Banned by a seller for asking ordinary questions?

[FlyingShawn]

Hello everyone, newish user here (been in the hobby for many years and had an account for a long time, just haven't done any transactions up until now) and I'm [I]really[/I] baffled over something that just happened. Found a seller about 2.5hr away from me auctioning a gorgeous mated pair of the fish I was looking for, but I had a few seemingly routine/straightforward questions for him and sent him a message to ask them: (leaving out specific name/item details for now because I don't want to say anything improper while asking for advice)

[QUOTE]Good afternoon _____, four questions for you:
1 Are the two fish pictured the actual pair being sold or is the picture only representative?
2 What would the shipping cost be to zip #####? [auction specifically said to contact him for shipping prices]
3 As an alternative, would you consider in-person pickup?
4 Your "guarantee" page is worded in a very confusing way: asking for a picture within an hour of delivery implies some sort of guarantee exists, but you also say there's no shipping refund and no guarantee on the livestock, so what exactly *is* covered if the fish don't arrive alive?
Thanks! -Shawn[/QUOTE]

For clarity, here's the text of the seller's Just Me page that implies some sort of guarantee exists, but also expressly says neither shipping nor livestock are guaranteed:

[QUOTE]In case of any dead on Arrival I would like pictures of the dead fish in the unopened bags , with in one hour of arrival time ,which USPS will provide ! There is NO refund on shipping cost .Next I do not make any guarantee that my fish will do well for you , It is all about your fish keeping skill. Those are live fish, so when they are out of my hands and in to the hands of delivery people , weather, or you my costumer anything could happen to the fish there are NO GUARANTEES ! All sales are final. I will not be responsible for any lost or damage to your shipment do to weather, or shipping services { USPS }, your State/Federal laws or you mishandling and once the fish are in your tank ,the fish are yours to take care of now , If you have any question or don't understand my policies, please ask before you place any bids , just send me one email with your question .Thank you for your interest in my fish and good luck bidding ,fish pal _____[/QUOTE]

A couple of hours later I received this reply:

[QUOTE]Thank you for your interest ,if you look at most sellers /// just me //// page we all ask for the same thing about picture in unopened shipping bag with in one hour of delivery time .have a great day .[/QUOTE]

Still being greatly confused (he didn't actually answer any of the questions!), I decided to send a follow-up focusing on my first and third questions (actual vs example pictures and potential for in-person pickup because I live fairly close and it'd eliminate shipping concerns). After writing the message, I hit "send" and immediately found myself facing an AquaBid page informing me that I couldn't message ______ seller because he'd banned me from bidding on any of his items.

?????

What you see here is the [I]entirety[/I] of our interactions, he's the only seller offering this particular kind of fish on the site, and I was really excited about the possibility of buying these fish, so I'm just totally baffled! Is this typical behavior for AquaBid sellers? Did I commit some sort of faux pas by asking?

Thanks for any input you can offer!

[ghonk]

He sounds like a jerk,and likely ended up doing you a favor for banning you.

[BigBen]

It happens. :)

[FlyingShawn]

[QUOTE=BigBen;n1875]It happens. :)[/QUOTE]

ghonk is probably correct that he's likely just a jerk and I'd be better off not doing business with him anyway, but if your comment is any indication that this sort of thing from sellers is considered ordinary and acceptable behavior on AquaBid it'll definitely make me more relucant to do business here in the future.

Admins can't force anyone to do business with anyone else, of course, but it'd at least be nice if a Mod would issue a wrist-slap when an outlier case like this occurs so users like this seller would know being a jerk for no reason or trying to trick people with doublespeak [implying a guarantee exists but also expressly denying any] isn't welcome behavior.

[BigBen]

The only mod here is Mark Barnett the owner ,contact him and he'll get it straightened out hopefully.

[lotsoffish]

[QUOTE=FlyingShawn;n1877]

ghonk is probably correct that he's likely just a jerk and I'd be better off not doing business with him anyway, but if your comment is any indication that this sort of thing from sellers is considered ordinary and acceptable behavior on AquaBid it'll definitely make me more relucant to do business here in the future.

Admins can't force anyone to do business with anyone else, of course, but it'd at least be nice if a Mod would issue a wrist-slap when an outlier case like this occurs so users like this seller would know being a jerk for no reason or trying to trick people with doublespeak [implying a guarantee exists but also expressly denying any] isn't welcome behavior. [/QUOTE]

Just bid on my offerings, I guarantee everything and if you are not 100% happy with the fish I send you I refund 100% of your money no questions asked.