neutral feedback
A buyer has signed me neutral saying this
Garbage. Coins were garbage.
I see it as an insult because he saw the photos of the coins in the box and bought them.
Can I remove this bad feedback if I call eBay customer service?
55 comments
nyr134
·10 months agoI have to agree that it is odd to get a neutral rating for the reason stated in the accompanying comments.
The buyer bought a lot described in the title as “junk†but he didn’t like it because it was “garbage.â€
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoFor me, he bought it on purpose to sign neutral.
I've already blocked him.
mam98031
·10 months agoWhy would they do that. As a seller they know a neutral doesn't hurt your account.
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoI don't hide the coins in the box; they're visible to everyone.
Theoretically, he bought the lot for the coins, so
he looked at the coins and bought them.
Then he gets the box and says those coins are garbage.
That's why I said I bought it to give that feedback.
mam98031
·10 months agoInteresting response. Especially since I did not say a thing about your hiding anything. All I said was "Why would they do that. As a seller they know a neutral doesn't hurt your account."
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoHello
If I didn't say it for you, I said it for the buyer, who is also a seller and has experience.
That neutral is very suspicious.
chapeau-noir
·10 months agoLook - he's probably a flipper who was hoping to find something valuable in that box that he can sell on. Nothing wrong with that.
But, not having found anything he considers worth reselling, he has a little tantrum and calls it 'junk'.
Dealing with the public takes strong nerves, including dealing with people who have... um...maturity challenges.
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoThe buyer is also selling and has one neutral and three negative reviews.
It's strange that he gave me a neutral review if he has experience in this, but God help him.
fern*wood
·10 months agoMaybe it’s the language barrier, but it seldom seems you take any of the advice offered for your questions. Maybe you need a better translator.
pickapaper
·10 months ago@cristian3_6
Please leave the "God Bless You" off of anything you do. It has nothing to do with selling on eBay, and it really doesn't sound genuine when people end a statement with it, kind of like saying "Have a Good Day".
reelworks
·10 months agoI would not have replied. You gain nothing.
It sounds to me like he figured there was something there worth more than what it was at face value and he realized he paid only fair value and didn't get them for a steal.
The negative will soon get lost, it means nothing other than to point out a suspect buyer. I'd just add him to the blocked list and forget about it. There's nothing you can do at this point, what's done is done. Life is too short to worry or argue with someone like that.
At work we listed a batch of items from a defunct Cadillac dealer, items were listed with a photo, and a part number, and a short description if they could be identified. They were clearly listed as General Motors parts, from a Cadillac dealer inventory. (We liquidate old inventory and do cleanouts of old inventory).
Out of hundreds of items, we get one guy who orders a $20 part, it gets shipped, then over a month later I see he left a negative saying 'The seller lied, it don't fit my Subaru'. What he bought was a body trim part for an 70's Cadillac. He never emailed, never made contact, he hit a BIN, received the item, then left the feedback. Oddly out of 22 others of the very same part that sold, no one else had any issues nor apparently bought a Cadillac or GM bagged part for their Subaru.
Sometimes you just can't figure a buyer out, take it as is comes and move on.
While I'd have been more upset if it were my personal account, any response to something like that is a wasted effort. We don't do returns, we liquidate items. the ads are always clear that its up to the buyer to determine if the item for sale will work for them. I nor any one else generally knows what many of the items are that we list, its just not possible when items range from toys to aircraft parts,
both new and used.
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoMaybe I'm wrong to answer like that, but I don't think my sales will go down because of this.
There are more positives than negatives.
But I learned a lot from the answers in case it happens to me again.
glorybells
·10 months agoYou really need to sit on your hands when you get a less than positive feedback; your replies to each of the 3 less than positive feedbacks you’ve received really make you look unprofessional as a seller. You would’ve been much better off saying nothing.
cristian3_6
OP10 months agosilence gives consent
jonathanbrightlight
·10 months agoNo, it shows self control.
stainlessenginecovers
·10 months agoYour response was WAY too long, longer than the feedback, bringing more attention to it.
