Ebay annoyances

[papagolfjuliet]

Just now, Hal Nail said:

Just out of interest do you "allow returns"? For me that should fall under caveat emptor but increasingly the expectation seems to be eBay sellers are John Lewis.

 

It doesn't matter whether you allow returns or not, becuase ebay provides a loophole whereby all the buyer has to do is say that an item is not 'as described' - with no explanation - and the return goes through on the nod anyhow.

[Hal Nail]

15 minutes ago, papagolfjuliet said:

and the return goes through on the nod anyhow.

yes that was basically my point.

 

I had a sale this week and has been obvious from the outset the buyer has barely used eBay, had little idea of the process (thought an e mail discussing offers constitued a sale) and had misread the description. You used to be able to block buyers with less than x history but that has been removed.

 

In fairness I rang eBay (much easier than i expected) and they said it wouldn't be unreasonable for me to cancel it rather than have an expensive item shunted back and forward. So I think their default position is if either party isn't happy, cancel the sale. I suppose in a way that's fair enough but it puts you off selling.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Hal Nail

[Sjcm]

I don't accept returns because it attracts chancers. That said, I always send a message when I post something along the lines of "any problems just message me" so if there is a genuine problem they know they can approach me

[papagolfjuliet]

16 minutes ago, Sjcm said:

I don't accept returns because it attracts chancers. That said, I always send a message when I post something along the lines of "any problems just message me" so if there is a genuine problem they know they can approach me

 Ever since lockdown many people have been treating ebay purchases as though they were sent on a sale or return basis, and ebay lets them get away with it. 

[Hal Nail]

It's yet another example of something everyone knew and accepted, not now being widely understood. Instead of educating, we just abandon it.

 

Hence I am sceptical society is actually progressing at the moment. 

 

(admittedly there are slightly better examples than selling models on eBay!)

[Sjcm]

3 minutes ago, papagolfjuliet said:

 Ever since lockdown many people have been treating ebay purchases as though they were sent on a sale or return basis, and ebay lets them get away with it. 

Yes, having no returns isn't going to stop those people, but given the choice between you and someone else offering returns or free returns, you'd hope they'd go for the easier option.😉.  Personally I haven't had the problem, but if someone contacted me and said "look this isn't as described"  and it wasn't ,then I would accept a return.

 

Unfortunately there are some buyers who just don't want to pay the going rate or even less than the going rate, and accepting returns just gives then an extra bargaining angle to get a discount especially with cheaper items. On the one hand you give them a full refund and return on an item they don't really want to return and risk bad feedback or you cut your losses and give them a discount.

[cessna152towser]

6 hours ago, Sjcm said:

On the one hand you give them a full refund and return on an item they don't really want to return and risk bad feedback or you cut your losses and give them a discount.

Can't win either way.  Some time ago I sold a used Hornby 47.  Knowing it had been received and having heard nothing from the buyer, after a few weeks I left positive feedback.  Buyer only then responded to ask for £7 discount to cover the cost of replacing the armature.   I pointed out that he had already had the item several weeks, it was running fine at the time of sale and for all I knew he could have been running it continuously since he received it.   I said it was unfair on other bidders to ask for a discount after the item had been sold at auction and invited him to return the loco, but he insisted on keeping it.  Against my better judgement I grudgingly refunded the £7.   Then he posted negative feedback "Unhelpful seller accused me of breaking the item".   I'd be reluctant to be so soft again and would now insist on return and full refund, and I have blocked this guy from bidding on my items.

[2E Sub Shed]

On 04/11/2023 at 15:29, cessna152towser said:

 I have blocked this guy from bidding on my items.

 

Had a buyer who did not pay. so did the usual, cancelled the sale and blocked them from bidding. They started bidding for my items under a new user name.

 

Also had a habit of when they did pay of waiting till last possible moment  under eBay rules to make payment, meaning an extra run to Post Office. (Pick up by postie not suitable for me). 

[Michael Hodgson]

7 hours ago, 2E Sub Shed said:

 

Had a buyer who did not pay. so did the usual, cancelled the sale and blocked them from bidding. They started bidding for my items under a new user name.

