What I Recently Learned About Ebay Sellers

[treborefir]

I guess I don't understand why you'd want to do business with somebody who didn't treat you professionally in the past. If two people aren't compatible, it seems like a really good thing that one can stop further transactions. I wish I could set up google to avoid showing results from shops I'm not not fond of.

My rational for bidding again was that the pen I received was fine, the shipping was fast and all I wanted to know was if I could get a stub or not. The pen I wanted to bid on came with a stub so that was no longer an issue. I paid as soon as the bidding ended and was shocked to find myself blocked. That was when the unpleasantness began. He refused all contact with me.

[Cedar]

I guess I don't understand why you'd want to do business with somebody who didn't treat you professionally in the past. If two people aren't compatible, it seems like a really good thing that one can stop further transactions. I wish I could set up google to avoid showing results from shops I'm not not fond of.

My rational for bidding again was that the pen I received was fine, the shipping was fast and all I wanted to know was if I could get a stub or not. The pen I wanted to bid on came with a stub so that was no longer an issue. I paid as soon as the bidding ended and was shocked to find myself blocked. That was when the unpleasantness began. He refused all contact with me.

 

I've had a similar experience but not with a pen. However, it is disconcerting to be blocked from bidding when all you did was leave honest feedback about your experiences. If the buyer is going to be banned unless we give every seller positive feedback then the system is semi-useless and skewed. In my case, it was years later that I tried to bid on an item. I was really baffled why eBay would not accept my bid. It was so long ago that I'd forgotten it was this seller that I'd left negative feedback for (the only time I ever did leave negative feedback). I just had a friend buy the item and skipped the other items I intended to bid on and that was that. I just decided it is not worth bidding on anything where my questions go unanswered. I assume it is not the way I want it to be and move on. Still....I get what you're saying.

 

 

Cedar

[lovemy51]

why would you wanna go back to the same vendor? :hmm1:

 

it sounds like the end of an aesop's fable: "... it serves me right..."

[Robert Alan]

Hi all,

I recently purchased a beautiful Visconti Opera Club on Ebay. It was advertised as a medium but the seller had others with various nibs. I like a stub so I messaged them re availability and received no reply.

 

Hello! I have bought and sold on eBay for about ten years. As a seller, it is a point of honor with me to answer all questions within 24 hours--or less. It is certainly very important to ask questions before bidding and you did the right thing. However, since you never received an answer, that should have been a warning not to bid. That's my recommendation to anyone buying on eBay.

 

A number of fountain pen sellers on eBay ('printhardcopy' and 'phillipe.pens' come to mind) who have pens with various nibs available usually mention, in the listing, how to go about requesting a particular nib size--either with an email after the sale or in the PayPal 'comment to seller' area. If the listing isn't clear, and an email question about the nib size isn't received in a reasonable amount of time, it would be wise not to bid on the pen. No answer to question = No bid.

It seems that this particular seller doesn't follow the Golden Rule and/or he cannot manage customer service. I choose to avoid him.

 

Regards, Robert

[searcher18]

Hi all,

I recently purchased a beautiful Visconti Opera Club on Ebay. It was advertised as a medium but the seller had others with various nibs. I like a stub so I messaged them re availability and received no reply. The bidding went on and I won the pen. With my acceptance I again asked about a nib swap and again got no reply. They sent the pen and it is beautiful but came with the medium nib. I ended up sending the pen to Pendleton Brown and he made it a great stub.

 

Now comes the annoying part. I gave the seller a neutral feedback because he didn't answer my queries and I felt that was rude. So, time goes by and I feel the need to get an Opera Master and they happen to have one for sale and I try to bid on it and find that they have blackballed me and I can't bid on anything they have up for auction! I looked over their ratings and see that anyone who complains is called a liar and blocked from bidding! I called Ebay and while the customer service rep was very nice and sympathetic she said that there is nothing to be done but purchase from somewhere else. I pretty much am furious that a seller can blackball a person for giving other than positive feedback so I thought I would mention that I will not purchase from Italianpens ever again!

 

By the way, I found a really good deal with Bryant! :-)

 

 

 

 

Who is Bryant?

[foxtail1]

There have been problems with receiving items purchased from Italy and complaints about the mail. You may be lucky to have received the item.....buyer beware...

 

The seller is not in Italy. As I recall, he's in Florida.

 

 

Who is Bryant?

 

Bryant Chatterley is a highly respected seller on FPN (and ebay). See http://www.pentime.com/

 

And, for what it's worth, I generally put troublesome bidders on my blocked list as well. I know, asking a question is not troublesome to most sellers, but italianpens has a long-standing record on ebay for poor communication and arguing with all negative feedback. Imagine what it would be like if sellers could still leave negatives!

