idea what ebay policy is, well, that's just part of the package.  I've seen people display TOTAL ignorance on these forums, as they argue with the most knowledgeable volunteers we have. 

In essence, and with few exceptions, we tend to give back what we get in terms of civilized and courteous behavior.  At the same time, most on here  don't have much of a sense of humor when someone decides to trash the sound advice they're given, then proceeds to hurl insults at everyone who responded to their post. 

[albertabrightalberta]

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@posh_n_thecity wrote:

I truly believe that mentorship should be practiced without embellishments, it works best when it's  grounded in kindness and clarity. We can all learn something new every day, that's why we're here, at least that's why I am!

That said, I've seen that sometimes feedback comes across as unnecessarily sharp or condescending as you mentioned, even if it's meant to be helpful. Tone matters. Bluntness without tact is just cruel, and it can discourage rather than support. 

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Mentors were chosen because of a proven history of knowing policies and giving accurate advice. 

People have to keep in mind that everyone is an individual with their own personalities, different cultures, from different generations and they have different posting styles. 

Another important point to keep in mind is that online communication is absent of inflection, facial expression, tone, etc. and what can be interpreted as being too "blunt" isn't always intended that way. 

I know that my posting style is one that doesn't coddle and I won't tell a poster they are correct if they're mistaken. Or if someone posts inaccurate advice or info, they'll be called on it because it's not just misleading to that one person being responded to but it can also mislead the thousands of lurkers. 

Keep in mind that the advice and assistance offered here is given to help. If someone is told their thinking is incorrect, it's not the person being criticized, it's the way of thinking. It's not personal and criticism shouldn't be taken personally.

[buyselljack2016]

@posh_n_thecity 

try not to confuse the "mentor" board with the "open" community boards.

responses on the "mentor" board are limited to a select set of "mentors" 

"open" boards are open to responses for anyone such as myself that may embellished more than desired 

[posh_n_thecity]

Hi! I'm not confusing mentor boards with open boards. However, if someone takes the time to answer the question or comment of a complete stranger here, they become volunteer mentors, moreso if the intent is teaching or clarifying information. Thank you for participating! 🤗

[jonathanbrightlight]

@posh_n_thecity No, in fact, the Volunteer Community Mentors are a small group of selected members, not every person who might choose to comment anywhere you choose to post on these boards.  General members have no obligation to say anything you want to hear, and in fact we mentors don't have an obligation to give you the answer you want to hear.

You have posted a single thread in the Selling forum (not the Ask A Mentor forum), where anyone can respond.  If you didn't like the answers... frankly, that's no one else's problem.

[posh_n_thecity]

Anyone that's looking for mentorship exclusively to hear what they want to hear don't understand mentorship! Thank you for participating!

[le-5262]

Sometimes I come down here to practice my communication skills...

I like the community

appreciate outsider input

usually get good advice

learn different things I hadn't thought about.

I could see some people might get burned out a little...

being a tad bit terse.

Nothing wrong with taking a break.