Ten Worst Things That eBay Sellers Do

[macro]

I'm sure there are several ebayers around here. See if you can relate to any of these "Ten Worst Things That eBay Sellers Do". This is all meant in fun, by the way, and the strong language and sarcasm that I use are a part of my attempt at humor. I'm not really this grouchy.



Without further ado, here's the list:

1. Overcharging for shipping "and handling". Just state it for what it is: you expect me to pay your eBay and Paypal fees for you.
2. Blurred, uncropped, or otherwise horrible photos. Turn that overhead light on or use a flash, would you? Are you trying to hide something by using this crappy photo? Also, load the thing into MS Paint and crop it a little, please. I’m on a dial-up connection here, and I shouldn’t have to wait two minutes for images of the stuff on your garage shelf in the background to load while I’m waiting for the actual item to appear at the bottom of the photo.
3. Poor or nonexistent description of the item. Okay, I think I’ll just guess at what this thing is like and hope for the best. Is it really that much work to press a few keys on a keyboard?
4. Failing to state shipping rate or policy. Every time I see “Buyer pays shipping” and nothing more, I want to scream.
5. Using the word “RARE” in the auction title, when a search shows that there are seven more exactly like it currently available on eBay. Just because it’s the first you’ve seen doesn’t mean it’s the only one on the planet.
6. Listing an item with a starting bid that is five times what similar or identical items have sold for in the past month. Is there some reason why someone should but that item at five times the going rate? Quit trolling for newbies – it’s not nice.
7. Making extreme threats in the fine print of the item description toward those who bid and don’t pay. It offends the good people and does nothing to deter the pranksters.
8. Using the word “vintage” to describe something that came out in 1997. You’re making me feel really old.
9. Using your unkempt cousin as a model for the tee shirt you’re trying to sell. Just lay it out on the table and photograph it, okay? The image of him standing there wearing that shirt with a demented look on his face is deterring me from bidding.
10. [insert yours here]

Okay, I can only come up with nine. Is there one you want to add?

[RedFanAlways1966]

Good stuff, macro! So true. Points #8 & #9 are funny. I am a buyer.... 18 buys and no sells for me. Points 1 thru 7 are all things that have crossed my mind in my ebay experiences.

It is okay to be grouchy! I have been called that here and I thought my REDS cohorts were being complimentary!!

Oh man... now ya make me want to go to ebay and check out the guitars. Cha-ching!

[TeamDunn]

Along the lines of shipping costs....

I HATE the items that are listed as $1.00 - $2.00 in the "buy it now" or even as the starting bid...but then shipping is $29.99 or some ridiculous amount. They inflate the shipping to avoid paying Ebay fees. Ebay should start charging fees on shipping costs over a certain amount.

I was looking for a picture to match one I had that Home Interior no longer sells. I found it for $3.00 in a buy it now auction, only to find the shipping was $39.99 :thumbdown

[15fan]

Never in my life have I ever thought about going to eBay to buy or sell something.

[oneupper]

Here's mine:

10. Making you go through their "own" complicated and undisciferable "checkout process". In the end you don't who and what you paid.

BTW..I don't mind your #1 (high shipping and handing vs. price). It's the only way you can sell a low priced item and not lose too much money. eBay charges an insertion fee (not less than $0.25), a final value fee (5.25% of the price ) and the Paypal fee (2.9% + $0.30 but you pay on the whole amount including S&H).

An example: if you sell an item for $0.01 plus $9.95 for S&H you pay $1.14 in total fees ($0.25+0.00+$0.89). Sell the item for $9.36 + $0.60 (first class mail) and it is $1.73 ($0.35+$0.49+$0/89). $0.59 per item makes a difference for folks who are going for volume.
This setup is eBay's fault, not the sellers.

[cumberlandreds]

The dealers that only take Paypal or money orders. I never buy from them because it cost me money to do this. I know dealers have to leary of bad checks but if I have to pay more in order buy their product then I usually don't think it's worthwhile.
I also bypass excess shipping costs. I buy baseball cards thru EBAY and Yahoo auctions and if they are charging something like $3.00 shipping for one card I never bid on it. They are just trying to make up cost with that excessive charge.

[oneupper]

BTW. I am "oneupper" on eBay...if you ever come across one of my auctions.

So bid with confidence!

[MrCinatit]

i've a rating of about 450 or so, all from buys...so i guess that would make me a buyer. some things which annoy me:
TONS of graphics - especially for the simplist of things. listen...i am looking for a 1969 Doug Radar...this is at mosta $2 card...why do i need a baseball theme border, flashing lights, bells, and whistles to make me want to buy this card more than some other guys' card?
people who say the items "sure looks authentic...doesn't say reprint anywhere...but per eBay policies, i must sell this as a reprint." What eBay policies? you mean the ones saying you will get toasted for not letting people know your reprint is a reprint? even worse is when i see a guy selling one of these cards, and seeing people over-bidding on them (saw one obvious reprint going for more than $100).
sellers who try to get too cute. remember the guy who was selling his wife's wedding dress about a year ago, the hilarious description which went with it? since then, there have been about a billion copy-cats. news flash, folks: no longer funny.
sellers with quick triggers. won a Ramones album...then completely forgot i had not made the payment. TWO DAYS after the auction ended...negative feedback. no email, no warning, not even a thing on the listing...just BAM. send him back an all-too-kind message telling him that was probably not a good practice to continue, as he would probably get slammed himself with negative feedback (i did not return his "favor, btw). don't think he ever sold anything again. on the other hand, i had a 1969 Craig Nettles card i had won...it got lost in a large shuffle...a MONTH later, the guy sends me a friendly reminder email. i should introduce Nettles guy to Ramones guy.
man...i've been in a ranty mood lately

[SteelSD]

Great stuff, macro and I agree with all of it. I buy and sell so I probably have too many #10's to count, but...

