Monster buyers

[ChristieF]

I've been selling (and buying) through ebay for about eight years but have packed it in altogether now because of horrible buyers. Sellers can't give buyers negative feedback anymore though they can do it to you. I have had several buyers telling me things haven't arrived and when I disputed this they suddenly appeared! Also one buyer damaging the item and claiming for it from me. So she gets item and payment back! All these people from Doncaster way strangely. Why's that? Also horrible abuse that ebay won't do anything about. I'd stay away from ebay if I were you.

Erm ... should you be taking this up with eBay?

Doncaster is a well known demonic pit, that's why.

Not really...where is it anyway?

I do know what you mean about ebay, it's shite and annoying me in various ways at the moment.

I have been buying and selling for about 6 years through ebay but am going to carry on as I have had no trouble at all with buyers. In fact I have only come across very nice people who buy.

So to you.

I don't know anything about Doncaster. Don't even know where it is. I have taken it up with ebay many times but they just give you the same old nonsense. There's nothing they can do. There's no comeback whatsoever for sellers now that we can't name lying buyers. Yes I only had nice buyers but eventually you will get the ones who say their goods haven't arrived or were damaged. I have had enough of the stress. I don't see why a buyer should be able to call me all sorts of names and get away with it. Ebay should have cancelled her membership when they saw that. They don't care as long as they are making money.

Actually if you look you will notice that many sellers now insist on buyers paying to track their items, or on buyers having to pay for signed for delivery. This is for one reason only-buyers lying about non-delivery, so getting both the item and their money back. It's a real scam. If you sell enough you'll come across these people too.

Yes i just include the 75p or whatever in my postage for tracking.
The only trouble I had with a buyer in 6 years was the lady who tried to insist that she would send a courier for my buggy which I was insisting had to be local pick up only so that I could make sure the buyer was happy before it left me.
I have never had any abuse or rudeness from buyers and the twice in two years I've had someone not happy with the purchase I've just told them to send it back straight away and refunded in full. I look on the odd one of those as a cost of selling on ebay and put them down to experience.
There is plenty of comeback for sellers now, just not through the feedback. The buggy winning bidder threatened me with bad feedback if I didn't stay in all day waiting for a courier, Ebay have a place to report 'feedback extortion' so I reported her. They confirmed to me that she was being unreasonable and gave her a warning. There are other sanctions you can take against buyers, you can opt to 'cancel the transaction' or 'end communication with this buyer' both of these options you can forward emails from buyers to ebay and they will act accordingly.
Ebay is like any other kind of selling, you have to take a few grumpy customers and expect a bit of shoplifting (so to speak) as you make your money.

I have now given up selling - it's too much grief and there is too much dishonesty around now. It was good in the past but ebay have weighted the scales so far against sellers it is a joke.

I hope ebay are feeling the loss of sellers . I don't buy much anymore either!

No I don't buy anything from them now either. If they won't help to fix the problem they're not having any of my money or custom.

I know all about Doncaster. My MIL is there. What more proof of demonic pit of evil do you need?

Seriously, it's very deprived. HIV capital of the UK, highest rate of kids murdered by their parents, terrible drug problems, and dreadful unemployment due to pit closures. (Used to be a mining area, Scargill territory.) There's enormous kindness and support as well, actually - once found my DH had forgotten his Mum's b'day ON her b'day, which as luck has it is on Valentine's Day, so not the easiest date to get a florist to deliver same day, but as soon as I got a woman on the line and explained, she juggled her delivery roster and got a huuuge bunch of fresh spring flowers out. No real mark up for the date, either, bless her. Not that MIL was appreciative, but c'est la vie.

I think like a lot of extremely poor places it polarises people's innate personalities. The decent are very, very aware of how tough life can be and are darlings, and the bastards are particularly vicious.

If you go on the eBay community boards, there is a lot of talk about eBay favouring the shops and power sellers and squeezing out the small sellers.

I know I go on eBay to hunt out the bargains that small sellers give. If this goes on, Ebay is becoming too much like another online shop for me to bother. Wonder how much losing my (and other similar small buyers') custom will affect eBay's bottomline though.

Only just started to sell and on third item sold the lady said not as described etc etc, and that she will have to give negative feedback. I felt quite hurt as geniune item sold in good faith and sold without reserve. I have apologised and offered to refund if she pays postage. But I have a funny feeling that what she really wants is money back and not have to return it.

I have another 6 items going out in post and if all get grumpy buyers I might not bother again!!

Primose I'm right there with you. I've sold about fifty things and never had a complaint - now I've got a woman who wants to send her stuff back for a refund as it is not as described - she claims a t shirt only worn a couple of times and freshly washed was "all bobbly and yellow around the neck". She paid a fair wack for it, and I'm pretty sure she just regrets it and is looking for excuses.

ebay is anti small seller now