eBay The eBay Official eBay Thread eBay 32 32

[the blob]

10 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

What is wrong with people, that buyers who have a problem can't be bothered to contact sellers PRIOR TO opening up a "return case" against them...?

I just don't get it.

 

I think newer generatios seem to have a problem with personal interaction other than on social media or school shootings. 

[evilskip]

I've been on ebay since 1998. Stopped selling 11 years ago and have stuck to buying. So I've been on both sides of the fence. I used to contact the seller first until I got a $#@% that ignored me until I went nuclear with ebay. Then he had the stones to ask me why I didn't contact him first.

I'm going to CMA as a buyer. Yes I will go through ebay but I'm amenable to working something out. Contacting ebay doesn't hurt (as far as I know if you work something out). There are some sellers that I felt bad about going through ebay first because they were so nice about everything. When I buy from them again, if there is a problem I will contact them first. Not all sellers are saints and those I will never deal with again.

Most of the problems I have had on ebay deal with the grade not being as stated (admittedly, I grade like MCS and have a curve for that) and things missing from the book or conditions not mentioned in description and no photos of problems.

I've even contacted sellers of books that I'm not going to buy and let them know that they have the wrong issue photographed and/or listed. One time I could actually see that 9 pages were missing and informed the seller he needed to cancel the listing or he'd anger the buyer. So not all of us buyers are @$$es.

[cigars&comix]

1 hour ago, evilskip said:

So not all of us buyers are @$$es.

I dont anyone is saying that, Buyers are actually THE BEST because without them there's no business.

Its the approach to how to resolve an issue that some buyers have that is an issue. And although it seems like many, its actually very very few that do, but the ones that do complain - oh boy - they go ballistic.

[RockMyAmadeus]

8 hours ago, evilskip said:

I've been on ebay since 1998. Stopped selling 11 years ago and have stuck to buying. So I've been on both sides of the fence. I used to contact the seller first until I got a $#@% that ignored me until I went nuclear with ebay. Then he had the stones to ask me why I didn't contact him first.

I'm going to CMA as a buyer. Yes I will go through ebay but I'm amenable to working something out. Contacting ebay doesn't hurt (as far as I know if you work something out). There are some sellers that I felt bad about going through ebay first because they were so nice about everything. When I buy from them again, if there is a problem I will contact them first. Not all sellers are saints and those I will never deal with again.

Most of the problems I have had on ebay deal with the grade not being as stated (admittedly, I grade like MCS and have a curve for that) and things missing from the book or conditions not mentioned in description and no photos of problems.

I've even contacted sellers of books that I'm not going to buy and let them know that they have the wrong issue photographed and/or listed. One time I could actually see that 9 pages were missing and informed the seller he needed to cancel the listing or he'd anger the buyer. So not all of us buyers are @$$es.

Contacting a seller first doesn't hurt a buyer in any possible way. Contacting eBay first automatically makes the buyer look suspicious.

And I've been buying and selling on eBay since 1998. 

[evilskip]

9 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Contacting a seller first doesn't hurt a buyer in any possible way. Contacting eBay first automatically makes the buyer look suspicious.

And I've been buying and selling on eBay since 1998. 

Do most of the sellers on this board feel that if a customer contacts ebay first that they may be scammers? Do any scammers hit you up first instead of going through eBay? Is every buyer who contacts you through ebay trying to rip you off? I'm not trying to be a smart @$$ here. Any guess as to a percentage?

Unless it is stated in the item description "contact us first in case of a problem", I thought following ebay's procedures was the correct way of resolving a problem. I fully understand WHY you hate it, but that doesn't mean a person who uses the system is suspicious. Hell, maybe they're suspicious of the seller. If the seller couldn't be bothered enough to look through the book and see that three pages are missing, is he even going to answer my emails or does he figure the no returns statement covers all problems? At least using ebay's system, I can send pictures along so they can actually see what the problem is.

Yeah the system is flawed and abused. As a buyer, I don't know if a seller will actually respond to me if I contact them about a problem directly. Using ebay's system, It increases the odds that they will respond.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by evilskip

[slym2none]

There are good points on both sides here.

 



-slym

[RockMyAmadeus]

11 minutes ago, evilskip said:

Do most of the sellers on this board feel that if a customer contacts ebay first that they may be scammers? Do any scammers hit you up first instead of going through eBay? Is every buyer who contacts you through ebay trying to rip you off? I'm not trying to be a smart @$$ here. Any guess as to a percentage?

