Ebay sellers getting cranky. 5 5

[lostboys]

 

This morning I bought a book from a seller. 10 minutes later I found another book in his store. A total impulse buy. I message him asking him to combine shipping and refund the difference...IF POSSIBLE.

I didnt demand. I asked politely. I wouldnt even have cared if he refused.

Then I get the refund along with a rude message, went something like: "We ship by invoice and dont combine invoices. Dont just assume you know how we do business here."

 

Dont worry boss, you just lost me as a future customer.

 

 

Just now, with a different seller, I made a $50 offer on a $59 book listed as "or best offer"

The seller declines (fine) and then messages me with a lecture about how hes trying to feed his family and Ebay takes 15% and he has to pay shipping insurance yadda yadda yadda. He then tells me to come back for the book when I get my finances in order.

 

 What in tarnation? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2023 by lostboys

[thehumantorch]

Crazy

[AbsoluteCarnage]

Seller should get themselves in order and list without a "Best offer" option

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 10/31/2023 at 11:40 AM, lostboys said:

 

This morning I bought a book from a seller. 10 minutes later I found another book in his store. A total impulse buy. I message him asking him to combine shipping and refund the difference...IF POSSIBLE.

I didnt demand. I asked politely. I wouldnt even have cared if he refused.

Then I get the refund along with a rude message, went something like: "We ship by invoice and dont combine invoices. Dont just assume you know how we do business here."

 

Dont worry boss, you just lost me as a future customer.

 

 

Just now, with a different seller, I made a $50 offer on a $59 book listed as "or best offer"

The seller declines (fine) and then messages me with a lecture about how hes trying to feed his family and Ebay takes 15% and he has to pay shipping insurance yadda yadda yadda. He then tells me to come back for the book when I get my finances in order.

 

 What in tarnation? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lightning55]

It IS crazy out there.

On eBay, there are no requisite selling standards, like you might find in brick and mortar stores (if they want to survive). A lot of sellers are ON eBay because they have no people skills, no professionalism, no manners, so the anonymity of online sales fits them. They're obnoxious and ignorant by nature. And unlike a neighborhood store, they can turn off customers one by one and not run out of new victims.

And there are a lot of excellent sellers, too.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Lightning55

[Dick Pontoon]

These sellers sound like people I'd prefer to avoid. Can we have their ebay handles?

[Patriot6]

On 10/31/2023 at 1:40 PM, lostboys said:

Just now, with a different seller, I made a $50 offer on a $59 book listed as "or best offer"

The seller declines (fine) and then messages me with a lecture about how hes trying to feed his family and Ebay takes 15% and he has to pay shipping insurance yadda yadda yadda. He then tells me to come back for the book when I get my finances in order.

 

 What in tarnation? 

I have had this happen before. It really irks me when people get pissy about an offer on something THEY allowed offers on. If you don't want to take offers, then don't use the function! EBAy should force a minimum offer acceptance amount when you select that option.

[Dave2739]

On 10/31/2023 at 5:37 PM, Pontoon said:

These sellers sound like people I'd prefer to avoid. Can we have their ebay handles?

This.

[Dr Zen]

On 10/31/2023 at 1:40 PM, lostboys said:

 

This morning I bought a book from a seller. 10 minutes later I found another book in his store. A total impulse buy. I message him asking him to combine shipping and refund the difference...IF POSSIBLE.

I didnt demand. I asked politely. I wouldnt even have cared if he refused.

Then I get the refund along with a rude message, went something like: "We ship by invoice and dont combine invoices. Dont just assume you know how we do business here."

 

Dont worry boss, you just lost me as a future customer.

 

 

Just now, with a different seller, I made a $50 offer on a $59 book listed as "or best offer"

The seller declines (fine) and then messages me with a lecture about how hes trying to feed his family and Ebay takes 15% and he has to pay shipping insurance yadda yadda yadda. He then tells me to come back for the book when I get my finances in order.

 

 What in tarnation?

 

I'm sure that $9 is difference between him having a roof over his head and being out on the street.

[Dr. Balls]

 

[Lightning55]

On 10/31/2023 at 6:30 PM, Patriot6 said:

I have had this happen before. It really irks me when people get pissy about an offer on something THEY allowed offers on. If you don't want to take offers, then don't use the function! EBAy should force a minimum offer acceptance amount when you select that option.

Sometimes they don't know their listings have Best Offer enabled. EBay slips it into the listing flow unilaterally, and it's a small check box. You have to be cognizant of this heavy handed tactic, and remove the check mark.

Not everyone is aware of it, until someone mentions it. They think you are offering uninvited. When you tell them many of their listings have Best Offer, they are frequently surprised to see it there. 

[Patriot6]

On 10/31/2023 at 6:10 PM, Lightning55 said:

Sometimes they don't know their listings have Best Offer enabled. EBay slips it into the listing flow unilaterally, and it's a small check box. You have to be cognizant of this heavy handed tactic, and remove the check mark.

Not everyone is aware of it, until someone mentions it. They think you are offering uninvited. When you tell them many of their listings have Best Offer, they are frequently surprised to see it there. 

