Annoying Customers

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

I have been selling on eBay for a long time.  Have been noticing lately that more people are asking lots of questions about the items I sell without ever buying.  Some ask dumb questions that are clearly answered in my descriptions & pictures.  People don't read anymore.  Had offers made that I have accepted, only to never hear back from them.  Some items I sell are in lots & I have had people ask if I would break up the lots to sell individual items.  I accepted a few & made up new listings just for them.  Then never heard back from them after repeated messages.  And a lot of these persons are not newbies but long time buyers & sellers.  What a waste of my time in dealing with these persons. I have been blocking any people now who ask constant questions, want special orders, never reply back or just make me feel uneasy. Anyone else notice this annoying trend?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Recently, a number of messages asking for pickup(a place nearby in the community) when it IS noted in the listing. When I explain that it is possible but a sale needs to be completed prior to sharing any information, I rarely, if ever hear back from those people.

-Lotz

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

Nowadays a person's word doesn't mean anything.  People think nothing of making offers & then not following through. I don't mind if people change their minds, but please have the common courtesy to say so. I sell a lot of items locally on Craigslist & used to have good success & have nice customers. Now I constantly get offers & messages saying they want to buy the item & then never get back to you & don't respond to any messages. Or worse don't show up when they promised.

[reallynicestamps]

That was the reason I gave up on Local Pickup. It costs more for me to set up a pickup and get there and wait than it does to mail the item.

The one that killed Local Pickup for me was the guy who:

• told me he didn't know where the Post Office was (I had suggested the cafe next to the PO) when he lived on the same street as the PO, which had been there for over 15 years.
• set up a time to pickup at my house and didn't turn up.
• arrived the next day, at suppertime without explanation or apology.

Perhaps he thought I was a single woman, living alone?

After that, I started suggesting meeting in the Friendship Room of my Church, after Sunday service. No one has ever taken me up on that. They decide Canada Post is just fine.

[brettjet38]

@reallynicestamps I hear you, I stopped local pick-up years ago.

It was an absolute waste of my time, setting it up, no shows, changing times, the pick up place and the list goes on..

As for the questions I will gladly answer any that I can, but when I get the "I would like this, this and that" I simply ask that they make fair offers on the items they are interested in, a serious person inquiring about items will usually make offers within a few days, the others usually will not or they will make low-ball offers which automatically get declined..

I set all my Best Offer listings with a minimum set price, any "offers" that do not cover the costs involved in selling the item in the first place, automatically get declined and I do not see them..

All the other offer's gladly get considered based on the total value of the purchase and the terms discussed in the messages beforehand.

@2nd-time-around-jewelry  "People don't read anymore." your right people read less and less, some just look at the pictures and the item specifics, mostly.

[triber]

Brett: Some don't even look carefully at the pictures. I regularly get people think they are purchasing the picture on the front of the craft book or sewing pattern, even though it would be obvious if they look properly, or read the description or even the title where I always put  PATTERN and then describe a book or sewing pattern.

I regularly get buyers asking if I combine shipping, it's stated clearly in my listings. Others ask questions that are clearly in the description.

I take trouble to describe items as well as I can. I see a lot of buyers with the description saying something like "nice book", "hardly used" etc. and that's all. They probably sell as much as I do!

[reallynicestamps]

It's possible that the questions asking about things mentioned in the description are testing the seller's customer service skills.

I've seen posts to that effect from time to time.

I have to admit to answering with "As stated in the Description..." when I am feeling snippy.

[cumos55]

It is always important to answer the question.

Potential buyers  may need a point of clarification, or a confirmation that their interpretation of what is in the listings is correct.

In one of OP's listings  the statement in the title is.....

5 Canadian Dollar Bills 3 - One Dollar (1954 & 1967) 2 - Two Dollar (1954)

the

To me a dollar bill has a value of $1.00

This title tells me there are 10 (ten) Canadian bills for sale.

My view of what it should say....

5 Canadian bills, three valued at $1.00 each,  and two valued at $2.00 each

-------------------

People that read a description must never be confused.

Seller may understand, but a potential buyer must not find any  measure of confusion, no matter how small.

-------------------------

There are also some sellers that put  all of their information in one paragraph... This is very difficult to read, and a potential buyer should/will ask questions.... for clarification.

