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What frustrates me the most about eBay buyers is the minority who either won't or can't communicate. Good communication between sellers and buyers is more than common courtesy, good communication is what greases the eBay wheels for smooth, efficient transactions.

Some sellers are just as guilty of the silent treatment as buyers on eBay. Have you ever won an auction, paid immediately, then wondered when the seller would ship your stuff?

The most frustrating eBay buyers are the silent ones. You know the type. They're the eBay buyers who've won your auction, but haven't paid and couldn't be bothered telling you why. How hard can it be for a successful bidder to send a quick message to let you know they'll be paying with a money order? Or to tell you they need a day or two to get the money in the bank before they can send your cash via PayPal?

Then there's the buyer who wins the auction and sends you a message asking if they can hold off payment. I don't mind waiting a few days, even a week if the buyer has decent feedback. But I get frustrated when the time goes by and I end up having to pester them for the money. Who needs that kind of aggravation?

Ever get cash in the mail from an eBay buyer? I received a prompt payment from a Canadian (I'm in the U.S.) in US dollars. He sent too much money and wanted me to mail back the change! Of course I did, but I'm happy to say, I never had to deal with that particular frustration again.

How about the buyer who asks a half dozen questions during the auction, wants some kind of special treatment after the auction and never bothers to leave positive feedback for all your time and efforts?

Then there's the urgent message from a buyer telling you they never received the package. I've had that happen a few times, and each time they finally discovered that their spouse or a neighbor had received the package and forgot to tell them. I spent hours helping one buyer track down a package that was tucked into a corner of his dining room the whole time. Talk about frustrating. I was relieved in the end. At least they received the package and left positive feedback.

Fortunately, eBay buyers that leave you frustrated are in the minority. It's the 80/20 rule in reverse. You get 80 percent of your aggravation from 20 percent (often less) of your customers. There's always going to be someone who seems determined to make the transaction as difficult as possible, but wouldn't selling on eBay be simpler and less of a frustration if buyers would just communicate?

Learn more about this author, John McDevitt.
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