You're right. I've had this happen. I just got going there haha. 

[RockMyAmadeus]

[ramithard]

I always combine shipping on the invoice and discount it....or if they paid full shipping on items I ask them for their Paypal so I can refund some....or include cash in the package

[DougC]

On the opposite end I just had a fabulous interaction where I lowball offered 225 for a SS book listed at 350 (that I had already paid 275 for two months earlier with only one signature) and it was not only accepted but they shipped it the same day!

[WolverineX]

On 10/31/2023 at 2:40 PM, lostboys said:

 

This morning I bought a book from a seller. 10 minutes later I found another book in his store. A total impulse buy. I message him asking him to combine shipping and refund the difference...IF POSSIBLE.

I didnt demand. I asked politely. I wouldnt even have cared if he refused.

Then I get the refund along with a rude message, went something like: "We ship by invoice and dont combine invoices. Dont just assume you know how we do business here."

 

Dont worry boss, you just lost me as a future customer.

 

 

Just now, with a different seller, I made a $50 offer on a $59 book listed as "or best offer"

The seller declines (fine) and then messages me with a lecture about how hes trying to feed his family and Ebay takes 15% and he has to pay shipping insurance yadda yadda yadda. He then tells me to come back for the book when I get my finances in order.

 

 What in tarnation? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

out them.  I'll give them an offer 

[MatterEaterLad]

Same with a few eBay buyers.

Especially two recent ones who bought books and then sent a message EVERY DAY until their books arrived, asking, "When am I going to get my book?"

These were books shipped the next day via USPS Priority, so they had tracking and got the books a week after purchase. 

I was polite but really wanted to say GO TAKE YOUR RITALIN! 

[Lightning55]

I buy a lot of stuff.  Maybe 20-30 items or lots per week. I can't remember in my 25 years on eBay being in a hurry to get anything.  What could be so urgent???  Nobody's selling fresh fish here.

If I see it was sent within a reasonable time (even an unreasonable time), has tracking to follow it, I'm good.  It'll get here.  I'm much more concerned, like 1000%, that it gets here safely over gets here fast.

[Brock]

I have a fun one currently… I’m in Canada, and there’s a seller who is also in Canada with a book I’d like to buy. Unfortunately, his listing is set so that he only sells to the Unites States. I message him (politely) to see if he can adjust his settings so I can buy the book.

He replies almost immediately, saying “I don’t get much business from within Canada - 95% of my sales are to the USA.” I’m thinking to myself that now we know why… He suggests, however, that he will have a look and see what he can do.

Three weeks have gone by, and the book is still only available to US buyers. I get that some folks here don’t like to sell internationally, but this is the first time I’ve run into someone who doesn’t like to sell domestically.

[F For Fake]

On 10/31/2023 at 2:40 PM, lostboys said:

 

This morning I bought a book from a seller. 10 minutes later I found another book in his store. A total impulse buy. I message him asking him to combine shipping and refund the difference...IF POSSIBLE.

I didnt demand. I asked politely. I wouldnt even have cared if he refused.

Then I get the refund along with a rude message, went something like: "We ship by invoice and dont combine invoices. Dont just assume you know how we do business here."

 

Dont worry boss, you just lost me as a future customer.

 

 

Just now, with a different seller, I made a $50 offer on a $59 book listed as "or best offer"

The seller declines (fine) and then messages me with a lecture about how hes trying to feed his family and Ebay takes 15% and he has to pay shipping insurance yadda yadda yadda. He then tells me to come back for the book when I get my finances in order.

 

 What in tarnation? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, I'm not saying in any way that these sellers were correct to react that way. I don't doubt that you were friendly and professional in your communications, so I am not standing up for them specifically, nor am I saying you were in the wrong at all. Ok? ok.

BUT

I will say, as someone who has been selling on eBay for 25 years, it has never been more annoying to be an eBay seller. The number of deadbeats and crazies has skyrocketed in recent years. Also, lowballs are annoying, but sellers can weed a lot of these out by setting a minimum low offer. Of course, this doesn't prevent annoying people from messaging you 24/7 asking "What's your lowest price?" any more than it stops the messages of "What's the Buy It Now?" when you've listed an item as an auction and specifically stated that you don't end auctions early. Nothing seems to stop that.

Also also, it's very annoying when you give every detail about the item in the description, as well as your rules on combined shipping, etc, only to get endless messages asking questions that you've already answered if they would just bother to read what you've already written. It's annoying to specifically state that buyers should wait until an invoice is sent before paying, so that you can combine shipping, rather than have to issue a refund after the fact. It's annoying, and when it happens again and again, it's maddening.

Again, not directed at you AT ALL, but it's a thing. It makes my eye start twitching like Inspector Dreyfus.

So, not defending these sellers or their practices, but I have definitely been in situations where I've put up with so much BS that I'm about to snap at the next illiterate insufficiently_thoughtful_person that comes down the road . In these situations, I always compose an immediate response, DELETE IT, take a breath, and then react in a professional manner. Sounds like they should have done the same. 

I don't think these sellers were correct to react the way they did, but I can get the grumpiness.