Feeling despondant

rose_sparky

I am in dire need of a rant.

Since new year I seem to be suffering a spate of nightmare buyers and I'm getting to the stage of giving up ebay altogether.

Whilst I appreciate the majority of buyers are lovely, honest people I have had a few unpleasant experiences these last few weeks.

The lastest troublesome buyer sent me a really rude, curt message yesterday demanding to know where her item was. This was only two days after I'd received her cheque for £70. Does she honestly expect me to despatch it the very second I receive her payment? I also state clearly in my listings that I do not accept paypal but that is another whinge from some buyers saying they don't have a cheque book or cannot get to the post office. I've had to leave two negative feedbacks this week because people haven't paid due to me not accepting paypal. :mad:

This latest person has a couple of bad feedbacks and it's obvious she's a serial whinger/complainant so I'm expecting the same even though I've done nothing wrong. I really wish this person had never won my item because I just know she's going to be more trouble.

Thankyou, I feel better now.

Hintza

Why not offer bank transfer Rose, if folk don't have a cheque book it normally means they use online banking. Easierand less hassle and once the money has cleared no bouncing cheques!

Personally I would use PayPal but understand why some folk don't like it.

motorguy

I'm with Hintza on this. if you are selling mainly low price items, say under £20, i'd seriously consider using paypal. Ebayer buyers more or less expect it these days at that price band. of course, if you sell items > that price then i can see where you're coming from.

I've had the same problem when receiving cheques, people assume just because you have received it, then you are going to send the item - they don't seem to want to understand the cheque has to clear first....

Moneymaker

You have to stay calm. At some point when you are not feeling angry, sit down and type a reply something like this:

Dear (firstname),

Thank you for your enquiry regarding delivery. I received your cheque on xxxx. Your question is answered on the auction page but I don't mind explaining in more detail. I had bad experiences with Paypal and ended up losing a lot of money due to a few really awful customers. Consequently I have been forced to accept payment by cheque only. Unfortunately, as you know, it does take a few days to clear a cheque - typically 3 to 7 working days. Please be patient and I'll ship your order by First Class Post as soon as your cheque clears.

Best Wishes,

(Your name)
____________________________________________________________________

Keep a copy of your reply in "Notepad" or similar and simply copy/paste it into your email reply as appropriate. You can build up a number of replies for different enquiries.

I would also recommend that you have a "Frequently Asked Questions" page on your own web site and direct customers to that. A big time-saver and costs no more than £22 a year.

Moglex

rose_sparky wrote:

I've had to leave two negative feedbacks this week because people haven't paid due to me not accepting paypal.

One samll suggestion: If you don't accept pp, say so somewhere very noticable.

I've been caught a couple of times because virtually everyone takes pp and I didn't notice the seller didn't. Entirely my own fault, of course (this was in the early days. I make sure and double check now), so I just sent a cheque.

pennylane99

I think cheques are becoming more obsolete now...with internet banking available.

I dont even have a cheque book anymore myself, so I when searching on Ebay to buy, I tick the box to search Paypal items only...so sellers that dont accept Paypal I dont even see their items at all.

jasmineswhiskers

Do you accept postal orders? You could cash these instantly so the buyer would get their goods sooner but there is a fee for them doing this.

rose_sparky

Thank you all very much for your comments, it's much appreciated. Moneymaker I have copied and pasted your comments for future use.

I am wary of using paypal, first due to their charges and second because I've read on here that they can take money out of your account if a buyer complains. I always resolve any problems and would not take kindly to Paypal returning money to a possible serial complainer.

Yes I state VERY clearly, in capital letters, on my listings that I do not accept Paypal.

Paypal was only one of the issues though. It seems no matter how much I jump through hoops to be a first class seller, there are rude buyers who take pleasure in sending curt messages.

All I seem to be doing at the moment is adding to my ever increasing blocked bidders list.

Anyway, on a brighter note, the sky is blue, the sun is shining and it looks like spring has sprung.

Moneymaker

I've had trouble with a couple of people. Eventually I realised that they were showing classic symptoms of Bipolar Disorder (used to be called "Manic Depression"). Typical things to look out for are:

1. Buyer sends you messages in the middle of the night. (Bipolars often can't sleep). Messages often follow one after the other, becoming more frantic and accusing you of anything and everything imaginable - almost paranoic.

2. Buyer hassles you for product specifications, seems to be looking for excuses not to pay etc. (Bipolars often "impulse buy" then regret doing so)

The best action is to issue a refund immediately. Don't deal with these people.

(If any bipolars are reading this, I'm sorry for my generalisation but I simply refuse to deal with people that show signs of mental disorder. It simply wastes too much time and does neither party any good).

Irezumi_Muzan

rose_sparky wrote:

I also state clearly in my listings that I do not accept paypal but that is another whinge from some buyers saying they don't have a cheque book or cannot get to the post office. I've had to leave two negative feedbacks this week because people haven't paid due to me not accepting paypal. :mad:

I am sure everyone is already aware but ebay have decided to implement a new scheme where all sellers must accept Paypal. It's already been tried out in America and the UK should be next. If you don't accept Paypal, they will stop you from selling. People can still pay via cheque/bank transfer/postal order but Paypal must also be an available option.

Mr_Squiddy

The overall quality of eBayers seems to be dropping steadily. For years I had no problems at all, albeit as a low-volume private seller and buyer. In the last three months I have had problems with both buyers and sellers. I am thinking of giving up eBaying altogether as I'd rather have no money and no stress.