New seller that feels he got treated wrong or ebay just don't read anything they are provided
I had an experience only one month after starting eBay that has me stopping all activity and pausing to think if I want to continue selling on this platform. If they cannot see how they should be backing me on this, I can't trust them to back me when the stakes are higher and the obvious side of the issue to stand behind is mine. I sold a vintage magic trick that was some oversized cards. These are large enough to be used on a stage. They are not sold with a case they come in a plastic bag from the magic stores. My listing did not mention my shipping box, the photos does not show a shipping box. Just as I was getting ready to package, I decided to dig through the older computer stuff in my garage. I found a plastic case that a Commodore 64 game was once in. I pulled the foam and inserts from that case and the cards fit great. I have now upgraded my shipping box and felt great knowing the cards would not be bent in transit. Taped the plastic box shut put the label on it and shipped it. The customer leaves negative feedback stating the the item was just what they wanted and the shipping was quick but they wanted to use the case they knew nothing about until delivery and since I used tape to seal the box they has to toss it. I nicely explain that the box was intended to be tossed it was my shipping box I used to assure the cards did not bend in transit. I explained this over and over to dead ears and he finally says let me keep the item and refund me for item and shipping in full and I will modify the feedback. WHAT? I take this as feedback extortion so I report. I get denied with ebay stating that buyer was complaining about item. I laid it out like this. No they are happy with item. You cannot tell me it is acceptable behavior to like the box used to ship the item so much you want to keep but seller used tape of all things to seal it so you could not repurpose the box. They can leave negitive feedback based on this totally unjust reason and then extort you to have it changed. I have 3 decisions all not in my favor and all obvious eBay is not reading and therefore not understanding the issue at hand. I have asked for Trust and Safety to reach out but nobody had told me they will or won't. I am afraid its principle now, this item was $20 and if eBay refuses to understand this enough to see I actually cared enough to upgrade packaging to keep item safe and the buyer is both being a bully and leaving unjust feedback I cannot see how I can trust if actually I has something of value on the line.
albertabrightalberta
·8 months ago@jamezmagic
Your response to the buyer's feedback explained the disagreement very well.
Advice for the future should you continue to sell on ebay:
Sellers can only leave positive feedback with positive comments for buyers.
Your feedbacks you left of "Boring sale, boring feedback. Glad we didn't make it exciting.." are disallowed by ebay and those feedbacks you left are not in response to buyer feedback. The feedbacks you responded to were automated feedback that EBAY LEAVES for sellers when transactions have gone without issue. When buyers don't leave feedback, ebay posts that for you.
jamezmagic
OP8 months agoPlease help me understand this. i had to go look after reading your comment because I didn't understand what you meant. I see now and I never left those comments. I checked in the area I set up the automatic replies and that comment is non existent. Nobody but me has my password or even uses my computer. What is happening? How? I'm very new and that would be a really bad look this early or ever for that matter. Boring sale, boring feedback is not good and I would like to know if I am missing any security items I need to check or the possible ways this could have been left as feedback.
mr_lincoln
·8 months ago@jamezmagic
The "Boring sale ..." Feedback was left three times, once in the last month and twice in the last 6 months. It shows on your Left for others page.
albertabrightalberta
·8 months agoTo add to what @mr_lincoln said, it appears that you DID indeed leave those comments because you weren't happy with the automatic feedback that ebay left.
You should understand that although ebay leave that generic and auto-feedback, for 60 days, a buyer can still leave feedback and if they aren't happy with the "boring feedback" comment you left for them, they can come back and update that "Order delivered on time with no issues" feedback with something you'll like a lot less!
jamezmagic
OP8 months agoI see what has seemed to have happen, what I am saying is that when I changed a couple of eBay's generic responses I did not type and save that particular comment. That is a comment that one would type intentionally and remember doing it. Unless while I was typing custom feedback the one and only time I ever did it, and someone snuck up behind me with a chloroform rag and knocked me out so they could type that as a joke. Saved it and placed me back in sellers hub so I don't discover, I don't understand how those got there.
mr_lincoln
·8 months ago@jamezmagic , @albertabrightalberta
Okay, this brings up an interesting point and please understand eBay does not always update us Mentors on the nuts and bolts of new features and how they work. Let's just say at the time the "Boring ..." Feedback was typed to replace the ONE Auto-Feedback by eBay (and unbeknownst to you) the system automatically updated ALL Auto-Feedbacks that were left for the Sellers that you purchased from. While we can ask if this is how it works as of this writing we don't know that BUT since eBay is all about automating things it would not surprise me. It may require a setting change within the Leave FB process so Buyers only update one at a time or ALL Auto-FBs left for them by eBay.
