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Wow - EXTREMELY rude ebay seller!
- Thread starter justginger
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Not to continue beating a dead horse but I have one more tiny thing. What’s wrong with shopping at Goodwill stores?
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
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Not a thing.
best place to find books along with the Salvation Army stores :}
I usually buy 10-20 each time.
I also found 7 sweaters for 2 bucks each in perfect shape! snag!
Salvation Army store often have some nice silver jewelery for sale at nice prices also. Snag!
I stop in at both every couple months.
Last time picked up a perfect condition couch less than a year old for $65 that was $600 in the stores around here for my brother.
ChunkyCushionLover
Ideal_Rock
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Wow this thread makes me sick I am quite surprised David on your comments I am surprised you jumped on this bandwagon.
Newsflash People:
This seller has sold almost 3000 items and over 1000 in the last year.
It pretty clear their sales model:
Cheap prices but the items are described to the best of their "limited" abilities.
This probably means they have figured out that anyone not satisfied with the description as it is will not be a likely customer and isn't worth their time.
I have no doubt they have lowly paid workers running the site and questions and the model is "What You See Is What You Get." They don't have a gemologist checking a $100 item nor should they. This is no different than those $10 an hour counter salespeople who show you stuff and can't answer any questions intelligently. The only difference is they work on a lower margin and have lower overhead.
THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS IS UP TO THEM!
Judging by the 99.9% positive feedback and over 1100 items sold in the last 12 months I'd say it works for them. Their is no intention to defraud and in general buyers are receiving items to their expectations or the sellor is making the proper correction.
Ebay will do nothing about rudeness and would simply enforce the ban the sellor has placed on the OP.
What makes me even more sick is those of you who wish to waste this sellors time further with questions when you have no intention of buying.
Look at the prices and items being sold
OP
1) You were interested in an item due to the low price.
2) You contacted sellor and they didn't want to answer your questions, they are clearly not used to dealing with picky PS customers. In addition they are used to many many people who don't know how to properly READ!(not uncommon for ebay powersellors!). This wasn't you but that person answering emails is not the sharpest tack in the box and they didn't understand the nuances of your questions.
3) Instead of asking the questions again in a way they could understand your response was inflammatory and the sellor no longer wanted to deal with you as they felt you would waste their time. (Probably true you aren't the kind of buyer they are targeting). I can guarantee you the sellor is not losing any sleep over losing you as a client.
4) So you wasted your time playing the "rudeness" card and now we have a 3 page thread on PS about how rude the sellor is.
There is nothing fraudulent about this sellor and no reason for me to blacklist them. I am a picky shopper and don't try to ebay shop for jewelry as it doesn't suit my tastes, but I can see how this ebay sellor would appeal to the less selective shopper and thats usually not someone willing to spend countless hours on pricescope.
For those of you patting yourselves on the back or the OP for pointing out this wonderful injustice I hope you are all proud of yourselves.
In business there will often be RUDE buyers and sellers I see this everyday. My suppliers are often rude at times and my clients are often rude and impatient and I have to deal with both. Who cares how rude the person is if the deal is right? However when you play the rudeness card you cut off meaningful conversation and the deal is finished.
Maybe I'm also wasting my time posting in this thread as I'm sure many of you will play the "rudeness" card against me and will never learn the lesson here. All of this nonsense could have been avoided with a little more patience on the part of the OP, or simply moving on to another sellor with better customer service.
jewelz617
Brilliant_Rock
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- Nov 6, 2009
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- 1,547
Lynne, is that you? What exactly is a "sellor" anyway?Date: 12/16/2009 12:23:54 PM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover
Wow this thread makes me sick I am quite surprised David on your comments I am surprised you jumped on this bandwagon.
Newsflash People:
This seller has sold almost 3000 items and over 1000 in the last year.
It pretty clear their sales model:
Cheap prices but the items are described to the best of their ''limited'' abilities.
This probably means they have figured out that anyone not satisfied with the description as it is will not be a likely customer and isn''t worth their time.
I have no doubt they have lowly paid workers running the site and questions and the model is ''What You See Is What You Get.'' They don''t have a gemologist checking a $100 item nor should they. This is no different than those $10 an hour counter salespeople who show you stuff and can''t answer any questions intelligently. The only difference is they work on a lower margin and have lower overhead.
THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS IS UP TO THEM!
Judging by the 99.9% positive feedback and over 1100 items sold in the last 12 months I''d say it works for them. Their is no intention to defraud and in general buyers are receiving items to their expectations or the sellor is making the proper correction.
Ebay will do nothing about rudeness and would simply enforce the ban the sellor has placed on the OP.
What makes me even more sick is those of you who wish to waste this sellors time further with questions when you have no intention of buying.
Some of you have way too much time on your hands.
Look at the prices and items being sold, you expect to walk into a Rat Jewelry and be treated like you walked into Harry Winston. Give me a break, some of you need a reality check.
