Don't Ask eBay Sellers Questions!

[CrazyChris]

I've noticed eBay sellers have become irritated by questions.

 

If I ask a couple of questions about an Item, most of the time,

they respond to the first one, and gloss over the others.

 

It's like they are saying, Damn!, now I have to actually find the item,

and give details.

 

I always ask where they got the item from, and this is the one,

that I can sense fumes, coming from the screen.

 

Anyone else notice this.

 

Any ideas?

Edited January 3, 2018 by CrazyChris

[+LS650]

Mmm. I don't know about irritated, but it's more like sellers just can't be bothered to sit down and type more than a sentence. C'mon, I'm sending you money - take the time to compose a decent reply.

Maybe they're using a tablet or phone to sell their items on eBay, and can't handle typing much?

[icemanxp300]

Or they are saying, another person wasting my time asking me 20 question who will not buy regardless of the answers given. I get annoyed as well when someone keeps asking me questions I think are dumb and/or are already answered in the listing.

 

Just curious what items are you asking where they got it from and why does that really matter. I have found first hand especially on this forum to NEVER post that you found an item at a thrift store or sale for and post how much you paid as people will expect you to sell it for way less than market value just because you got a deal.

 

 

C'mon, I'm sending you money - take the time to compose a decent reply.

 

No, 90 percent of questions I get asked are from people who do not buy from me. I generally answer all questions but I know it will not result in a sale.

[+save2600]

Haha... I keep reading this thread title as 'Don't Ask eBay Sellers Silly Questions".

Sound advice!

[+save2600]

Mmm. I don't know about irritated, but it's more like sellers just can't be bothered to sit down and type more than a sentence. C'mon, I'm sending you money - take the time to compose a decent reply.

Maybe they're using a tablet or phone to sell their items on eBay, and can't handle typing much?

^ We know this is the most likely answer today. That and general laziness.

[Tanooki]

I don't mind conversing but if the picture shows what is being asked I get annoyed. If you can't see, why are you using the internet to buy stuff that require your eyes to use it? If it's not a laziness based question I'll reply even more than once to give the needed details and more often than not it gets the item bought.

[AMenard]

I don't mind questions. But lately, I've had people trying to engage in unrelated chat. Like for instance when I sold my XBOne, there was this fellow who kept asking me what my favorite game was and if I played such and such game. He never even bid on the console... This is a waste of time.

 

I never use stock photos and always describe the thing I'm selling with the clearest terms, so I get relatively few questions.

[spacecadet]

Yeah, I mean there are questions and then there's wasting time. Sometimes a seller might be totally wrong about which is which; that definitely happens. But if I'm a buyer and I need to ask something, I try to be really succinct and also make it clear why I'm asking. (Usually it comes down to contradictory descriptions that I just want clarification on.)

 

One thing you have to remember about sellers is that they still own the item being sold. And you don't know why they're selling it or how motivated they really are. I've put stuff up on Ebay that I either just wanted to get rid of, or alternately, that I didn't *really* need to sell at all but was just testing the waters on for what I thought was a crazy price. In both of those cases, I don't really want to answer a bunch of questions. I will, but that's because I'm a decent person. But I don't want to. Somebody else who has less respect for social niceties probably wouldn't, or would but would do a bad job of it.

 

Honestly, though, if somebody asked me where I got an item from... unless I could think of a reason why that would be relevant, I probably just wouldn't answer. It's my thing, what business is it of yours where I got it? You don't walk into a grocery store and ask them where they got the Rice-a-Roni they have on sale. That's what I was talking about above. If it's a rare promo item or something, or a prototype Atari 2700, then ok, maybe I'll answer. But for most items, I think that question's a little unnecessarily personal.

Edited January 3, 2018 by spacecadet

[AtariBrian]

That is very odd to ask where a seller got it from . Does the seller ask where your money came from ??

[zzip]

If I ask a couple of questions about an Item, most of the time,

they respond to the first one, and gloss over the others.

 

It's like they are saying, Damn!, now I have to actually find the item,

and give details.

Or maybe it's "I'll have to find the item when I'm home and/or have the time" and then forget to do it when they get home. That's something I would totally do.

