Questions about ebay sellers!!

bohohobo

bohohobo

tamale loco
May 30, 2009
926
2
#1
There are so many threads on buyers I thought why not start one on sellers.
Here are some lingering questions I always have as a buyer, I can't find answers to about sellers on ebay, hopefully you can provide an insight. Feel free to post your questions too, maybe seasoned ebay sellers can answer them as well.

1) Why are obviously used items listed as mint/new?
E.g. http://cgi.ebay.com/Baby-Bumbo-Seat...in_0?hash=item41482b9d0b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 If it's listed as "never used" then why don't they ensure that the desc doesn't mention usage?

2) Why do sellers bother to put the BIN price so close to starting bid, e.g. 0 bidders, starting bid $99.99 BIN $100.50?? Aren't selling fees cheaper if you just went with the BIN with best offer; or forget about BIN just cancel listing with 12h left if bids aren't high enough??

3) As a compulsive ebay shopper, nothing infuriates me more than bidding on an item with very low start price, a high BIN and a reserve price close to the BIN, without a hint on the reserve. Why don't such sellers make it easier for bidders by revealing the reserve, they will invite frustrated bidders to bid high then retract bid out of spite just to see the reserve price!

4) Why does ebay allow sellers to get away with high shipping to recover more than just selling fees? Many occasions I've seen a blouse that costs no more than $5 by USPS First Class gets listed as something like $19.99 shipping for same mode, I report it and listing still lasts the full duration!

5) Why do sellers use stock photos for used items without actual photos? If they're gonna mention "slight scratch on corner" or "lining has a small stain", why not just show it?

6) Why do sellers list washable items as "has small mark on fabric but will come off when wiped" just clean it themselves before listing, how difficult is it to wipe clean something and possibly fetch higher winning bids than list a dirty item off-putting to buyers I don't understand.

7) Why do some sellers be honest and up front with smoking and possible pet hairs, rather than mention "I don't smoke", I receive item reeking of stale ciggy smoke and seller explains other family members smoke? Why don't they just list it as "comes from smoking home" and saves them refunding item, dealing with PP's lengthy claim process, lose out on shipping fee and risk getting a negative??

8) Why don't sellers keep description simple and to the point, rather than write a sob story on how the item is unwanted e.g. a bitter divorce and needing to get rid of ring because got new jealous boyfriend even if it fetches $1? Or a lengthy composition on how you didn't create a registry and got gifted 37 identical items?? This section states "item description" not "seller biography"!

9) Why do some sellers who state that they bought it recently, new release less than 5 days ago, and decided not to keep it just return it to the store for full refund, rather than list on ebay with a lower BIN??

:nuts: *boggle*
 
#3
1) Mint means there are no flaws. The bag has been well cared for and/or worn a few times.
2)Final Value fees are lower.
3) The seller does not have to go through with a sale if the reserve is not met. "Why don't such sellers make it easier for bidders by revealing the reserve, they will invite frustrated bidders to bid high then retract bid out of spite just to see the reserve price" Not sure I follow this logic since I don't think that way.
4) Ebay has placed restrictions on shipping for some categories but not all. As a buyer you can always ding their dsr's or report the listing to ebay.
5) Occasionally I've had to use a stock photo for the first picture of my listing. However, I mark it as a stock photo so there is no room for deception. I do this only when it is hard to capture the true color or look of the handbag that I am selling. All other photos are of the actual bag and I say this in my listings.
6)-
7)-
8)-
9) Some sellers get really great deals on handbags or other items and pass those savings on to their buyers.
 
#4
1) some people think if the item is "tried on" then it is not used. I'm more surprised at the shipping charge for that bumbo, that thing is huge and she only had it at $2.99
2) FVF is always lower for auction style than BIN
3) Ebay doesn't allow you to reveal reserve price. Some sellers list items at a very low starting px to attract more attention from buyers.
4) If you don't agree to the shipping fees, don't bid. Ebay takes time to look at the reported listings and don't get to them on time.
5) Ask for real pics if you're interested. Some sellers are new and lazy and don't want to take/upload pictures
6) The sellers want to list the item as new- if the seller washes the item then it is no longer considered new.
7) Some smokers don't realize how awful they smell.
8) Some buyers want to know why seller's are selling the items and I get that question all the time (none of their business IMO)
9) They special order them, or don't want to return out of embarrassment and don't want their SAs to lose the commissions and there could be a host of other reasons (none of the buyer's business IMO)- if it's a great deal I don't understand why buyers care.
 
#6
1) Why are obviously used items listed as mint/new?

Generally, to draw more interest and make a lot more money from the sale.

They hope the buyer won't complain and/or won't know how to file a SNAD dispute, so they'll keep their ill-gotten gains.

If it's listed as "never used" then why don't they ensure that the desc doesn't mention usage?

Because they're confused as to what 'never used' means? :shrugs:

Or perhaps they're trying to confuse?



2) Why do sellers bother to put the BIN price so close to starting bid, e.g. 0 bidders, starting bid $99.99 BIN $100.50??

Because they hope the buyer will just think; 'Oh, well, if it's only 51 cents more, I'll just hit BIN now, rather than waiting for the end of the auction to bid and risk losing it.' and that equals a quick sale and a little more money for the seller.

Aren't selling fees cheaper if you just went with the BIN with best offer; or forget about BIN just cancel listing with 12h left if bids aren't high enough??

