posted on February 6, 2002 03:07:53 AM
I usually sell on ebay, but in the past week I've purchased three different items.
On all three items, I've had to practically beg the sellers to send me an end of auction e-mail so I know how much I owe and where to send the payment.
As a seller myself, I send out the notices within an hour of the auction ending, but with these sellers, I've had to ask for the total due every day for three or four days before I'll even get a response. None of them have sent me any information without my asking for it first.
Yesterday, I finally sent an e-mail telling one seller if he didn't want to complete the sale to let me know and I'll buy the item somewhere else. This was after three e-mails over 4 days asking for the total due. He finally answered me, but his e-mail was a bit rude. I really wanted this item by Valentine's day but they took so long getting back to me that I'll be lucky to have the item by Easter.
posted on February 6, 2002 03:53:04 AM
I've had the same problem myself. I had forgotten how poor some sellers are. I'd say the difference between the decent ones and the bad ones is 50%/50%. They either know what to do or they don't. The good ones are great, but the lousy ones are so bad it's pathetic.
Probably the main reason why sellers complain about business being bad is their own fault. The only reason I buy on eBay at all is to save some money or for something that is not likely to turn up elsewhere. I use to consider eBay first, now I consider it more as a next to last resort.
I don't ask for much. Just email at EOA and get the stuff out packed well when you are paid. No rocket science and nothing really different than I do for my bidders. Even something this easy is way beyond the comprehension of many sellers.
posted on February 6, 2002 04:37:18 AM
I am finding this to be true with the sellers that use Ebay's checkout system or any automated EOA notice like the one here at AW. Those sellers appear to have the additude of: Hey, since I have an automated notification system in place, I don't need to respond to those question as it is already in the automated notice. I am finding that most questions being asked aren't answered in those automated notices. Personally as a seller, I always send a personal e-mail to all winning bidders. Usually within an hour or two of close. That way, the buyer will have all of the info in front of them and it also gives instructions to e-mail me if they have any questions which are usually answered within 24 hours. Any seller that doesn't respond to an e-mail should not be in the business or as far as the buyer is concerned, should not buy an item from the non-responsive seller. It is an open inventation for trouble down the road if you do.
JMHO
bp
posted on February 6, 2002 05:49:02 AM
I use the WBN on AW and revised it to be personal and friendly with all the info the buyer needs. I dont think *I* personally have any kind of attitude because I use it and if a buyer emails me I will always answer. AW is just a tool to make the whole selling process a little easier and faster. I respect my buyers, they are the ones that gave me business and put some extra cash in my pocket. If a Buyer does'nt happen to fill out the WBN (which happens about 1/4 of the time)...so what! The info I need for shipping is all there in the Paypal record. What I'm trying to get to is any seller that uses automated notices should JUST see it as a tool and not as a replacement for customer service.
MEOW
posted on February 6, 2002 05:52:59 AM
--monkeysuit On all three items, I've had to practically beg the sellers to send me an end of auction e-mail so I know how much I owe and where to send the payment.
This has caused me to even look at positive FB’s for comments like: “great item, e-mails need work, poor packaging.”
Also, if I see a seller with FB’s in the thousands, I may send a question before bidding. How he responds (or not responds) determines whether I bid.
I even get responses AFTER the EOA when it is too late to bid!
…sellers appear to have the additude of: Hey, since I have an automated notification system ..I don't need to respond to those questions … I am finding that most questions being asked aren't answered in those automated notices.
As a buyer I hate those automated, cold, deaf and dumb e-mails. At EOA if I have to ask my same question 3 times and wait 24 hours for each reply, I am ready to bust. As a buyer I send out friendly, upbeat e-mails saying “Hi, I am the winning bidder of your auction, blah blah blah” only to get a robot e-mail that totally ignores all the info I sent, ignores the instant payment I sent, and wastes my time with waiting for the auto-mails to run their course.
As I seller I send out personal, quick EOA e-mails, check to see if they already paid, already sent their address, and so on and try to be FRIENDLY. I do not like having that Ebay notification stuff automatically added to my ads.
I also have buyers that send me those stupid auto-mails, never make a single response to my e-mails, and I don’t know how or when they will pay until a payment appears.