Unless it is stated in the item description "contact us first in case of a problem", I thought following ebay's procedures was the correct way of resolving a problem. I fully understand WHY you hate it, but that doesn't mean a person who uses the system is suspicious. Hell, maybe they're suspicious of the seller. If the seller couldn't be bothered enough to look through the book and see that three pages are missing, is he even going to answer my emails or does he figure the no returns statement covers all problems? At least using ebay's system, I can send pictures along so they can actually see what the problem is.

Yeah the system is flawed and abused. As a buyer, I don't know if a seller will actually respond to me if I contact them about a problem directly. Using ebay's system, It increases the odds that they will respond.

 

 

 

 

As I said above, the proper course of action is to contact your "trading partner" (as ebay calls it) first. It's common courtesy, demonstrates good faith, and is required in most disputes.

If you have an issue with something you bought at Sears, is your first course of action to file a lawsuit? No, you follow the proper method, and try to work it out with them directly first. 

eBay is not your trading partner. They are not in a better position to help you than the seller is. I've dealt with the scummiest of scum on eBay. I always give them the chance to fix it first, because that's not only the right way to handle it, the legal system requires it. You take someone to court, you have to demonstrate that you tried to work it out with the other party first. So yes, those who don't even bother to work it out with the seller first are automatically suspect. It doesn't matter if they're "suspicious of the seller." They MUST try to work it out with them as the first step.

I'm seeing more "returns" for bogus excuses, particularly when someone "overpays" for a hot item, then receive it and decide they overpaid, forcing the seller to take a $20-$30 hit in shipping costs because it "arrived damaged."

I've had THREE cancelled "orders" this week...people who think it's cute to negotiate a sale and then decide after the sale is struck to back out. These are just symptoms of a broader cultural problem. 

[evilskip]

I think the problem here is that you are an honest seller and I am an honest buyer and we've both been burned by people playing the system to their advantage. We could swap horror stories all day and both be right.

I thought that there were really only two ways to contact a seller if there was a problem.

1) Going to the item in question and using the x amount of words allowed to describe your problem. But that doesn't allow you to send pictures of what the problem is, whether it be flaws that were never mentioned or overlooked.

2) If I want to send pictures showing the problem, then using the resolution system was the only way to do that, as it allows for several pictures to be attached to my message.

Now, am I wrong in this? I feel option #2 shows the seller that I'm not trying to d##k them around and that there really is a problem, or problems with the book. I don't have that option (that I'm aware of) when contacting the seller first.

In the past when a book disappeared into the USPS system I would contact the seller first after three weeks. Every time I got a variation of "Here is the tracking number. I mailed it. I'm done". I would then again contact the seller, ask them to look at the tracking number and see that it hasn't arrived by promised date and/or never arrived. The reply was always "I mailed it. Here is the number and it isn't my problem". So after wasting my time with this, then I would contact ebay and then it was a different story. (I actually had one seller tell me that he was going to call eBay on this and they would "fix my ". 20 minutes later I got an email from him that my refund was coming). I could have avoided a lot of wasted time and stress just by going to ebay first on 95% of them.

To get back on point, (sorry for the stories), if there is a way to attach photos of the problems of items in question without having to go through the resolution system, please point me in the right direction. I would use it on a case by case basis.

[RockMyAmadeus]

39 minutes ago, evilskip said:

1) Going to the item in question and using the x amount of words allowed to describe your problem. But that doesn't allow you to send pictures of what the problem is, whether it be flaws that were never mentioned or overlooked.

2) If I want to send pictures showing the problem, then using the resolution system was the only way to do that, as it allows for several pictures to be attached to my message.

Now, am I wrong in this? I feel option #2 shows the seller that I'm not trying to d##k them around and that there really is a problem, or problems with the book. I don't have that option (that I'm aware of) when contacting the seller first.

You can attach pictures to virtually any message on eBay. I do that every time there's an issue with something I've bought (which, these days, isn't often.)

40 minutes ago, evilskip said:

In the past when a book disappeared into the USPS system I would contact the seller first after three weeks. Every time I got a variation of "Here is the tracking number. I mailed it. I'm done". I would then again contact the seller, ask them to look at the tracking number and see that it hasn't arrived by promised date and/or never arrived. The reply was always "I mailed it. Here is the number and it isn't my problem". So after wasting my time with this, then I would contact ebay and then it was a different story. (I actually had one seller tell me that he was going to call eBay on this and they would "fix my ". 20 minutes later I got an email from him that my refund was coming). I could have avoided a lot of wasted time and stress just by going to ebay first on 95% of them.

Ok....but you recognize that you can't hold every seller responsible for the crappy behavior of some, right?

It's the definition of "good faith effort." The people who don't show good faith are far more likely to lose a case if the merits aren't strong.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

What the hell is going on at eBay?? I've had FOUR "cancellations" this week, including by people who already bought things a week earlier!

