Constant rude interactions with sellers nowadays on eBay?

[datonegue_81]

Normally I don't get angry messages on eBay. I used to have an account a while back and have been shopping here for 10+ years But recently Ive had one seller in particular that was extremely rude and I'm not exactly sure why. I'm not trying to name names but this seller was really rude to me. I was questioning his postage costs and he was really not being very sturdy about them because at one point he said it was 25$ then 31 than 27$ so I wasn't sure what he was exactly talking about. After this he started to ask me "**bleep** DOES 31$ HAVE TO DO WITH THE POSTAGE". Which literally 2 emails ago he told me the price was? After that he blocked me from ever ordering again and demanded that when I wanted to purchase from him again I had to email him or call him to apologise via his business card that I received with my last order from him. I don't know but I'm kind of hurt. I like to think of myself as a kind person but he made me feel kind of evil. all I did was question him and after looking into a bit it seems like he's a little sketchy. I only saw 2 posts online, one was that he used to photocopy other peoples stamp books and sell them and that he's tried to sell fake pennies as real with lucrative wording. Has anyone else been expericing sellers like these recently? I feel like there's more of them now than there used to be. 

[sugar249]

Firstly you are not allowed to name sellers, so an admin will most likely pop along shortly and delete the sellers name.

But,  I looked at all the items on the sellers store, they all have postage listed,  so not sure what your issue is.

And none of the feedback on Ebay, would indicate that the comments you have made about the seller selling fakes or photocopies is true.    In fact the one negative they have,  was totally unjustified.

[springyzone]

Firstly, you are talking about interactions with one seller. One.

This does not mean that rude sellers are trending.

Normally when I buy, I don't actually have what I would call any interaction with sellers.

Of course, sometimes you do need to contact a seller to ask a question. It has been a while since I did that but no, I didn't strike any rudeness.

The only trouble I have had over the last couple of years has been the opposite, a seller who didn't respond at all.

I had a look at some of the items of the seller you named.  I have to say you have me a little confused too as this person seems to sell coins and from what I can make out, there are no items that have $25-$31 postage.  I cannot find any postage cost (on the page I looked at) that was higher than $17.50 and that was for 4.8kg of copper.

The usual postage seemed to be $4.50-$7.95.

So I am wondering if you were asking for combined postage as you wanted to buy a few different items?

Did you change the items you were asking about at any stage, as in 'How much to send items A&B, or what if I buy A,B &C?'

Were the prices you were quoted for the coins plus postage, perhaps?

Were you offered different postage price options eg express?

My impression is you have confused or frustrated the seller in some way. I have looked at the seller's feedback & I would say he is a good seller. He has 99.9% feedback rating and has sold about 43,000 items.

But I did notice that he is testy if he thinks a buyer has given an unfair neg or neutral and he will answer each and every one of them and block them.

He obviously feels you were potential trouble, hence blocking you.

I get that you feel hurt. He may have taken something you said the wrong way. There are other coin dealers on ebay. Just move on and try not to worry about it as most sellers are not rude.

Just make sure that if you ever do ask for  eg combined postage and you're given a price, you don't question it, you just either accept it or decide not to buy.

[sandypebbles]

Mmmm hmmm

So the seller who, you have left two glowing positive feedbacks for?

Suddenly became foul mouth and blocked you for no reason at all

(Sellers can block whoever they please, by they way and do not have to explain themselves) 

And you have listed coins for sale too?

And happily break the forum rules by 'naming and shaming'

And as said they only have one neg and that was from a buyer who did'nt read the description 

No sure if the person you name still reads the forum, they used to post here

If they read here before a mod removes the name, hopefully they will give us their side of the story

There are always two to every one 

[countessalmirena]

After saying ❝I’m trying not to name names❞, you then name a name.

The community rules and guidelines for posting on these boards explicitly prohibit just that.

Sellers are here to sell, and I’m aware that many sellers do not want to answer a lot of questions, especially if the answer is clearly stated in the listing. Springyzone may have hit the nail on the head — were you indeed asking about combined postage? That will change as required.

If the seller became exasperated, that is not necessarily rudeness. If you communicated in a way that was questioning the seller’s integrity (and there’s no doubt that sometimes questions may carry a passive-aggressive tone), it’s understandable that the seller felt insulted and put an embargo on your buying.

I’m actually impressed that the seller left the door open for a rapprochement. If you want to buy from that seller, there’s a way forward.

If you prefer to buy from other sellers, that’s fine for you. 

Just best in mind that sellers can block individuals from buying from them without needing a reason.

