Blocking Buyers with feedback score of 0

[dosdivasproductions]

I have tried to find a way to block buyers with a zero feeback because over the years I have had this same thing happen to me several times..Buyer requests item be sent via cheapest method (not trackable) and then claims they did not get it...even though I can prove I mailed it I cannot prove they got it...this always happens with 0 feedback buyers!

The only thing I am able to do is block those with a -1 or less..this is RIDICULOUS since as sellers can no longer leave a negative for any buyer! even the rude ones and ones that lie about not getting a parcel!

Is there a work-around for this.  I have been listing since 2000-2001 and I am about to leave ebay for GOOD.  Tired of playing Santa to the rip of artists who 2 months after an aution closes get full refunds!

[pierrelebel]

"I have tried to find a way to block buyers with a zero feedback"

Cannot be done.  We all started with zero and must be thankful nobody blocked us from earning our first feedback... a long time ago!

[dosdivasproductions]

Since I am a seller, not a buyer, I would have received feedback as a seller...Sellers who are not trading fairly or that are abusive should receive negative feeback as should Buyers...since we are trading "partners"  I would like to know with whom I am trading prior to entering into the transaction

[pierrelebel]

"since we are trading "partners" "

That may have been true ten years ago on eBay.  Not anymore.

The new eBay is just another e-commerce site where buyers come to shop for bargains and sellers come to sell their wares under a complex set of rules and policies prepared by Americans for the American marketplace.  There is no more "partnership" here than when you go to the grocery store to purchase a bag of milk or jar of orange juice.

The store owner does not care if you are a new customer who just moved into the neighbourhood, happen to be passing by or  a "regular".  The store owner takes your money and, sometimes, says "thank you".

The concept of "level playing field", preached by eBay management last century, is long gone.

It is all about business.

[froogal_electronic_parts_and_overstock]

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@pierrelebel wrote:

"since we are trading "partners" "

That may have been true ten years ago on eBay.  Not anymore.

The new eBay is just another e-commerce site where buyers come to shop for bargains and sellers come to sell their wares under a complex set of rules and policies prepared by Americans for the American marketplace.  There is no more "partnership" here than when you go to the grocery store to purchase a bag of milk or jar of orange juice.

The store owner does not care if you are a new customer who just moved into the neighbourhood, happen to be passing by or  a "regular".  The store owner takes your money and, sometimes, says "thank you".

The concept of "level playing field", preached by eBay management last century, is long gone.

It is all about business.

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I think I woke up in a parallel universe. First a post saying your sales traffic has tanked and now this. 

I'm going to buy a lottery ticket. Strange days. 

[mr.elmwood]

OP is making this personal. They wish to extract vengeance, they wish to punish.

Any business endeavour is fraught with uncertainty. No business operates on 100% all going well. I have a budget for losses. I am well within it.

You cannot pick and choose your buyers. Whether they are "0" has nothing to do with it. M zeros have been good, sometimes better than the know-it-all veterans.

Too many sellers do not want a level playing field, they want an "I'm always right as a seller" playing field. I do not agree with that.

Don't send untracked. Problem solved.

[dosdivasproductions]

I at no point said my sales have tanked...you must have woken up in some other Universe, yes, indeed

[froogal_electronic_parts_and_overstock]

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@dosdivasproductions wrote:

I at no point said my sales have tanked...you must have woken up in some other Universe, yes, indeed

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the reference was in regards to the quoted post of pierre. sorry for the misunderstanding. 

[dosdivasproductions]

🙂 No worries...

[ricarmic]

My policy is that I do not ship surface, (and even though I'm a stamp guy I do ship boxes of stuff and people do ask for surface) and I don't offer it as an option. If people ask for surface, I say that I am sorry but it is my policy to ship only airmail (or expedied/expresspost or whatever).

I do have a buyer up to somewhere around 32 feedbacks now and ALL of them are from me, they started at zero with me, and I've sold 32 things to them since then....

My personal opinion is that one may wish to treat people with zero feedbacks more carefully - depending on the amount, I sometimes choose to use tracking on packages to folks with zero feedback to minimize the worry/risk when I wouldn't have if their feedback was larger.

