eBay denied feedback removal even though listing clearly says “CLOTH ONLY”
Summary: thecapecantina sought advice about a buyer who left negative feedback on eBay, claiming a listing was misleading even though it clearly stated "CLOTH ONLY" and that minifigures were not included. chapeau-noir advised responding to the feedback positively to maintain future customer trust, while 123dreamland-2009 suggested removing the term "Lego" from listings due to copyright concerns. christworks provided detailed feedback on improving the listing's clarity, suggesting clearer photos and text emphasizing the lack of a minifigure, and proposed reaching out to the buyer to resolve the issue and potentially revise the feedback.
I’m hoping other sellers can advise me on this because I don’t understand eBay’s decision.
A buyer purchased a custom cloth accessory from my listing and expected to receive a LEGO minifigure.
However, my listing clearly states:
The main product photo says “CLOTH ONLY!”
The description says “CUSTOM CLOTH ITEM / SET ONLY”
It also clearly says “MINIFIGURES / STANDS / OBJECTS ARE NOT INCLUDED”
The item received was exactly the cloth accessory shown and described in the listing.
The buyer then left negative feedback claiming that nowhere in the description did it say the minifigure was not included.
I submitted a feedback removal request and explained all of this. eBay denied it and said:
“We reviewed the feedback, and can see that the buyer found that the item wasn't as described in the listing.”
This makes no sense to me because the exact issue the buyer complained about is clearly disclosed both in the main photo and multiple times in the description.
I have also reported the buyer, but my feedback removal request was still denied.
I have screenshots of the listing showing “CLOTH ONLY!”, the description stating that minifigures are not included, and eBay’s denial message. Unfortunately, this discussion form is not allowing me to upload the images. I can provide the screenshots in a follow-up comment if the forum allows it.
Has anyone had a similar situation? Is there any effective way to get a second manual review after eBay has already denied the removal request?
Thank you for any advice.
christworks
·2 weeks ago · Edited@thecapecantina I'm going to address two things: Your listing and the feedback.
The listing:
You have one photo and the main object in the photo is a minifig. Yes, it is wearing the cloth accessory, but a casual buyer who only looks at the photo and sees the price, may very well assume the minifig is included. You need to make some adjustments.
Your text that says "CLOTH ONLY" is hard to see. It is merely an outline. If you are going to use that black background, you need to have across the center of the image in all white text that the buyer is buying only the cloth cape and emphasize that a minifig is not included. This revised image then needs to be your second image. Your main image needs to be what you are actually sending the buyer. That's the image they see when they are scrolling through a list of 1000s of listings.
Most buyers shop using the app. eBay does not prioritize the description in the app, as buyers often have to click a link to view it when sellers use colors and images. This is an extra step many buyers do not take. Also, while you do mention a mini isn't included, that information is buried further down in the description, not at the top where it needs to be. That's important information a buyer needs to know up front.
There is no eBay rule that requires buyers to read an entire listing. There are rules about making your listing clear so buyer's understand what they are buying.
Now the feedback:
eBay has very specific rules that buyers must break in order for the feedback to be removed. Even then, they sometimes leave the negative and only remove the part of the feedback that broke policy.
Here is the main set of rules eBay expects buyers to follow. There are other unique situations where feedback can be removed, but none of those apply here based on what you've shared with us.
Content promoting hatred, violence or discrimination
Profane, obscene, adult, illegal, or explicit content
Opinions on any political, religious, or social issues
Any implied or explicit threats or intimidation
Personally identifiable information
Links, URLs, or other content encouraging sales outside of eBay
Infringement of third-party rights
Meaningless content or images that aren’t of the item purchased
Comments intended for a different item or seller
Negative comments with positive ratings, or positive comments with negative ratings
Personal attacks that could harm the reputation of the seller or their business and could not reasonably be viewed as constructive criticism
I do not see that the buyer broke any of the rules. While they may have misunderstood the listing, that alone is not a policy violation. IF they were to open a INAD return, you could report them for lying about the return reason and that would protect you from negative feedback if eBay determined they lied.
This is a misunderstanding. Your listing is poorly presented, and while you've not had any apparent issues in the past, you did run into a buyer who didn't understand.
If I were you and wanted a chance to have that feedback revised, I would reach out to the buyer in a message and apologize. It is fine to respectfully state that the listing does say a minifig isn't included, but also acknowledge that you did not make it as clear as it should have been and you understand the mix is your fault. Then, I would either issue them a refund or maybe offer to send them a minifig for free if you have a one. Sit back and see how all of that is received, then ask the buyer if they would revise their feedback. Perhaps they would at least change it to neutral so it does not impact your score.
You can also respond to the feedback, but if you do the algorthim will likely score it higher rather then allow it to fall off the first page. I probably would not respond unless you make it right with the buyer and decline your request to revise the feedback.
123dreamland-2009
·2 weeks agoYou may also want to remove that "Lego" from all your listings as they are very strict with that copyright and your products are NOT from Lego.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoIf they will not remove the feedback, then the best recourse is to respond in a way that assures your future customers that you are a good seller. Don't argue with the neg-leaver, no one will know who it is and they won't care, but they will care about your customer service.
Better to say on your gallery photo "Minifig Not Included" and in much more prominent lettering - some people are not very observant. :-\ Like your neg leaver.