You also misspelled 'refund' twice (spell check before posting on a permanent file).
Feedback is NOT a 'signature'.
You should NOT mention you will give 'partial' or 'full' refunds.
You should have just responded with:
There were 24 very clear pictures. We stand by our listings and make right if we make a mistake.
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoThe thing is, I speak Spanish and I use Google Translate for my answers.
It seems the translator made a mistake.
stainlessenginecovers
·10 months ago@cristian3_6 Just an FYI for future use:
you used 'English-United Kingdom' which is Europe, not USA. Need to use just 'English'
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoHi, maybe I was wrong, but he also sells on eBay, and the idea is for sellers to read that so they can see what this buyer is like.
Thank God, almost all of my buyers really like what I sell and sign very well.
Only the sellers signed poorly, and almost everyone signs that way.
But I've proven that I'm a better person by saying, "God bless you."
At no point did I attack the buyer. I told him it would have been better to send a message to fix it instead of leaving a neutral.
gloryglorygifts
·10 months agoIgnore it and move on. Sending a revision request is a bit risky, as the buyer may get annoyed and change it to a negative.
I know how you feel. I'm staring at a neutral myself, and I even made a video for the customer to show how the item worked. At least it doesn't affect our score!
44012
·10 months agoI doubt the customer is going to revise now that he answered the feedback.
gloryglorygifts
·10 months agoI don't believe they can, if he already responded to it.
44012
·10 months agoI think that if I saw this as a buyer I would not want to buy from you. I would not want to be shamed for leaving a neutral feedback. When I see other sellers doing this there is no way I would buy from them.
You blasted a buyer and then closed it out with God bless you? I personally don't understand this.
I think that you should never, ever mention that you give partial or full refunds on a feedback that everyone can see. You are looking for scammers to now know that you will refund or partially refund to avoid leaving a neutral feedback.
So many responders gave you great advice to IGNORE it. That is what you should have done. Now you can't take it back.
That is what I think.
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoI finally answered like this
It was a shame to sign neutral and say the coins were trash. I had 24 clear photos. You saw them and decided to buy the lot, so I don't understand the reason for this neutral signature. You could have sent a message with the problem and we could have arranged a partial refound or a full refound. But you chose to put neutral. That doesn't help either the buyer or the seller. God bless you.
tell me what you think? did I do it right? thank you so much
luckythewinner
·10 months agoWhat would be the point of feedback if sellers could get rid of feedback they don't like?
I hope you realize that the pictures in a listing do not prove that the seller shipped something that matched the pictures. If eBay did consider pictures to be proof, fraudulent sellers would have destroyed eBay decades ago.
thelongball
·10 months agoHello- Bad feedbacks can be mentally exhausting and I'm sorry you are going thru this. But I personally wouldn't worry so much about this one as it makes the buyer look worse than you. Underneath the feedback the whole world can see that it says Junk Drawer. What did the person expect to find GOLD. Remember it also shows in their feedback left for others. It might lead them to be blocked by many sellers. They hurt themselves more than you in my eyes. They are nothing more than someone looking to get more than what they pay for. The only thing you could change is to accept returns. Because then you could have said back : Sorry you weren't happy with what's in my Junk Drawers and Why didn't you just return it.
krazzykats
·10 months agoI'd make sure your customers feel they're getting good value for their money.
To me, these junk drawers always seem too much like a gamble—as you never really know what you'll get until you actually receive it.
á“šá˜á—¢
simba6
·10 months agoYou need to describe your items better. You have a number of negs over that. Too many in a pattern like that can get your account suspended from selling. I would remove any items you think have any chance of an unhappy buyer. Your getting into the danger zone for sure. There is no warning, it's like double secret probation.