soh.maryl
·8 months agoWhen a buyer expresses unhappiness with a purchase, it's sometimes better to tell them to return, send a prepaid return label, and then refund in full upon receipt of the returned item.
jamezmagic
OP8 months agoProblem is he was happy with item. His gripe was that he liked the hard plastic case I used to ship the item in to protect it and wanted to repurpose it and I (Get This) Used tape to seal my shipping box and now he cannot repurpose it. Have you ever shipped something and your box was so nice they just decide that was part of the sale and since you used packing tape to seal it they leave neg feedback and tell you the only way to remove it is if you let them keep the item and refund them and ebay sides with them?
mr_lincoln
·8 months ago@jamezmagic
I think regardless of how you would have shipped the item the Buyer was simply fishing for a partial refund. Did you check their Feedback history to see if other Sellers left any FB indicating issues with the Buyer?
Did you use the Report Buyer link on the sold item? If not do that.
As to the Feedback removal tool and your request to have it removed it helps to Report the Buyer first.
Sadly though, and to your point in another post, eBay continues to automate more and more of the site's day to day operations and many requests like FB removal, reporting listings for policy violations, etc. are turned over to a biased AI system and in short order summarily declined. I experienced this myself on reporting 4 listings from the same Seller with blatant Keyword spamming issues in the title. Within minutes of reporting the listings the reports were declined AND the message stated clearly that it was determined by their automated system ... meaning NOT by a human.
jones.international
·8 months agoThis buyer is wrong. Your responsibility is to ship the item in packaging that will reasonably not cause damage to the item. Your buyer liked your old packaging and left you a bad review because he does not like your new packaging. Your item was delivered on time and undamaged I assume. You did nothing wrong and do not deserve a negative review. What I believe you did not appropriately let eBay know is that the buyer is making threats and is using a false negative review as bait to get more than what the agreed purchase was. This is a violation of the terms of service. It has happened to me and eBay took down the review and penalized the buyer. Call eBay and be prepared with a short and factual message. They have always been very supportive.
jones.international
·8 months agoAlso
A refund is enough to remove negative reviews or in some cases I have had to just eat it. Do your best to provide excellent service and it will pay off in the end. One or two negative reviews will fall off with time as your business grows and will be small potatoes as you reach a higher volume of sales.
jamezmagic
OP8 months agoI really thought about doing that but I got in my head and got all principled. I said he's cant extort me like this, if I give in he will learn he can do this and do it to someone else. I also thought for sure eBay would stand being their buyers feedback policy. So I was not giving in to his pressure and I would get his comment removed due to their policy and therefore sent the message you cant get away with this. BACKFIRE
topdrawerz
·6 months agoWell I as a new seller also had the same similar thing as extortionate feedback a customer wanted to do the same thing to me threaten me with giving me a bad review so I would give him his way and I refused and I took that negative eBay actually had my back and said they were going to remove the comment which they never did but they did say they had my back
soh.maryl
·8 months ago"A refund is enough to remove negative reviews or in some cases I have had to just eat it."
Not necessarily. From the buyer's POV, it was still a negative experience. Refunding the buyer doesn't make that feeling go away.
jamezmagic
OP8 months agoThanks but I used the words "Feedback Extortion" with ebay. The system according to the policy is automated and AI is reading these. AI can be programmed to do anything. Let's say eBay only wants to approve 30 % of something AI will approve that and deny the rest. Not saying this happened its just a bit unfortunate that AI can make policy decisions without oversight from an ebay employee.
topdrawerz
·6 months agoSo freaking true and right on and exactly how I feel also is a new seller we're the humans go because AI doesn't have something that we do which is a brain sympathy and just human kindness and understanding all kinds of things AI doesn't have
jones.international
·8 months agoI have found that I get the best response from ebay over the phone. Email or chat usually results in unfavorable outcomes.
topdrawerz
·6 months agoThat's very true I've actually had way better results when I call and speak to an actual human
topdrawerz
·6 months agoThank you that's a real answer for the lady and I've had the same thing happen to me before with a customer who wanted a refund for the item but did not want to return and eBay did side with me so I hope they do that for you too
topdrawerz
·6 months agoHow is that a helpful answer I may be a new seller but I know how to read just like the lady said eBay's problem is you need to read what she said what she said is they wanted a refund and did not want to return the item hello listen to the poor lady cuz that's the problem from the gate