posted on April 11, 2002 06:23:09 PM new
How sad it is when a good customer goes bad.
I have many repeat customers, some of whom pay me for auctions 12 at a time. I treat them well, ship their items overnight or second day, and they are happy.
However, a few customers are buying for resale on eBay and these people are a royal PITA.
We have a returns privilege: seven days, any reason at all, but we will revoke it if you return too many things.
So Miss Resale returns 8 items last week which were way over the seven day limit. I told her that she can no longer return anything, and to bid accordingly. Now she wants me to take more things back. Apparently she couldn't resell them on eBay. (Well, DUH! I do know how to PRICE, even if you don't, Miss Resale! These resellers think they are so gosh-darned SMART!)
I've just received the latest of a series of long rambling letters about how she's not really happy with this piece because it's got a tiny black spot on it, and she'd rather have this other piece I've currently got up for sale, blah blah blah.
She's about to get cut off at the knees.
I'm sure I'll get a whole load of negatives for it, but it's bidder block for her. Let her play these games with other people. It's an auction. Sales are presumed to be final.
posted on April 11, 2002 06:49:53 PM new
Some sellers are the worst buyers! I would put this dingbat on email block also.
Do not let someone tell you to take the high road and bend over for this "winner."
posted on April 11, 2002 07:34:44 PM new
I think it is high time for ebayers to start reminding themselves and any customers that bring it up that these are auction sales, NOT catalogue sales. Auction rules apply and any kind of a policy other than 'No Returns' is doing the customer a favor.
Yes, I am sure that I will get flamed for this, but my opinion is this. Unless I grossly misrepresent the product, there are no returns. The time for questions is before you bid. AND, yes, broken items in shipment are the shippers responsibility to the recipient, that is why I always suggest getting insurance.
(sorry, recently had a few bad runins on these topics)
posted on April 11, 2002 08:07:05 PM new
intercraft: You won't get flamed by me, because you could be right.
I have long believed that a returns policy is necessary to calm bidder fears, and it is the conventional wisdom in the marketing arena that a satisfaction guarantee is a sure way to sell more.
But sometimes the conventional wisdom is just plain wrong.
We have close to 100% sellthrough on the seller ID that starts no-reserve auctions at 1 cent and does NOT accept returns, though I expect it's just a matter of time before someone will want to return something there.
posted on April 11, 2002 08:10:33 PM new
I think the problems arise when a person quotes a specific return policy, people will try to push the envelope, so to speak. OR, no policy either way is mentioned, people will try to railroad you. I used to not mention one either way and take each instance as it came, then I started selling antenna boosters... 'nuff said.
posted on April 11, 2002 08:24:20 PM new
I think there's more trouble when there's NOT a specific return policy - helps you negotiate borderline cases. People who are inclined to take advantage will try their nasty little tricks no matter what your "policy" says, unfortunately - but having a policy in place lets other bidders know what they can expect from you.
posted on April 11, 2002 10:55:03 PM new
If I see a no returns policy in an auction, I won't bid. Sort of makes me feel that the seller is unreasonable, so why deal with them. I know bidders can take advantage, but if you have a situation with a repeat bidder, I would do exactly what fluffy did - Revoke, let them know why, and if necessary block them.
It's one thing if you get to see the item beforehand, but since that is not the case, I want a return privilige in case something is not quite right. I don't think I've actually returned a lot on ebay, but I want to make sure I can do that if I need to.
posted on April 12, 2002 06:48:54 AM new
dear fluffy, gosh you reminded me of this woman who sold painted cat rocks on ebay, they were great and a buyer of mine bought a ton off the woman....I kept thinking boy there is trouble because she never had anything sparkling to say about anyone in her emails. I saw that she was bidding on about 15 of this persons rocks (probably for resale) and I thought god she is going to be trouble. Hope you are not dealing with the same person..
posted on April 12, 2002 08:01:46 AM new
I will refund if I have made an error describing the item. Otherwise, the buyer should know what they are getting.