[pjcdn2005]

I haven't found that 0 feedback buyers cause a problem. In your case they might not have any idea of how long a package can take from Canada to another country so you might want to send them a quick message giving them an eta after you have shipped the item.

[pjcdn2005]

Where does Pierre say that his traffic has 'tanked'?

[reallynicestamps]

While it is no more 'dangerous' to sell to zero feedback buyers than to those with years of experience in stiffing sellers, you can use a couple of tricks.

The main one is to Block bidders who do not have active Paypal accounts. Newbies usually set these up after their first win. No account, no bid.

The other is to only use auctions and monitor them carefully, cancelling bids from newbies and adding them to your Blocked Bidder list.

Of course, that bidder will never spend a cent with you no matter how long he stays with eBay nor how much he buys over the years.

[froogal_electronic_parts_and_overstock]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I haven't found that 0 feedback buyers cause a problem. In your case they might not have any idea of how long a package can take from Canada to another country so you might want to send them a quick message giving them an eta after you have shipped the item.

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Sell some iphones and then watch the zero FB scam buyers come out of the wood work. I gave up selling outside north america because the claims were ridiculously high. However, dosdivasproductions' listings don't appear to be high theft items.  

Where does Pierre say that his traffic has 'tanked'? It was on another thread. I was paraphrasing. What he said was:

"Like many others, my traffic has been affected and sales have dropped to next to nothing in the last four weeks."

[reallynicestamps]

I think I see the real problem.

New eBayers are often surprised at the cost of shipping. They are often surprised that there is a shipping charge. This may lead to them abandoning the sale without realizing that the transaction is still active.

You have $10.77 Canadian shipping on dress patterns that can go LetterPost within Canada for $1.25.  I sell dress patterns for $9.99 inclusive of shipping, and at that my prices are a little higher than most.

When you have multiple instances of a problem, from several buyers, the only thing they necessarily have in common is you. What are you doing that leads to problems?

[reallynicestamps]

Good point, froogal.

The percentages of scammers is much higher in some categories than in others.
I'm fortunate that the kind of people who buy dress patterns, books, and stamps tend to be able to read and to follow directions.

[pierrelebel]

"Where does Pierre say that his traffic has 'tanked'? It was on another thread. I was paraphrasing. What he said was:  "Like many others, my traffic has been affected and sales have dropped to next to nothing in the last four weeks.""

It would be nice to take words in context.  That was last June after the May fiasco (breach of eBay security and dispute with Google)

[froogal_electronic_parts_and_overstock]

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@pierrelebel wrote:

"Where does Pierre say that his traffic has 'tanked'? It was on another thread. I was paraphrasing. What he said was:  "Like many others, my traffic has been affected and sales have dropped to next to nothing in the last four weeks.""

It would be nice to take words in context.  That was last June after the May fiasco (breach of eBay security and dispute with Google)

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flip flop flip flop.

[dosdivasproductions]

Thanks for the comments folks...I was not actually asking for listing or shipping advice but thanks for offering it...I appreciate it none-the-less

Someone said I was selling a pattern and charging 10+ dollars to ship it - this is not the case. 

The shipping calculator does not work for ANY of my auctions.  I always choose the smallest dimensions (10x10x10 cm) and the lightest weight (under 500 grams)  for all of my auctions and then I add a note that the calculator NEVER works in the descriptions - I almost always put an estimate for shipping in the description too

I am not sure why the calculator does not work and daily get emails from buyers who advise the same.  I am thinking it is because I ship Worldwide????  I would LOVE to have the calculator be accurate - and would appreciate ANY suggestions of how to fix this!

I cannot put ONE price for shipping because within Canada it is often more expensive than to ship to the States...and because shipping to Australia and such places can be costly for heavier items

[ricarmic]

When I have shipping amounts, I have 3 flat rate amounts:
USA
CANADA
Worldwide

You can set up your shipping this way, it might only be if you use flat rates though, I have no experience with the shipping calculator because I have never used it.....