Ebay should add the instant notification service as an OPTION on the seller’s form just like auction counters.
Just email at EOA and get the stuff out packed well when you are paid.
I have been forced to ask sellers to “Please package carefully as I have received items damaged due to Post Office.” That is my polite way of saying “due to poor or non-existent packaging.” Like getting a DVD in an envelope!!! I had to replace the jewel case.
posted on February 6, 2002 07:10:03 AM
"As You said It doesn't take a rocket scientist"
You're right - it doesn't. A quick and simple personal email from me at the end of each auction makes a world of difference. I always include the item title-the item number-payment instructions for all types of payments-a request for their payment preference and their shipping info. My husband does all the packing for me. Why? Because he is better at it than I am, that's why. I have over 500+ positive feedbacks and the majority of them compliment me on the packaging. The personal touch matters. As sellers we must realize that we are not sending info to another machine-we are sending info to another human being and act accordingly. If sellers want to use the WBNs' that's fine for them-personally I don't like to receive them so I assume that my bidders don't like them as well. Just my opinion!!
posted on February 6, 2002 07:15:23 AM
Much of the poor seller behavior may be due to the many, many new sellers on eBay. I think the general public has recently discovered that, "Hey I can sell stuff on eBay too," but many don't understand how to do it well.
Of course, there are also the 2000+ feedback guys that have never provided good service, too.
posted on February 6, 2002 07:40:29 AM
Maybe I'm just lucky.
In the last 30 day's I've purchased 3 item's.
The feed back on these sellers have ranged from: 0 to 2000.
And in all 3 cases I've had the item in my hand in 4 day's or less!
Maybe as a seller,I know what seller's look for and that helps to expidite things!
posted on February 6, 2002 10:29:27 AM
Is it really so hard to consider how'd you'd like to receive service? Anyone who has ever bought something from web, phone or mail order should have some clue as to what's expected.
It's really sad because bidders who get burned or just ignored by the typically indifferent seller usually lumps the whole site as problematic.
posted on February 6, 2002 11:59:44 AM
When I'm buying I find in many cases if the person is selling only a few items they are less "in the know" about timely response and safe shipping.
I had one seller email me after four days and state that Ebay gives them 3 days to notify the bidder.
I too must explain to sellers how to pack items. I even had one seller tell me they don't worry about extra padding because they insure all items and if it gets broken USPS will rfefund the mone.
posted on February 6, 2002 02:40:48 PM
As a buyer, I expect the following:
1. Confirmation e-mail. It can be Paypal, eBay Checkout, or the seller's own.
2. Item shipped e-mail. Or at least a payment received e-mail with an item shipped e-mail following up with tracking number (if possible.)
I hate wondering if they received payment, or when I should expect my item. I also don't want be that shmuck who asks if his or her item shipped two minutes after the Paypal payment is sent.
[ edited by sun818 on Feb 6, 2002 02:47 PM ]
posted on February 6, 2002 02:46:03 PM
I agree...an "item was shipped" email is nice! I also hate wondering when the heck an item I won will actually get to my door. I really find that the Shipping Status notice is a great communication tool.
MEOW
posted on February 6, 2002 04:06:50 PM
The other day while I was browsing the listings and came across a seller who said that they wouldn't be sending out any notices after the auction closed because the required information was available in the checkout system and all of the buyer had to do was type in all of the required information regarding the destination address , etc.
posted on February 6, 2002 04:46:40 PM
ptimko.....I'm with ya, this weekend I was shopping for a camera. Some auctions have all the instructions to go to a different site for checkout, or they say no notices sent out, or DO NOT EMAIL ME, and on and on.
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It just felt too time consuming and like by bidding I was "bothering" somebody. I much preferred bidding on the plain old ebay auctions instead of jumping through a bunch of pages of somebody's automatic site.
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A regular auction to me felt like there may actually be someone on the other end just in case communication was necesary. It also felt like my bid was not an annoyance and may actually even be somewhat apreciated.
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I realize this is only a perception thing from reading the TOS, but that's the feeling I came away with. Interesting because I was really reading the TOS as I was planning on spending a couple hundred bucks which, for me, is a pretty good chunk of money and I wanted things to hopefully go smooth.