[datonegue_81]

Hey look guys. I really wasnt trying to be rude or hurtful but i acknowlege that this post could upset the seller. Im sorry for being rude in this post. I'd like to provide some clarification about what was said on my end. I only sent 2 messages and in the first message i said "Hi, I've calculated the postage cost for the products I requested a total on. Sorry but I thought that when I asked for the total, it wouldve automatically reflect the price for buying multiple items since i totalled it via the request. According to Australia Post's website, for a 20x20x8cm package weighing 8.6kg, the cost is $26, not $36. Could you please provide an explanation?

Thanks. Alex.

And my second message was "Hello Richard.

Im sorry , but my figures were based on testing and not speculation. I have a large number of coins that I have already collected was able to test the cost of putting them into a box and calculating the postage costs.

Your $31 estimate is an estimate only, I was able to put the 1 and 2c coins into a box sized 24x16x16 box and put these into the Australia Post website, and the postage estimate to your state was $28.75. This means that your $31 cost is slightly overpriced.

I would also like to note that you are using old mint stamps to reduce your actual postage costs so the cost quoted at Australia Post is incorrect.

I would still like to proceed with the purchase, but just want a fair postage price charged by yourselves based on what it actually costs you at Australia Post.

Kindest Regards
Alex."

I am sorry for the confusion and if someone can explain to me how to delete the post I will (I've never used eBay community only normal ebay)

[countessalmirena]

No wonder the seller was annoyed.

You can’t tell the seller what postage he must charge!

Are you aware that sellers pay a fee on the postage amount as well as on the item price? Are you aware that sellers are legitimately entitled to include handling costs in the P&H? Or that sellers may opt to lower or increase the item price and offset that in their postage price?

By your reckoning, sellers offering “free postage” must charge you the actual postage cost. Does that make sense to you?

OP, were I you, I’d be contacting the seller and apologising with no ifs or buts, quite irrespective of whether I intended to buy from that seller in the future.

[mytreechange]

I totally agree with the countess's comment.

Surely you would know that postage can include both packaging and handling costs.  The seller's quote sounds quite reasonable when including those.

The fact that the seller uses older stamps has no bearing on the matter, as you would know that they were originally sold by the post office at face value (no matter what price you assume the seller paid for them), and are legal to use for postage.

It is not up to a buyer to tell the seller what to charge, either for an item (which may be priced up a bit to cover fees, packaging, etc) or postage/packaging/handling.

Your seller seems to be more forgiving than most given that he may sell to you again if you apologise.

As far as the online posts go, they are only someone else's opinion, and may or may not be true.  Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

[*sons_n_daughters*]

Very reputable seller, who I've bought from many times. 

Do you actually know what goes into selling? I can see you've sold a few dodgy items, but do you really have any idea? There's this thing called ebay fees. Apparently ebay want us to pay to use their site. Who would have thought? Interestingly, they also charge fees on postage. WOW! 

Once the seller has paid the fees, there is this stuff called packaging, that unless you're lucky like me and can get it from work before it goes in the bin, the seller has to pay for. NO WAY, I hear you say. 

If it costs say $10.50 to post something, by the time fees, packaging and time are taken into consideration, it's not unreasonable to be paying $13 or $14.

I would have blocked you too. How dare you question a seller's postage costs. If you didn't like the costs, don't buy in the first place. 

[springyzone]

Im sorry , but my figures were based on testing and not speculation. I have a large number of coins that I have already collected was able to test the cost of putting them into a box and calculating the postage costs.

Your $31 estimate is an estimate only, I was able to put the 1 and 2c coins into a box sized 24x16x16 box and put these into the Australia Post website, and the postage estimate to your state was $28.75. This means that your $31 cost is slightly overpriced.

Good grief, datonegue, you were being the very definition of troublemaker, whether you meant it or not. No wonder he got a bit fed up with you.

I am surprised actually how reasonable he was, even after that, in that he left the way open for you to contact him again and maybe buy (if you seem reasonable next time).

It is as I said in my last post:

Just make sure that if you ever do ask for  eg combined postage and you're given a price, you don't question it, you just either accept it or decide not to buy.

I'm usually reasonably even tempered but I'd be majorly annoyed if some potential buyer came back at me about a quote as you did to that seller. Many moons ago when I used to sell, we often added a little bit onto the nominal postage cost to pay for paper, bubble wrap, printing, sticky tape and all the incidentals that go into posting an item. They are not free, you know. And these days, sellers pay an ebay fee on postage too.

There's no way you should ever expect that sellers will charge the exact cost of actually posting an item.

The seller blocked you as you came over as quite rude and presumptuous and a potential trouble maker down the track with feedback too & most sellers want a quiet life & avoid conflict if they can.