10. Sellers who can't take the slightest care in packaging. I buy and sell on eBay. And I'll tell you, there's a difference between damage in transit due to postal carrier stupidity and damage in transit due to seller negligence. When I spend 40 bucks on something, I have a reasonable expectation that you'll pack like I spent 40 bucks on it.

10. Sellers who tell you they can't grade items, but grade them anyway. I purchase a lot of comics off eBay. There's a pretty reasonable grading system associated with those collectibles and value is highly dependent on grading. Over and over I see auctions with the following description: "I'm not a professional grader, so I'm can't grade the the book, but it looks like it's in Very Fine condition." You dolt. You just GRADED it and if it's not in that condition, you just risked a PayPal chargeback from me if it's a pile of crap when I get it.

10. Sellers who won't leave positive feedback after I've left it for them. I don't need positive feedback immediately after I make payment, but if you don't ever leave positive feedback for a positive transaction, I won't buy from you again.

10. I'm with MrCinatit on this one. When I click on your auction and you have a bunch of flashing lights and stupid fonts and dumb backgrounds, I might purchase something still if I need it even though you annoy me, Mr./Ms. Seller. But if a seller adds the final touch of adding a cute little "mouse trail" that follows my cursor around as I look at your auction, that's move along time.

Should start a thread on Buyer issues as well. Gah!

[919191]

My pet peeve is ticket sellers selling thickets and ending their auctions just a day or two before the event. You then sweat it out hoping the tickets get there in time.

I have almost a 300 feedback- mostly selling. Sometimes I make a little on shipping- not by intention, but I just find it easier to put a flat rate. I usually ship priority USPS, so I know how much about to charge and I don't gouge. A couple times it cost several bucks left to ship, and I refunded thge difference. I doesn't bother me, though, if I profit .35 cents sometimes, because with the set fees, sometimes I actually lose a bit on shipping. If I ship 5 or 6 things, I usually pretty much break even on shipping. I hate it when someone charges 10 dollare for shipping and then stick it in an envelope and slap on a stamp.

I also hate it when buyers leave bad feedback because they find shipping is too high in their eyes, when it is a set fee in the auction. You don't like it, don't bid. I check current bidder's fedback, anmd if they do this, I ban them from my auctions.

I am the-grand-wazoo on eBay.

[Blimpie]

10. Sellers who won't leave positive feedback after I've left it for them. I don't need positive feedback immediately after I make payment, but if you don't ever leave positive feedback for a positive transaction, I won't buy from you again.

It always bothered me when I sent a payment to a seller for an item which I won; yet they refused to issue me any feedback until such as time that I receive their item. What does one have to do with the other? If I paid for the item on time--and in a manner in which the auction specified--leave me the proper feedback at that time...

It is obvious that all they are doing is waiting to make sure that I leave them "positive" feedback. Essentially, if I leave them feedback that is anything other than that, then they can torch me in my feedback. Pretty tacky IMO...

[Unassisted]

I'm a seller. I always add a small handling fee to cover ebay, Paypal and Andale fees. Sometimes items sell for the minimum, which is usually close to what I paid for them. When that happens, I am assured of not taking a loss on the fees.

Few things are more grating to a seller than packaging up an item and driving it to the shipping place when you're selling it at a loss. :thumbdown

I have been known to cancel auctions with bids before they close just to keep that from happening.

I leave all of my feedbacks for buyers once a month. If you can't wait that long to receive it, you're too impatient.

[Falls City Beer]

People who win an auction then claim their child must have gotten into their account, and can they get out of it?

Frauds. Why do people lie shamelessly like that? It's disgraceful. Why not just say, I don't feel like paying for it; I'd still be PO'd, but I'd respect your honesty.

[macro]

It always bothered me when I sent a payment to a seller for an item which I won; yet they refused to issue me any feedback until such as time that I receive their item. What does one have to do with the other? If I paid for the item on time--and in a manner in which the auction specified--leave me the proper feedback at that time...

It is obvious that all they are doing is waiting to make sure that I leave them "positive" feedback. Essentially, if I leave them feedback that is anything other than that, then they can torch me in my feedback. Pretty tacky IMO...

On the other hand, if the seller leaves positive feedback immediately upon payment, then he/she is then at the mercy of the buyer. That buyer may then have second thoughts about their purchase, nitpick the item to death, and then demand a refund plus shipping costs. I had one buyer become so unreasonable after receiving the item that I regretted giving the positive feedback so quickly. I now make sure both parties are happy before giving feedback.

The arguments on both sides of this issue make the case for just how flawed the feedback system really is, though, so your point is just as valid as mine. I've never given a negative to anyone I've bought from because I knew they'd give it right back. That's not how the system is supposed to work, I know.

[TeamCasey]

Off topic ebay complaint - The ebay address that I registered under no longer exists. I can't change my email address without giving them a credit card number.

Fuhgeddaboutit!