One guy with the endless "oh, I'm TRYING to make payment, but the system won't let me" blah blah blah. "I've tried contacting eBay, and they said to find another seller."

No.

Don't pee on my back and tell me it's raining.

[skypinkblu]

6 hours ago, evilskip said:

Do most of the sellers on this board feel that if a customer contacts ebay first that they may be scammers? Do any scammers hit you up first instead of going through eBay? Is every buyer who contacts you through ebay trying to rip you off? I'm not trying to be a smart @$$ here. Any guess as to a percentage?

Unless it is stated in the item description "contact us first in case of a problem", I thought following ebay's procedures was the correct way of resolving a problem. I fully understand WHY you hate it, but that doesn't mean a person who uses the system is suspicious. Hell, maybe they're suspicious of the seller. If the seller couldn't be bothered enough to look through the book and see that three pages are missing, is he even going to answer my emails or does he figure the no returns statement covers all problems? At least using ebay's system, I can send pictures along so they can actually see what the problem is.

Yeah the system is flawed and abused. As a buyer, I don't know if a seller will actually respond to me if I contact them about a problem directly. Using ebay's system, It increases the odds that they will respond.

 

 

 

 

After not returning anything for years, I got 2 packages (toys not comics) where the items were tossed in a bag and arrived completely smashed  because of careless packing. These were inexpensive items that were not insured. On one the software only let me post to eBay first, the other one went to the seller and I got a note that said I had to try to work it out for a few days (I don't remember how many)  I had a 3rd issue a week later and I thought I was contacting the seller, but apparently it went to eBay as well, because the seller  changed their non refund policy to issue me a refund without even contacting me. 

These were small lego sets in boxes. The boxes are not sturdy so tossing them in a plastic envelope doesn't work.

I find a lot of times the software is different when I sign into eBay, so I'm wondering if that is happening in some of these cases. I don't know WHY the software differs, I'm not a software expert, but it happens often and might depend on which browser I use.

As an eBay seller, I've been lucky enough not to have many returns over the years. I don't sell on there much anymore, but I still did enough to maintain my power seller status last year and I have not had a return that I remember in years.

IF a seller contacted eBay first, I'd probably guess it was how the software directed them...and I might be right or I might be wrong, there is no consistency. I would also just refund, it's not worth an ulcer if someone is unhappy with what they bought.

People are getting used to Amazon. If you don't like something, you can just take it to Kohls and return it, no questions asked, plus they don't allow you to contact the seller without going through hoops. They even pack it for you. So perhaps the return issues are increasing because of experiences people are having elsewhere that do not discourage returns.

[Poka]

3 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

What the hell is going on at eBay?? I've had FOUR "cancellations" this week, including by people who already bought things a week earlier!

One guy with the endless "oh, I'm TRYING to make payment, but the system won't let me" blah blah blah. "I've tried contacting eBay, and they said to find another seller."

No.

Don't pee on my back and tell me it's raining.

You could go on Facebook and see whether the four are friends just in case upset someone? 😎

[RockMyAmadeus]

8 minutes ago, Poka said:

You could go on Facebook and see whether the four are friends just in case upset someone? 😎

Uh, no. They're all different circumstances, from all over the world.

[evilskip]

5 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

You can attach pictures to virtually any message on eBay. I do that every time there's an issue with something I've bought (which, these days, isn't often.)

Ok....but you recognize that you can't hold every seller responsible for the crappy behavior of some, right?

It's the definition of "good faith effort." The people who don't show good faith are far more likely to lose a case if the merits aren't strong.

 

I just spent 30 minutes typing a response and this place ate it. Grrrr.

An old dog can learn new tricks. Not sure how I missed it, but you can actually attach photos to ask seller a question. Now I have a viable option to use in case another problem pops up. So thank you.

I do recognize that I can't (and I don't) hold every seller responsible for the crappy behavior of some. (There are some sellers I just love even though they can't grade closely even with a guide dog and their packaging is scarier than a Moms Mabley smile). But I have to bring it up that it is a two way street. There are a few of us buyers out there who aren't out to scam. I'm sorry that you have run into a busload of expletive deleteds. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din, for I would have closed up shop after the 5th one.

I took the 'suspicious buyer' personally and I shouldn't have. As far as I know, I've never bought anything from you so I should have just dismissed it. But I am an honest guy and tend to get a bit touchy when sellers think that everyone is out to screw them. I get it and understand it.When I do talk with a seller, I am as polite as possible and try to make things easier. I've even called ebay twice for one seller to try and help him because, and I quote, it was too much work for him. After an hour back and forth with him and ebay I realized it was a waste of my time and I was bending over backwards for nothing but personal grief . A majority of the sellers that I have worked problems out with are the ones now in my saved sellers list.