OP
1) You were interested in an item due to the low price.
2) You contacted sellor and they didn''t want to answer your questions, they are clearly not used to dealing with picky PS customers. In addition they are used to many many people who don''t know how to properly READ!. This wasn''t you but that person answering emails is not the sharpest tack in the box and they didn''t understand the nuances of your questions.
3) Instead of asking the questions again in a way they could understand your response was inflammatory and the sellor no longer wanted to deal with you as they felt you would waste their time. (Probably true you aren''t the kind of buyer they are targeting). I can guarantee you the sellor is not losing any sleep over losing you as a client.
4) So you wasted your time playing the ''rudeness'' card and now we have a 3 page thread on PS about how rude the sellor is.
There is nothing fraudulent about this sellor and no reason for me to blacklist them. I am a picky shopper and don''t try to bargain shop as it doesn''t suit my tastes but I can see how this ebay sellor would appeal to the less selective shopper and thats one that usually isn''t someone willing to spend countless hours on pricescope.
For those of you patting yourselves on the back or the OP for pointing out this wonderful injustice I find this thread a total joke. I''m glad you are all proud of yourselves.
In business there will often be RUDE buyers and sellors I see this everyday. My suppliers are often rude at times and my clients are often rude and impatient and I have to deal with both. Who cares how rude the person is if the deal is right? However when you play the rudeness card you cut off meaningful conversation and the deal is finished.
ChunkyCushionLover
Ideal_Rock
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- Jun 21, 2009
- Messages
- 2,463
CCLDate: 12/16/2009 12:23:54 PM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover
Wow this thread makes me sick I am quite surprised David on your comments I am surprised you jumped on this bandwagon.
Newsflash People:
This seller has sold almost 3000 items and over 1000 in the last year.
It pretty clear their sales model:
Cheap prices but the items are described to the best of their ''limited'' abilities.
This probably means they have figured out that anyone not satisfied with the description as it is will not be a likely customer and isn''t worth their time.
I have no doubt they have lowly paid workers running the site and questions and the model is ''What You See Is What You Get.'' They don''t have a gemologist checking a $100 item nor should they. This is no different than those $10 an hour counter salespeople who show you stuff and can''t answer any questions intelligently. The only difference is they work on a lower margin and have lower overhead.
THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS IS UP TO THEM!
Judging by the 99.9% positive feedback and over 1100 items sold in the last 12 months I''d say it works for them. Their is no intention to defraud and in general buyers are receiving items to their expectations or the sellor is making the proper correction.
Ebay will do nothing about rudeness and would simply enforce the ban the sellor has placed on the OP.
What makes me even more sick is those of you who wish to waste this sellors time further with questions when you have no intention of buying.
Look at the prices and items being sold, you expect to walk into a Rat Jewelry Store and be treated like you walked into Harry Winston?
OP
1) You were interested in an item due to the low price.
2) You contacted sellor and they didn''t want to answer your questions, they are clearly not used to dealing with picky PS customers. In addition they are used to many many people who don''t know how to properly READ!(not uncommon for ebay powersellors!). This wasn''t you but that person answering emails is not the sharpest tack in the box and they didn''t understand the nuances of your questions.
3) Instead of asking the questions again in a way they could understand your response was inflammatory and the sellor no longer wanted to deal with you as they felt you would waste their time. (Probably true you aren''t the kind of buyer they are targeting). I can guarantee you the sellor is not losing any sleep over losing you as a client.
4) So you wasted your time playing the ''rudeness'' card and now we have a 3 page thread on PS about how rude the sellor is.
There is nothing fraudulent about this sellor and no reason for me to blacklist them. I am a picky shopper and don''t try to ebay shop for jewelry as it doesn''t suit my tastes, but I can see how this ebay sellor would appeal to the less selective shopper and thats usually not someone willing to spend countless hours on pricescope.
For those of you patting yourselves on the back or the OP for pointing out this wonderful injustice I hope you are all proud of yourselves.
In business there will often be RUDE buyers and sellers I see this everyday. My suppliers are often rude at times and my clients are often rude and impatient and I have to deal with both. Who cares how rude the person is if the deal is right? However when you play the rudeness card you cut off meaningful conversation and the deal is finished.
Maybe I''m also wasting my time posting in this thread as I''m sure many of you will play the ''rudeness'' card against me and will never learn the lesson here. All of this nonsense could have been avoided with a little more patience on the part of the OP, or simply moving on to another sellor with better customer service.
You seem to be saying rudeness is a fact of life and one should just accept it!! Why?? You seem to justify at on the basis of that''s the way it is.
At the risk of sounding old (which I am!) , it''s this sort of attitude which is pervading all parts of western society to its detriment. There is a difference between being rude and businesslike!!
