Confused: apparently blocked by seller after asking a question

[TwoAndTwoEqualsChaos]

I saw some footwear I quite like the look of the other day but asked a polite question about one of the photos posted, as to whether it was wear or just the camera angle on suede (though they were still quite a good price, they weren't cheap). I didn't get an answer. Anyway, I looked at them again today and noticed they had come down in price (BIN) and tried to do just that, only to find the I got the message "buyer blocked".

Very confused.

Does sound knee-jerk, but Ebay policy has made sellers twitchy about demanding buyers, sorry.

That's me. Any hint I get of a buyer being slightly non-straightforward I immediately block. Although it is knee-jerk, the time and energy that can be eaten up by a difficult seller/transaction means I make a real effort to avoid them.

I will mention though that I sell in a liquid market and losing one particular buyer will generally mean that an item just takes a bit longer to sell.

So rightlljkk depends on which part of the "ask question" you click on as there are a few choice's aren't there ? if you don't ask the right one it can cause a mark against the seller,but many sellers think that if buyers are looking for faults on the listing they will look for more on delivery hence the blocking of the buyer,not fair at all just one of ebays new rules.

Buyer can't give seller a defect by asking a Q about an active listing, it's only after listing finishes that the defects are easy to give with even a simple non-complaining question.

I only asked a question about one of the photos they had posted themselves and I had no options other than "Ask seller a question" button, as I was on my phone. They never responded to me but they did reduce the price by a third ... I was polite and it was a brief and genuine query.

And I bought the things anyway using DH's account.

Buyers asking questions like this at the purchase stage are the ones liable to be troublesome post sale- with all the bother of refunding, returning items etc. Also sellers don't have the same rights as buyers on the site- only buyers can leave bad feedback for example.
Sorry- just the way things are.

Blocking someone for asking a perfectly reasonable question is utterly bonkers!

Also, not saying this was your intention but using another account to buy an item once you have been blocked is considered as malicious buying and could lead to your account being suspended.

And it shows that the buyer's instinct was right in this instance.

Wendy, I only persisted because they were exactly what I wanted and the account is an entirely legitimate one already in existence (different email, PayPal and bank account) just DH's, not mine so filled with techie bits not children's clothes. Would that still count as an infringement? I did not know about that rule ...

If, big, that was a typo and you meant "seller" not "buyer", why? In what way were they justified? FWIW, I am just an ordinary person who sometimes buys things on eBay. I have never sold stuff, though DH has a few times, and I have never returned things or made a fuss about anything, writing off a few bad experiences against mostly positive ones. I looked carefully at the photos the seller, who seems to be a business, supplied and asked a brief and polite question about something I saw. They didn't even do me the courtesy of answering or telling me I was banned. I have also come onto an anonymous site, both to vent and for advice, and have not entered a dispute or contacted eBay.

It is rather a shame, as I have had some very good and helpful experiences with eBay based businesses.

I get asked loads of times if I deliver to Romania, Lithuania, France even though my settings are set to Domestic and I say in my listings that I only post to UK - I never answer those messages unless they're polite

FFS I'm surprised anyone's able to buy anything from EBay these days. They've made the rules so ridiculous that everyone's twitchy.

The buyer must assume the seller is dodgy and the seller assumes the buyer will try to rip them off.

If you can't ask a perfectly legit question about an item then why bother have a question button.

OP, good on you and the boots are lovely.

That was meant to say "hope the boots are lovely".

Thanks, Harriet, you summarise it perfectly and they flippin' better be after all this aggro and because my feet are cold.

Buying on another account would not count as malicious buying! If you were buying with the intention of leaving a neg and/or auction wrecking it would be - but just buying a pair of boots, nope.

Honestly some of the replies given are nonsense and just wrong. Asking a question about an item before it has ended doesn't give a defect. Why on earth would it?

I think it depends on the question. I've emailed several times and get a thank you for it because I've usually asked to clarify an error seller made or a dodgy lighting in a photo. In fact, I sometimes wonder whether to not email and take a chance as when I do email a seller, he/she then amends the listing and it attracts more bids.

I buy a lot on ebay and generally always ask questions about an item. It makes sense to make sure that the item is exactly what you want and in the condition that you want them to be before you enter into bidding. That way you are not wasting the sellers time by questioning something after the bidding has closed. I find alot of sellers do not put in nearly enough details about an item.This way I know exactly what I am are getting. I have never returned anything and am always happy with what I buy because I have taken the trouble to ascertain that it is exactly what I want before. I have never had any trouble with sellers and they are always more than happy to answer my questions. I am extremely polite too. As a seller I a list as many details as possible and if photos are not showing the item in its true light then I will explain this too. I rarely get questions because of this but when I do I am happy to answer them.
Hope the shoes/boots are lovely OP

alabastergirl Not nonsense and wrong at all, eBay policy is very clear on thus

sellercentre.ebay.co.uk/unwelcome-and-malicious-buying-policy