Sellers who put barely anything in their descriptions

[kitty-kat-kollection]

I have noticed so many clothing sellers just using the brief default blurb in their descriptions, and basically providing no information about their items at all. Some don't even include the size!

I am frustratingly aware of how easy it is these days for buyers to get an automatic refund even if the seller does not provide refunds, simply by lodging an item not as described case.

Sooo...I was wondering, just out of interest, if these sellers are omitting almost all details of their items to avoid having these cases lodged against them. If they don't describe the item, then technically how can a buyer say the item was not as described?

Does that make any sense, or have I just gone even more insane? lol

[countessalmirena]

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@brerrabbit585 wrote:
[...]
When I received it the page ends were covered in insect excreta and it stunk, plus there was a coffee stain on one page. She should have said in excellent condition except for...

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Huge book.

This is truly a huge book. It's big. Very big. Condition is excellent!*

*Except for bee doo-doo, doo-bee-doo-bee-doo."

[chameleon54]

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@brerrabbit585 wrote:
The information is definitely the most important part of some books.

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This is definately true. I have sold books in pretty bad condition at times, but with rare information. I just bluntly describe the condition as it is without any fluff. ie. " Covers missing, last 3 pages missing, some insect damage etc. Information still all readable. " Never had any problems and have maintained 4.9 - 5 stars for condition description for years..

If anything I tend to talk down condition rather than guild the lilly, unless a book is in excellent condition and very rare.  In this situation, I up the hype on condition, using it as a selling point to justify a high price tag. For collectors, condition is everything.  A rare, collectable title in great condition can be worth many hundreds or thousands of dollars where as the same book in rough condition is close to worthless..

[springyzone]

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@fixnwear wrote:

g, item is used, not brand new - and shouldn't be expected to be so perfect - otherwise it would be new and sold at retail prices. 

Short of some very significant damage that would render the item unusable, all the rest is easy to fix: If it's dirty - wash it, if the button is missing - replace it, if the hem is hanging - stitch it up... any of the minor bits & pieces - all these sort of buyers just bother the sellers for  no good reasons while forgetting the stuff they are buying is used.

And finally - on a used item - no matter how detailed condition is, anyone can always find something "that wasn't mentioned". Nature of used things, we all look at them with different eyes. It is a fact that a group of people being shown a same item will  all have a different opinion about it's condition.

So, I think maybe it is deliberate,  short descriptions, the less they say the better - otherwise they'll have a whole page of condition, describing something inch by inch!

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I think that I am usually a reasonable buyer with realistic expectations. I have bought second hand clothing and items on various occasions.

I don't expect them to be perfect as such but I do expect the descriptions to be accurate and usually they have been. Have to admit, any time I have bought second hand I have tended to only look at things listed as 'excellent condition' and with clear photos.

But if I bought something that was listed as good used condition or very good used condition, I'd be annoyed if i received something dirty, with a button missing and hem down (unless there had been a note to that effect in the ad). 

I don't consider all of those things to necessarily be an 'easy fix'. Sure, I can wash something but I would expect a seller to do that before listing it, surely.

Buttons are not necessarily an easy fix. They have to be matched and shopped for and can't usually be bought singly.

If something is damaged-whether clothing or any other item- it should be mentioned that there are some imperfections. For some people, that won't matter, they will be happy to buy it as is. For others though, it could influence their decision about whether to buy or not.

[brerrabbit585]

Buttons aren't cheap these days and it can cost more to buy a set of them than to buy a cheap garment.

If people know how to fix a hem or even sew on a button they're just as likely to know how to make a garment from scratch and would most likely not be buying online. A lot of people can't even sew a button on and aren't interested in buying anything that needs repairs. With an over-abundance of clothes in good condition there's really no need for anyone to sell anything that needs repairs. If it's worth a lot of money a seller should either repair it themselves before they list it, or pay someone else to repair it.

I used to get annoyed at the local op shop when other staff would hang up clothes with dirty marks or rips - it wasn't a good look and it was terribly embarrassing when I'd get something down from display for a customer only to find it had a seam that had come undone for several inches or a really dirty mark because someone hadn't bothered checking before they hung it up. They had so much clothing donated that there was no need to try and sell things like that. They used to give away more clothes than they kept to sell but the op shops they gave the excess to had so much themselves that they didn't want it. If someone brought something to the counter and I found a flaw I'd point it out to them and either slash the price or give it to them.

I doubled the hours the shop was open when I worked there and I probably tripled their income but when I left the manager told me how gracious it was of them to allow me to work for them - in front of about 20 members of Red Cross (which is why I won't donate one cent to them now). Some of the worst clothing came from her family - they wouldn't have worn dirty clothes but the rest of us mere mortals obviously weren't expected to take any pride in our appearance.

[offroad7400]

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@kitty-kat-kollection wrote:

Sooo...I was wondering, just out of interest, if these sellers are omitting almost all details of their items to avoid having these cases lodged against them. If they don't describe the item, then technically how can a buyer say the item was not as described?

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You could be right some sellers avoid descriptions to avoid a return, but I imagine most are simply lazy casual sellers hoping to make a quick buck.  The other selling bug bear is when sellers list a one or two line description and pages of their Terms & Conditions, which at the end of the day are useless in the eyes of eBay INC.

