Messages ignored by sellers

[neiwheat]

One thing that really is getting worse is seller communication, not responding to messages and basically treating buyers as a nuisance!

 I find this very odd and now will not buy from someone who can't be bothered to respond or interact even if I want the item.

I have messaged a few sellers numerous times and no reply, rude, unprofessional and disrespectful.

Your thoughts please!

[bennotbill]

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@locoscripters wrote:

If you are a seller,  whether full time or not, you have a duty to answer questions quickly and courteously.

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No seller sits in front of their computer screen 24 hours a day. Even big shops online set times they can be contacted and by what method.

I'm surprised you even use eBay. Have you tried contacting them lately?

[locoscripters]

Why are you surprised I use ebay? I am a successful seller why would I not?

Nobody expects seller to sit in front of a screen 24 hours.  But there is no excuse for not replying to a potential buyer within a day or so. If you walked into a shop and asked the assistant for information about a product on display you wouldn't be very impressed if they ignored you. As others have said it's rude and unprofessional. 

[jckl1957]

I find that answering messages is more often than not a waste of time and that the asker could frequently find out the answer if they actually bothered to read the listing.

This week, I sold a jewellery travel case, stating in the listing 'genuine leather' and was asked if it was real or faux leather.  Did not reply to that one.

Yesterday, I got a message asking if I combined postage.   I copied and pasted the following from the listing the member was asking about: ' I am happy to combine postage if you win multiple items. If the total value of the items you buy is more than £10, I will only send using Signed For or Tracked postage.  Price will vary depending on the weight and value of the items purchased.'

Did they bid on any of my items? No. Was the information they wanted in the listing? Yes. Was I wasting my time replying to them? Yes!

[locoscripters]

I agree many buyers don't read the listing descriptions but I do. And a recent experience of mine was simply asking a seller if they would combine postal costs for multiple items. This was not stated in the listing or the prepared replies and was a perfectly reasonable enquiry. No reply. Twice. Thus, the seller missed out on a multiple sale. I say that is poor selling technique. 

[zoomingmouse]

I think the general lack of information given in a listing has got worse.

Possibly other categories are better, but clothes is pretty bad - currently looking for a particular sort of jacket & hardly anyone gives measurements, or more than a one line description.

Unless you see the listing early enough there usually isn't time to ask a Q & get it answered in time.

[lyndyluc1603]

Totally agree with that.

[electricjaws2429]

As a seller if someone messages me ,I would never ignore a sensible polite message , for example if someone asked me for a specific measurement and it was already provided in photos, I would politely tell them,if I didn't have it in the photos I would provide it , sometimes though you get silly messages like " will that dress fit me "? ( umm not sure as I cannot see you !!)

[hill-walker]

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@electricjaws2429 wrote:

 sometimes though you get silly messages like " will that dress fit me "?

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Haha - yes, I had a guy a couple of weeks ago ask, re a rucksack,  "would this fit my daughter?"... no age, no size. 

I actually gave him some measurements, plus a photo of my wife wearing it... got the sale within 30 minutes 🙂 

[237ben]

If a seller ignores my message I just move on. No sale, and I don’t fret about it. 

To be fair, I ignore a helluva lot of listings. 

[tenorcon-42]

I don't understand why so many people get so worked up over this.

If I send a seller a message, and they don't reply, they don't get my money.

If they block me for having the nerve to ask them a question, that's OK with me too.

They need to remember that there are way too many sellers chasing too few buyers on here - they are obviously not affected by the globalist "cost of living" scam, so give your money to someone who actually appreciates it!

[l.biles]

To be honest with you I do have the same problem about people not answering messages on ebay. I lost my engagment ring recently and I have seen another one just like it and the right ring size. I have asked the seller several times to measure the stone as I know it came in various sizes and just want to confirm this before making an offer but no reply to 3 messages. Really sad as it would have been a like for like replacment.    

[lyndyluc1603]

So sorry to read you lost your engagement ring, that's really upsetting for you. And the seller not replying to your query just makes a bad situation worse. Now then, I may well be being overly sceptical here, but are you sure the ring being sold isn't your actual engagement ring and so maybe the seller doesn't want any questions on it because it's not rightfully theirs to sell? 🙄. Just seems a bit odd to me, but, like I said, could just be me being overly sceptical 🧐. Either way, it's frustrating and annoying when sellers don't bother replying to queries about something that's not got info about in the listing! Wishing you the very best of luck for finding a replacement for your beautiful ring x

[l.biles]

Has crossed my mind! Thanks for your reply

[robertandannegardner]

I am happy to move on, but it is not a minor issue and I downgrade the seller feedback accordingly.

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

Not every seller has all day to spend answering messages.

Some sellers sell hundreds or even thousands of items.

