Dear sellers on ebay

[cyberdan]

Question: in the case of an auction. If the winner doesn't pay, isn't the second highest bidder obligated to buy the auction item?Regards,JG

In my case it was a buy it now/make offer. He lowballed me on a coin and i came back with offer twice of what he did. He immediately accepted. ebay sent invoice and over the last week I sent two.

I already left bad feedback, blocked him, opened a non pay case and relisted my item. Lets see what happens because I still have to wait till 10-21 to close the case. He could come back and pay just to leave a negative for me just to spite me.

 

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[jacobgosling]

CC; cyberdan

Does the buyer have 'any' feedback? I sometimes wonder if children, teenagers or childish adult vandals don't open an account simply to toy with sellers. I often deal with the same sellers. Particularly in the case of buttons, relics and ephemera. I am eager to maintain a good relationship with such sellers and always pay promptly either at the close of an auction or when I receive an invoice (in the case of multiple transactions for combined shipping).

I've discovered that most sellers don't want to be bothered with a message, So I avoid messaging when possible.

Your particular transaction sounds like more trouble than it's worth. I'd just cancel, relist, and block this account.

I'm usually too shy to 'make an offer.' I've done it twice, and the offer was accepted.

Do you have any advice? How much is a reasonable 'low ball' offer? 10%? 20%

Regards,

JG

 

[GibH]

As a buyer, once payment has been transferred from my bank Account to the seller's bank or paypal account, and I have provided a shipping address, my obligation as a buyer has been satisfied.

At this point, the seller should leave feedback.

Well, the same holds true for a seller. You get the item you've paid for in a timely manner, the seller has satisfied their obligation. Does Walmart post a review on Yelp for every customer. Geesh, don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[jacobgosling]

CC: GibH

Well, the same holds true for a seller. You get the item you've paid for in a timely manner, the seller has satisfied their obligation. Does Walmart post a review on Yelp for every customer. Geesh, don't sweat the small stuff.

Point taken. Many of the high volume sellers on ebay leave automated feedback. In my opinion, a small seller should be eager to exchange feedback for the sake of building or maintaining their reputation as a reliable and trustworthy vendor.

I don't sell. I only buy. As long as I pay for an item in a timely manner and don't make trouble, it's no skin off my nose if a small seller can't be bothered to leave feedback. They simply won't receive any from me. However, I have done repeat business with sellers who don't leave feedback. As you say, in the end what matters most is a smooth transaction.

Best regards,

JG

 

[ARC]

Smokey...

I sat my girl down to read this thread because she has begun selling / buying on Ebay again which has been a learning curve for her since she gave it up many years ago and its like learning it all over again for her.

She likes your "model" of seller.

She says her biggest gripes are the scammers and the fact that someone who has made an offer that she has accepted .. reluctantly at times... doesn't leave one.

She thinks it is rude.

People who don't leave feedbacks are slack / lazy at the game... and don't realize that some people really strive to get their rating up... especially those who have very little rating.

In this day and age of social media rating is everything... and if you don't leave one then you basically suck at Ebay.

This probably is more common practice from those who only think of themselves and / OR HAVE a high rating and don't care about anyone else's.

 

[trdhrdr007]

I'm a seller. This topic has come up before. The last time a thread was started feedback actually meant something to a seller because it was a metric eBay used to judge how well they ran a business which dictated how eBay treated the seller. A lot of people made the claim that once the buyer paid their obligation was over. I'm not going to do the leg work again, but I posted a cut & paste from eBay's policies that clearly stated the buyer's obligation didn't stop after payment .

At this point feedback is nothing more than a nuisance to a seller. Buyers can't be given negative or neutral feedback. It's no longer used by eBay as a metric. The only thing that matters to eBay is whether or not an item is shipped within guidelines and that you actually have the item available to ship. They don't penalize sellers for bad feedback. I'm not a big enough seller to qualify for the ability to leave automatic feedback. It has to be done manually & takes up time I'd rather be sitting on the back porch. I never ask for feedback. If the buyer leaves feedback I reciprocate. Otherwise I don't. I've been selling for several years, have never had a negative, & got my 1st neutral from an idiot a couple months ago that ignored the measurements in the description.

 

[jacobgosling]

trdhrdr007

A lot of people made the claim that once the buyer paid their obligation was over. I'm not going to do the leg work again, but I posted a cut & paste from eBay's policies that clearly stated the buyer's obligation didn't stop after payment.

Regardless of ebay's policies (and I can well live without ebay), I accept four responsibilities as a buyer pertaining to the customer-vendor covenant:

1) A buyer should make prompt payment
2) A buyer should provide a valid shipping address
3) A buyer should maintain good communication (if necessary) and conduct himself in a responsible and non-abusive manner
4) A buyer should know 'exactly' what is on offer before committing to purchase or make a bid. No buyer's remorse or 'I didn't see the fine print.'