[atari181]

As a seller the only questions I get annoyed at are the one I have listed in the description or are obviously pictured. I make it very clear that I only ship boxed games in boxes in my description.

 

I have had many boxed games shipped to me in envelopes and I understand how it feels, but I get very annoyed by questions of," how I am going to mail it?" when I make it a point to tell them in the item description.

Edited January 3, 2018 by atari181

[SignGuy81]

 

I always ask where they got the item from,

 

I would tell you I either grabbed it outta dumpster or taken from my in-laws roach infested house.

Edited January 3, 2018 by SignGuy81

[R.Cade]

That is very odd to ask where a seller got it from . Does the seller ask where your money came from ??

 

That is an awesome answer...

[atari181]

That is very odd to ask where a seller got it from . Does the seller ask where your money came from ??

 

there is the rare occasion when I have asked this question on ultra rare games. Knowing a rare items provenance helps when you are contemplating spending a week or more salary.

[SignGuy81]

Also too I wish you were more specific about the item. Is this some used random item someone is selling and you want to make sure it came from a smoke free environment or something or is it something like a new item still made and you are trying to find where the seller got it so you can then turn around and buy it from the sellers source, because that would piss me off.

Edited January 3, 2018 by SignGuy81

[icemanxp300]

This thread is reminding me why I get irritated selling on ebay.

 

Q: Hi does this game work?

 

What I say:

 

A: Yes it has been tested and works as it should.

 

What I really want to say:

 

A: Read the description you dumbass. It says "This game has been fully tested and works as it should."

 

 

Q: Is everything in the picture included?

 

What I say:

 

A: Yes everything in the picture is included.

 

What I really want to say:

 

A: Read the description you dumbass. It says "What you see in the picture is exactly what you will get."

 

 

Many Times I compromise and say:

 

My listing description says this "quotes taken from my listing description".

 

That's my nice way of telling them to put forth effort and read.

[HoshiChiri]

 

Honestly, though, if somebody asked me where I got an item from... unless I could think of a reason why that would be relevant, I probably just wouldn't answer. It's my thing, what business is it of yours where I got it? You don't walk into a grocery store and ask them where they got the Rice-a-Roni they have on sale.

 

You sure? You have no idea how many times I've had to go over packaging/website listings for customers who insist upon knowing the country of origin for whatever it is their buying. Becuase apparently Turkish yarn is the wrong color and I need to tell them to quit making it there (I seriously had that conversation once.)

 

I feel like odd questions do deserve a bit of explanation for the seller, if only to help make it clear you're actually wanting to buy and not just being nosy. For example: "Where did you get this game from? I try to avoid adding rentals to my collection, I've had issues with them in the past." Stuff like that.

 

I'm fine with asking a few questions on certain items- if I'm undecided, a friendly seller who's willing to push their product can coax up a sale. One who ignores me usually loses it.

[Tanooki]

ice: To a point if not entirely if someone asks me crap like that, I do answer in that fashion. I really don't care if their feelings are hurt as they're time wasters or too stupid to probably bid anyway.

[Austin]

I read a ton of overly simplistic item listings on eBay that aren't fleshed out anywhere near enough, so I understand feeling the need to reach out to a seller for specific details. However, there are some types of questions that are completely asinine (like the example below) and in those cases I can understand why a seller won't respond. Redundancy can be a reason to be ignored as well--read the item description thoroughly and see if your question is answered there first before asking.

 

I am of the mind set that the seller should be doing everything in their power to make a quality listing (decent selection of photos, solid item description, proper shipping details, etc). If they do that then in most cases no questions should need to be asked.

 

That is very odd to ask where a seller got it from . Does the seller ask where your money came from ??

 

I was just about to post the same thing.

[icemanxp300]

I was asked earlier today if a non tmss genesis I am selling has working headphone jack. I will admit I had not tested that, so I dug out a pair of headphones (boxed up practically new) and tested it. I basically told them the headphone jack was good, the slider worked and everything was good. They responded "thanks for testing it for me". I want to reply thanks for not buying it!

 

Like I said I answer questions knowing they are not likely to result in a sale.

