I think one of the worst things about blogging is coming up with a damn post title. Most of the time, I'm here just to rant and ramble on about things that are of no importance to anyone except myself.
As like most mornings, I sit here at the kitchen table wasting valuable time surfing news sites, Facebook and eBay. All while the cat lies on the bookshelf soaking up the rays of the sun. She's an old gal at nearly 17 years of age. But she still looks good. And more importantly to her, she still runs the place. She's usually on the table with me trying to get to my laptop in order to enjoy the warmth it generates. And I think we all know that it's the literal warmth it generates and not the huggy feely warmth of the internet.
Today, I'd like to focus on the hazards of selling on eBay. As a member of a Facebook group who focuses on buying and reselling, I am constantly running across posts from a seller who is afraid of negative feedback. Today's post concerned an item that the seller purchased at a "charity" thrift store. You know, the kind that receives donations and then sells those donations in their store? Well, the seller is new to the game of thrifting and resale. She recently sold a pair of boots for more than she paid for. Shocking, isn't it? As if all those who sell on eBay are selling only to break even and not to actually profit.
The problem is that the seller forgot to remove the sales tag and now the buyer not only knows what the seller paid for the item, but is complaining that the seller has sold a donated item. And guess what? The buyer wants a refund as a result of the item not being as described. Seriously?
Sadly, the majority of posters are advising her to accept a refund. That it's just good customer service to do so. I disagree. Vehemently. Why? Because, in my opinion, many buyers these days have become monsters. Thanks to some big name retail stores who offer extremely generous return policies, customers have not only come to expect the same from everyone else, many have abused it. So much so, that I noticed one of those big retail stores have now tightened up their return policy.
There's nothing wrong with a legitimate return request. If the item was in fact not as described (i.e. described as blue when the item is actually red) then, of course, process a refund for the buyer. But, if you've done your job of accurately describing the item, and you have clearly stated in your listing that you do not offer returns, then you should back up your no return policy. Otherwise, you become a doormat, someone who will do anything to please a customer who may still bad mouth you in the end.
And for the record, I buy significantly more than I sell on eBay. My husband can vouch for it. As a buyer, I concern myself less with the feedback rating of a seller and more with the reason for bad feedback. I've learned that the majority of bad feedback is the result of a new seller who made minor screw ups while learning the ropes. I've also learned that some buyers fail to read descriptions or view photos of the item before bidding or purchasing. One that sticks in my mind was the buyer who purchased a handbag without straps or handles. The listing clearly stated that the bag did not have purse straps, yet the buyer left negative feedback anyway... because the bag didn't have straps.
So, what does Bill Murray have to do with today's post? Absolutely nothing. I just needed a post title.
