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ebay seller called my private number as did not like my neutral review
i wrote he sold me an item as new which is clearly used and included photos. he did not try to contact me at all through my ebay email address. i have no idea how he got my private phone number. i am creeped out. he left a message and said he would try to call back later. no no no! isnt this a violation of seller policy? what can i do about it?
thanks!
6 comments
inceptions
Mentor5 months agoHi @wil_866801
No, it's not a policy violation. Some sellers must have the buyer's phone # depending on the carrier used for delivery. Consider blocking his calls.
It's always best for both buyer and seller to communicate through messaging so there is a record in case eBay needs to get involved. But for this situation, UNLESS you want to change the feedback to a positive, I would not communicate further...it will just turn into an argument that will go nowhere.
For the future, it's better to communicate with the seller to see if you can come to a resolution when there is a problem rather than leaving feedback first.
wil_866801
OP5 months agothank you for your answer. i couldn't figure out how to delete the duplicate which posted before i was done writing it. sorry. I have many questions for you below if you have time to address them for me.
Why do we have ebay addresses if our private info is available for sellers to use? I am very creeped out by this, as he did not try to contact me first through the ebay channels to change a review. I no longer feel protected by the ebay safety format, as am now worried that if i don't leave honest reviews,
a seller may harass me at home.
He left a phone message that could have been emailed to me instead of calling, wanting to explain what happened and wanted to know if i wanted a refund-and that he would call back. I got two more 'unknown callers' from different east coast states...one was the same as his return address...but not sure if the others were him or not. The ebay policy states sellers are not allowed to make deals outside of ebay. To me, calling my non-posted home phone number
is trying to make a deal outside of ebay.
Not sure why there are feedback questions if they are not to be authentic. It asked how my experience was and what the condition of the item was. I truthfully answered this. I also wrote the good stuff the seller did. I was not asking for a return...but that maybe the seller did not look inside the package when posting new to a used item.
I said it was still usable. I added a proof photo which i was asked for on the review page. My review of the item was neutral, not negative.
I did not see a reason to reach out to the seller when i was not asking anything from them. You are correct that i don't want an argument. He had no right to call me at home without trying to contact me through the correct channels.
I am considering closing my account for protection. I did nothing wrong by leaving an honest review of the item.
I have my phone turned on 'do not disturb' and have already planned on blocking the number.
If he gives me a refund on his own, i will return the item-as now i dont even want to use it. If not, will just toss it.
inceptions
Mentor5 months ago@wil_866801
I think you are taking this more seriously than you need to. Sellers are allowed to call buyers, but my opinion is that messaging through eBay is better as you have a record of the communication if things get dicey and you need eBay's help. Some people would just naturally prefer to speak voice to voice, others would prefer to communicate in writing. There was no policy violation.
To give you some perspective, most sellers consider neutral feedback to be almost as bad as negative. This may have been the seller's first ever less than positive feedback and was shocked to see it. Many sellers are offended by buyers leaving feedback before they are aware of a problem and have a chance to fix it. He may have offered you a discount to help compensate for the problem, but he didn't get that chance before being surprised by the feedback, hence his reaction.
From what you've written, there was no feedback extortion involved here. An example of feedback extortion would be if the seller said to you, "I will give you a refund IF you revise the feedback."
I don't understand why you would want to close your account for "protection." Not every experience is a good one. Not everyone is at their best 100% of the time. If it were me, I would focus on something positive this evening and put this experience behind me.
wil_866801
OP5 months agoI spoke to my friend who's husband has sold ebay for years to get perspective. She said she too would be totally creeped out by such a phone call and that it would be disturbing-. she said her husband received a death threat from one buyer years ago; not everyone is safe and sane.
I have used ebay since its inception 30 years ago and no buyer has ever called me-nor tried to contact me outside the ebay address format. I am a disabled senior who is alone most of the time and dont get many person to person calls from strangers. I felt safe using ebays address instead of my private one-so purchase from them often.
ebay states "Any feedback left by users should ONLY reflect genuine, unbiased experiences."
I can't believe that the seller, out of 18,000 sales, has never had a neutral review.
I don't want to feel coerced into leaving inaccurate reviews.
It seems like everyone is 'offended' by everything these days.
I , however, am not offended; his approach was disconcerting-
when ebay sets up safe ways for buyers and sellers to interact without using our private contact information.
If he used the ebay format, i would have proof of the interaction.
I agree messaging through ebay is better..but i was not given that opportunity. I did not know my personal phone number was available to the sellers when my email address is not.
Your telling me i am making too much of my safety-even tho ebay states they are concerned with it-
and suggest i find something better to do with my evening,
is not taking my concerns seriously and is borderline condescending.
Since you wrote that you do not understand my protection concerns,
perhaps you would forward me to someone who can understand them? I would appreciate that. thanks.
inceptions
Mentor5 months ago@wil_866801
Your thread is here on this board for any of the other mentors to chime in on. We are all experienced buyers and sellers who volunteer our time with the goal of helping others. I'm sorry my responses weren't of help to you.
wil_866801
OP5 months agopost script;
I also found this under review manipulation policy;
What is the policy?
Any attempt to manipulate feedback or Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) is not allowed. This includes:
Offering discounts, free items, or any other form of compensation, benefit, or incentive in exchange for positive feedback. Any feedback left by users should only reflect genuine, unbiased experiences