Or maybe they feel they have already described the item fully ?

[Anonymous]

Hi

I've had the same problem. In the end if they don't respond I don't buy from them.  Case in point, I asked a specific question about an item and needed a reply so I could buy with confidence. I sent the same message twice and then got a vague reply saying they would get back to me.  I've now waited days and have still not had a reply so I won't be buying from them at all.

I am a business seller and always reply as soon as possible to any query.

[lyndyluc1603]

It's good to read that you are far more respectful to your perspective buyers than some others are. On behalf of all buyers I thank you.

I really feel it's time that eBay cracked down on sellers who don't reply, especially those who are given plenty of time to reply in case they are unable to read/reply quickly, and/or those who get asked a question two or three times! 

What I did once, on an item of clothing that I liked and needed, was to ask questions on the measurements, several times, spanning about 3 weeks! 

When the (private) seller still didn't reply I bought the item in the hope the item would fit me (being the size that the item was listed to be).  When I eventually received it ( very late!) it sadly didn't fit - was about a size smaller than it was labelled as. So, I left feedback stating this and the fact that had the seller had the decency to reply to my pertinent question on the measurements I would not have purchased it and added that I would not be buying from this seller again. Then I opened a return on the grounds that the item was not as described. So the seller lost out in the end.  All so unnecessary, all for the sake of bothering to reply to my courteous, polite messages asking for the measurements! 

Good luck in your future sales 🙂

[alicat84]

 I 100% agree with you, it's very disheartening and frustrating.

I messaged a seller asking if they would post a guitar ( lives in same country as me) and I offered 

£30 on top of any sale price for the trouble ( can be done for £10 but wanted to incentivise them)

The thing is its guitar model that  now only comes up on Ebay every 12 months or so and I

desperately want it to replace my model which has issues.

The seller's feedback says he has great comms yet he clearly does not, people should not

take offence when they put "Collection only" because they can't be arsed to post it and pack

it properly.

If you list a rare item people are going to ask questions if they know what it is and try by any

means to negotiate to own it.

I've sold guitars and from my experience you increase your sales by 90% if you offer postage.

I get they dont want to break it  ( I say that but keep reading)  but if a buyer is offering any price on

top of an items final value then they are clearly

someone that would look after it and appreciate it so give them at least a response.

Even of it's an ignorant "Nah fanks tho!"

People dont care anymore, it's only easy money they care for.

Even if they sell an item to someone that would trash it.

I just purchased 2 necks for my model ( the last 2 by all accounts in the world I could find) and the 

seller sent them in a paper thin box so they were both smashed into bits ( You know when you are

so frustrated and gutted you feel like crying with disbelief at other people's ignorance)

Time before that I found a whole guitar and a different seller did the same and the rare guitar 

turned up smashed into 2 pieces?

His response was "Dunno what your problem is!? I'm refunding you aren't I!?" 

It wasn't about the money and it took me 10 years to find that guitar again ( same model for this 

whole post).

Honestly standards have just disappeared, people dont care as long as they get money.

I do get other items, vinyls that most sellers do take great care in packaging so I dont mean

everyone but for those sellers out there that dont reply, can't be bothered to be reasonable or

apologise for their errors and can't pack a box to save their life. 

Do us a favour change your usernames to ignorantdouche2023 or something to give us a heads 

up lol

[comm-2648]

Ive been suffering this for over 2 years nothing worked app  desktop pc laptop different country etc etc

zero messages would come in from buyers

over 150 sr chats

30 hours ofrecorded phone calls

5 technical tickets still open !.

Then Jan 13th dribble fed messages started to work we thought its over  2nd Feb bang back at it messages not coming in again!!

Cant continue like this  no one can work it out or fix it -how are you suppose to run a buisness on ebay if you cant comunicate

[bradclark8615]

I found this thread because I was looking for someone else who has had a similar experience to me. I agree, I have had the same silent treatment from numerous sellers mostly in recent months. This is with private sellers who only have a few hundred sales at most. I have sent offers for items using the 'Make an offer' tab and literally had no response to the offer. Messaged the seller to find out what their best price is seeing as they are accepting offers and still nothing. Sometimes it is to legitimately find out info about the product to get a clearer idea of the condition where the photos and description dont offer enough info. I also like to establish some kind of connection especially when its high value as this gives me some indication of the sellers customer care ethos. I work in retail and have worked in hospitality and know how vital it is to maintain prompt and open lines of communication as this makes the customer feel valued and confident in the transaction. Its just common courtesy really. Like you say, when sellers cant be bothered to respond it is an indicaiton to me that they don't really care and I don't want to enter in to a transaction with such a person. I sell lots on eBay and I know the service I give is top notch and frankly expect the same.