As for me, I will still seek out the polite genuine people (sales or otherwise) that I''m sure out there as the great silent majority!!
emeraldlover1
Ideal_Rock
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- May 20, 2006
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- 2,913
justginger....clearly some people have forgotten the meaning of the "golden rule". In this case it seems that no response would have been better than the one you recieved. In my humble opinion no one deserves to have assumptions thrown at them and you have every right to be upset that this seller turned what could have been a sale into a personal attack. I''ll keep my eye out for some studs for you.
Ara Ann
Brilliant_Rock
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- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 1,204
Surely it takes as much time and effort, perhaps more, to reply to a potential new customer, with a rude and sarcastic tone, as it does to be pleasant. If the seller didn''t have time to reply courteously, they could have kept it short, but POLITE. There is never an excuse to be rude to a customer who is asking a very valid question about a potential purchase. $400 is not chump change and the OP did nothing wrong in inquiring about the item she was interested in and there was nothing in her tone to warrant such a rude reply. it''s not her fault the seller has many items to keep track of, or has to reply to hundreds of questions about any of their listed items. In this day, with the state of the economy, I am shocked any business person has the gall to reply to a serious inquiry in that manner, if they wish to remain in business.
elle_chris
Ideal_Rock
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- Feb 19, 2004
- Messages
- 3,520
CCL, tell us what you really think
I think you do have a point and refrained from posting here because i can see it both ways.
What bugs me most is that I don''t think the seller would of said the same thing had she been face to face with a customer. On ebay though, it''s pretty easy as everyone''s annonymus.
A better way to have dealt with what she thought was a problematic customer was to just ignore the emails. No need to hurl insults.
ChunkyCushionLover
Ideal_Rock
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Thanks for the response Elle I wasn''t sure I would have anyone agreeing with my opinion. I actually posted some of this before and then edited it out to .. earlier in this thread as i though this thread would just die on its own.Date: 12/16/2009 12:55:01 PM
Author: elle_chris
CCL, tell us what you really think
I think you do have a point and refrained from posting here because i can see it both ways.
What bugs me most is that I don''t think the seller would of said the same thing had she been face to face with a customer. On ebay though, it''s pretty easy as everyone''s annonymus.
A better way to have dealt with what she thought was a problematic customer was to just ignore the emails. No need to hurl insults.
I''ve seen many ebay powersellors reply to my questions in the same way, nothing wrong with OPs first email, its her response to the reply that destroyed any chance of a meaningful transaction.
Ebay used to have an unresolved actions box where unreplied questions would annoyingly remain I''m not sure if that is still the case but most sellers feel an obligation to reply to every question even though they may feel it wastes their time.
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- May 3, 2001
- Messages
- 7,516
I am not saying that this is so, but one of the very prominent scams on EBAY is to send out an item with a restocking fee and selling it several times as it is returned. When you finally sell it you have made a handsome fee indeed.
The trick is you require a positive feedback before sending back the 85%. So 99% positive feedback does not prove anything to me. It is possible it was earned, but it is also possible it was strongarmed.
Wink
ChunkyCushionLover
Ideal_Rock
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Unfortunately that is true and is becoming even more prevalent in the younger generation and especially on the road!Date: 12/16/2009 12:49:35 PM
Author: BobR
CCLDate: 12/16/2009 12:23:54 PM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover
Wow this thread makes me sick I am quite surprised David on your comments I am surprised you jumped on this bandwagon.
Newsflash People:
This seller has sold almost 3000 items and over 1000 in the last year.
It pretty clear their sales model:
Cheap prices but the items are described to the best of their ''limited'' abilities.
This probably means they have figured out that anyone not satisfied with the description as it is will not be a likely customer and isn''t worth their time.
I have no doubt they have lowly paid workers running the site and questions and the model is ''What You See Is What You Get.'' They don''t have a gemologist checking a $100 item nor should they. This is no different than those $10 an hour counter salespeople who show you stuff and can''t answer any questions intelligently. The only difference is they work on a lower margin and have lower overhead.
THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS IS UP TO THEM!
Judging by the 99.9% positive feedback and over 1100 items sold in the last 12 months I''d say it works for them. Their is no intention to defraud and in general buyers are receiving items to their expectations or the sellor is making the proper correction.
Ebay will do nothing about rudeness and would simply enforce the ban the sellor has placed on the OP.
What makes me even more sick is those of you who wish to waste this sellors time further with questions when you have no intention of buying.
Look at the prices and items being sold, you expect to walk into a Rat Jewelry Store and be treated like you walked into Harry Winston?
OP
1) You were interested in an item due to the low price.
2) You contacted sellor and they didn''t want to answer your questions, they are clearly not used to dealing with picky PS customers. In addition they are used to many many people who don''t know how to properly READ!(not uncommon for ebay powersellors!). This wasn''t you but that person answering emails is not the sharpest tack in the box and they didn''t understand the nuances of your questions.
