sellers not having to answer questions

[timtamjunkie29]

I wanted to know why sellers are allowed to choose "this seller is unable to answer questions" option? If someone is selling something, shouldn't it be mandatory that they have to be available to answer questions about their items? If the seller is not contactable then surely the buyer is greatly increasing the chance that they may need to make a 'not as described" claim in the future? To me its just antisocial and arrogant. If they are unable to answer any questions then they should not sell until they are in a position to answer them. Particularly if the seller is selling items  that are listed as second-hand or used! I would assume that as a buyer if there was any issue- (even minor) with the item then the seller would have refund all postage back and forth- as obviously the buyer will not have been able to check anything!( and therefore is working on assumptions) personally I wouldn't buy from a person who has chosen that option. I would like to know why ebay offers this at all?

[harley_babes_hoard]

Although I don't agree with not answering questions, I can also see why some choose to use that feature.

Some buyers are hopeless and don't read description in listings, 9 times out of 10 the infomation they require is right there. Bigger sellers have enough to do packing up sales that answering the same questions is very time consuming.

[2012happychap]

for me I just don't bother with sellers like that, if they don't want to answer questions I am simply not interested, they can't be too serious about selling, one thing I don't get is if you want to sell something why wouldn't you do everything you could to make a sale

[digital*ghost]

A couple of things to keep in mind...

If you are blocked from buying from a seller and the seller has opted not to field questions from blocked bidders, that message will show. You could be blocked for a variety of non-personal reasons, such as they don't ship to your location, you have accrued too many non-payment strikes or others. If you are stopped from purchasing by an automatic block, for whatever reason, then the seller has decided that they don't wish to sell to members who fit that criteria so why should it be mandatory for them to answer questions from those members?

Secondly, there is an option on some other eBay sites (not Aus as far as I know), for sellers to block questions from all members unless they are involved in a transaction. You may not agree with that particular business practice, but you also have to recognise that for some high volume business sellers, the time/money saved from fielding potentially endless questions from possible buyers outweighs the time/money spent on resolving problems from actual buyers. It is their right to make that decision to run their business that way, even though I personally wouldn't. 

[a_beautiful_room]

I can see from your feedback that you have at least 2 feedback left for non-payment. If these sellers have given you non-payment strikes, then you may be blocked from buying or asking questions from the seller that you are emailing. Sellers have the ability to block buyers from purchasing (or interacting) when they have had 2 non payment strikes within a certain time period. Maybe this is the reason?

[phorum_junkie*]

If you have 2 strikes then that is probably why you are unable to ask questions. I didn't used to stop blocked bidders from contacting me but got sick of people begging to be allowed to bid even though they had been blocked. You should have heard some of the lame excuses why they had received the strikes!

[redhen1995]

I was eventually blocked by a seller as one battery I purchased didn’t work. I asked for it to be fixed or replaced. I got no answers from them at all . I contacted eBay and PayPal to get my money back but to no avail. I contacted seller once more and as soon as I said they were scamming me I was blocked. So much for buyers rights.

[twyngwyn]

you have replied to a 9 year old thread.....the mods will be along shortly to advise you to start a new thread in "BUYING"....if indeed, you want help