Why Don't Some Sellers Answer Questions?

[TomB]

Okay, perhaps this is a bit of a rhetorical question, nonetheless, why would a seller of a coin not take the time to answer the question of a potential buyer?

 

There was a coin I was looking at on ebay and it was only about $100, with a BIN of slightly more than that. However, this circulated coin, though appearing both original and very attractive, also looked like it might have some issues with its rim. The seller also listed no policy regarding refunds.

 

I asked this person questions via email, through ebay, and didn't receive a response. The questions were about the rim and also about a return policy should I win the coin but not like the look in-hand. Three days later I emailed the seller again and repeated my questions and also noted that I had asked these questions earlier but had not gotten a response. Nothing.

 

The auction ended a few days ago with no one bidding on the coin and I still have not heard from the seller.

 

Why wouldn't this person take the few moments to answer my legitimate questions?

[goose3]

I've had that happen too.

 

 

speaking of questions....I have a bust quarter listed under "bust quarters" and I get a question from a person via ebay that wants to know if the coin is a 50c piece or a quarter.

[Gallagher]

I doubt if the seller has a return privilege,which would explain why you got no reply. sounds like this is one seller to avoid!!

 

Gallagher

[EVillageProwler]

I agree with Gallagher. Knowing you, Tom, I assume that the questions were reasonably posed and polite. Some folks are just beyond understanding...

 

EVP

[Wihlborg]

I have had had this happen to me also. I don’t know why they would not answer for sure, but I believe that there are two main reasons. The first is that they have something to hide, and the second is that they just don’t want to be bothered. They probably think ‘why should I be bothered answering questions when the coin will sell to someone eventually’.

 

Personally, I think not answering a question is very disrespectful to the potential buyer and I will not buy from a seller who does this to me. If they can’t take the time to answer my question, I won't give them my money.

 

John

[braddick]

It's poor business either way, but could be he was out of town and didn't open his email until it was too late.

[topsman]

My feeling is they don't want to waste their time. If they know they will be giving an answer that will turn a customer away, why waste the time writing the email in the first place. They simply want a fool to come along bid and send payment. Not very customer friendly if you ask me.

[EZ_E]

I think that Braddick probably hit the nail on the head. The other explanations are certainly plausible but it defies common sense if one is trying to make a sale. But, then again, the human race is often deficient in this category.

[jom]

Happened to me just think past week. He simply would not answer....I have no clue why.

 

I did ask about some marks on the coin AND whether he'd skip on his "restocking" fee. Were those bad things to ask?

 

jom

[reid1836]

In response to the question about for going the restocking fee. I`d say this was the primary reason for not receiving an answer. It`s my opinion that charging a restocking fee for a returned coin is just a sales tactic to avoid returns. Particularly if the fee is based on a percentage of the purchase price.

[jom]

It`s my opinion that charging a restocking fee for a returned coin is just a sales tactic to avoid returns.

 

That is most certainly true. I've talked to a well-known Ebay dealer and he uses it to try to avoid "tire kickers". I usually just ask him for set aside the fee since I've bought from him before and he usually says "no problem". This dealer that never responded was someone I didn't know so I didn't bid since he didn't respond to emails. I don't buy coins sight-unseen no matter how good the picture is. If they call me a "tire kicker" so be it...

 

jom

[TomB]

Pat brings up something that might have happened, but I doubt it in this instance as the seller left two ebay feedbacks for others from the time I asked my question until the end of their auction. So, this person definitely had access to the internet while the auction was running and likely, though not definitively, had access to their email account.

 

I agree that it is bad business to ignore questions, even if the answers will make someone pass on bidding.

[Leothelion]

If ignored, the seller is a shyster! The country is full of them! No RP and a BIN, he's looking for a sucker buyer! Send him an email stateing so, he might respond! You need to get to his ire! But don't buy from him if he comes off wrong!

 

Leo

[thebeav]

Hi,

The answer to this one is simple. It's just that the answer to your question is not what you would want to hear. The lazy seller then knows you will not bid so his attitude is "why bother ?"....I never give my money to a non-responsive seller.

Paul

[James_OldeTowne]

My spam filter sometimes (ok, too often) filters out questions from ebay members. I've also discovered that when I do get the message and reply, too often the bidder's spam filter removes my reply.

 

I now have a policy whereby I answer the question by adding to the item description.

 

James

[TomB]

I would have hoped that this would not have happened to this seller since I asked the questions through ebay's link provided in the auction listing. Also, my ebay-listed email doesn't have a spam filter, specifically for this type of thing.

 

The auction ended and no one bid on the coin, it will be interesting to see if it is listed again.