3) Instead of asking the questions again in a way they could understand your response was inflammatory and the sellor no longer wanted to deal with you as they felt you would waste their time. (Probably true you aren''t the kind of buyer they are targeting). I can guarantee you the sellor is not losing any sleep over losing you as a client.
4) So you wasted your time playing the ''rudeness'' card and now we have a 3 page thread on PS about how rude the sellor is.
There is nothing fraudulent about this sellor and no reason for me to blacklist them. I am a picky shopper and don''t try to ebay shop for jewelry as it doesn''t suit my tastes, but I can see how this ebay sellor would appeal to the less selective shopper and thats usually not someone willing to spend countless hours on pricescope.
For those of you patting yourselves on the back or the OP for pointing out this wonderful injustice I hope you are all proud of yourselves.
In business there will often be RUDE buyers and sellers I see this everyday. My suppliers are often rude at times and my clients are often rude and impatient and I have to deal with both. Who cares how rude the person is if the deal is right? However when you play the rudeness card you cut off meaningful conversation and the deal is finished.
Maybe I''m also wasting my time posting in this thread as I''m sure many of you will play the ''rudeness'' card against me and will never learn the lesson here. All of this nonsense could have been avoided with a little more patience on the part of the OP, or simply moving on to another sellor with better customer service.
You seem to be saying rudeness is a fact of life and one should just accept it!! Why?? You seem to justify at on the basis of that''s the way it is.
At the risk of sounding old (which I am!) , it''s this sort of attitude which is pervading all parts of western society to its detriment. There is a difference between being rude and businesslike!!
As for me, I will still seek out the polite genuine people (sales or otherwise) that I''m sure out there as the great silent majority!!
Well I pose you the following question then:
Would you rather deal with a rude person who provides horrible customer service and policies but has the exact same item for $200 cheaper and its a one time transaction? or the salesperson who is a complete delight to work with but the item is $200 more? (on a $600 item).
I think you would get a lot of mixed responses.
When you walk into a flea market do you expect every vendor to be polished, polite and courteous? Ebay is often clalled Fleabay and that is a good analogy.
I buy high end stereo equipment and electronics from ebay, its just about the only thing I would buy from there as you know exactly what you are getting. Even so I''ve been burned a couple of times but overall the gamble has been way worth it. However I don''t expect the same service as if I went into a high end audio store and asked questions to the salesman for an hour (of course at the store I would pay 3X more!)
In an ideal world we should be able to get both, but in the interest of saving time this isn''t always the case and its worth developing a thicker skin.
We will never know if those studs were eye clean to the OPs standards she made sure of this by playing the "rudeness" card.
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2003
- Messages
- 22,161
CCL,
I do not know what business you are in. Are you in the jewelry business? I was impressed by your contributions to the thread commenting on Judah Gutwein's recent article, so I am not about to dismiss your opinions. I do not agree with you, however. You are writing about your experiences as a business person. The original poster, justginger, was not in business, however. She was a consumer. As Garry Holloway wrote in the thread to which I just alluded, in retail the customer is always right. When I sold an item on eBay and a new, inexperienced, member gave me my only "neutral" ever (rather than e-mailing me with her complaint), I immediately refunded all her money, including her postage, and wrote in my rebuttal that I had done so, although she was keeping the item, and that I wanted only happy customers. I am not saying that all vendors can or should do this. I am only saying that even on eBay a seller can choose from range of options. He need not act like a third class citizen just because he doesn't own Harry Winston!
I do not know if I would have started a thread about the rudeness of a seller. I don't think it would have bothered me enough for me to do so. However I don't know why it bothers you that anyone else did start such a thread.
AGBF
ChunkyCushionLover
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2009
- Messages
- 2,463
Wink,
Sorry your theories are not plausible for this seller and for any seller accepting only paypal.
Any communication or strong arming of that nature could be reported to Ebay and for that they would respond.
Paypal also would never accept such behaviour so your hypothetical with this almost 3000 transaction sellor is impossible.
The sellor pushes the use of Paypal as the only payment option so witholding money is not an option at all as a paypal dispute would quickly end in the buyer''s favor and the buyer could still post negative scathing feedback.
There are many scams on Ebay but making any analogy to this seller in this case is unreasonable. For example some sellers have a large number of sales of low priced items and then all of a sudden they have for sale much higher priced items. Those are the sellers I would avoid. Also any seller that doesn''t accept paypal is a red flag for me. However in this case the recent completed transactions contain similar priced items which is a very clear positive sign.
In addition you can be sure that customers having to pay a 15% restocking fee doesn''t post positive feedback.
"Before leaving Negative or Neutral feedback, Please contact me to resolve the issue"
This is pretty standard for successful ebay sellors and probably means the seller is prudently forcing buyers (by scaring them with 15% restocking) into being sure about their purchases beforehand but if they do order and are unhappy will probably offer a full refund.
