Account Restricted for Leaving Honest Feedback for Buyer Who Missused Returns

[cheyennetradingco]

We have had our account restricted for leaving honest feedback on a buyer’s page.

Buyer requested return for item not as described claiming item not sealed.  We accepted return. Received it back, sealed exactly as stated in listing, uploaded picture of sealed item to return request. Issued refund of cost minus shipping through PayPal.  Ebay overrode our decision, taking money from our PayPal account to refund buyer in full. Buyer sent multiple abusive emails calling us a crook for not offering full refund. Buyer threatened negative feedback in messages and did actually leave negative feedback. We left honest feedback for buyer summarizing the bad experience we had with buyer misusing returns. Ebay restricted account because we were honest in our feedback about the buyer. 

Ebay gives option to leave feedback for buyer after transaction yet filters it so we can only leave positive.  Sellers get penalized with restrictions it we are honest.   Ebay is deciding more of these cases in favor of the buyer leaving sellers to pay the cost in return shipping fees and reputation. Buyers know they can abuse the policies and when confronted Ebay does nothing because they consider sellers as their “employees” instead of the entrepreneurial business people we truly are and consider our customers as their buyers not the consumers who desire our products at our prices. Thinking of moving $36,000 of listings to new platform totaling $80,000 in yearly sales.  Any suggestions?

[emerald_door]

I'm sorry that happened.  It seems that many of us get hit by the occasional dishonest buyer who will say anything to avoid paying return shipping.  Unfortunately, the feedback forum is not a level playing field. 

[dcintennessee]

@cheyennetradingco, I also understand your frustration. Here's the thing - this has cost you more in stress and annoyance than it has $, despite the suspension.  I'll have to go along with @hillbillymedia - life is too short. During your suspension, use the time to polish up your listings, get more product listed, or heck - just enjoy the break! Sure, check out other platforms, and perhaps list elsewhere as well. But, I wouldn't abandon eBay. Your success here has been too great to leave over something like this.

One caution for others considering leaving nasty feedback (for a seller, not buyer!):  Long ago on this Forum someone pointed out the wisdom of checking the feedback left for others. That sometimes tells more about the buyer or seller than the feedback they have gotten.  Overall, I consider eBay an awesome marketplace, and I'm about to have to leave only my 2nd negative feedback ever. Despite the fact that I'm warranted to have a hissy fit and tell off this seller for SEVERAL reasons, I'll be brief and professional. The feedback we leave becomes part of our eBay reputation...

[mam98031]

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@dcintennessee wrote:

@cheyennetradingco, I also understand your frustration. Here's the thing - this has cost you more in stress and annoyance than it has $, despite the suspension.  I'll have to go along with @hillbillymedia - life is too short. During your suspension, use the time to polish up your listings, get more product listed, or heck - just enjoy the break! Sure, check out other platforms, and perhaps list elsewhere as well. But, I wouldn't abandon eBay. Your success here has been too great to leave over something like this.

One caution for others considering leaving nasty feedback (for a seller, not buyer!):  Long ago on this Forum someone pointed out the wisdom of checking the feedback left for others. That sometimes tells more about the buyer or seller than the feedback they have gotten.  Overall, I consider eBay an awesome marketplace, and I'm about to have to leave only my 2nd negative feedback ever. Despite the fact that I'm warranted to have a hissy fit and tell off this seller for SEVERAL reasons, I'll be brief and professional. The feedback we leave becomes part of our eBay reputation...

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I have often said that on threads and it is a GREAT reminder.  I firmly believe what you have said.  If as a buyer I find the need to leave negative FB, not only does the seller have to work very hard to get me to the point where I would do this, when I leave it, I am factual about it.  Not emotional.  While I've always encourage sellers to review a buyer's FB left for others [or a seller's, depending on the situation], the other thing I say quite often is this is a BUSINESS transaction, not a personal one!

Thank you for the reminder.

[castlemagicmemories]

The feedback we leave becomes part of our eBay reputation...

So true.  Yet buyers that don't leave feedback for bad experiences have been chastised on this Board for that.  Many save negs for truly egregious behavior, and/or have the sensitivity to be respectful of the fact that that account might represent someone's livelihood.

In any event, it is self defeating for the buyer, as you say, to damage their own reputation for something that is not their fault.