As others have said, as far as I remember, the fees are lower for auction-style than BINs.

Also, it doesn't look good if a seller goes around cancelling their auctions all the time. :nogood:


3) As a compulsive ebay shopper, nothing infuriates me more than bidding on an item with very low start price, a high BIN and a reserve price close to the BIN, without a hint on the reserve. Why don't such sellers make it easier for bidders by revealing the reserve,

Because a) it's against eBay rules to reveal the reserve and b) they assume that a greater number of people will bid if the start price is low and just hope that one (or more if they're not shill-bidding!) of these bargain-hunters will like the item enough to bid high enough to reach the reserve.


...they will invite frustrated bidders to bid high then retract bid out of spite just to see the reserve price!

I'm not sure how often that actually happens?

But, again, buyers get into trouble if they keep retracting their bids all the time.


4) Why does ebay allow sellers to get away with high shipping to recover more than just selling fees?

Do you mean shipping fees?

Many occasions I've seen a blouse that costs no more than $5 by USPS First Class gets listed as something like $19.99 shipping for same mode, I report it and listing still lasts the full duration!

Assuming you do mean shipping fees, eBay don't get around to doing things very quickly, at all - I think they're probably overworked/understaffed.

For example, I presume they prioritise reports of counterfeit auctions over too-high shipping fee ones and yet, the former often run their full course, too.



5) Why do sellers use stock photos for used items without actual photos? If they're gonna mention "slight scratch on corner" or "lining has a small stain", why not just show it?

Because they can't be bothered to take pics and/or they think the TRUE condition of the item will put off potential buyers and/or they're selling fakes and/or they don't actually have the item at all. :tdown:


6) Why do sellers list washable items as "has small mark on fabric but will come off when wiped" just clean it themselves before listing, how difficult is it to wipe clean something and possibly fetch higher winning bids than list a dirty item off-putting to buyers I don't understand.

Probably because it will not actually just wipe off and they either know it (because they've already tried it!), or they're too scared to try it, as they might damage the item (and would rather let the buyer take that risk!).


7) Why do some sellers be honest and up front with smoking and possible pet hairs, rather than mention "I don't smoke", I receive item reeking of stale ciggy smoke and seller explains other family members smoke? Why don't they just list it as "comes from smoking home" and saves them refunding item, dealing with PP's lengthy claim process, lose out on shipping fee and risk getting a negative??

Again, they know they won't get anywhere near as much money for the item if they're honest and they just hope their buyer won't bother/know how to file a dispute/claim.


8) Why don't sellers keep description simple and to the point, rather than write a sob story on how the item is unwanted e.g. a bitter divorce and needing to get rid of ring because got new jealous boyfriend even if it fetches $1? Or a lengthy composition on how you didn't create a registry and got gifted 37 identical items?? This section states "item description" not "seller biography"!

eBay encourages sellers to include personal stories.

They say it improves the chance of a sale, but I'm not totally convinced, TBH.

It's true that sellers who always do that often appear to sell a lot, but I think it may quite often be a mirage, as it's the sort of thing that dodgy sellers/scammers do a lot and of course, they often appear to have lots of buyers but, really, many of those 'buyers' are shill bidders.

That's not to say that all sellers who post personal stories are scammers, of course, by any means; but you get the idea?


9) Why do some sellers who state that they bought it recently, new release less than 5 days ago, and decided not to keep it just return it to the store for full refund, rather than list on ebay with a lower BIN??

:nuts: *boggle*

Good question.

From what I've heard, in the case of non-business sellers, often, because the store is a long way away - so they will lose less selling the item at a small loss, than they would if they had to drive all the way back to the store. Also, as Pigalle says, some may be embarrassed to return the item (perhaps they raved about it in the store and then changed their mind?!).

Apparently, some professional/semi-professional sellers buy so much from certain stores that they get discounts.

Or perhaps they work at the store and get staff discounts?

I don't agree that it's not the business of the buyer, though, as they may just be trying to ascertain whether the item is auth, or not.
 
Last edited:
#7
Just wanted to clarify one thing - eBay doesn't care if you reveal your reserve amount (and many buyers won't bid if they don't know the reserve).

From eBay help:

Important: eBay will never reveal your reserve price to potential bidders. But sellers often receive inquiries from bidders about the reserve price. This is allowed on eBay. Likewise, revealing your reserve to a bidder is allowed, but not required. If you don’t want to reveal your reserve price, you can politely let the bidder know that they can bid what they like and if the bidding meets the reserve price the item will be sold.
Click to expand...

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/reserve.html
 
#9
Can anyone clarify the answer to #2?

I know FVFs are lower with auctions than BINs, but If you do an auction style w/ BIN and someone BINs, do you pay the auction style FVF or the BIN FVF?

There is a big difference in the fees, esp on bigger ticket items.
 
#11
gr8ful1 said:
Can anyone clarify the answer to #2?

I know FVFs are lower with auctions than BINs, but If you do an auction style w/ BIN and someone BINs, do you pay the auction style FVF or the BIN FVF?

There is a big difference in the fees, esp on bigger ticket items.
Click to expand...


If you do an auction style with a BIN option and someone BINs then you pay the auction style FVF, not BIN FVF. That's why there are many auctions with a BIN price that's just a dollar higher and so on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back