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoThanks everyone for responding
I suspect that he bought me just to put neutral
because in each lot I sell I put the following message
hi
Thanks for your purchase
Please contact
I whit any concerns
before leaving feedback
otherwise positive feedback
is greatly appreciated
I look forward to your next purchase
From
Another Time Round
Have a great day
chapeau-noir
·10 months agoThat may be, but it would best if you respond in such a way (if you respond) that you look better than he does. His silly neutral will look funny if your response is a polite, professional reply that you stand behind what you sell and always encourage your buyers to contact you with any problems.
It's a shame that people do this, but you can't do anything about whatever this person's motives are - be sure you block he, she or it.
cristian3_6
OP10 months agoThank you very much for your quick response
If this were what happened to you,
what would you say?
Tell me this, I'll answer the same way.
It seems you know more than me and are more professional.
chapeau-noir
·10 months agoSame sort of thing that I said in my last post. As far as that neut goes, the horse is out of the barn, and the deal is done, arguing or commenting on it really won't do anything. What you want to do is use this as an opportunity to reassure your FUTURE customers that you stand behind your offerings and that you ask your buyers to contact you about any problems. Anyone can make a mistake (or someone think they have, or have a disagreement or whatever) but what people really want to see is how calm and professional a seller is about handling it.
ETA: I don't know if I know anymore than you or anyone else, but I do know what I like to see as a customer.
tobaccocardyahoo
·10 months agoI doubt that.
Many buyers assume a neutral is neutral and they were not happy with their purchase but willing to live with it.
You might been more likely to take a return than have this neutral, but it would have been more effort to the buyer whose time was worth more than the money.
As an Ebay seller, the only FB I leave is automatic for buyers, I never leave FB for sellers, but I always get a refund for any seller faulted problem, one way or another.
chapeau-noir
·10 months agoJust curious why you never leave FB for sellers - is it because you've purchased on your seller account?
babyers88
·11 months agoyour only viable option you can hope for is to refund in FULL
then after refunding, apologize profusely for any misrepresentation or misinformation on your part (even if there was none), state that you have sent a full refund. Then ask if the buyer might consider a feedback revision if you sent one.
they either will say yes or they will ignore you and go about their day like normal.
you of course would need to unblock them so they can message you back.
Ebay is not going to change the feedback given, it does not meet the guidelines for removal.
the customer is always right, even if they are wrong. that is the mindset needed (especially going forward).
any loss can be written off on taxes, personal feelings can be brushed aside at no cost.
may not be what you wanted to hear, but that is how it works, otherwise there is ZERO chance the feedback will be changed. refunding and apologizing at least gives you a 50/50 chance.
If it does not work, then later you can go reply to the neutral stating sorry you were not happy with the purchase, the purchase has been refunded.
All I can tell you otherwise is not every buyer is going to be happy with a purchase every time no matter how hard you try or no matter what you do, that is fact.
ALSO sellers are not coming to the community boards to find buyers to block.......if they are then more power to them...
tobaccocardyahoo
·11 months agoIMO your photos do not clearly show what the coins are. They have insufficient depth of field, lighting issues and other flaws which I interpret as a box of low quality items. But the price was $26 and it was a lot of stuff.
I would not have offered that box, but many sellers would. The buyer was kind in only leaving a neutral but it reinforces your negative which Ebay is featuring.
IMO bad transactions are more likely to occur with cheap items, and whether they are worth the risk to your FB or account is a decision only you can make.
itsjustasprain
·11 months agoYou can certainly try but I would be doubtful as it is only a crudely-worded opinion of the items in the sale.
I think a bigger problem here is that you have already collected 3 Negs which are worse than a Neutral any day - and two of those were for 'junk drawer' lots - and now you have a Neutral for selling yet another 'junk drawer' lot.
The Neutral is not really what you need to focus on here - the Negs can do you real harm. Right now you are on the deck of the Titanic complaining that there is too much ice in your drink. What I would strongly recommend is to refocus your sales strategy on items that are easier to describe and easier for interested buyers to evaluate before buying.