This usually means they will bend over backwards to satisfy the customer to avoid negative feedback. I beleive this seller uses this policy its a guess because its not written in the description of other items, but I guess because it is highly unlikely that every transaction goes as smoothly as their record indicates.
At worst case the seller tells a buyer we will give you back 100% if you don''t leave feedback on your returned item.
You all seem to focus on the "rudeness" but completely honest dealers can be rude if you catch them on a bad day.
CCLDate: 12/16/2009 1:26:17 PM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover
Unfortunately that is true and is becoming even more prevalent in the younger generation and especially on the road!Date: 12/16/2009 12:49:35 PM
Author: BobR
CCLDate: 12/16/2009 12:23:54 PM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover
Wow this thread makes me sick I am quite surprised David on your comments I am surprised you jumped on this bandwagon.
Newsflash People:
This seller has sold almost 3000 items and over 1000 in the last year.
It pretty clear their sales model:
Cheap prices but the items are described to the best of their ''limited'' abilities.
This probably means they have figured out that anyone not satisfied with the description as it is will not be a likely customer and isn''t worth their time.
I have no doubt they have lowly paid workers running the site and questions and the model is ''What You See Is What You Get.'' They don''t have a gemologist checking a $100 item nor should they. This is no different than those $10 an hour counter salespeople who show you stuff and can''t answer any questions intelligently. The only difference is they work on a lower margin and have lower overhead.
THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS IS UP TO THEM!
Judging by the 99.9% positive feedback and over 1100 items sold in the last 12 months I''d say it works for them. Their is no intention to defraud and in general buyers are receiving items to their expectations or the sellor is making the proper correction.
Ebay will do nothing about rudeness and would simply enforce the ban the sellor has placed on the OP.
What makes me even more sick is those of you who wish to waste this sellors time further with questions when you have no intention of buying.
Look at the prices and items being sold, you expect to walk into a Rat Jewelry Store and be treated like you walked into Harry Winston?
OP
1) You were interested in an item due to the low price.
2) You contacted sellor and they didn''t want to answer your questions, they are clearly not used to dealing with picky PS customers. In addition they are used to many many people who don''t know how to properly READ!(not uncommon for ebay powersellors!). This wasn''t you but that person answering emails is not the sharpest tack in the box and they didn''t understand the nuances of your questions.
3) Instead of asking the questions again in a way they could understand your response was inflammatory and the sellor no longer wanted to deal with you as they felt you would waste their time. (Probably true you aren''t the kind of buyer they are targeting). I can guarantee you the sellor is not losing any sleep over losing you as a client.
4) So you wasted your time playing the ''rudeness'' card and now we have a 3 page thread on PS about how rude the sellor is.
There is nothing fraudulent about this sellor and no reason for me to blacklist them. I am a picky shopper and don''t try to ebay shop for jewelry as it doesn''t suit my tastes, but I can see how this ebay sellor would appeal to the less selective shopper and thats usually not someone willing to spend countless hours on pricescope.
For those of you patting yourselves on the back or the OP for pointing out this wonderful injustice I hope you are all proud of yourselves.
In business there will often be RUDE buyers and sellers I see this everyday. My suppliers are often rude at times and my clients are often rude and impatient and I have to deal with both. Who cares how rude the person is if the deal is right? However when you play the rudeness card you cut off meaningful conversation and the deal is finished.
Maybe I''m also wasting my time posting in this thread as I''m sure many of you will play the ''rudeness'' card against me and will never learn the lesson here. All of this nonsense could have been avoided with a little more patience on the part of the OP, or simply moving on to another sellor with better customer service.
You seem to be saying rudeness is a fact of life and one should just accept it!! Why?? You seem to justify at on the basis of that''s the way it is.
At the risk of sounding old (which I am!) , it''s this sort of attitude which is pervading all parts of western society to its detriment. There is a difference between being rude and businesslike!!
As for me, I will still seek out the polite genuine people (sales or otherwise) that I''m sure out there as the great silent majority!!
Well I pose you the following question then:
Would you rather deal with a rude person who provides horrible customer service and policies but has the exact same item for $200 cheaper and its a one time transaction? or the salesperson who is a complete delight to work with but the item is $200 more? (on a $600 item).
I think you would get a lot of mixed responses.
When you walk into a flea market do you expect every vendor to be polished, polite and courteous? Ebay is often clalled Fleabay and that is a good analogy.
I buy high end stereo equipment and electronics from ebay, its just about the only thing I would buy from there as you know exactly what you are getting. Even so I''ve been burned a couple of times but overall the gamble has been way worth it. However I don''t expect the same service as if I went into a high end audio store and asked questions to the salesman for an hour (of course at the store I would pay 3X more!)