Final conclusion... Answer the question  ...  whether the answer is in the listing... or ... not.....

[pjcdn2005]

The op’s title seems clear to me and the picture backs it up but there are always going to be people who interpret things differently.  In your rewritten title I would wonder that if the bills are ‘valued’ at $7, why the seller is asking $30.  

There is definitely confusing information given in some listings on the site  but there are always going to be those who ask questions even when the information is written clearly in the listing.  I admit that I sometimes roll my eyes when buyers ask such questions but it’s just part of being in a customer service industry.  

I have found though that when people ask more than one question and/or ask for special pictures or just certain items in the listing etc. that they rarely buy.  If they do buy, they are often  just as high maintenance after the purchase! 

[cumos55]

There was once, many years ago when someone apologized for asking a question.

My response.....  If you do not ask, you will never know......

[cumos55]

So  why is the price of these five bills more than face value....

Talk to the Loonies and Twonies in your wallet/purse..

[travis7s]

My only advice is to try to fulfill requests/post special listings as soon as possible. The less time they have to think about it the better, and never let them sleep on it.

[reallynicestamps]

ABC -- Always Be Closing.

[ricarmic]

I have seen buyers saying that they ask a(ny) question just to see how the seller responds. If the seller responds "badly" the buyer knows they're not good to deal with.

I also think some of the annoying buyers became that way from dealing with annoying sellers. I've heard some pretty crazy stories from buyers who've had bad adventures with sellers, which makes them ultra cautious going forward. (usually meaning more questions before purchase)

I have noticed in the last few weeks a lot more unusual requests etc than normal.

It is normal for me to get folks asking me to split up lots, I very rarely do. Normally I advise I can't and leave it at that. The odd time they buy the whole lot anyway!

One does get some odd messages sometimes, I've had buyers complaining about the lot before they purchased it!!!! (That is a very big favour to me, very simply solved by blocking them so they can't buy it!)

[pjcdn2005]

I agree that some people are ultra careful because of previous bad experiences. That's why it is always important to answer politely and professionally.

For me, the most annoying "question" is someone telling me that they can get the same item at xxx for less money so I should sell it to them at that amount.  I thank them for letting me know and suggest they purchase from xxx as I can't match that price.    If the price is cheap enough, I'll go and buy some of them from xxx for myself!! 🙂  (I don't tell the 'buyer' that last part though)

[ricarmic]

Mine like to tell me what the "market price" is.... (which is always lower, although they don't mention all the ones that are higher too!)

I just respond with "I am sorry but this is the lowest I can go/I cannot offer a discount on this lot"

99.9% of the time that's the last I hear of them (sometimes for certain because they got themselves blocked too)

[hlmacdon]

When you are in sales you qualify your customers and if the don't pass the litmus test you move on. You'll never satisfy them, they will never be happy, and frankly I don't view them as customers. Almost without exception you either don't generate a sale or it becomes a problematic sale. I usually notice an uptick in these sort of customers when ebay starts pushing out listing feeds to external price networks like google shopping and such.

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

Just had a customer who bought an item from me yesterday want to cancel it. She had offered me less than I was asking, but decided that was okay. But had a funny feeling about her. Should have gone with my gut. Had packaged the item up & was just heading out to mail the parcel. Boy am I glad I checked my emails before I left. 

Her reason for cancelling "I WOULD LIKE TO CANCEL THIS ORDER, SHIPPING INTERNATIONAL SHOULD BE 2 TO 3 DAYS, I SHIP TO CANADA OFTEN AND THAT IS THE TIME FRAME, YOUR SCHEDULE DELIVERY IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, THANK YOU".  She wrote it all in capitals which is like shouting. 

Unreasonable person. I just canceled the order right away & placed  her on my blocked list.

[ricarmic]

Yep it would have only been more problems if you shipped!

They did you a big favour by doing it so quickly, too bad though you already had done the work to get it packaged up.

Instant block material.....

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

You said that right! Crazy people out there! And this person has over 1500 feedbacks, so we are not talking about a newbie. She left a few negatives in the last year.  I hope eBay keeps track of all the cancellations buyers do.  And talk about unreasonable. How did she expect to receive the item in 2-3 days. Sales to the US from Canada by Air always take between 1-2 weeks. Also it takes about the same time for me to receive an item from the US. I think she just wanted to use that as an excuse because she just changed her mind.