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I noticed myself really wanting an old-fashioned, regular auction and hopefully nice simple "from a person" EOA notice with my information.
[ edited by goldpanner3 on Feb 6, 2002 04:48 PM ]
posted on February 6, 2002 06:52:28 PM
After realizing some buyers want to know that there is a human on the other end, who will take care of their package, I don't mind the e-mails anymore. The answer is already in my Confirmation e-mail, but some buyers prefer a timely response instead.
I suppose if you can accurately anticipate buyer questions in your description, you are likely to get more bids and less of a reason for the buyer to look elsewhere.
posted on February 6, 2002 07:04:38 PM
I always send out a personal EOA notice, but I do not send it until eBay sends me their notice. In the check out form I state "I will send you an email after I receive eBays EOA notice. Please wait for my instructions.Thanks". Some of us have to work in the outside world and we don't sit here by the computer waiting for the EOA's. So wait. Then I get where the buyer has rushed to the checkout just after they win the item. Well it goes both ways. Poor sellers, poor buyers. My TOS states exactaly what I take. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand my TOS and if the buyer would read the whole description they would know.
posted on February 6, 2002 08:15:57 PM
Libra63:
You don't send Email till you get the Ebay EOA. I'd hate to wait for you! Most of my customer's have their item before that happens. Sometimes it takes day's!
posted on February 6, 2002 08:35:34 PM
You hit some valid points, Sellers should be in tune and provide the best possible customer care. I would point out that there is a place and a need for the automated system. I used to do everything by hand- individually for each auction. Its was great for the customer but it ate my lunch in labor cost. A few auctions a week was no trouble. When we began doing 40 to 60 a week it was impossible. We now use as many of the automated tools as possible,But still do hand emails for questions. Some sellers leave auctions running during sales trips, vacations and out of town sprints - picking up the emails and EOA Q & A after returning. You may have run into this ( nothing wrong with it) or you may have just had a run in with an nonattentive seller - There are all shapes and sizes on ebay- just as there are in the RT world. Keep your chin up and youll do fine.
posted on February 6, 2002 08:40:27 PM
It's really all a matter of common courtesy, isn't it?
I was guest relations manager for a large hospital and had to work with new employees and volunteers about how to treat patients and their families.
I honestly feel that courtesy (which is good customer service, right?) is learned in the home and is almost unteachable to people who haven't already learned it. The attitudes of some hospital employees was unbelievably arrogant. It was discouraging. I had to show some folks why it's important to look people in the eye, and some volunteers why, when they're at the information desk and someone asks for a patient with a "hard last name", they shouldn't frown and ask to have it spelled. Making the "customer" wrong for even asking. Truly amazing.
I've carried what I know into selling on eBay; my buyers are informed with personal messages every step of the way--when their payment arrives and I've left feedback, when their item has been shipped, etc. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW AS A BUYER! DUHHHH.
No, it's not hard to figure out what good service means. But some sellers don't even try to figure it out. Others think that they don't need to be concerned about it because they will never have contact with a buyer again. Others sell so much that they don't seem to care if a few buyers are disgruntled.
posted on February 7, 2002 01:11:14 PM
I like to send out a personal emailas soon as possible. I think the new "automated" service at Ebay is in my way. It seems to be such a bother to get the email of the buyer. Then I have to go back and copy it into the adres, copy the item name and number into the subject line and finaly get my nice freindly invoce in order. I do nto know what ebay is sending out in the meantime. And I think the customer must be confused. It takes me three times as long to send out the info to they buyer as it once did. I guess that is automation.
posted on February 8, 2002 06:21:31 PM
Funny this subject came up as my sister and I were talking on the phone just today and she said she has won several items and the sellers won't send her their addresses to send payment. She says she thinks that sometimes they want her to pay by Paypal and think if they don't send a mailing address she will use Paypal. However, she won't and she said she hates BEGGING to send money to a seller.
