Will neutral/neg feedback we wiped if Buyer initiates a return cancelation and then a cancel order? | Selling

yeshy_us · 2025-12-20T10:55:33.808000Z

I sold an MP3 player for $12 free shipping (normally sells for $50 used and working) as-is for parts or repair. I noted all of the known defects and could not have been more clear that it was being sold only for parts or repair as-is. The buyer received the mp3 player and left Negative feedback claiming they expected it to work and practically copy-pasted defects in the feedback which were already noted in the listing. And they opened a return for 'Arrived Damaged'. I don't know if this buyer didn't read the description and thought they found a bargain, or tried fixing it and failed or whatever the case may be.I mentioned that they have no pull in this and that eBay will easily side with me. I've made a lot in gross profits on eBay over the years (by being an honest seller always listing every known defect if any), and I know how seller protection works and it couldn't be easier for me to win this case. I even have messages of the buyer saying they didn't read the description, but they're still persistent to leave bad feedback and have me pay return shipping or give them a full refund. I haven't sold on eBay in a few years and it's harder/near impossible to even get a customer service rep on the phone now. In the past I'd call eBay and they'd look this over, deny the buyer's return request and remove their negative feedback. I'd still probably give the buyer a chance to pay return shipping though and at least get a partial refund. But since it's become much harder to even get an eBay rep on the phone, I tried Report Buyer option and said for eBay to look this over but it's been a week and eBay did nothing. Finally, instead of even trying to call eBay which can take 30+ mins on hold, all over $12, I offered the Buyer a full refund if they removed the negative feedback is all I care about is keeping %100 positive feedback now, and they agreed to, they even said they would pay return shipping but I said just take the full refund and keep the item. I sent a Feedback Revision but they switched it to a Neutral still acting as if the MP3 player was supposed to work in their comments, and I do not want a Neutral feedback for this. By accident I agreed to their Return request which I didn't realize they opened for 'Received Damaged' and because the funds are on hold from them opening a Return for 'Damaged' I can't even print the label. I'd have to instead agree to send a full refund to close the return in which case they'll likely just leave the unwarranted Neutral and not respond. They said they're willing to remove the Neutral but we already used up the Revision when they changed it from Negative to Neutral. So, if I have the buyer cancel the Return on their end, and have them ask me to cancel the order after on their end, will their neutral feedback disappear??? (As opposed to me the seller asking them to cancel the order which might not remove their Neutral feedback). I trust them to remove the feedback first and then I'll refund them, but I don't trust them to send a cancel order request to wipe the feedback after I refund them. They're being very stubborn. The Return expired about 2 days ago and even though there's an 'ask eBay to step in and help' to possibly get a rep on the phone, but I haven't had the time during the day to call eBay. And, when I sold a lot on eBay a few years ago it was mostly through PayPal which isn't used anymore, and so I was able to refund the buyer through paypal after they finalized canceling the Refund and sending me a Cancel Order to wipe the feedback (if it even does wipe?), but now I'm not sure how I can refund them after the cancelation is all complete and they're refunded. I mean, it's all in writing so it's not like either of us can scam the other, even with paypal they used to work with eBay and if I were to try and scam them and not send the refund through paypal after the canceled the Return and canceled the whole order (if that'll make feedback disappear), they can still call eBay and eBay would see the messages and force the refund from my end. So I'm not sure what's the best way to approach this. There is a right way to do this, replying to this thread if you don't know the answer saying something like 'that's the risk you take as a seller' doesn't help anyone and is not right. I guess the only thing I can do is have it in messages that they can make a listing for 'nothing' and for pickup only so they don't have to pay shipping and I can click on my end that I did receive the item and am happy, and then I'll pay they $12 for that so they can get their full refund AFTER they the cancel the return and cancel the order to remove the feedback. I'm just realizing now if I wait any longer that ebay's automated system will side with them because I accidently agreed to their return as 'Damaged'. I was originally thinking another option was to just ignore the Return request and that eBay would finally have a human look this over and side with me. So now I'm going to risk what I asked in the title is ask them to cancel the Return, and then I'll fully refund them and then hope that they also agree to send me a cancel order and hope that it wipes their feedback. If not, I'll try and call eBay to look this over they %100 will side with me. Another thing working in my favor is that this buyer also sells sometimes, and although buyer's for them likely will never sift through a seller's feedback like that because it wouldn't show up in their chart of # of neutral/Negative in the past 12 months, in my response to their unwarranted Neutral I noted in detail how they were wrong to leave that feedback that I mentioned all the defects in the listing, and I have a more prominent seller account often at Top rated status with %100 positive feedback that does help convince others that I'm being truthful. If only eBay didn't make it so difficult/impossible to even call a rep anymore it wouldn't have come to this. Sheesh.

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Will neutral/neg feedback we wiped if Buyer initiates a return cancelation and then a cancel order? | Selling | eBay Community