Responding to messages

[allsafetysolutions1]

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts/ ideas are on replying to messages over the weekend. Do you answer them as you receive them or do you wait until Monday and have the weekend off aswell. Just wondering

[collect247]

Personally if I have an item that is still running as an auction or a BIN over or during a weekend

then I would make sure that I can answer any question/messages that I have received from a potential buyer.

But there are others that are no where near a computer during a weekend.

So I guess it's up to the individual seller if they wish to respond or not.

[davidc4430]

you prolly need to think like a buyer

if you took the time to ask a question before an item ended you would likely hope the seller would answer as soon as they were able.

not getting a reply for up to 3 days might make a buyer think this seller doesnt want my business.

i allways send answers as soon as i see a message.

[allsafetysolutions1]

Yeah. I answer them as soon as I can, but a few people I have spoken to have said, it's your weekend aswell, they can wait until business hours.

what time do you stop answering during the week? Or do you answer anytime?. Just wondering what everyone's "cut off" is?

[*tippy*toes*]

I'm only a part time seller, meaning I have a regular job too, so I like to answer them as they come in if I can. I've even answered at 3am before! If I happen to be working my regular job on the weekend I'll reply during one of my breaks and if it's more than a few hours since the message came in, I apologise for the delay and explain that I'm at work.

If I was a large eBay business where this was my source of income, then I'd probably have the weekend off. Everyone is entitled to a day off. I'd be upset if my employer kept contacting me on my days off. If that was the case, I'd mention in my listings that questions will be answered during business hours, i.e weekdays and any that come through on the weekend will be answered first thing Monday.

That said, a lot of buyers don't get that big sellers like to have a day off occasionally too. Because they can buy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, they think the seller is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If they encounter one of those buyers, it could cost them a sale, or a potential negative feedback.

I really appreciate good buyers. I would like to think that buyers appreciate a good seller too. It normally only takes me a minute or 2 to reply to a message, so I don't mind when I reply to them. I don't get a lot of enquiries, so it's no skin off my nose.

Although an enquiry last night turned into several hours. A buyer who'd previously bought from one account had bought on another and had asked about combining postage. She'd previously bought quite a few things so I mentioned my newer account (which she has also bid on a few items now!). She'd mentioned last time she bought how she'd had a break in, so last night was spent talking about the ins and outs of home security. I initiated the discussion after she mentioned wanting to install security and she was very grateful for all the info. She then went and placed bids on quite a few more items!

[*tippy*toes*]

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@allsafetysolutions1 wrote:

Yeah. I answer them as soon as I can, but a few people I have spoken to have said, it's your weekend aswell, they can wait until business hours.

what time do you stop answering during the week? Or do you answer anytime?. Just wondering what everyone's "cut off" is?

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As mentioned in my previous message, I have answered at 3am before, but only because I'd woken up to go to the bathroom when the message came through. I'll answer them regardless of time while I'm still awake (often 1-2am). I don't think it's unreasonable to have a cut off of 9 or 10pm. A lot of people are in bed by then.

However, if you run auctions (which from memory I don't think you do) that are finishing up to a certain time (e.g. 11pm), then I'd be making myself available until then, in case of last minute questions, which do happen.

[jimmyjoejoe_jnr]

I answer msgs as I receive them when I am at home otherwise of a night when i get home from work.I do not have a cut off point I am not a business so do not keep business hours.I think it is just common courtesy to answer weekend or not.If you don't want to answer on a weekend make sure your listings start and end on a weekday,I suppose.

[allsafetysolutions1]

This is my full time job so I do like to answer everything I can asap, but then the weekend comes around and sometimes I think, geshhh, when do I get a break, but still answer the questions. I get phone calls at all hours of the night (had one at 3am telling me that he works shift work and not to call him in the morning because he'll be asleep, it took everything I had not to say "well, what do you think I was just doing". The calls first thing on Sunday mornings are a killer, asking if I'm open today.

[allsafetysolutions1]

I have GTC.

thats not a new disease either.....sounded very weird.

[digital*ghost]

I have a moderate sized eBay store, which I operate as a business, so don't always reply to messages as they're received, particularly on weekends. 

Namely because I don't want to set precendents that are not sustainable, it might sound weird, but I often am up late at night, and often it's because I'm working, but I don't want to create expectations that I can answer messages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (not least of all because sometimes, I need a little time to stew over the reply ). 9pm is the general cut-off point for me to answer queries on weekdays, unless there's special circumstances (I have replied later than that but prefer not to unless for special customers, regulars and the like - I don't really feel that people expect instant replies, but more just taking the chance to send the message while they have it). 

On weekdays, I'll answer simple queries as they come in, and more involved queries (especially if they involve custom orders) at specific times, mostly when I have more time to respond again quickly to further enquiries and/or create a special listing, so usually after I get home from posting. Some days, if I answered all queries as they came in, nothing would actually get posted, so for me it's about effective time-management. 

On weekends, I tend to answer any messages once per day in the late afternoon, unless one is an ongoing conversation or it's genuinely urgent. It's impossible for me to have the weekend off, unfortunately, and I tend to work all day Sundays (otherwise Mondays would be a bit of a struggle), but I like to have as much of the Saturday as I can to not have to do anything selling-related.