Sort of off topic but my recent experience with a seller was having them charge me for a mailing envelope (after not mentioning this in the auction but I wanted the item and didn't want to make a big deal out of it) THEN proceeded to send the item in a USED envelope AND stuck a religious flyer in with the item as well.
posted on February 8, 2002 09:25:57 PM
Whether or not a seller chooses to use checkout, I still prefer to have some kind of response if I'm purchasing an item from them. Even if it is just a "cut and paste" response to acknowledge receipt of my payment or a forwarded copy of the eBay EOA notice with their address and payment info included.
Whenever I have auctions running I usually have standard form letter I send out with the eBay EOA included at the end of the email. I try to answer any questions or concerns that my buyers have. Unfortunately, on this last run of auctions, I had to tell a potential buyer that I didn't have time to examine the item I was selling in detail to provide him with the information he requested.
I had listed the auction (which was a bunch of mint postage stamps for collectors) as being in sound condition but some of the stamps in the auction lot may or may not have minor faults. I didn't have the time to examine each stamp in detail and was offering them at less than 15% of the suggested retail price in the most recent price guide. The buyer asked me to describe the condition of each stamp in detail. I wrote back to him and said that I didn't have the time to do that, that there were no major flaws in any of the stamps but there might be some minor ones (as I had described in the auction). I suggested to him that at less than 15% below retail value I felt that my starting price was reasonable and if that if he didn't then he probably shouldn't bid on my auction. He didn't bid and the item went unsold...
On the brigher side, at least I won't have a buyer who is disappointed...
posted on February 8, 2002 09:26:23 PM
You can stop these automated end of auction e-mails from ebay by doing the following:
Go to MY EBAY
Go to Preferences/Set up Tab
Click on Update Checkout preferences
Enter password if needed
Choose: No, do not display eBay's Checkout button.
Submit.
posted on February 8, 2002 09:40:56 PM
Clearly buyers want prompt responses to email. It's a problem we've wrestled with for a long time. We send out EOAs manually when we get the eBay notice (unless we see a delay, which is rare).
So, on any given morning, here's the freshly-arrived mail, all of which must be dealt with or replied to:
24 eBay end of auction
14 I just won your auction please send info
20 Where is my order?
15 Question to seller about your item
10 Do you take PayPal?
5 Item received, thanks
5 I can't find the payment info you sent me
2 I made a mistake bidding, please fix it
2 Have I paid you yet?
2 Do you combine auctions?
Buyers, which category should we deal with first? And after that, and so on. Each person who sends us email probably believes theirs is the most important one we'll receive all day. Keep that in mind as you prioritize this list.
I'm really interested in seeing what you guys might come up. I hope to learn from it.
posted on February 8, 2002 11:42:58 PM
Within 30 to 60 minutes of auction end, I'm sending my EOA message, personalized, with total due, including shipping, payment methods, my mailing address, and any questions I'd like the buyers to answer (like zip code if heavy object, choice of shipping methods, etc.) I make a game of getting to them before they e-mail me. This cuts down considerably on the messages that cross in the ether.
However, when I buy something, I do the same thing and probably drive the sellers crazy!
posted on February 9, 2002 02:21:50 AM
My email processing works like this...
First and before anything else. Delete SPAM
Then:
1.) End of Auction notices to winning bidders
2.) Inquiries about current auctions
3.) Read winning bidder responses for any special requests or other information. Respond as required.
4.) Receipt of payment and item sent notification (done as the same email)
5.) Do I accept paypal? A quick no usually suffices...
6.) Do I combine auctions falls into the special requests sections. I usually state in my winning bidder notification that I will for a small fee in my winning bidder notices.
7.) Will I negotiate the price after the auction is closed? See answer to to #5.
8.) Bidder made mistake and accidently won an item? No problem, I'll cancel the transaction and relist. I don't need the hassles of trying to squeeze blood from a stone so I may as well just move on and try to sell the item again...
9.) Can I send them a final total for all auctions won? Easy now that I discovered that thru AW customer management thingy I can import all the closed auctions and search for the customers email address to list all of the auctions they have won. Nice little feature AW has there, I'm still trying to figure out how to move that list of items into a combined invoice however... Anyone know how to do this?
10.) Delete all of the new SPAM that arrived while trying to process all the previous items in the above list, then start the list over again, keep going until I've have nothing to delete or answer...