I guess it depends what you sell. Clothing is probably the worst for returns. How many bidders have bought a nice dress for a special event, and then returned it to the seller a few days later?
Buyers need to research their purchases, check sellers' feedback, etc. This is an auction, not a charity event.
posted on April 12, 2002 08:17:11 AM new
Painted...cat...rocks? Are we talking about rocks with cute little cat paintings on them or paintings on something <shudder> produced by a cat?
I don't think it's the same person. I haven't heard any statistics but there must be many people buying for resale on eBay. I even do it from time to time. However...
I don't "get" that these people use `I'm buying for resale, you know!' as a kind of excuse for their indecisive behavior. I've never told any of the sellers that I was buying their set so I could split it up and resell the pieces. It never occurred to me that my sellers would even care. Money is money, right?
posted on April 12, 2002 08:34:35 AM newClothing is probably the worst for returns.
In catalogue sales, that's a big 10-4. Return rates on clothing are 25% or higher. I would love to see how a big outfit like Coldwater Creek handles their returns.
How many bidders have bought a nice dress for a special event, and then returned it to the seller a few days later?
B&M stores combat this by attaching a large visible tag that says "No returns on evening wear." Perhaps eBay sellers should do the same.
It seems to me that there may be a big business opportunity in *renting* fine clothing over the Internet. Most cities have formal wear rental places...not just tuxes for men, but couture wear for women as well. Take a deposit on a customer's credit card and if they return the garment ripped, stained or whatever, charge accordingly.
posted on April 12, 2002 12:21:14 PM new
No there is a woman on ebay who sells rocks with cats painted on them. They are beautiful but she only get between 10-15.00 a piece and they are so nice it seems like it is an awful lot of work for that much money. But I noticed that a lot of her items go in big lots like one person will buy 10 of them from her.
posted on April 14, 2002 10:57:26 AM new
[i]We have close to 100% sellthrough on the seller ID that starts no-reserve auctions at 1 cent and does NOT accept returns,
though I expect it's just a matter of time before someone will want to return something there.[/i]
Hey, am I prescient or what?
Just today, buyer demanded a refund, claiming that bracelet "fell apart" when she put it on. Sorry, no, that does not wash, it is a heavy (19 grams) bracelet with sturdy links that are hard to open even with needlenose pliers.
posted on April 14, 2002 11:11:08 AM new
This week I caught a neutral from a buyer who purchased a software program and then emailed me, "doesn't run on my computer system(s)." He closed his email with, "any suggestions? " I didn't have any.
This was a $30 game in original shrinkwrapped box, rated for Win95/98. Try returning that to ANY retail store. I sold it new for $5, so it would have been worthless as a return.
I'm lucky to have escaped with a neutral, but that's the way it is with software sales. Too much scamming. It's too easy to copy the disc onto a $.10 cent CD-R and then ask for a refund.
posted on April 14, 2002 11:17:50 AM new
fluffythewondercat
Not all sellers are like the person you mentioned but some are extremely devious in the way they do business.
I know of one seller who purchases tons of stuff from Goodwill. If her stuff doesn't sell after a couple of listings she switches the tags with stuff she purchased that week and returns them. That way she recycles here old items and her new ones don't cost her a anything. I was standing in line behind her one day and watched her returning a cart load of items. I was amazed that she gets away with it.
posted on April 14, 2002 11:42:53 AM new
outoftheblue: Omig-d, you're joking. People who cheat Goodwill? I didn't even know you could return stuff to Goodwill.
Not that I shop there; the GW stores here smell bad.
posted on April 14, 2002 11:59:59 AM new
The do have a pretty liberal return policy. I have, on occasion, returned an item if I found a non-removable stain or a hole that I didn't notice before purchasing it.
Edited to add: I hate seeing sellers abuse the system though. It ruins it for the rest of us.
[ edited by outoftheblue on Apr 14, 2002 12:03 PM ]