I would suggest dividing up those lots by type of item. Have one listing for old coins - one listing for old watches - one listing for old costume jewelry and so on. You can then devote more photos to closeups that a buyer would want to see. Good luck.
pickapaper
·11 months ago@cristian3_6
You may think the buyers are competitors but I have my doubts because even though those buyers may also be selling junk drawer lots, every lot is going to be different so that's not really in direct competition. If the buyers are also sellers, they are probably buying other sellers' lots in hopes of getting something of value that they can turn around and resell. And as far as the coins, unless you are scanning them to show closeups, it's hard to tell from a photo of mixed items whether the coins are "good" or not.
Many buyers do not read descriptions so you putting a message on your listing for the buyer to contact you if there is a problem is highly likely not ever seen, and even if it is, by the time the buyer gets the item and inspects it, he probably would not remember (or bother) to go back and read your message again.
cristian3_6
OP11 months agoI plan to post this answer so other sellers are careful
Sellers beware
The buyer left a neutral vote without first sending me a message to resolve the issue.
I don't understand this neutral feedback because there were many photos of the coins, and I saw them before buying.
I'll now block this buyer.
Please tell me if it's okay.
Thank you.
acrystalshop
·11 months agoYour feedback reply should focus on informing future buyers that they can contact if any issue arises and you're willing to help etc. Other sellers are not going to see your reply to his feedback unless they are digging deep and at that point canceling the sale will probably result in a neg feedback.
In the past I had luck contacting eBay through FB messenger for help but they recently changed and are just following their new feedback policy script. Even if you have the exact measurements in the listing multiple times with photos and the buyer states they expected something different they will not remove it since that is the buyers opinion. IE - buying a item that is shown to be 3 inches but expecting it to be 4-5 inches. It's unfortunate but that's the way eBay operates.
chapeau-noir
·11 months agoI would NOT leave that response. It's unprofessional. Furthermore, IDs are redacted so no one will have a clue as to what you're talking about.
Also - the suggestion upthread to refund and apologize - it's not necessary to do that, refund or any of the rest of it. Don't grovel. The buyer closed the door with the neut.
You can be flip as I've been known to be "Gee, I thought there was some really cool stuff in there!" Or be more serious "Buyers are always encouraged to please contact me with any problems - I pride myself on good customer service." Or just leave it be.
ETA: Not taking it personally helps, too - it's just business and encountering it from the POV of business is better.
babyers88
·10 months agoa refund is not necessary at all, they can carry on and forget about, but if there is any hope of having it changed there is no better way.
it's a small sale, won't hit the pocket hard at all. If it was a larger sale then well maybe not.
a surprise unsolicited refund can make a change of heart, as hard as that may be to believe.
I am not saying to always issue a refund if a bad review is left, it is more or less a last ditch attempt to rectify a situation that has no other compromise or solution. Putting there money back in there pocket is not a bad idea.
mam98031
·10 months ago@cristian3_6
It is sad, but there is no requirement that the buyer checks in with the seller first. I wish there was, but there isn't.
broto_64
·10 months agoThat is not ok, your reply will only be read by a few members and most of those will be buyers. Very few if any sellers spend any time looking for "warning" replies in someone else's feedback, but buyers... Your future buyers will look through feedback to see if you are a reputable seller, and a reply like yours will send them running away.
Your reply to feedback is an opportunity to shine in front of future buyers, so problem solving (even if it sticks in your throat) should be the goal, making it right, admitting you were wrong, that sort of thing.
You may also want to consider, I would never buy from someone like you mostly because the picture is not clear... Yes it's crisp but there is so much stuff in that box it straddles the border of selling "potluck" (or grab bag) lots of items which is against ebay policy. Perhaps pull all that junk out and separate it, lay it all out on a flat piece of cardboard and then take pictures, of individual items or even small groups of items.
I mean, that or stop selling junk?
The buyer stated it was garbage.