[searcher18]

Thanks for the name and address. I have him bookmarked on my computer.

[jpl]

Don't spend what you can't afford to toss away on ebay.

 

 

 

 

 

+1000

[mori45]

Don't spend what you can't afford to toss away on ebay.

 

+1000

 

I think this is true for all internet or mail order. Rarely is a low price worth the trouble and frustration of a bad transaction. Better to save up and buy from someone else.

[radellaf]

What's the alternative? Paying 50% more at a local store? I live in a state Capitol and there _are_ no local stores to speak of for our hobby.

eBay is nothing like Amazon. I generally just avoid it if I can.

[UltraMagnus]

Don't spend what you can't afford to toss away on ebay.

 

+1000

 

I think this is true for all internet or mail order. Rarely is a low price worth the trouble and frustration of a bad transaction. Better to save up and buy from someone else.

I don't get this at all, worst case scenario you just call up your credit card company and get them to reverse the charges.

[JefferyS]

I have had two bad sellers and about 100 good ones. Many bend over backwards to get good feedback. From his feedback, this pen seller seems like he's irresponsible. I would have avoided him just on the basis of his hostile responses to negative and neutral feedback.

[sumgaikid]

Where is Philip Benz when you need him?

 

 

 

John

[chrevbel]

The evil gnome on my left shoulder is whispering that I should find this guy on eBay and flood his inbox with useless questions just to be annoying. The good gnome is whispering not to get involved. So far, the good gnome is winning. But I'll admit I'm still listening to the other guy.

[Cedar]

The evil gnome on my left shoulder is whispering that I should find this guy on eBay and flood his inbox with useless questions just to be annoying. The good gnome is whispering not to get involved. So far, the good gnome is winning. But I'll admit I'm still listening to the other guy.

 

:clap1: :roflmho: :ltcapd:

LOVED IT!!! Oh so true and perceptive!

 

Cedar

[fountainpenlady]

I'd suggest being very careful about checking seller feedback and making sure your questions are answered to your satisfaction before bidding. That said, if Bryant has it in stock, the price will usually be better anyway and the service is top notch. Live and learn, I suppose.

 

Yuki

 

one and a half sense due to the Recession:

 

 

So take anything the strange man dishes for a good deal on a pen that you will hold between your fingers till you find some other pen to do the same? I think the whole idea of buying a pen beyond a disposable is the entire experience. If you are paying more than the amount for a pen that other non pen lovers would look at you as if you are insane, you should at least get more than the pen for your time, money and effort. Bad Customer Service in person can be simple, don't buy or hope they have a great return policy and use it! Bad customer service on the internet and particularly over Ebay stinks because the little recourse you have can result in exactly what happened. However, if you asked the question prior to bidding or when you could have still backed out like others have said you just have to chalk it up to experience. Why would you want to repeat buy from a seller who does not answer questions asked in a timely manner and who then blocks you because you voiced your opinion of his lapse in answering the question? I have seen plenty of folks with negative feedback still in business on Ebay. If he were as great as reported he would have responded or done something else besides making up these personal rules for people who keep him in business. If no one buys his products what will happen to all these rules he makes as someone receiving the money of others. We take our passion or love of pens a bit too far sometimes. We would at least consider if it was about something else and we were offended. Some dictators in our world, you just have to pass by and suffer not gettting the pen for maintaining your sense of who you are as a consumer, namely the person not grabbing for the money, but handing it over.

Edited September 14, 2011 by fountainpenlady

[wspohn]

Now comes the annoying part. I gave the seller a neutral feedback because he didn't answer my queries and I felt that was rude. So, time goes by and I feel the need to get an Opera Master and they happen to have one for sale and I try to bid on it and find that they have blackballed me and I can't bid on anything they have up for auction! I looked over their ratings and see that anyone who complains is called a liar and blocked from bidding!

 

You aren't dealing with Sears, you are dealing with an individual, and you have no right at all to expect that they will deal with you next time or ever again. If they get feedback they don't like, they are perfectly free to ban you.

 

Thanks for sharing! This is outrageous!

 

No it is not. It is completely understandable. That particular seller does not tolerate problematic buyers - there are (apparently) enough buyers out there that don't hassle him, that he doesn't need to bother with those that do. The fact that he also happens to be a bit less than ideal in terms of responding to queries is irrelevant.

