Buyer Harrassment

[stwestbro0]

I am newer at selling here and have just sold two items to the same buyer within a fortnight's time.  He writes me almost constantly. With the first item sold, I had told him I may have more and other things besides but that I was sick (which I was and still am) and would later unpack some things when I felt more spry to check.  I told him I would contact him once I had done this. I further told him he would have priority to buy anything of a similar nature and that I would send him photos. Only two or three days later, he began hounding me to get up to start going through boxes. Even though I felt off, I  did it anyway so he would chill already and found two items he might be interested in. He chose one of them and bought it.

I shipped it out on Saturday afternoon and early Tuesday, received a complaint from him about how the item wasn't there yet  and this is with it still being under its maximum estimated delivery date at the time of my writing this post. I was told by him that Yodel is an 'absolutely disgusting service' (is it?) and not to send him anything through them ever again. I replied saying that the maximum date has yet to be reached, sorry for any inconvenience and to please let me know in advance if he expects 1-2 day shipping should he buy anything more from me in the future. 

He has written me several messages since, saying the other item he bought from me came via Royal Mail, how much better it is, blah blah. And he sure uses lots of these: ! I guess I am being yelled at?

I'm still sick, this guy is beginning to stress me out and now I am worried he is going to leave me negative feedback when, so far, I haven't done anything and the item isn't even late yet. And the messages continue ever on and on...

How do I best handle this buyer? Patience doesn't seem to be a particular virtue of his. I am only just getting going here at Ebay in needing to recoup some funds recently lost due to the cancellation of some plans .  So, I really don't need any negative feedback. 

[*guinevere*]

Fist up, put this pita on your blocked list here Blocked Bidders you really don't need the stress at the moment. 

On the link, once you've added him scroll down a little bit and tick the box to stop blocked bidders messaging you.

The messages won't stop immediately because you've been in a transaction with him but provided you ignore him from now on the messages witll stop.

Sometimes te money is not worth the stress it causes.

[simplyessential_uk]

 I was told by him that Yodel is an 'absolutely disgusting service' (is it?) and not to send him anything through them ever again. I replied saying that the maximum date has yet to be reached, sorry for any inconvenience and to please let me know in advance if he expects 1-2 day shipping should he buy anything more from me in the future. 

I use yodel all the time and send about 20 items a day and had 1 issue in the last month so the perception is that they are awful but I dont find that to be the case - Buyers can download the yodel app and leave a safe space and pinpoint their address so far better tech than RM.

Id reply to this buyer with this:

I appreciate your concern and can confirm that I posted your order on Saturday afternoon but if I had missed the collection time it will not have left there until Monday.  Please note that all your delivery can take 3-5 working days to arrive so it may arrive more to the the end of the week, but I hope it arrives sooner. 

In order to assist in a smooth delivery you can download the Yodel app and input your tracking (XXXX) and view live updates of your parcel in transit.  You can also pinpoint your address and leave instructions for a safe place if you are out.  

You can also download the app and input his tracking to watch where it is before replying if you want to give a more detailed reply - more than likely out for delivery and you will have good news for him

You can also input the tracking into Yodels tracking website but it will just show last hub scans etc.

PS - Once the item has been delivered any neg left can be removed if he references the delivery etc so if that happens go to the help pages and its in a green box "request feedback removal" and follow that

As suggested block this buyer as you dont want him buying again if hes messaging all the time

[rjwilmsi]

Block the buyer. Life is too short to deal with unreasonable and overly demanding buyers.

Send them a single short, polite message along the lines of "the item was dispatched on time using the courier stated in the listing. I have personally found Yodel to offer a reliable service when used previously, so I used them for this item. If you are unhappy with the item or service please open a return to send the item back for a full refund". Then don't reply any further unless/until they open a case - if that happens only reply via the case and only send a message if necessary.

If you are unwell then selling on eBay isn't that important right now, take the recovery time you need and return to it when you're ready.

[jckl1957]

Summing up the advice given:

Stop selling to this person.

Block them - add them to your 'blocked bidders list' and make sure your preferences are set up to block messages from bidders on your list.

Delete any more messages without reading them.  If they have any issues with the items they have received or are waiting for, they can open a case and contact you via the case.

For the future though, be more professional.  Don't hint to buyers about future items you may have for sale.  Buyers can add you to their saved sellers list and Ebay notify them when you list new items. I never message bidders - it only leads to issues such as you have experienced.

[peturning]

You wait until the item he bought from you is reported as delivered and then you block this person.

Block early and often seems to be the best rule of thumb when it comes to the internet, don't even think twice about it.

There's plenty of customers, if your common sense is telling you this one is bad news - and clearly they are already causing you issues - then go with it.

[dancewithadingo]

Good Evening Stwestbro

You can also restrict sales to a buyer ie stop them from buying more than a certain number of things in a specified time frame.  I can't give you that link as I don't know how to but someone else,no doubt,will.  

Hope that you feel better soon. Put eBay to one side until you well.

[peturning]

That is true, I saw that setting in selling preferences and wondered what use it would be but maybe this is the perfect example!

@stwestbro0the selling preference where you can do this is here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/buyerrequirements

[stwestbro0]

Oh, that is good to know. I am still feeling my way through this site as a seller. I had only sold a couple of things for the first time last year and had good experiences with the buyers - even a lovely one with the second. Thank you so muuch for wishing me better soon. Yeah, I got everything I wanted to sell listed for now so whatever happens with it happens for now. 

This guy has written me again since I posted the above post. I haven't read it yet - maybe the item didn't arrive today and he is irked (even though, once more, we're not at the maximum estimated delivery date yet). 

[stwestbro0]

Oooh! Thank you for the link! This all looks helpful! 

[joa.mos]

Just put this buyer on your blocked bidders list, This will stop him buying and stop him sending messages, Problem solved.

[douglaspuglas]

You can also add them to your blocked list directly from your message page if you are using a desktop browser.

Go to the bottom of their message to where it says "action".

Press that and you get links to "report message" and "block this member".

It looks like this.

[joa.mos]

Hi,
Thanks for that, I had not noticed that link, Very useful, Thanks again, Joan.

[technthread]

I've noticed in the past that the buyers who message me to criticise the courier have little or no sales history of sending items themselves but have plenty of opinions. Your buyer sounds like a bit of a sociopath but personally I would hold off blocking him just yet and let the sales complete, he could give you a negative feedback for blocking him when he would have otherwise not have bothered. 

I had a buyer yesterday who messaged me 14 times in half an hour. 1 sales cancellation and re-purchase later he actually turned out to be ok and apologised for bombarding me with questions. He was on the verge of getting blocked too but didn't come across rude like your buyer is so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. 

[peturning]

Does that block bids or messages? or both?  As in is it the same thing as adding someone to the blocked bidder list elsewhere?

[douglaspuglas]

---

@peturning wrote:

Does that block bids or messages? or both?  As in is it the same thing as adding someone to the blocked bidder list elsewhere?

---

It's just another way of adding their name to your blocked list.

But instead of you going to your blocked list and typing their name in manually it adds it for you automatically.

You have to have the "Don't allow blocked buyers to contact me" button turned on on your buyer requirements page to stop their messages.