eBay

mountainmommie · ‎06-01-2020

It's been 17+ years since I've had to reply to a negative comment. At one time eBay would remove a comment that involved you pointing out the buyers buying history, feedback left for others, or references to the case.

Is this still true?

Thank you,

Jackie

southern*sweet*tea · ‎06-01-2020

@mountainmommie wrote:
It's been 17+ years since I've had to reply to a negative comment. At one time eBay would remove a comment that involved you pointing out the buyers buying history, feedback left for others, or references to the case.

Is this still true?

Thank you,
Jackie

Some sellers have good luck getting feedback removed, both legitimate feedback and false feedback.

Others have no luck at all even with blatantly false feedback. All you can do is try.

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.

We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell

bigdeals.etc · ‎06-01-2020

References to the case... yes if the buyer reports it, ebay will remove it.

As for the others, I don't believe that to be a feedback violation as I don't think they violate ebay's privacy policy (feedbacks left can be found publicly online). Someone can come here and confirm. Perhaps @Anonymous brian@ebay tyler@ebay

fab_finds4u · ‎06-01-2020

There are two types of feedback you can leave. You can only leave a positive comment or rating when leaving feedback for a buyer, on the buyer's feedback profile. The other type of feedback you can leave is a feedback reply to the feedback left on your feedback profile. That comment can be anything you want to say to clarify or defend the negative. That comment doesn't have to be a positive comment. No profanity, though.

bigdeals.etc · ‎06-01-2020

@fab_finds4u wrote:
The other type of feedback you can leave is a feedback reply to the feedback left on your feedback profile. That comment can be anything you want to say to clarify or defend the negative. That comment doesn't have to be a positive comment. No profanity, though.

The OP is only referring to a feedback reply from a buyer. But I'm getting a bit confused now.

I always understood it as you aren't allowed to mention anything that violates privacy policies in a feedback... for example the buyer's/seller's name and contact info, or even the seller's off-ebay website for that matter, as well as any cases that was filed and awarded (i.e. an agent said I can't say "buyer complained to ebay and ebay ended up siding with me"). Are you saying those comments are allowed in a "feedback reply" but not in the actual feedback? That sounds weird to me.

Someone please chime in. Thanks.

this*old*attic · ‎06-01-2020

Yep, nothing negative

Besides, who are you talking to? Other sellers or your own future buyers?

Reply with something that shows you’re a good seller, not an effort to smear or expose the buyer.

bigdeals.etc · ‎06-01-2020

@this*old*attic wrote:
Yep, nothing negative

Besides, who are you talking to? Other sellers or your own future buyers?

Reply with something that shows you’re a good seller, not an effort to smear or expose the buyer.

In a reply to a feedback left from a buyer... I believe you are allowed to say negative stuff (I’m not commenting if you should or not though). But no profanity or the usual politics, religion, etc.

The positive feedback with negative comment violation is only for a feedback left for the buyer. Hence “positive with negative comment”. There’s no such thing as a “positive” aka green feedback reply. There is no radio button to choose “positive, negative, neutral” for replies... just the comment itself. So yea, you can reply that the buyer is a “dingbat” if you really wanted to. I’m not going to get into if you should or not.

Anonymous · ‎06-01-2020

@bigdeals.etc wrote:

References to the case... yes if the buyer reports it, ebay will remove it.

As for the others, I don't believe that to be a feedback violation as I don't think they violate ebay's privacy policy (feedbacks left can be found publicly online). Someone can come here and confirm. Perhaps @Anonymous brian@ebay tyler@ebay

Hi @bigdeals.etc, feedback that includes personal or private information that cannot be found publicly on the site would not be allowed in feedback. References to a case outcome are also grounds for removal. As for buying history or feedback left for others being referenced in a feedback, since the seller would only be able to see these things if they were publicly visible, these are not likely to be reason for feedback removal on their own. That being said, they may be removed if they violate another policy, such as a seller leaving a negative comment in a feedback for their buyer.

civicwagonparts · ‎06-01-2020

When you could call eBay, a good seller with good history usually could get a negative removed with good reason.

Maybe through the current Customer Service email/contact system, you will get some help.

Also try the new "Seller Help" feature under "Help & Contact", there is a button "request to remove feedback"

If not, the "reply to feedback left", gives you the opportunity to explain yourself and sound professional.

And yes you can leave a "false positive" for the buyer. Then ask the buyer to apply for "mutual feedback withdrawal".

EBay does not like this, and will scold you if you do it repeatedly.

vintage-car-magazines · ‎06-01-2020

@mountainmommie wrote:
It's been 17+ years since I've had to reply to a negative comment. At one time eBay would remove a comment that involved you pointing out the buyers buying history, feedback left for others, or references to the case.

Is this still true?

Thank you,
Jackie

To what end?

Reply with facts like....you can choose to return for full refund....or something similar that speaks to your future potential customers. Pointing out, in a round about way, that they're a jerk doesn't help you.

bigdeals.etc · ‎06-01-2020

@Anonymous wrote:
Hi @bigdeals.etc, feedback that includes personal or private information that cannot be found publicly on the site would not be allowed in feedback. References to a case outcome are also grounds for removal. As for buying history or feedback left for others being referenced in a feedback, since the seller would only be able to see these things if they were publicly visible, these are not likely to be reason for feedback removal on their own. That being said, they may be removed if they violate another policy, such as a seller leaving a negative comment in a feedback for their buyer.

Thank you. It’s just as I thought. So to be clear for the sake of policy compliance without discussing whether or not a seller should do this... If a seller receives a negative feedback from a buyer and the seller replies to it saying exactly “Seller beware. Buyer is the worst buyer ever!” That (negative comment) reply would be allowed under policy, correct? And for arguments sake, let’s say the seller left no feedback for the buyer (which I believe is irrelevant anyway).

Anonymous · ‎06-02-2020

@bigdeals.etc wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

Hi @bigdeals.etc, feedback that includes personal or private information that cannot be found publicly on the site would not be allowed in feedback. References to a case outcome are also grounds for removal. As for buying history or feedback left for others being referenced in a feedback, since the seller would only be able to see these things if they were publicly visible, these are not likely to be reason for feedback removal on their own. That being said, they may be removed if they violate another policy, such as a seller leaving a negative comment in a feedback for their buyer.

Thank you. It’s just as I thought. So to be clear for the sake of policy compliance without discussing whether or not a seller should do this... If a seller receives a negative feedback from a buyer and the seller replies to it saying exactly “Seller beware. Buyer is the worst buyer ever!” That (negative comment) reply would be allowed under policy, correct? And for arguments sake, let’s say the seller left no feedback for the buyer (which I believe is irrelevant anyway).

Hi @bigdeals.etc, the seller's reply to a negative comment they receive with the example content you shared would not be removed, as the policy against a seller leaving a negative for a buyer would only apply to the feedback they leave for a buyer or their followup comment. That being said, this kind of comment would not benefit a seller and their business, as future buyers will see an unprofessional response to issues and/or criticism and may choose not to buy from that seller based on the reaction.

Replying to a negative feedback you receive from a buyer is a way of showcasing to future customers how you handle complaints. Something like, "We're so sorry you were unhappy with your purchase, we've offered a return," or a simple "The item was as described in the listing" will be much more beneficial than a retaliatory reply to the negative a seller receives.