Over the years I have come to love the sellers that truely know what's it's like to be a buyer - really know what buyers want and you know how to explain your products. Some of these sellers have even talked to me personally through Seller Outreach and have seen the benefits of my advice. (Not all these sellers I have personally spoken with)

andersonshea - you rock!
beadaholique - truely a wonderful seller!
feedthebead - right back at ya - you are one of my favs too!
the-video-bin - super cool sketch books - the kids loved them for xmas! (wish they weren't so expensive though :) )
petstroller  - coolest pet strollers around - my baby girl loves it! By the way, great communication - I finally figured it out on my own. Thanks for your patience with me.
nps - how could I ever forget you?

These are sellers you should look to for establishing a business model - really think about your customers. Without buyers - eBay wouldn't need sellers. eBay wouldn't exsist.

I bought some beads from a seller and I should have known better because they did not have a return policy listed on their listings, nor a descriptive listing.

BUYERS - if the seller doesn't have a refund policy spelled out for you, then simply don't buy from them! You are putting yourself at risk.

It's my PERSONAL opinion that if a seller doesn't have a refund policy or information of a lack thereof - then this seller is not really in a buisness mindset and they don't care about Customer Service. If they don't care about that very IMPORTANT aspect of business, why should I give that seller my money?

Buyers - you should also buy from sellers that give a full descriptive explaination of the product in the listing - if they aren't experts about their product - they won't know how to treat someone who is passionate about that product.

When trying to communicate with this seller I didn't like the beads I was sent, rather than offering me a refund, they told me I could return the beads - but I would not get any credit for the shipping amount I already made. They didn't even WANT to hear my side of the story.

Therefore - this seller is keeping my 4 bucks which he claims was all for shipping - clearly not for beads - it was less than $1.00 for the seller to mail me them (stamps). I do know that sellers pay for shipping materials and this seller probabley spent $1.00 maybe on the mailers.

So even still - this seller is ripping me off - skimming a bit off the top of shipping costs to keep up his margins.

So, now not only is he keeping the shipping costs - they expect me to pay for the shipping BACK to them! Next thing I know I get this email and a refund for the item price (less shipping cost) and a payment reminder. Go figure. Sellers - if you don't have good customer service skills please make an appointment with the Seller Outreach Team so we can help you learn what drives returning customers or go somewhere else off eBay.

This lack of customer support for the buyers has made consumers less likely to shop on eBay altoghether, with any seller. There are options for communications besides email - like maybe a phone call or a skype message?

Here is the email from the seller in which I transacted:

"I am sorry that we cannot come to some sort of understanding on this. Our return policy is to refund an item if it is returned to us, but shipping is only refunded if the item was misrepresented or broken. In this case neither of those apply. We also do not understand why you would purchase the leaves again if you did not like them the first time that you received them. According to your feedback it seems that you buy things accidentally more often then most, and that you also have not been cooperative with other sellers who have tried to service you in the past. I am sorry that you disagree with our policy but I have done nothing but try to work with you and be fair. I feel that you were rude in your responses and also threatening. We have refunded you in full for both of your purchases and do not expect the beads to be returned. We have also added you to our blocked buyers list as we do not appreciate customers who act in this manner. Thank you,

 

Lastly, just to clarify the situation - I did purchase more than one of these listings because I got confused since it was on my watch list and didn't appear green like I was winning or won the item in the past. This seller didn't even give me a chance to explain, so I don't think it's me that is unwilling to work with the sellers. Sadly, I won't use these beads in my jewelry because they are plastic and I will only use crystals, pearls and natural stones to make my pieces.

 

I made an offer to a Malaysian seller for his product and they sent me this email:

Dear cancerjem,

first of all thank u very much 4 ur oh-so-generous offer of 4.50$ for my magic boxes! i was so thrilled about it, that i added u 2 my list of blocked bidders! i suggest, that in the future, u make offers only when u r sober or not on crack! regards maggie p.s. have a nice 2008!

- queen_of_spinning_tops

Seriously sellers - don't insult eBay customers - you are not only representing your own business, but all of eBay sellers. This will drive buyers away from the entire eBay marketplace!

Didn't this person's mom teach them if you don't have something nice to say about someone - don't say anything at all? Contact the eBay seller outreach department if you need some help with your customer service - seriously!!!!!!!!!