In our other technical store we list paragraphs of detailed information in the description and constantly add information and dimensions based on potential buyers questions.  The effort certainly pays off, and when you see your competitors pinching your descriptions, you know you must be doing something right...

[cezm]

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@brerrabbit585 wrote:

Buttons aren't cheap these days and it can cost more to buy a set of them than to buy a cheap garment.

If people know how to fix a hem or even sew on a button they're just as likely to know how to make a garment from scratch and would most likely not be buying online. A lot of people can't even sew a button on and aren't interested in buying anything that needs repairs. With an over-abundance of clothes in good condition there's really no need for anyone to sell anything that needs repairs. If it's worth a lot of money a seller should either repair it themselves before they list it, or pay someone else to repair it.

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I agree! If I'm buying clothes online it's probably to replace something that has lost a button or has hem problems! I would be very disappointed if it was replaced by similar. I can sew and used to make clothes but these days I choose not to.

[fixnwear]

cezm, and the others who think down hem or a missing button or some other lame exuse is the reason to return an item and bother the seller is good enough, you are sadly mistaken!

One of  the people we know tried that with Ebay just the other day - from memory her complaint was that something was "dirty", and was told by Ebay to wash it - as it was carried out in front of me I can attest to that first hand.

You wouldn't have had much more luck with any othe minor "fault" - and when I said Button missing as one of the examples, I meant an ordinary everyday button , not something so unique and ornate, that would be totally different, and probably tatally mention in the listing!

And even if you had to go and buy one to replace, small price to pay for getting something much cheaper than that same item when new. Same goes for washing it, etc. Or stitching up a part of the hem or a side seam.

That is why you didn't go to the shop and buy it brand new - and spent so much more in the first place.

Why would anyone think or expect to spend next to nothing, buy a used item in good condition to "replace" something that already looks like that and think that is OK - because "this is Ebay and we can return anything , in fact, the less we pay the more complaints we have"

But at the same time it wouldn't occur to anyone there is a reason for a lower price, usually as the item is not new, is not perfect, it's not even excellent - because if it was that would cost more money. 

Expecting champagne on a beer budget is unrealistic and places a lot of strain and pressure on a seller for no good reason.

[davewil1964]

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@fixnwear wrote:

cezm, and the others who think down hem or a missing button or some other lame exuse is the reason to return an item and bother the seller is good enough, you are sadly mistaken!

One of  the people we know tried that with Ebay just the other day - from memory her complaint was that something was "dirty", and was told by Ebay to wash it - as it was carried out in front of me I can attest to that first hand.

You wouldn't have had much more luck with any othe minor "fault" - and when I said Button missing as one of the examples, I meant an ordinary everyday button , not something so unique and ornate, that would be totally different, and probably tatally mention in the listing!

And even if you had to go and buy one to replace, small price to pay for getting something much cheaper than that same item when new. Same goes for washing it, etc. Or stitching up a part of the hem or a side seam.

That is why you didn't go to the shop and buy it brand new - and spent so much more in the first place.

Why would anyone think or expect to spend next to nothing, buy a used item in good condition to "replace" something that already looks like that and think that is OK - because "this is Ebay and we can return anything , in fact, the less we pay the more complaints we have"

But at the same time it wouldn't occur to anyone there is a reason for a lower price, usually as the item is not new, is not perfect, it's not even excellent - because if it was that would cost more money. 

Expecting champagne on a beer budget is unrealistic and places a lot of strain and pressure on a seller for no good reason.

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What makes you assume the items are 'cheap'? And why would that excuse a seller from accurately listing faults?

I am prepared to hazard a guess that any buyer claiming SNAD will get their money refunded, probably without having to return it, if they go about it the eBay way. That is one of the many obstacles eBay place in the path of sellers being profitable.

[fixnwear]

davewiil1964,

They usually are cheap, or, to refrase it - cheap  in direct relation to what they are when new.

And the example I quoted above, about dispute being closed literaly 5 min. after it was opened (Ebay closed it) and told the customer (person I know and was with at the time) to wash it.

I don't know what Ebay would do in every case, irrelevant to the discussion - the topic was how little detail seller suplies.

Small imperfections are just that - nothing, usually not even noticed by the seller who is not going to spend a considerable amount of time looking at every inch of something, and then even more time describing it! 

If the faults are major, they would have to render something unusable/unwearable, then, yes, in most cases they would be obvious and therefore described and photographed.

This of course doesn't included those who deliberately set out to cheat people big time!

That is adifferent matter altogether.

But it's logical to concluded that they are in the minority, most sellers are great, here to stay, they list something and most likely think that everyone elase is going to think the same - item is not new, end of story.

Personally, If I want something that is normally, say $100, and I get it for $50 or even less, and find that the hem is down - I wouldn't dream of bothering anyone about it - as it was nothing stopping me going out and spendiong the 100 bucks on a new item!

Or, if you want to go higher in price - we bought an item for $3000, spend another $4000 cleaning it, polishing it, and fee for the prof. tradesman, because it was still cheaper than paying a full ret. price. Item was described as good condition, no any other details supplied. And no need either, as it was not broken or damaged, just very dirty.

[imastawka]

You've bought 3 things in 12 months.

Your expertise is probably invalid.

Just sayin'