1st Neutral Feedback, buyer has not received the item yet? How Should I respond? Ship it?

[gadgethound]

Two days ago (Saturday) I sold a Bialetti "3 Cup" Moka pot espresso maker.  Yesterday I got an Email saying he would keep it but was disappointed it was so small.  I understand that people used to Americano size cups may be disappointed with Espresso cups (which Bialetti says are 1.4 oz) so I put the actual ounce capacity (4.3 oz) and the size of each cup (1.4oz) in the listing 3 times.  Bialetti Calls it a 3 Cup on the box, so I cannot list it as something different.  The buyer's feedback states the 3 Cup Bialetti Moka Express (a different model) has much more capacity. That is false, they both hold 4.3 ounces. 

 I just received my first neutral feedback and he has not even received it yet.  It is supposed to go out today and I offered a refund but have not heard back.  I have to ship today to avoid being late.    Should I hold on to it until I get word back?  How do I respond to the feedback and avoid dealing with this person again?  

[albertabrightalberta]

In this case, I'd reply (and contact the buyer) with an unemotional "item purchased <24 hours ago on a Sunday and not even shipped yet! Was feedback left for the wrong seller?" 

[farmalljr]

It's neutral feedback. Who cares? It doesn't count against you. The buyer is obviously off their rocker to complain about something before they even receive it. 

Just ship it, since you have heard nothing and don't worry about it unless the buyer raises an issue. I'd also put them on the block list to avoid future issues. 

There is SOME responsibility on buyers to understand what they are buying. So long as the seller does what they are supposed to, being accurate and truthful with descriptions, then the buyer shouldn't complain if something isn't how they IMAGINED it should be. 

[eye_of_the_tiger]

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@gadgethound wrote:

It is supposed to go out today and I offered a refund but have not heard back.  I have to ship today to avoid being late.    

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I’d just ship it. 

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@gadgethound wrote:

  Should I hold on to it until I get word back?  

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No, just ship it. 

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@gadgethound wrote:

  How do I respond to the feedback…

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By saying that you haven’t shipped the item yet…something along those lines… 

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@gadgethound wrote:

…and avoid dealing with this person again?  

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By adding him to your Blocked Buyer list. 

[femmefan1946]

I would ask the buyer if he wants to cancel the sale since the item has not yet been shipped.

And give him 24 hours to respond.

Do NOT leave a Response yet.

Do NOT ship until you hear from him.

A neutral does not affect your rating, and a Response just draws attention to it.

If he wants to cancel, that's "At Buyer Request" and has no effect on your Seller account.

Then and only then could you add a response "We agreed to cancel."

And Block him.

[gadgethound]

Thank you for the input folks.  I re-read his initial Email to me which said: "I am surprised as to how small this pot is. I'm going to keep it but its water capacity is half that of the traditional all aluminum 3 cup bialetti moca express"  And then finishes: "Its conversational and i like the pot. just wish it were bigger." 

So, as you suggested I eBay messaged him again asking if he wanted to cancel, but also saying that I would ship today if  I do not hear from him by late afternoon.   He has only 12 total feedback scores so my guess is he may not fully realize that feedback is not a product review, its a seller review.   As suggested by most of you, I will not respond to the feedback now, but I did request he revise it.

Thanks for the ideas.  I understand that neutral is not terrible but potential customers see it when they look at your scores, and I am perfect so far.  I just want to fall from perfection due to something I really did wrong 😉
 

[farmalljr]

I'm a coffee drinker. I enjoy expresso too. Most of us call expresso "shots" because a "cup" of expresso is much smaller than what Americans are used to, what a "cup" is. There are such things as expresso cups, and they are very small (think kids tea set). 

I don't think the buyer understands expresso, or how internationally, it's referred to. They just wanted something that looks "trendy". 

As jolted as expresso makes me, I'd hate to think of drinking 3 American sized cups of it. A good shot in a Latte makes me sweat, where I can drink typical dark coffee and not skip a beat. What this buyer was thinking, who knows? But they probably are not expresso drinkers. 

[7794heather]

I read feedback of sellers and let me tell you-what he left was a review of the product, not of you as a seller. I would still buy from you as I would look at his low feedback and roll my eyes because he doesnt understand what ebay feedback is for. 

You could respond after it arrives by saying buyer left review of product by mistake. Transaction went smoothly and you appreciate his business. Thats professional and I would think you were a nice seller. Jmho. 

[downunder-61]

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@7794heather wrote:

I read feedback of sellers and let me tell you-what he left was a review of the product, not of you as a seller. I would still buy from you as I would look at his low feedback and roll my eyes because he doesnt understand what ebay feedback is for. 

You could respond after it arrives by saying buyer left review of product by mistake. Transaction went smoothly and you appreciate his business. Thats professional and I would think you were a nice seller. Jmho. 

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I would leave that part out as it is untruthful and could cause more issues than it would solve. The rest I agree with JMO

[froggyjump]

Contact him using a fake email.

Dear Sir

You have sabbotaged my feedback with a rating that has nothing to do with the guidelines and rules you agreed to follow when leaving feedback. The contract with ebay you are obligated to. This is a reportable offense not to mention the maliciousness of it clearly, leaves me with one option. You've been placed on my blocked buyer list and I want no further communication with you.

I am sure you are smarter than this but just in case know if any thieving occurs regarding my account expect a police report to be filed with the local police in your town. They will come knocking at your door. Your postman will also be notified of the mail fraud and i will file an online mail fraud report. This is JUST for starters.  Shame on you.

Now I will show undeserved grace right now to forgive you and allow you an out, and yes, you're welcome. but any contact in the future, or any stealing clearly, will be so far from your best interests your mind cannot comprehend the ramifications. This is the last of our correspondance

[froggyjump]

He broke the contact he has with EBAY by posting product reviews which are not allowed. Not to mention the obvious he is reviewing a product you are not affiliated with. Ebay should remove that neutral.

This guy needs to be put in his place, this witch-hunt against you needs to stop now.

[froggyjump]

He may just be setting the stage to get some $ off of his purchase. No.

[chapeau-noir]

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@froggyjump wrote:

He broke the contact he has with EBAY by posting product reviews which are not allowed. Not to mention the obvious he is reviewing a product you are not affiliated with. Ebay should remove that neutral.

This guy needs to be put in his place, this witch-hunt against you needs to stop now.

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This seems a little extreme - the guy is just a dope who doesn't know how to use feedback. 

[postingid7659]

My only concern here is the buyer has already indicated they're not happy with the item. Will they turn around and return it?