 

I guess I don't understand why you'd want to do business with somebody who didn't treat you professionally in the past. If two people aren't compatible, it seems like a really good thing that one can stop further transactions. I wish I could set up google to avoid showing results from shops I'm not not fond of.

 

Exactly. The seller has written you off as a complainer, as he is entitled to do. You should have clarified any questions BEFORE you bought it, not afterward, or you shouldn't have bid.

 

People on Ebay (and elsewhere) seem to feel a sense of entitlement about how they have a 'right' to be treated when in fact they have no such rights whatsoever. If the seller doesn't like the figurative 'look' of a buyer, they are free to arbitrarily ban them from their auctions and you are entitled to no feelings of indignity when they do.

[NoviceNoodler]

Now comes the annoying part. I gave the seller a neutral feedback because he didn't answer my queries and I felt that was rude. So, time goes by and I feel the need to get an Opera Master and they happen to have one for sale and I try to bid on it and find that they have blackballed me and I can't bid on anything they have up for auction! I looked over their ratings and see that anyone who complains is called a liar and blocked from bidding!

 

You aren't dealing with Sears, you are dealing with an individual, and you have no right at all to expect that they will deal with you next time or ever again. If they get feedback they don't like, they are perfectly free to ban you.

 

Thanks for sharing! This is outrageous!

 

No it is not. It is completely understandable. That particular seller does not tolerate problematic buyers - there are (apparently) enough buyers out there that don't hassle him, that he doesn't need to bother with those that do. The fact that he also happens to be a bit less than ideal in terms of responding to queries is irrelevant.

 

I guess I don't understand why you'd want to do business with somebody who didn't treat you professionally in the past. If two people aren't compatible, it seems like a really good thing that one can stop further transactions. I wish I could set up google to avoid showing results from shops I'm not not fond of.

 

Exactly. The seller has written you off as a complainer, as he is entitled to do. You should have clarified any questions BEFORE you bought it, not afterward, or you shouldn't have bid.

 

People on Ebay (and elsewhere) seem to feel a sense of entitlement about how they have a 'right' to be treated when in fact they have no such rights whatsoever. If the seller doesn't like the figurative 'look' of a buyer, they are free to arbitrarily ban them from their auctions and you are entitled to no feelings of indignity when they do.

 

Sure, the seller is entitled to do as they please, but it's a terrible long-term business model. I think the original poster has the right to feel a little put-off that he never responded to any inquiries. That left a luke-warm feeling for the seller and he was honest about the feedback. Who wants to buy from an unresponsive seller?

 

I guess for the time being he has enough customers who are desperate enough for his prices to put up with his lack of service, but I can't imagine that will last forever.

 

Anyway, agreed that it's best to move on and vote with one's dollar: find more professional, friendlier sellers, and buy from them.

[scribbler77]

Thanks for reporting this. I buy a lot on Ebay and will strictly avoid this seller!

[raging.dragon]

Now comes the annoying part. I gave the seller a neutral feedback because he didn't answer my queries and I felt that was rude. So, time goes by and I feel the need to get an Opera Master and they happen to have one for sale and I try to bid on it and find that they have blackballed me and I can't bid on anything they have up for auction! I looked over their ratings and see that anyone who complains is called a liar and blocked from bidding!

 

You aren't dealing with Sears, you are dealing with an individual, and you have no right at all to expect that they will deal with you next time or ever again. If they get feedback they don't like, they are perfectly free to ban you.

 

Thanks for sharing! This is outrageous!

 

No it is not. It is completely understandable. That particular seller does not tolerate problematic buyers - there are (apparently) enough buyers out there that don't hassle him, that he doesn't need to bother with those that do. The fact that he also happens to be a bit less than ideal in terms of responding to queries is irrelevant.

 

I guess I don't understand why you'd want to do business with somebody who didn't treat you professionally in the past. If two people aren't compatible, it seems like a really good thing that one can stop further transactions. I wish I could set up google to avoid showing results from shops I'm not not fond of.

 

Exactly. The seller has written you off as a complainer, as he is entitled to do. You should have clarified any questions BEFORE you bought it, not afterward, or you shouldn't have bid.

 

People on Ebay (and elsewhere) seem to feel a sense of entitlement about how they have a 'right' to be treated when in fact they have no such rights whatsoever. If the seller doesn't like the figurative 'look' of a buyer, they are free to arbitrarily ban them from their auctions and you are entitled to no feelings of indignity when they do.

 

I agree that a seller has the right to refuse to business with a buyer he doesn't like; however, the shunned buyers also have the right to publicly complain about that seller. Such complaints benefit other buyers by warning them about sellers best avoided.