 

Also had a habit of when they did pay of waiting till last possible moment  under eBay rules to make payment, meaning an extra run to Post Office. (Pick up by postie not suitable for me). 

Can you block him under his new name?

 

As for waiting till the last minute to pay, he is nevertheless complying with the rules, and your trips to the post office, however inconvenient, are your problem, part of your deicison to sell stuff by post.

 

I also get annoyed that I sell 3 items, two customers pay immediately, so I delay going to the post office thinking the third will pay soon ....

[hayfield]

17 hours ago, 2E Sub Shed said:

 

Had a buyer who did not pay. so did the usual, cancelled the sale and blocked them from bidding. They started bidding for my items under a new user name.

 

Also had a habit of when they did pay of waiting till last possible moment  under eBay rules to make payment, meaning an extra run to Post Office. (Pick up by postie not suitable for me). 

 

I am lucky the local post office is not very far away (a short walk) and often as I like to get things posted I may go round on Mondays twice, also some buyers do for what ever reason wait a few days to pay. As for waiting for the last minute thankfully I never seem to suffer from them, I find a second invoice works wonders. I never put a pay buy period in my listings as I have never found a need to. And I treat all buyers the same however long they take to pay

 

When listing I always list the service I use and clearly state its post and packing. Thankfully to date I have not suffered from troublesome buyers. I guess the ultimate decision is to cancel the sale. I have never blocked a bidder, a couple of times I have had bids retracted. I was neither bothered or took any action. As I have no pressure to sell items I don't care if they fail to sell.

 

Recently I tried selling a loco kit for £40 then reduced it to £30 so after a few  un-sold's I split the lot into 3 lots and sold everything for about £40. Do I care not at all if selling spares rather than locos is what the buyers require so be it

 

Let's face it I have no divine right to expect people to buy my items at a price I decide. If I overprice an item then it will not sell, however I am prepared to wait for the right buyer to be found

[2E Sub Shed]

10 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Can you block him under his new name?

Unless there is some eBay feature I am unaware of until he buys an item you do not see that the address of the buyer is that of a buyer you have blocked, so you can only block after a new transaction.

 

Not sure how eBay manages duplicate accounts.

 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

1 hour ago, 2E Sub Shed said:

 

Not sure how eBay manages duplicate accounts.

 

Neither am I.  I have two ebay accounts for historical reasons. 

They use different email accounts, and I don't think you can have two at once on the same email.

People can evidently rename their accounts as there is a History feature, which tells you what an account used to be called.

[cessna152towser]

53 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

People can evidently rename their accounts as there is a History feature, which tells you what an account used to be called.

I haven't been able to access this feature but I recall at one time eBay imposed on me a new user name, which I promptly changed back to the original.   This has resulted in my "About" being somewhat contradictory as to date of joining eBay:-

"eBay member since 2004, with over 3,000 positive feedbacks.

Location: United Kingdom Member since: 15 Feb, 2015"

 

[Hal Nail]

This is described as new condition but does anyone make BR mk1s with LMS branding? That's not so bad as people ought to spot that but it's not a lionheart either as they have separate roof pipes and door handles rather than moulded ones, so it's being passed off as better than it is 

 

I was originally posting to say you ought to be able to report misleading descriptions but occurs to me in some ways a really bad one means you can unquestionably return it as "not as described" so maybe that's partly why eBay don't seem keen to interfere at the listing stage?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/375044535568?hash=item5752657510:g:87MAAOSwXatlTK1p&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8Fyrvh4cJXQOGJya%2BZrttxZ8penqczwHMiyIlGvJ%2BwAPJ%2FNGLAvAiqUuGXOLmwc3RuvXyB2naBAzeY097Z2zuApEOYrPoNPtHMwdEo7PecH%2FMTvFIwKgc1%2FXRN8dpW2xoaesd1Jz3u3Uzw0nOptls3rV2dme7H4TLmD6u%2Byfw1%2FzEe%2Fj0hzfImP6JzZJA3%2BQeY41HhaiwIm5I5cFwfDj0xxqIHTsXF1RYAQQEJ5XAaDiYX6j7hfDnVbP3Ej4%2Bo48FnGRtHqQ%2BVdfyqefe7BKR9P%2BXep4I8qQwPxOjLvcE7zH4fDbWGEHy5R%2FUeHznd43EQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8y4lob3Yg

Edited November 10, 2023 by Hal Nail

[Hippel]

Apparently it's no longer available.