In an ideal world we should be able to get both, but in the interest of saving time this isn''t always the case and its worth developing a thicker skin.
We will never know if those studs were eye clean to the OPs standards she made sure of this by playing the ''rudeness'' card.
I agree you''d get mixed responses to with unqualified responses to your question.
However to qualify :-
1) Firstly a principle isn''t a principle if it can be prostituted as you describe.
2) I appreciate and undertand your analogy with the flea market but still say there''s a difference between being rude and businesslike. I try to be polite and courteous to people I deal with in any situation and hope to be treated in the same manner (although back to my original comment, it seems a vain hope) .
3) What you seem to be suggesting is that if as a business person you believe someone is wasting your time then it gives you cause to be rude. I disagree
4) Developing a thicker skin is not the answer - its part of the problem!!. In the UK we see increasingly something we call road rage!! (guess its the same across the pond??). People behave rudely and inconsiderately on the road and this antagonises other people. The situation escalates and can evel reslt in fatal accidents - all in the interest of saving time!!
jewelz617
Brilliant_Rock
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Dreamer_D
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2007
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- 28,771
CCL Your theory about the business model and limitation of the company is plausible, but if this was the case the seller only needed to say "I am sorry we cannot answer that question for you as we do not personally inspect the merchandise." And then it would all have been finished with little or no effort on their part. His/her response was dramatic and over the top. As was yours I might add
ChunkyCushionLover
Ideal_Rock
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Date: 12/16/2009 1:27:07 PM
Author: AGBF
CCL,
I do not know what business you are in. Are you in the jewelry business?
My business is internet marketing, affiliate programs and software development. I don''t have any jewelry clients but that may change in the future. If it did though I''d have to change my profile, posting style and identify myself as being in the trade to comply with PS rules. I''d also have to refrain from expressing most of my passionate opinions.
I was impressed by your contributions to the thread commenting on Judah Gutwein''s recent article, so I am not about to dismiss your opinions. I do not agree with you, however. You are writing about your experiences as a business person. The original poster, justginger, was not in business, however. She was a consumer.
As a consumer no doubt I would have to pass on this seller for that item , I just don''t buy diamonds blind but that doesn''t mean I agree with this thread or that I accept that rudeness is a reason to blacklist a seller.
As Garry Holloway wrote in the thread to which I just alluded, in retail the customer is always right. When I sold an item on eBay and a new, inexperienced, member gave me my only ''neutral'' ever (rather than e-mailing me with her complaint), I immediately refunded all her money, including her postage, and wrote in my rebuttal that I had done so, although she was keeping the item, and that I wanted only happy customers. I am not saying that all vendors can or should do this. I am only saying that even on eBay a seller can choose from range of options. He need not act like a third class citizen just because he doesn''t own Harry Winston!
As a consumer I love the fact that many PS advertisers have this policy especially the ones doing custom design work like Ocean Pearlman for high end custom design I would be hesitant to work with anyone without this policy. This is a crucial policy in the jewelry business as consumers make buying decisions based on imperfect information and trust is key. Unfortunately, for ebay sellors the salesmodel is a little different and you don''t become a customer until you make a purchase quite often. Can you imagine spending 2 hours of time writing multiple emails threads on a $100 item where the seller stands to make $5 or $10? I can see why many ebay retailors are rather short and discourteous in their responses.
I do not know if I would have started a thread about the rudeness of a seller. I don''t think it would have bothered me enough for me to do so. However I don''t know why it bothers you that anyone else did start such a thread.
My point exactly. I hate these blacklist threads, I hated the ones about Leon Mege as I view them as an emotional customer fed to further negative emotional response by many posters who really haven''t taken the time to see both sides. Sorry but this seller is not some heinous evil fraudster just an ebay powesellor who sells low priced jewelry items and does not want to spend a lot of time on pre sales quetions. The thing that makes this thread even worse is that any potential customer can easily judge for such a simple transaction if their questions are answered, and whether they would like to do business with Lynnestate and the "warning" is rather unecessary.
Of course it doesn''t surprise me how many appraisors and vendors here would admonish this seller and proclaim for all of their future customers that they would never engage in such behaviour.
AGBF
ChunkyCushionLover
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http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond-studs/earring/item_76-2413.aspDate: 12/15/2009 6:51:54 PM
Author:justginger
I'm looking around to find a pair of diamond studs to buy myself for Christmas. Ideally, I'd like to spend $400 or less -- so I've been browsing preowned pieces. My budget is my budget, and nothing more. I would love to splurge and just get some ACAs, but as you all understand, sometimes there are other things that require funds more than diamonds.Sigh.
Anyway, I found a pair listed on ebay and decided to contact the seller about a couple of things. This is what I wrote to her:
Hello,
Just wondering if you could confirm that these stones are 'eye clean' (as in, when viewing from head on there are no visible inclusion from a distance of ~8 inches)?