Garbage is kind of the same thing as junk, I'm not sure where the buyer thought they were receiving anything other than trash but that doesn't entirely stop the buyer's disappointment.
A 30-day free returns policy might help.
cristian3_6
OP11 months agoThose who signed negative and neutral sell the same thing as me.
So they have experience.
I think they're competitors.
If they saw all the coins in the photos when they bought it, and then they say those coins are junk, why did the buyer bid?
That's why I suspect they bought the lot just to post the neutral.
I put a message on every lot I sell that, before posting feedback, if there's a problem, send me a message to fix things.
They could have sent a message, and I could have refunded their money.
But they chose to post neutral.
The buyer also has three negative and one neutral feedback.
pickapaper
·11 months ago@cristian3_6
This buyer gave you a neutral saying the coins were garbage. You also have two negatives for which the buyers were unhappy with the quality of the items they received. (I didn't go back and look but I seem to remember you posting about one of those negs you received.) The reality is, when you sell "junk drawer" lots, no matter how many photos you post, a buyer is hoping/expecting to receive at least something in the lot that has some value, at least enough to recoup their purchase price.
Your listings say "no returns". You are setting yourself up for these less-than-positive feedbacks when a seller is not happy with what they received and thinks they are stuck with it; they do not know they can return the purchase anyway regardless of your no returns policy (eBay's MBG overrides your no returns policy). So they do the only thing they know to do: leave a neutral or negative.
mam98031
·11 months ago@cristian3_6
The buyer didn't say anything in the feedback they left that violates any part of the feedback rule. To get it removed, it needs to violate policy. So this is just something you will need to deal with, sorry !!!
cristian3_6
OP11 months agoHow can I respond to this grievance?
A response so sellers can be wary of this seller who signs neutrals without first sending a message to fix things.
soh.maryl
·11 months agoA BUYER left you a neutral. Not much you can do about it.
"A response so sellers can be wary of this seller who signs neutrals without first sending a message to fix things".
I think you meant to say "this BUYER". And you can't leave any FB for a buyer except positive.
mtgraves7984
·11 months agoDon't sweat an insult. It's a neutral... totally doable. Godspeed.
powell-collectibles
·11 months agoRegardless of whether or not the buyer is being reasonable with feedback, I've always had discomfort with eBay removing such feedback. It is the buyer's opinion - feedback should be unfiltered, unless it is absolutely against policy or demonstrated to be completely untrue.
jshop_collections
·11 months agoId Leave it. I just got a neutral because an item didnt fit a guy, even though all measurements are included in the photos and there is a reminder in every description to "See photos for measurements to ensure proper fit." Some people never cease to amaze me.
acrystalshop
·11 months agoSame happened to us recently. Contacted eBay on FB and shown them the listing had the measurements in inches millimeters and grams shown in item detail and description with a photo - Please see full description for size info. They said it doesn't matter now with their new feedback policy. The buyers are allowed to have their opinion. If you sell a shoe sized at 10 and buyer expected it to fit like a 13 they are allowed to leave neutral/negative feedback because its their opinion even if it unreasonable .
bonanza125
·11 months ago"Can I remove this bad feedback if I call eBay customer service?"
Customer service doesn't remove feedback. You need to appeal it through the system. When you are at the appeal form just say you felt the comment of "garbage" is unacceptable and the buyer received exactly as what was in the photos and you feel that a neutral was not warranted. Then an agent will decide on it. It is recommended to have a 30 day return policy w/seller pays for shipping so the buyer could just return the item. Now appealing the feedback doesn't guarantee removal. Once the agent decides then the feedback could and most likely stand. They may remove the comment but not the neutral feedback.
inhawaii
·11 months agoYou can try to have it removed but I doubt they will. No violation. That's the buyers's opinion. Just be thankful it's only a neutral. I know it hurts, but I would leave it.
I wouldn't even reply to it. Replying to it will only draw attention to it.