please ask questions...yeah right!

[onekiwi0]

so the seller states in their description please ask questions, and again on the next line if you are unsure please ask questions....however when I attempt to I get this

" We're sorry we couldn't find an answer for you. Unfortunately, this seller is not able to respond to your question. We suggest reviewing the item again to see if your answer is in the seller's listing."    

so it seems I cannot contact them to enquire about their item, what an earth is this about?!!

[cherry*135]

I read somewhere in ebay stuff the other day that sellers don't have to answer questions when the item is up for sale. They DO have to answer questions from the buyer after the item is sold... doesn't sound right I know. I will try and find where I read it.

[ms_aussie]

I have been selling on eBay since 2002 and I answer ALL questions members ask. It always upsets me when people lump ALL sellers into one heap. We are not all alike.

[cherry*135]

Here it is ( I have enlarged the text and coloured it,underlined it)

Contacting your seller

1. Click the Ask a question link.

2. On the Find Answers page, choose the topic that best fits your question, and look for your question in any Q&A that appears.

3. If you can't find your question, under Did you find your answer?, select No, I want to contact the seller, and then click the Continuebutton.

4. On the Contact Seller page, enter your question in the space provided. Depending on the topic you selected in Step 2, you may be asked for additional information related to your question.

5. Enter the verification code for security purposes, and click the Sendbutton.

Note: Not all sellers accept questions before you buy an item, but all sellers will accept questions after you've bought an item.

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/buy/contact.html

Bizarre

[imastawka]

Well then,  what happened to 

'The time to ask questions is before you buy, not after'

That's the advice posters always give on the buying thread

[kopenhagen5]

That's one of the responses I have had when a seller doesn't post to the location of the potential buyer.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@am*3 wrote:

I read somewhere in ebay stuff the other day that sellers don't have to answer questions when the item is up for sale. They DO have to answer questions from the buyer after the item is sold... doesn't sound right I know. I will try and find where I read it.

---

doesn't sound right because it is not right.  Even on your next post it states that

Note: Not all sellers accept questions before you buy an item, but all sellers will accept questions after you've bought an item.

Accepting questions is different from having to answer questions.  Sellers can block questions from certain members i.e. members on their blocked bidder list, members in countries they do not post to . . . . . . . but once someone has bought an item from them they are contactable through means other than the directly from the listing.

Some sellers do not answer questions because they can get auto 5 stars for communication if there is no two-way communication between the seller and the buyer.

[found-in-australia]

Okay, while I disagree that sellers should be able to disable the ability to accept questions from buyers, if Ebay offers that option and you are going to use it to protect your star ratings, then why on earth would you include in your listing that buyers should ask questions

Some people's (and corporation's) logic defeats itself

Regards, Kevin

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@found-in-australia wrote:
Okay, while I disagree that sellers should be able to disable the ability to accept questions from buyers, if Ebay offers that option and you are going to use it to protect your star ratings, then why on earth would you include in your listing that buyers should ask questions

Some people's (and corporation's) logic defeats itself

Regards, Kevin

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I agree . . . . . and if anything on eBay needs an overhaul it is the feedback system!  However, as eBay have now heavily invested in their "defect" system for sellers they are unlikely to abandon the DSR ratings for sellers or have any significant modification of the DSR ratings system.

[pennyforum14]

Some sellers do not answer questions because they can get auto 5 stars for communication if there is no two-way communication between the seller and the buyer.

What the....?   In what world is good communication defined as no communication at all?  Why would Ebay grant automatic five stars for communication for NOT communicating with buyers at all?  This defies all logic!  Do they honestly think that any two way communication is an indicator poor performance issues?  They really have lost the plot!