Other than these, in what possible way could I be obligated to a seller?

*4 | For instance, there are a lot of shifty characters on ebay selling reproductions, and they try very hard to obfuscate the fact by completing omitting any reference to this in the header of the listing. They bury it at the bottom of the page in the secondary description.

I don't send payment through paypal (and never will), so I don't have the option of confirming delivery and satisfaction other than ebay feedback. Some sellers have asked for this.

At this point feedback is nothing more than a nuisance to a seller. Buyers can't be given negative or neutral feedback.

I am sympathetic to sellers on this point. Why should a buyer be shielded from negative feedback? As a buyer, I rely on ratings/feedback to help decide with whom I feel comfortable doing business. I'd imagine the seller would feel the same way in reverse. However, sellers do have one powerful tool that buyers do not: a seller can block an account from participating in their auctions.

There is a seller who lists nothing but pictures they download from the library of congress website. Cheap prints of material that is long out of copyright They often fill my search results. I'd like to block or filter out these nuisance sellers, but don't have the option.


After reading all the comments from sellers in this thread, I now have a greater understanding and sympathy for their perspective. However, sellers do have power over buyers. Buyers have no power on ebay proper, but only through paypal.

Example:

My first transaction on ebay was a disaster, and it wasn't my fault. I won three auctions from the same seller. As I was making payment, the seller concurrently sent an invoice and caused a majour glitch with my account. I had a double invoice sitting in my cart. I couldn't pay for either. The ebay software would not allow the payment to go through.

I called ebay. The agent (not in America and with a dog barking in the background) told me they had never previously encountered such a problem, and were sympathetic. After trying everything they could do on their end to clear the glitch, they suggested I ask the seller to cancel out the sale.

I did ask the seller to cancel the sale and he reluctantly agreed. Once the seller did this, the IT glitch corrected itself, and my account was again fully functional.

However, the seller began sending abusive messages and opened a non-payment complaint with ebay. As a result, ebay limited the functionality on my account, restricting me to '2' open bids at once.

I did nothing wrong. The entire incident was not my fault and beyond my control, yet I was punished. A second call to ebay threatening to cancel my account resolved the matter to my satisfaction. And so, the idea that sellers have no power over buyers isn't entirely true. A seller can't leave negative feedback, but they sure can shut my account down.

In the end, seller and buyer should be mutually respectful of each other, because it's to our mutual benefit. In most cases, sellers and buyers are one and the same.

If I spend $300 with a seller, and they can't be bothered to leave feedback, that seller won't be getting another nickel from me. So, in this instance, it is the seller who is losing out. Unless the vendor is selling George Washington's wooden teeth, I can probably find a similar item for sale elsewhere from a friendlier and more respectful seller.

The responses in this thread have been excellent, and I am grateful for everyone's participation from both perspectives.

Best regards,

JG

 

[RustyRelics]

I never leave feedback until I either get Paid, (if I'm selling) or when my package arrives (if I'm buying.)

Just the other day, I bought a 2020 presidential candidate flag to hang outside, and several days later, I get a flag..... for the wrong candidate. NEVER leave feedback until your package arrives.


One thing I'd like to point out about buyers not paying, is that someone will bid a ridiculous amount at the end, so they'll win no matter what. But the guy who bid second lowest bid at a higher price than what the winning bidder wanted to pay, so they just leave it. I employ this tactic often, but only with the realization that no matter the end game, I'm paying for what I just bought. As a seller, it's a total pain in the... arse, when someone bids high, and never pays. It's just rude.

 

[smokeythecat]

Ready for this? I even buy from folks who are totally new to Ebay. Really. Never been hurt that way either.

 

[jacobgosling]

I never leave feedback until I either get Paid, (if I'm selling) or when my package arrives (if I'm buying.)

That is exactly 'my' policy as a buyer. I always pay promptly. I expect feedback after payment is made and the item has been delivered with no complaints. I then reciprocate by leaving feedback after the order is in my possession.

Just the other day, I bought a 2020 presidential candidate flag to hang outside, and several days later, I get a flag..... for the wrong candidate. NEVER leave feedback until your package arrives.

In the interests of peace and harmony, I won't ask what candidates. But I'd love to know...lol Send me a PM. I'm discrete.

One thing I'd like to point out about buyers not paying, is that someone will bid a ridiculous amount at the end, so they'll win no matter what. But the guy who bid second lowest bid at a higher price than what the winning bidder wanted to pay, so they just leave it. I employ this tactic often, but only with the realization that no matter the end game, I'm paying for what I just bought. As a seller, it's a total pain in the... arse, when someone bids high, and never pays. It's just rude.