The only thing that I can see that I am "guilty" of is using the wrong initial contact. Again, I have been burned before by contacting the seller first as a lot of them did not respond for various reasons, which mostly to me came across as go away I'm ignoring you.

The next problem to pop up I will use the contact seller first option. If that doesn't work, then I'll go through ebay. Then come back here and %$#@&.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Another return opened this AM. "Changed my mind. Brother already has this issue, sorry for the inconvenience."

From a "Top-Rated" powerseller, no less. No offer to cover shipping, of course.

What is going on with eBay? More cancellations (4 so far) and returns (2) this week than the previous 10 years. No joke. 10 years, I've never had this many people back out of transactions.

And why? "Because that's the direction e-commerce is going" says eBay. Buyers expect consequence-free purchases. They expect to be able to buy something and return it if they don't like/want it, without any cost coming out of their pockets.

But slabs cost $12-$20 (or more) to ship one way...not $2-$3...so eating shipping even one way on a $150 sale totally blows their token discount out of the water.

@Buzzetta is now right: the hoops to get a token discount are no longer worth it. Unfortunately, that comes at a cost: the lost discount, for one, and certainly lowered search results. But I'm not Amazon, or Wal-Mart, or Target, or Harrod's, and can't just absorb returns. I don't sell clothes, or electronic widgets by the tens of thousands. I sell (as most of you do) unique collectibles that cost a lot relative to the value of the item to ship. I can't do the "free test drive" like big retailers.

At the same time, I never want a customer to feel like they are forced to keep something they don't want. And obviously, if something is damaged, then yes, returns are a foregone conclusion. That's what insurance is for. Otherwise, I'm happy to take returns...if the buyer covers the cost. I can't do this "free returns" nonsense. That's not how our market works.

[RockMyAmadeus]

16 hours ago, evilskip said:

Now I have a viable option to use in case another problem pops up. So thank you.

My pleasure. eBay makes things difficult on purpose, so it's no wonder people aren't aware. 

16 hours ago, evilskip said:

The next problem to pop up I will use the contact seller first option. If that doesn't work, then I'll go through ebay. Then come back here and %$#@&.

I'm noticing the trend, and it's not good. As I mentioned above, everyone wants consequence free purchases, which means they don't want to interact with anyone, so they run to eBay rather than contact the seller directly. Ugh.

[Logan510]

On 11/27/2019 at 10:36 AM, the blob said:

I think newer generatios seem to have a problem with personal interaction other than on social media or school shootings. 

I have a problem with sellers who either 1) lecture me or 2) refuse to take any responsibility for how poorly they package something. 

So yes, I'm one of those horrible people who will initiate a return before contacting the seller unless it's a seller I've worked with before. 

To be fair to myself, I never return anything because I've had buyers remorse. It's always because the book or whatever has arrived damaged due to poor packaging.

Edited November 29, 2019 by Logan510

[Logan510]

On 11/27/2019 at 10:30 AM, the blob said:

Yup. I had a guy leave negative for a late shipment after I gave him a full refund and had him keep the books.

Now that's some bull jive, that shouldn't be allowed.

 

[Buzzetta]

On 11/28/2019 at 12:02 PM, evilskip said:

Do most of the sellers on this board feel that if a customer contacts ebay first that they may be scammers? Do any scammers hit you up first instead of going through eBay? Is every buyer who contacts you through ebay trying to rip you off? I'm not trying to be a smart @$$ here. Any guess as to a percentage?

Unless it is stated in the item description "contact us first in case of a problem", I thought following ebay's procedures was the correct way of resolving a problem. I fully understand WHY you hate it, but that doesn't mean a person who uses the system is suspicious. Hell, maybe they're suspicious of the seller. If the seller couldn't be bothered enough to look through the book and see that three pages are missing, is he even going to answer my emails or does he figure the no returns statement covers all problems? At least using ebay's system, I can send pictures along so they can actually see what the problem is.

Yeah the system is flawed and abused. As a buyer, I don't know if a seller will actually respond to me if I contact them about a problem directly. Using ebay's system, It increases the odds that they will respond.

I do not feel as if a customer contacts eBay first that they must be a scammer.  They are free to do what they please and having been on both sides I can understand why they would do that.   They might have just gotten burned and want to protect themselves moving forward.   

Some scammers are easy to identify though.  

[Buzzetta]

On 11/28/2019 at 12:34 PM, RockMyAmadeus said:

 

I've had THREE cancelled "orders" this week...people who think it's cute to negotiate a sale and then decide after the sale is struck to back out. These are just symptoms of a broader cultural problem. 

Oh, you've dealt with Darin of Aliquippa PA as well?

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by Buzzetta