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Buyers on eBay are pretty good. Having sold many items on eBay over the past few years, my experience with buyers is that most are good to pay on a timely basis and do not complain too quickly when shipping delays occur. Most of the frustrating things that buyers do are centered around distrust of the system and short tempers.

The first frustrating thing I have seen from buyers are those who try to get you to end the auction early and sell to them for an arbitrary buy-it-now price. This price is usually not a terrible offer, but eBay frowns on this practice. So, the buyer is asking you to put your eBay privileges at risk. I have always declined this type of offer, but it still annoys me when it is made.

Obviously, those who are slow to pay can be a nuisance. Many times the slow pay is a result of someone putting in a bid and then going on a trip. While out of town, they cannot check their bid. Consequently, you find yourself emailing them to find out if they still want the item. If more than one of these emails is sent, they can get a little pointed.

Likewise, I am not a fan of those who choose to send cash through the mail. While cash is nice, if they are in some far off part of the country, it can take a week or more to receive it after it is mailed. I try to be specific that I really only want credit card or Paypal transactions, but every now and then, here comes the cash in the mail.

Buyers who have a hair trigger on complaining or giving neutral or negative feedback are also a problem. Things happen to delay an individual from being able to get their product ready for shipping quickly. I have experienced this as a buyer and seller. This is especially true of breakable components. Not being a company, but just a private individual seller, this can be a problem. I always note that shipping may require two weeks to arrive, but nearly all of my non-positive feedback has come from people who wanted their product within two or three days of payment.

The final frustration with buyers are those who are usually novices to eBay. These people will win a bid and then ask me to please excuse them from buying the item because they did not realize what they had bid on. A similar story has come from people whose children have access to their eBay account. I have had two or three parents ask for permission not to buy something that their children had won. Of course, these always come with a request that I not protest to eBay or give them negative feedback for their mistake.

Learn more about this author, Allen Teal.
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