Additionally, your return policy includes a 15% restocking fee, unless the item is 'grossly misrepresented.' What difference in clarity/color would fall into that category?
Cheers
This is what I received in response:
I thank you for your interest,however I do not deal with 0 feedbacks. Everything you asked is answered in the description and in our return policy you should take the time to read these things and look at the persons feedback before you ask questions .
This is what I wrote back:
I have 20 feedbacks. I've been on Ebay for 5 yrs, but have not had a transaction since moving to Australia. Although it is not applicable to me, you should advertise your unwillingness to deal with 0 feeback bidders.
Furthermore, not only did you avoid the valid questions I asked, you were extremely rude. I read every word of the very little info you provided. There is NO mention of 'eye cleanliness.' Some SI diamonds are eye clean, some are not. I wanted to know if the inclusions in these stones were visible from a distance with which I am comfortable.
Using terms like 'grossly' in regards to misrepresentation, without further clarification when questioned, suggests to me that you are leaving yourself an escape route out of a disputed transaction. How much lower would the color have to be in order for you to agree it was misrepresented? K? M? It's cleverly subjective.
You've certainly lost a prospective customer in me - next time just answer legit questions and don't be rude.
And the response I received this morning:
I do not need a zero feedback person telling me how to run my business. You think you know something but your idiotic response shows otherwise. If a stone is SI1 it means slightly included genius which means you can not see inclusions without the aid of magnifacation. The only thing that was lost here was my valuble time answering a question to someone who thinks they are going to outsmart everyone. You are a time waster not a customer.If this is your five year track record on ebay20 feedbacks then you better stick to garage sales and goodwill that is where you need to shop.You have been blocked from our site do not contact us again for any reason.
I can't believe this person has gotten to an ebay power seller status with this kind of vague return policy and attitude problem. I admit I flared up in my response, but honestly she was rude -- I was enquiring because I was interested. I was not trying to waste her time. And I *had* read every word on her listing/in her store.
Anyway, for those who would like to avoid ever making the mistake of enquiring about one of her auctions, her user ID is lynnestate.
Not sure if those would interest you but 5.5mm diameter seems pretty good for the price color and quality.
http://www.abazias.com/jewelry/jewelry.asp#/c=studs and they will be happy to answer all of your questions
Also Adam at oldworlddiamonds.com sold me a 0.6 cttw pair of old european cut diamond G/H VS in WG for $600 and they were cut well even to my standards.
That was a while ago not sure what the price would be now but you might ask him.
emeraldlover1
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I am in the process of looking for 6 .18 - .20 old mine cut diamonds to repair one of my great grandmothers rings. That being said I made an inquiry to this particular seller regarding an item that possibly could fit the critera that I am looking for.
The response was quite pleasant and the seller actually answered the question at hand. Unfortunatley, it is a modern cut so it won''t work for my project.
That doesn''t mean the response justginger recieved was warrented however I did not recieve the same type of response.
Have a great day. I hope you find what you are looking for.
The response was quite pleasant and the seller actually answered the question at hand. Unfortunatley, it is a modern cut so it won''t work for my project.
That doesn''t mean the response justginger recieved was warrented however I did not recieve the same type of response.
Have a great day. I hope you find what you are looking for.
justginger
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I did not intend for this posting to get people riled up. I only intended to let people who are concerned about general courtesy know that this seller can be very rude.
I thought the very first response I received was unnecessarily rude and borderline deceitful, hence my back getting up. She had accused ME of not reading the listing (though I had), and she was really the one who hadn''t bothered to check if my questions had been answered -- or if I had the zero feedback she was accusing me of. However, in my response to her, I may have been a bit biting, but I don''t think I was OTT. The second response I got from her was just plain nasty. There''s no other way to describe it - for goodness sake, she called me a "genius" and told me to stick to garage sales! I wouldn''t even speak to someone I knew and personally found distasteful in such a manner!
CCL, I understand where you''re coming from and really appreciate your effort to locate me something nice.
I think the root of our disagreement lies in what kind of behavior we find to be acceptable. In business, you can identify with that woman. As a customer, and generally kind human being, I can not. I would like other people who have as thin of skin as me to be forewarned. I''m sure she hasn''t given me a second thought, but her nasty words have been in my head for two days.
el1, I am very pleased to hear you got a nice response. Maybe she was just having a terrible day when she interacted with me.
I thought the very first response I received was unnecessarily rude and borderline deceitful, hence my back getting up. She had accused ME of not reading the listing (though I had), and she was really the one who hadn''t bothered to check if my questions had been answered -- or if I had the zero feedback she was accusing me of. However, in my response to her, I may have been a bit biting, but I don''t think I was OTT. The second response I got from her was just plain nasty. There''s no other way to describe it - for goodness sake, she called me a "genius" and told me to stick to garage sales! I wouldn''t even speak to someone I knew and personally found distasteful in such a manner!
