Buyer claimed my item didn't work, sent it back, it works, left a bad review. Can I submit proof?
Hi all, I sold a camera to a buyer who was incompetent, didn't know how to turn it on. I don't accept returns, but because of his claim I had to accept the return. I got the camera back, immediately turned it on. I have to issue refund, so I did that today.
Now they left me a bad review. I appealed in the sellers help hub, but there wasn't an option to submit video proof. I took a video of the camera with the serial number and wrote todays date on a piece of paper. That's the best thing I can think of. Any suggestions of how to get this to eBay?
22 comments
mkaczorsee
·2 years agoYour buyer left “profanity†in his feedback. I think that is a reason for removal. Try calling again.
pickapaper
·2 years agoYou should understand that buyers can and will say anything and eBay will side with them. In this instance, it might have been as simple as he changed his mind about buying the camera, but for a remorse return, he would have had to pay return shipping. Buyers don't like to pay return shipping so they fib about a reason for return (like saying something doesn't work when it does) so that the seller will have to pay for the return shipping.
This was a higher dollar item and I understand that you didn't want to take it back. But in engaging in a name calling contest with the buyer, he got in the last word by leaving you a negative. You are very lucky you got the camera back all in one piece, still working. Some buyers will "accidentally" break an item before returning it, or worse yet, return a box of rocks and then you are out your item and your money.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoNo one likes to receive returns and refund for the purchase.
That does not mean that what you say about this transaction and what the buyer says need be untrue. Sometimes electronic devices are intermittent, and the shipment process triggers a change in behavior.
This also does not mean that unprofessional behavior will go unpunished. The punishment for your behavior is negative FB.
You cannot leave negative FB for buyers because Ebay's decision after years of sellers leaving retaliatory negative FB for buyers to ban negative FB. It is not like a seller could use negative FB received by a buyer to alter their responsibility for fulfilling an order. Unlike seller FB which may be used to decide who to buy from, buyer FB serves no practical purpose.
jsatmary
OP2 years agoit was incompetence from a buyer, I explained he needed to plug in an LCD monitor, which he had, just refused to do because "he has spent a lot of time with these cameras"? idk. it seems like he decided to lie when he realized he didn't have the money for the camera. I turned it on within minutes of receiving it back.
negative feedback is fine if justified. if I sold him a broken item and insulted his livelihood, sure, negative feedback galore. fact is, the camera works and we both exchanged some choice words over our messages. it's just frustrating that incompetent buyers win. thankfully there are plenty of other places to sell camera equipment. eBay takes far too much in fees anyways.
hartungcards
·2 years ago"...and we both exchanged some choice words over our messages."
Yeah, that usually results in negative feedback. Yet another lesson learned.
evike44
·2 years agoSorry to read this. EBay takes the buyer side always. Today a buyer claimed that if I ad says "lot 2" and in that ad there are 2 items that means 4 items! I copied my description to eBay, too but she filed a claim and eBay made me to refund her. I'm clearly getting not to understand this world.
evike44
·2 years agoBTW you can ask eBay to remove your negative feedback. Maybe they do it.
ittybitnot
·2 years agoI'm trying to prove I shouldn't have a negative review.
@jsatmary
Good luck with that. eBay has gone to a new system which appears to be some sort of BOT stuck in DENY mode. Customer service is no longer allowed to intervene, and the veracity of the red donut comment review is never questioned.
From a post on eBay's F.Book page from an eBay employee:
eBay for Business
We’ve recently standardized the process to have all feedback appeals submitted through the Seller Help Dashboard to better align with our global process and maintain consistency for all users. This would be why any support member you talk to though phones, chat, email, or social media would be unable to assist with the removal. We understand that changes can sometimes be challenging, but we believe this adjustment will ultimately create a more streamlined experience. Thank you for your understanding.
Translation: We refuse to be bothered with this issue anymore.
inhawaii
·2 years agoThe best advice I can give you is the same as @wastingtime101 .
I may add...
In the future, just accept the return without the name calling.
wastingtime101
·2 years agoDid you call the buyer the names they are claiming in their feedback?
Prob the best you can do is report the buyer for misusing the Money Back Guarantee, and leave a professional reply to the feedback along the lines of:
Camera was tested and working before shipping to the buyer. After camera was returned, it was tested, powered on and functions with no issues. Unsure why the buyer had difficulties with it. A full refund was issued.
jsatmary
OP2 years agookay thanks, I'm unable to leave neutral or negative feedback. from what I understand, sellers can't leave negative feedback to buyers? that's absolutely insane
wastingtime101
·2 years agoCorrect, and it's against policy to leave a neg comment with a pos rating so don't do that, either.
jsatmary
OP2 years agohe left a negative review, so I should be able to as well? or at the very least neutral? or no? thanks for your insight
hartungcards
·2 years agoThe absolute last thing eBay needs or wants is buyers getting negative reviews. If you were a buyer and got a negative review, would you ever come back?
Negs are an inevitable speed bump for all sellers. You got your item back, take a deep breath, and move on.
wastingtime101
·2 years ago"Should" is a matter of opinion.
eBay's policy is you can't.
If you are asking my opinion: I think eBay should get rid of buyer feedback altogether. Sellers can only leave positive ratings so it's mostly meaningless. eBay will prob never get rid of it as it's such an old-school eBay thing and people would get up in arms over it. All of my buyers get automated pos FB at time of payment so I never have to give it a thought. System does it for me. 🤷
inhawaii
·2 years agoYou mean you would leave a negative review just because he left you a negative review?
THAT sounds like a good reason sellers can't leave buyers a negative.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoWho do you think reads feedback?
Not the buyer. They don't care.
Not eBay. EBay does not use FB to assess seller accounts, that's what Claims are for.
Not other sellers. Most sellers use Fixed Price or Buy It Now and meet buyers only once the purchase is made.
You are writing for YOUR FUTURE CUSTOMERS.
How do you think they would react to a Seller who calls other buyers names?
@wastingtime101 suggested
"Camera was tested and working before shipping to the buyer. After camera was returned, it was tested, powered on and functions with no issues. Unsure why the buyer had difficulties with it. A full refund was issued."
And I think most experienced sellers here would agree that puts the responsibility on the inept buyer but is still calm, factual, and professional.
BTW- The money you lost on shipping both ways is tax deductible.
heckofagame
·2 years agoAnd put that buyer on your blocked buyers list. You don't want a repeat performance.
jsatmary
OP2 years agothanks for the suggestion. the blocked buyers list hasn't been loading for me for over a week. I'll try again
hartungcards
·2 years agoI'd suggest you've wasted enough time on this project already. eBay doesn't care about "video proof," especially if it's just to get a neg removed. Relist it and move on, you're lucky you got it back at all.
jsatmary
OP2 years agoyou sound a bit jaded- is eBay really that **bleep**ty towards sellers? I'm not looking for mental acceptance, I'm trying to prove I shouldn't have a negative review. if you can't help with that, okay, hopefully someone else has a suggestion.
hartungcards
·2 years agoLook Mary, I'm trying to help you by telling you you're wasting your time on this. eBay has better things to do than look at your video because you want them to remove a neg. They don't look at videos because they can be doctored in so many ways. It's not going to happen.
I think you may be confusing "jaded" with "realistic." If you come here looking for "suggestions," then you need to be ready to take "suggestions."