Scared of "MESSAGES"

[tstore]

Anyone else get scared or paranoid when they receive a new message from an existing buyer? I know for us it is scary and stressful for that few seconds before opening the message!!! I suffer from anxiety and open the message slowly and get stressed out easily when there is an issue with an item sold. We respond to messages within 30 minutes of receiving them. 

 We have had no claims so far but a few items not received (1 parcel reached it's location 25 days after being sent from Melbourne to NSW!). Never had an item go to PayPal dispute which is awesome as we fix issues quickly. 

[purple.cow]

When you're in business you have to learn to ride the ups and downs, and if you're dealing in secondhand goods there's likely to be far more of those than you might like lol.

[digital*ghost]

 we fix issues quickly. 

All you need is to remember that, have confidence in it, and you won't really have anything to fear. 

I used to have a little 'oh oh' moment if I received a message from a customer some time after the sale, but most of the time the messages weren't about any issues that needed to be resolved, and the ones that were...were dealt with to the customer's satisfaction ASAP, so after a while I stopped worrying about how I would deal with certain things because I already knew I could. 😉

[tstore]

Thanks Digital! Sometimes it feels like they all come at the same time! Today for example 3. Haven't had any issues for over a week which is rare when selling so much.

[punch*drunk]

I've had a couple "I havent received my item" emails just lately. AP must be working a bit slower than usual. All have turned up the day after they messaged me.

[coast_golf]

I'm exactly the same tstore, I suffer from an anxiety disorder and whenever I see an email of any description (not just eBay) I get a horrible case of the 'what ifs'. It's a reaction to anything that could be potentially confrontational, apparently very common amongst anxiety sufferers. Unfortunately it's not a great trait to have when you are an eBay seller! So while I can't offer much help I can tell you that you are definitely not the only one 🙂

[2106greencat]

OP - be happy that your buyers send a message. Many just hit the red dot and walk away not even giving the seller a chance to fix a problem

[tstore]

Thanks guy. To avoid neg feedback I include a note with each package that I will respond within an hour between 8am - 11pm and I do - yes crazy I know. I always get bad feelings when I receive a message. 

I am also the type that obsessively checks feedback refreshing every hour. It is horrible to have anxiety affects me also in my 9-5 job.

[kopenhagen5]

tstore, sounds like you are human and like things to go well.

Pretty normal really and yes I sometimes see a message and think "what now" but mostly I think, " oh good, someones interested in an item I am selling".

A good idea is to look at what you think is good service and if you are providing that, (which sounds like you are and beyond) then you will always know it's either a positive mesage or just some noob that you could never please. Stay positive and don't be too hard on yourself. 😉

[pinktoedannie]

I absolutely do get worried. Yet I never thought of myself as an overly anxious person.  The sight of a message from an existing buyer still makes me think 'Oh No' even though I've been selling for ages.  

 
Fortunately most of the time it's not about a 'real' problem but just somene who needs help using the product and occasionally it's a 'Thank you for your wonderful service' note.  

But yes, the dreaded 'item not as described' or 'item not received' gets me in a panic instantly.