Condition is good...condition is used....description is poor and quite frankly lazy

[yarmak]

Everyday I see more and more sellers in their decriptions state  Condition is good or condition is used... without actually giving any description at all. Im sick of it. Why is this? I would have thought sellers would be trying hard to give detailed descriptions so their items would sell. Apparently not.

Pictures do not tell the whole story. For example buying electronic games - the description Condition is good...condition is used does not tell you, the possile buyer, if there is rust on the battery terminal, sticky controls, scratched screens,bleeding screens etc etc

Same goes for many other catagories of secondhand goods as well. And sellers complain they cannot sell on here? They are shooting themselves in the foot with poor lazy descriptions and  takes the fun out of looking on ebay .

And this trend appears to be happening more and more.

If I see Condition is good...condition is used and nothing else in thew description I will assume the item is junked or broken

If the seller cannot give you a description what else aren't they telling you? If a seller cannot give a half desecnt description and listing I doubt anything at all from the transaction will go well  but thats just my opinion

Lets actually spend a few minutes and make a real descrioption on our listings? 

Hopefully everyone will be adults and have civilised converstion

Thanks

Dave

[audio-spot]

I was once interested in a Sony MP3 Walkman for my collection. It was a Japan only model, so not often seen on eBay. Description was 'used and working' and a couple of poor photos. I contacted the seller to find out the true cosmetic condition (ie were there any dents, light scratches etc) only to be met by a couple of nasty messages saying it was used and what did I expect, it has all of those. I didn't place a bid.

[tazzieterror]

I suspect a lot of these vague descriptions are from people using their mobile phones to list items. They just want to get something advertised quickly, and phones aren't really conducive to elaborate, thoughtful descriptions.

I don't think it's a big deal - if you want to know specifics, message the seller and ask. You may think you shouldn't need to, but if you have specific details that are important to you it's your responsibility to ask.

I've never gone to the level of detail that describes the condition of battery terminals on an item, and I've never been asked by anyone about them either, so I'd suggest most buyers are happy to take me at my word when I describe something as excellent condition and working perfectly (or however I might word it).

[yarmak]

I think you hit the nail on the head Tazz about the mobile phone senario. Still that shouldnt stop people giving a decent description in my view

for those who wonder if I do ask more questions - I do I most of the time but am met with silence and smart alec remarks alot

I mostly cant be bothered anymore

Dave

[shoppingbag*]

I think some are just lazy, or have lots of things to list and rely on the buyer to ask questions. Some put up only one picture. If I am interested in something, I ask, or decide to pass it by and look somewhere else. It is impossible to control someone else's behaviour, even when there are rules to follow they just ignore them if they wish. The current Pandemic is a good example of just that.

[south.coffee]

I take great pride in my item description and especially second hand items, plus close up photos of any damage or usage.

You win when you put the time and effort in. You lose if you're lazy and pay the consequences from buyers wrath.

eBay want new expensive shiny products for sale not daggy op-shop **bleep** anyway and their search algorithms might reflect this ?

[tazzieterror]

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@yarmak wrote:

...Still that shouldnt stop people giving a decent description in my view...

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I don't think it's needed a lot of the time. Most of the items I sell are used, and within their categories that means by eBay's definition of used they're

"An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections."

If there's no issue to describe, I don't normally expand very much beyond this generic used description. I take decent photos anyway, so a buyer can be pretty confident about the condition of what they'll receive, add to that lots of positive feedback reinforcing this, and I find descriptions don't need to be more than a sentence or two. I might also emphasise a couple a key specs or compatibilities, but that's about it.

It's not that I'm lazy, I just don't waste effort where experience tells me it's not necessary.

[kitty-kat-kollection]

I always list my second hand items under the "pre--loved" field and then usually describe them as "Excellent condition, as new" because for the vast majority of my items, they appear new but just aren't.

Anything not in as good condition will then either be something like "Excellent condition (fabric care tag missing)" (if everything else is perfect), or excellent, very good or good pre-loved condition, and in that case I say why and show it in the photos if possible.

I list everything on my phone. It's not hard to be clear! I can't stand when people just use ebay's very brief generic description and say nothing else!!!

As a seller who is also a buyer, I want to give potential buyers all the information they need so they don't have to take the time to ask me via messages. Many people are stupid and/or lazy so I try to minimise their requirement to have to actually think.