 

Paul

[John M Upton]

Another annoyance, lazy listers.  The prosecution enters the following into evidence:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305287630796

 

Just a picture of the ends of the boxes, no contents and a few more listings all the same.  Athearn Blue Box models combined with lack of UK based seller knowledge of US outline stock usually means contents can be easily nothing like what is described on the box.

 

Do I take a lucky dip punt?

[Sjcm]

I probably would. He's said they're like new and in original boxes, so that covers you for not as described.

[Michael Hodgson]

I have just received two messages from ebay telling me a kit I bought in late April is being posted, with tracking info.  It had arrived without any problems and the transaction was complete at the beginning of May!

[Tofufi]

Today's festive frustration...

 

Sold an item to a US buyer after 4PM on Sunday 24th Dec.

 

Wake up this morning (27th Dec) to the message "Did you mail the package yet?". No 'Hello' or anything else, just that.

 

I emailed back explaining that the Post office isn't open on Sundays, or bank holidays including Christmas day and Boxing day...

 

Wonder whether I'll regret posting this one...

Edited December 27, 2023 by Tofufi

[hayfield]

13 minutes ago, Tofufi said:

Today's festive frustration...

 

Sold an item to a US buyer after 4PM on Sunday 24th Dec.

 

Wake up this morning (27th Dec) to the message "Did you mail the package yet?". No 'Hello' or anything else, just that.

 

I emailed back explaining that the Post office isn't open on Sundays, or bank holidays including Christmas day and Boxing day...

 

Wonder whether I'll regret posting this one...

 

Firstly it depends on whether the American knows about both Post Office opening hours and UK bank holidays, don't forget Boxing day is a normal working day in the USA, secondly is what you (or eBay) say about your service levels. In this case I would cut a little slack with the buyer being in the USA. As for being rude, may be a cultural thing, or lack of English etiquette  

 

The other thing is the Amazon affect, psychologically many think every trader can act as Amazon does, plus the good work the Royal Mail does getting our items to our buyers the next day. Gone are the days where we are happy to wait 2 weeks for a reply to our letter or for Mail Order items

 

I sold two items on Sunday. Yesterday morning I wrapped them up and will take them to the Post Office today, but I do state I try and post the items the next working day after payment

 

Happy new year and smile at things like this, we have just had a very long weekend, others haven't.

[RFS]

For the first time for over a year I've today not been offered 80% off fees. I've always been offered it every 2 weeks without fail. I wonder if it's just due to the holiday period, or whether there's been a change in Ebay policy. 

[cessna152towser]

22 minutes ago, RFS said:

For the first time for over a year I've today not been offered 80% off fees. I've always been offered it every 2 weeks without fail. I wonder if it's just due to the holiday period, or whether there's been a change in Ebay policy. 

I wasn't planning on eBaying over the New Year holiday period, but when I read your post I checked in on eBay and I also found that I have no discounted fees offer for this weekend.   Like yourself, I had been receiving these offers every second week for a while now, although they had been less generous lately, having changed from 80% discount to 70% discount a few months ago.

[big jim]

Looking at my emails I got the 80% offer on 1st and 15th of December and took advantage of it shifting on some points I’d had sat round for ages, as you say nothing this week as yet, not that it matters as I’ve run out of things to sell! 

[Sjcm]

no discount here either. missed last one because of proximity of Christmas so was wondering if this is punishment?😂. oh well, looks like I have another 2 weeks at least to get stuff fixed to sell

[hayfield]

Like all internet based sites, if you stop using them the offers will soon follow

 

Looks like its a weekend when they don't need to make offers available

 

I had a friend who searched unwanted gift from Boxing day onwards, he reckoned he bagged a few bargains, though who wants designer man bags etc !!!