CCL, I understand where you''re coming from and really appreciate your effort to locate me something nice.
el1, I am very pleased to hear you got a nice response. Maybe she was just having a terrible day when she interacted with me.
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I think the response was rude. It is obvious the seller does not need your money. Aren''t you glad you did not send your money his way? I have encountered rudeness like this as well. I have to admit a certain satisfaction when keeping my money and walking away. Some people are just not nice and when they are in sales they just can''t make the jump to being nice even for a sale. So no soup for you!
ChunkyCushionLover
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ChunkyCushionLover
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Wink,
I just want to reiterate that theory is impossible. With paypal there is no possibility of strong arming. Perhaps a deal whereby no feedback is left and in exchange for not leaving feedback the customer receives a full not 85% refund but otherwise nothing can play with those ratings. I would hate for other posters to take your theory as common or prevalent and have a complete distrust for all Ebay sellers. If you can''t trust the Powersellers than all of ebay can''t be trusted and that really isn''t the case.
CCL
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I have read in many trade journals that this is a common practice on Ebay. It is not my theory. I have not personally used Ebay in years, I found it impossible to sell nice jewelry there, even when I tried to give things away at melt value. Thus I quit using it.
Me personally, I would not shop there, I like to have a relationship with my sellers, just as I do with my clients. I have no issue with those who do, it is just not for me, and yes, I know I pay a bit more for my desire to have a personal relationship with my sellers, it is worth it to me.
I also know that Ebay has many fine vendors, but it also is rampant with outright fraud which Ebay largely refuses to police. Back in the times when I had time on my hands I used to browse and report the obvious frauds. A power seller friend of mine used to do the same thing with Rolexes, which he sells, but even the blatant frauds were not taken down. I have heard that they are now working on this, but it is years overdue. Again, I reiterate, I am not referring to this specific vendor, I do not know anything about them.
Wink
ChunkyCushionLover
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The difference between the Ebay of old times and modern ebay is PAYPAL and its policies. Paypal has steadily increased the maximum insurable value on items and lowered the feedback and number requirements to receive full buyer insurance on a particular seller and items.
Usually with good feedback on the seller anything under $2000 is fully insured by paypal these days.
When you file a claim Paypal must take all of them seriously as it affects their insurance and they work quite efficiently at this.
What this means is most transactions are 100% insured and the claims process with Paypal is far better than with ebay.
Also it forces Seller to act more responsibly as now a more impartial judge is involved and would examine the transaction.
Questions on ebay and responses can be used in claim disputes especially in the case of Not as Described refund requests.
I have had to file two claims with Paypal and in both cases my claim was item not as described, and the honus was on the seller to prove otherwise. If the seller cannot or does not respond in a timely manner, than I am refunded the full amount to my account upon proof of shipment of the item back to the seller. If the seller doesn''t respond or does not fight the claim then the consumer also wins by default. Because now its Paypal and their insurance acting on your behalf against a seller the safety of ebay has increased dramatically.
Ebay is a low cost alternative for a bargain on lower priced items and can sometimes work out, PearlLunar is an example of a ebay seller often recommended on Pricescope as they sell pearls directly from China at decent price/quality ratios.
Hey, cant really comment on rudeness or not (I wouldn''t deal with this vendor though), because Ive never dealt with Ebay Gem Sellers. But I have a general question with a disclaimer in the add.
It says:
*All weights are approximate.
*Diamond clarity and color grades are opinions of the describer.
Is this a common disclaimer? I mean, it basically gives someone like me (who is still learning about diamonds) or anyone who knows nothing about diamonds, complete and utter leeway to say a J is a D, or an H is a E. These are at least kinda objective as yellow is yellow and white is white, but in terms of clarity, I know I couldnt classify a VS1 from a IS1, nor a I3 from IS2. I could tell you which looked better, but I couldnt begin to say this is this and that is that.
If this is a common thing? I''m not sure I would ever buy from Ebay sellers when I have no idea what their abilities are.
(Sorry for the hijack, I was debating at one time buying a ring from Ebay but didnt feel comfortable enough, and just kinda curious about this)
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This is good to hear. It is high time that they started protecting their client base.
The other side of course, is that I constantly hear from vendors that they are unfairly treated by PayPal in even eggregious claims against them. It is an imperfect world, this Internet we all love so much. Ebay is not for me, I am too much a dinosaur, I still like to talk with people.
Wink
ChunkyCushionLover
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Thats not a threadjack its right off one of Lynnestate''s description pages. What it means is these are not lab certified and you have no guarantee if you sent it to GIA they would grade it the same. This is exactly what the OPs original concern was and its a valid one.
Not very comforting is it? But this is quite common for stones under 0.3 Carats and for other less expensive items. If you look at their feedback some more expensive items were sent to an appraisor but that is no guarantee all items are as described.
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