Are buyers getting bolder?

[Lost in the Supermarket]

Seems to me that buyers on ebay are being more jerk-ish than they were even just a few month ago. Is that a trend anyone else has noticed?

Is it Spring Fever, the heat or what? Buyers seem to be less patient and more picky now than before. I don't think I have significantly changed my way of doing business. If anything, I have improved service because this is my slow time of year.

Maybe they don't have anything better to do because it is not the Christmas Rush or holiday season or summer break. Spring....a time of love and a time of grouchiness.............

[wtfebay]

Its because of how ebay implements the "money back guarantee" now.

[rsot]

Naw - it's consistent throughout the year - worse around holidays in fact and worse if your niche is VERY exclusive e.g. your niche has products that are meant for mothers....well Mother's day is coming so...

[Kristian]

Originally Posted by Lost in the Supermarket

Seems to me that buyers on ebay are being more jerk-ish than they were even just a few month ago. Is that a trend anyone else has noticed?

Is it Spring Fever, the heat or what? Buyers seem to be less patient and more picky now than before. I don't think I have significantly changed my way of doing business. If anything, I have improved service because this is my slow time of year.

Maybe they don't have anything better to do because it is not the Christmas Rush or holiday season or summer break. Spring....a time of love and a time of grouchiness.............

I don't think there is a change. Usually for me the problems come around Christmas since the USPS likes to take its time that time of the year. But I have noticed that I enjoy smooth periods of time where I don't have problems with buyers, and then when one buyer starts being bitchy, they all come in a pack. So you might be experiencing one of those.

[CustomerServiceProTip]

Lately, I had a buyer buy an item from me, right when he received it, he escalated to a case RIGHT AWAY without even saying anything. When I message him what's wrong he just ignores me, looking for a free product and money back.

[unkown5454]

180 days to open a case! That's why, sucka!

6 months, I break my items, I get free products from you! Whoohoo...long live PP!

I have found problems seem to come in batches.

I have noticed that INR seem to increase whenever Tony makes an appearance as you sign in "Get the item you ordered, or your money back" (words to that effect)

[vogeltron]

I always seem to have the most problems from mid February to about June even though my sales are lower than the rest of the year.

[Lost in the Supermarket]

Originally Posted by vogeltron

I always seem to have the most problems from mid February to about June even though my sales are lower than the rest of the year.

Same here....

I am wondering if I am subconsciously slacking off a little bit during my slow time to regroup from the busy times of October through March......

I checked sojme things over the last two years nad you are right.....the problems come in batches and usually this time of year. I will go hundreds of transactions without a problem and then....BANG.....3 or 4 issues within a few days. And I am sure they are not one competitor doing it. My stuff costs too much to use as FB fodder.

[Haidukken]

Originally Posted by rsot

Naw - it's consistent throughout the year - worse around holidays in fact and worse if your niche is VERY exclusive e.g. your niche has products that are meant for mothers....well Mother's day is coming so...

This.

Holiday and other stress related holidays are the worst because people expect everything to be delivered yesterday, whilst paying 0.99p for an item that costs £100-200 and then to top the needy customer off, you have most delivery companies ****ting the bed because of the sheer volume.

Last year I had a good year in terms of postage problems, meaning I sent out around 1300 UK parcels, all second class and they reached the customer with 100% success rate. Then Christmas came around and on one week, I lost 3 out of 10 parcels.
Talk about ****ting the bed.

[Bunneh]

Originally Posted by Haidukken

This.

Holiday and other stress related holidays are the worst because people expect everything to be delivered yesterday, whilst paying 0.99p for an item that costs £100-200 and then to top the needy customer off, you have most delivery companies ****ting the bed because of the sheer volume.

Last year I had a good year in terms of postage problems, meaning I sent out around 1300 UK parcels, all second class and they reached the customer with 100% success rate. Then Christmas came around and on one week, I lost 3 out of 10 parcels.
Talk about ****ting the bed.

Thats why its best not to sell so close to xmas.. it comes back to bite you

[Lost in the Supermarket]

Originally Posted by Bunneh

Thats why its best not to sell so close to xmas.. it comes back to bite you

Really? I was doing this stuff to make money, not to build statistics on delivery and other stuff. If I didn't sell stuff during the holidays my volume would go down at least 50% for the year. But I guess my FB would be 100% instead of 99.6%.............

The only stat I care about is if I am hitting marks to qual for the 20% discount. Otherwise 75% of my headaches would come from 1% of my customers.

[vogeltron]

Originally Posted by Lost in the Supermarket

Same here....

I am wondering if I am subconsciously slacking off a little bit during my slow time to regroup from the busy times of October through March......

I checked sojme things over the last two years nad you are right.....the problems come in batches and usually this time of year. I will go hundreds of transactions without a problem and then....BANG.....3 or 4 issues within a few days. And I am sure they are not one competitor doing it. My stuff costs too much to use as FB fodder.

No idea what you sell I think I might remember you talking about a general area that is similar to mine. I sell the same things about July/Aug through Feb and 3x times as many without many issues. Then it seems like the off-season comes for what items I sell. Then I get hit with complaints I don't see my core time of the year. I have been selling on eBay consistently since about 05/06 and I can say this has been true every year since then.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by vogeltron

No idea what you sell I think I might remember you talking about a general area that is similar to mine. I sell the same things about July/Aug through Feb and 3x times as many without many issues. Then it seems like the off-season comes for what items I sell. Then I get hit with complaints I don't see my core time of the year. I have been selling on eBay consistently since about 05/06 and I can say this has been true every year since then.

People might have more time to waste on complaining hah