eBay

penskefile5 · ‎04-03-2020

Seriously, what is with rude sellers? I just asked a seller what their best price was and when I got the amount I politely said ‘thanks but no thanks’ (hey some might not even respond ) and next thing I know I have the CHIP of his/her shoulder hurled at me. Some rubbish about how I should go to Kmart... (um relevance?)

This is not the first time when sellers have become stroppy - I’ve dealt with some who have reneged, lied about postage or sent faulty items. I’m sick of buyers bring the baddies. I always try to be polite until I’m pushed.. Sellers love to complain about buyers (btw I sell too) but some sellers need to go to customer relationship training and stop taking out (I assume) bad experiences with other buyers on me! (Instead learn to look at feedback first..Mine is excellent and it is insulting when that is not even acknowledged ).
Guess I’m getting grumpy in my old age...

4channel · ‎30-04-2022

@trendsnmore7 wrote:

Yes, I agree with you, I’ve dealt with some arrogant sellers too, some are very greedy and get stroppy when they can’t make a sale or bully their unsatisfied buyers if negative feedback is received. I am a seller and buyer. As a seller, I always treat my customers or enquires with respect. I worked full time in K-mart before internet came along and was always told by the managers to smile, be nice and polite to your customers no matter what, even if they complain, they come first. I stick to this golden rule. Also, as a buyer, I should have the right to enquire and bargain with the seller, and they should respect their buyers. Saying “thanks but no thanks” is nothing bad, the seller who bullied back definitely needs to learn to put their customers first. Without customers they wouldn’t have a business. I hope all sellers, particularly sellers without people skills can think about the golden rule next time of putting their customers first and apply it. My feedback has always been at 100 percent since I started years ago. Respecting works!

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Great post! What you say does happen too. The buyers are the ones who make place function, without buyers there would be no point to it all. Having worked in roles dealing with people, it became obvious to me early in the piece that the value of good relations should never be underestimated.

springyzone · ‎30-04-2022

@trendsnmore7 wrote:
. I am a seller and buyer. As a seller, I always treat my customers or enquires with respect.

My feedback has always been at 100 percent since I started years ago. Respecting works!

I totally agree with you about the need to deal in a professional way with people when you are selling on ebay (or anywhere).

Respecting others, though, won't always work 100%. That's because some other people will show no respect or rationality, no matter how well you treat them.

I'd go as far as to say it is almost impossible for any seller to maintain a 100% feedback rating if they sell on ebay long enough and often enough. Sooner or later a seller will come up against an unreasonable person.

papermoon.lady · ‎30-04-2022

I have seen neg fb left for some of my favourite sellers, and yes, sometimes it was unjustified, springy. I think sometimes people don't read descriptions or maybe don't check what a measurement means because I have seen fb mentioning "much smaller than expected" when the listing clearly stated the dimensions. I think that in such cases the seller can have the fb removed though.

wobbygonggong · ‎14-08-2022

Thankyou P/5 for your contribution, and you are quite correct about impolite sellers. I have no problem with pragmatic honesty. "Thanks, but no thanks" is succint and honest. You have said thankyou for the reply you received, and simply declined the amont offered. You have neither been rude or disparaging. Unfortunately, there is an element on eBay who are profiteering, charging more than is reasonable, and at times setting ridiculous prices for older 'vintage' items. They take advantage of supply and demand, and with a sense of entitlement, willingly intimidate buyers who dont agree with them. Some over-react in the most emotional of ways, and are not afraid to question the integrity of a buyer's history. When they do this, its a sure sign that they have something to hide. The need to remain vigilant for dishonesty is ever present for buyers. 'Caveat Emptor' as one ancient once said.

There are lots of good sellers out there who provide a fully decent service on eBay. You can tell who these are because their replies are business-like, and lack coercive control. They take pragmatic honesty in their stride. But I have encountered about 15% of all my purchases to be problematic. These come from the crafty, the rude, the entitled, the greedy. Watch out for these. Best wishes to all honest people.

countessalmirena · ‎14-08-2022

The person to whom you replied last posted in this thread on 27-09-2020. (That is, almost 2 years ago.)

That person has not even visited these boards for roughly a year.

It really does pay to check on the date of a thread before replying. It's Hampton Court to a Russian rouble that the OP will never see your post.

As to whether a seller's price is reasonable or not, specifically in the context of vintage items, that is a matter for the seller. If there is no market for his/her items at the price set by the seller, the item will languish and metaphorically gather dust. I don't see how a buyer can be intimidated by a seller in such a circumstance. Surely if the price is too high for you, you will simply pass and look elsewhere. How would a seller even know you noticed the listing?

If you mean that some buyers contact such sellers and tell them that the price is too high, does that perhaps convey a sense of entitlement on the part of the buyer rather than the seller? The seller will know far better than the buyer what sort of margin will make the sale of a particular item worthwhile. I don't see any logical progression from "buyers who don't agree with [the seller]" and "question[ing] the integrity of a buyer's history" to "a sure sign that [such sellers] have something to hide". I do see a connection between the first two and a seller deciding that a buyer is trying to buy something more cheaply than the price at which they (the seller) are willing to sell the item... and in particular if the buyer is being forceful about it, the seller deciding that the buyer is more trouble than a sale is worth.

No seller can practice "coercive control" over eBay buyers. Buyers can choose whether to search, look closely, hit the back button, ask a question, place a bid, retract a bid (for one of the approved reasons), make an offer (where appropriate), buy it now. Up until placing a bid or confirming a purchase (clicking onto BUY NOW), the buyer has complete freedom to walk away, fleeing from the evil hypnotic powers of an evil seller... and of course after buying, the seller will not be demanding à la the witch in Rapunzel anyone's first-born child; no, only that the buyer pays as required in any transaction, and specifically as required under eBay's T&Cs.

DISCLOSURE: I'm not an eBay seller. I'm a buyer. I hope I'm a fair buyer.

springyzone · ‎15-08-2022

I do think buyers have to remain vigilant for dishonesty on the part of some sellers. eg sellers who advertise as item located in Australia but it seems clear from feedback that it isn't the case.

Buyers also need to read ads very carefully so they are clear beforehand on exactly what they will be getting if they buy.

It's also true that I have seen some sellers who give aggressive replies in feedback to any buyer who finds any fault with the transaction.

But I am sensing you mean you find some sellers respond rudely to offers on their vintage items.

It would be better if they just responded civilly or even ignored low ball offers or even better, set up auto replies.

The answer though as to what is a reasonable price isn't necessarily clearcut.

Many moons ago I was selling an item that was priced (new) in the hundreds. This item was not brand new but was unused and in the original box etc, probably a couple of years old. So asked $80.

Got an offer of $30 and the buyer was really rude in the way the offer was made too. How do you think a seller feels in those circumstances? I kept my cool, I was polite, I just said no thanks (this was on gumtree). But I felt like saying get lost.

Even if a buyer isn't rude, a low ball offer can come across as insulting. It can also come across as a sense of entitlement on the part of the buyer, so it goes both ways.

Yes, sometimes sellers may overprice an item but in that case, it is unlikely to sell. A seller will notice that after a while, they don't need a buyer to point it out to them. That's rude.

If you're having 15% of your purchases problematic, then there is a problem but it may not always be with the seller. You may be coming across as aggresive even if you don't think you are.