Such behaviour is clearly a violation of ebay's terms of service. Such an account should be banned. With a significant auction item, I always wait until the final ten minutes to place my bid, and I bid no more than than I am willing or able to pay.

With smaller auctions, like a button, I place a bid the final 24 hours and hope for the best.

It seems some people make a sport of ebay. Bidding for the thrill of it, with no intention of actually buying the item. As I said, such accounts should be banned. Not just the ID, but the IP and MAC address associated with the account as well.

I am a good buyer. I expect feedback. If I don't receive any, I am not a happy customer, and that's bad business. As they say, the customer is always right.

Regards,

JG

 

[jacobgosling]

Ready for this? I even buy from folks who are totally new to Ebay. Really. Never been hurt that way either.

Glad to hear it. But you 'would' concede that there are many dishonest sellers on ebay who should be avoided?

Best regards,

JG

 

[cyberdan]

Does the buyer have 'any' feedback?

He had 12 FB points all giving good reviews as a buyer. 4 or 5 were from the same coin seller. He now has a snarky review from me.

Do you have any advice? How much is a reasonable 'low ball' offer? 10%? 20%

He wanted a 65% discount. 10-20% is no problem for me.

I learned from a past employer. I used to work for a Korean owned printing company. The owner told me always add 10% to any Korean customers price (I did all the pricing) Seems Koreans always find fault with something and love it when they get a 10% discount.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

It has been a number of years since I did eBay. In the year before my pre-planned retirement I went whole hog on building up my silver reserves - long time silver lover before the Hunt Brothers! I had only one issue in my many transactions - didn't receive the item. The seller immediately responded, refunded my money, and took the loss himself.

I feel sorry for his loss, but came out unscathed myself. Just a glitch along the way.

And YES, I'm still holding that expensive silver - the $50 stuff.....

Is my $50 silver better than your $10 silver?

 

[smokeythecat]

Dishonest sellers on Ebay generally don't stay there long.

 

[cyberdan]

Dishonest sellers on Ebay generally don't stay there long.

and then come back a month later with a new name and start building up fake 100% FB

 

[smokeythecat]

Yes, it's easy to spot them.

 

[trdhrdr007]

Regardless of ebay's policies (and I can well live without ebay), I accept four responsibilities as a buyer pertaining to the customer-vendor covenant:

1) A buyer should make prompt payment
2) A buyer should provide a valid shipping address
3) A buyer should maintain good communication (if necessary) and conduct himself in a responsible and non-abusive manner
4) A buyer should know 'exactly' what is on offer before committing to purchase or make a bid. No buyer's remorse or 'I didn't see the fine print.'

Other than these, in what possible way could I be obligated to a seller?

Number 3 & 4 are the ones buyers routinely ignore. If I remember correctly the original post mentioned the 1st two & left out 3 & 4 as buyers obligations. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I've had a buyer not read the description and/or look at the pictures, get the item, see something they missed and immediately become aggressive, abusive, rude, and/or a combination of the 3. I describe every flaw I see & post clear photos. I'd rather make an item sound worse than it is than the opposite. Not to mention that I also offer a full refund upon return of any item. Absolutely no reason for a buyer to be an ass until I refuse to fix the problem. That's why I'm not willing to leave feedback until the buyer has either left feedback themselves or let me know they are satisfied through the eBay messaging system. It doesn't make sense to reward someone with positive feedback when there's no way of knowing if they are going to be the next nightmare.

I don't generally mention this because I don't like to give people ideas but blocking a bad buyer is pretty much pointless. If they want to buy the item all they have to do is log in as a guest and buy it that way.

 

[bc5391]

If I sell, I leave feedback when I get around to it, if I buy I do not expect feedback, if they give fine, if they don't that fine also. almost 20 years on ebay 100% feedback from buying and selling.Same for Amazon, I give reviews when I feel like it, amazon will only print the good reviews, I guess they don't like it when you say the Chinese products are junk.

 

[antmike915]

Seems like neither sellers or buyers rarely leave feedback. There's been a few times I've had to send a message to sellers about leaving feedback (and some buyers as well). The seller should leave feedback after payment is cleared and buyer should leave feedback after they get the item and once they inspect it and is satisfied with it. About 10% of ebay users leave feedback these days.

 

[fistfulladirt]

I’ve been a member for at least twenty years and have only lost a few hundred $ to sellers not sending their items. I was leaving feedback each time but my dealings w/ ebay have been pretty slim lately, still waiting for a low dollar item and it’s been over a month now.