[spacecadet]

You sure? You have no idea how many times I've had to go over packaging/website listings for customers who insist upon knowing the country of origin for whatever it is their buying.

 

That's most likely a customs duty thing. And I get that in certain situations. As an Ebay seller, though, sometimes questions like that from overseas customers do drive me a little nuts, because those customers never get that Ebay takes care of all that and sellers have no freakin' idea about *anything* related to your overseas order. I'm sure I have answered an overseas buyer by basically saying "ask Ebay or your own customs people" (in a nicer way) when they've asked something related to import into their country.

 

I suppose this thread could really be about that. I guess the blanket answer to all those kinds of questions in that case would be "the seller has no clue and has no reason to care". That Ebay Global Whatever program is just a checkbox on the listing page that sellers check because Ebay says they're going to make everything simple and it could open up a lot of new buyers to you. But it also opens up new headaches, and even one question related to overseas shipping is sometimes enough to make me regret having even checked that box. Because you just know that if that person actually buys what you're selling, there's going to be a problem down the line relating to customs fees or whatever else.

 

I was asked earlier today if a non tmss genesis I am selling has working headphone jack. I will admit I had not tested that, so I dug out a pair of headphones (boxed up practically new) and tested it. I basically told them the headphone jack was good, the slider worked and everything was good. They responded "thanks for testing it for me". I want to reply thanks for not buying it!

 

In those kinds of cases, I'm ok with answering. If something is not specified in the description and I don't know myself, and I can see that someone might have a legit reason for wanting to know (you need a working headphone jack to use a Sega CD, for example), I would also get the thing out and test it. Maybe they buy afterwards, maybe they don't. But I feel like there's a chance that they might if I answer, and basically zero chance if I don't. So it's worth doing.

[accousticguitar]

I had a guy message me to offer $20 shipped for 16 pro football magazines. After shipping and fees I'd make about $3. Yeah, I think I'll jump on that one.

[HoshiChiri]

 

That's most likely a customs duty thing.

 

 

Oh, this isn't on Ebay- I work retail. I have who walk in, pick a thing of paint or a can opener or whatnot, and ask me where it was made. Usually it's the typical 'I don't buy anything made in China' shtick (makes me wonder how they shop in person at all), but sometimes it's something bizzare like Turkish yarn is dyed wrong or only Italians know how to sew sheets.

 

Point being, this isn't just Ebay behavior, lots of people like to ask a ton of stupid questions & then not buy anything. Right now the bane of my existence is our gel-infused memory foam pillows. They changed the fabric, so our 'sample' pillows look different. Lots of overly long attempts to convince people that yes, that's the same pillow. Like, up to 5-minute long conversations where they decide not to buy becuase they don't believe me that the sample pillow and the one in the box are the same. And we can't do anything about it becuase we have to wait for new sample pillows to get issued. It's extremely annoying.

[icemanxp300]

Right now the bane of my existence is our gel-infused memory foam pillows. They changed the fabric, so our 'sample' pillows look different.

 

Then technically it is not the same. I as well have got pissed off over buying an item only to see it is different. Appearance makes a BIG deal sometimes. Maybe not so much on pillows but if someone wants a certain design it could matter.

 

I do understand you are trying to say the pillows are made the same but I have experienced many times that a new design does not mean something is made the same. It is very likely those new pillows could contain a new cheaper fill that does not hold as good.

 

It's pretty much a good rule of thumb that any new design was made in attempts to save money and as such they will be inferior to the previous product.

[HoshiChiri]

 

Then technically it is not the same. I as well have got pissed off over buying an item only to see it is different. Appearance makes a BIG deal sometimes. Maybe not so much on pillows but if someone wants a certain design it could matter.

 

I do understand you are trying to say the pillows are made the same but I have experienced many times that a new design does not mean something is made the same. It is very likely those new pillows could contain a new cheaper fill that does not hold as good.

 

It's pretty much a good rule of thumb that any new design was made in attempts to save money and as such they will be inferior to the previous product.

 

If any of these people expressed any concerns along those lines, I wouldn't mind. But they legitimately think it's an entirely different brand/product. It takes far, far too long to get them to realize it's the new iteration of the sample product they are holding, so we can move on to concerns about changes due to the new version.