It becomes part of our Ebay reputation if the seller doesn't have it removed.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@dcintennessee wrote:

@cheyennetradingco, I also understand your frustration. Here's the thing - this has cost you more in stress and annoyance than it has $, despite the suspension.  I'll have to go along with @hillbillymedia - life is too short. During your suspension, use the time to polish up your listings, get more product listed, or heck - just enjoy the break! Sure, check out other platforms, and perhaps list elsewhere as well. But, I wouldn't abandon eBay. Your success here has been too great to leave over something like this.

One caution for others considering leaving nasty feedback (for a seller, not buyer!):  Long ago on this Forum someone pointed out the wisdom of checking the feedback left for others. That sometimes tells more about the buyer or seller than the feedback they have gotten.  Overall, I consider eBay an awesome marketplace, and I'm about to have to leave only my 2nd negative feedback ever. Despite the fact that I'm warranted to have a hissy fit and tell off this seller for SEVERAL reasons, I'll be brief and professional. The feedback we leave becomes part of our eBay reputation...

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I have often said that on threads and it is a GREAT reminder.  I firmly believe what you have said.  If as a buyer I find the need to leave negative FB, not only does the seller have to work very hard to get me to the point where I would do this, when I leave it, I am factual about it.  Not emotional.  While I've always encourage sellers to review a buyer's FB left for others [or a seller's, depending on the situation], the other thing I say quite often is this is a BUSINESS transaction, not a personal one!

Thank you for the reminder.

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Right there with you.  You have to really earn a neg from me, and I am factual, not emotional, when I leave one.  The facts speak for themselves.

[seller*by*day]

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@lintbrush* wrote:

@penguins_dont_fly

I think I found one! 

Mercari

I was googling an item and it came up there.  I went looking to see what it was all about, and apparently buyers can get bad reviews.  The whole system is wild - 3 days to leave it or it's left for you - and when you leave it, the transaction is considered over.  You have to start claims within 3 days, without leaving feedback (neg or positive) or too bad.

The site itself is poorly rated.

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That site allows PayPal so the buyer still has 180 days buyer protection. But if the buyer uses their Mercari balance than they do get 3 days but they can do have the ability to pursue a claim after 3 days but the seller is not liable. Mercari takes the loss.

[mountainmommie]

Stop expecting an honest result from a 20-50% participation rate.

[mam98031]

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@mountainmommie wrote:

Stop expecting an honest result from a 20-50% participation rate.

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Boy isn't that the truth.  Less than 25% of my buyers leave FB.  I really dislike how Ebay calculates our percentages of FB as well.  I absolutely do not think FB percentages should be divided by number of FB left, but of total transactions.  

Just like the threads, people don't tend to post things unless they have an issue either real or perceived.  Certainly some buyers post positive FB or none of us would have any, but it is a very small percentage of buyers that do that.  If Ebay would change the way they calculate the FB percentages based on total transaction, the percentages would be far more representative of what a seller is actually doing.

[castlemagicmemories]

Outstanding post, the*dog*.  

[kitschy*loot]

I don't understand why some sellers seem puzzled when they only see an option to leave a buyer a positive feedback. Even if I didn't understand why, my common sense would kick in and tell me that eBay doesn't want sellers to leave a negative or a neutral or they would offer three choices. For some sellers, their common sense tells them that eBay wants them to leave a negative comment under a positive heading. That's odd.

[muttlymob]

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@coolections wrote:

Are you sure the restriction is for leaving bad feedback ?

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This isn't the OP's first go-round.  There are at least 3 comments removed in the past 6 months.   And a bunch more neg-positives for buyers that weren't removed, if those buyers knew/wanted to report the results would be even worse.

Based on that and the feedback left for sellers, this is a prime case of Karma bites, and the dangers of buying and selling on the same ID.

[escuintla]

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@kitschy*loot wrote:

I don't understand why some sellers seem puzzled when they only see an option to leave a buyer a positive feedback. Even if I didn't understand why, my common sense would kick in and tell me that eBay doesn't want sellers to leave a negative or a neutral or they would offer three choices. For some sellers, their common sense tells them that eBay wants them to leave a negative comment under a positive heading. That's odd.

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But, the weird or unjust thing is to allow a buyer who left a positive feedback to make a return. 

I believe there should be a period of "cooling off" between receiving an item and leaving a negative feedback so both buyers and sellers work on any problem.

Receving a negative feedback when the seller doesn't know what the shell is going on is unjust to me. 

[femmefan1946]

@escuintla

But, the weird or unjust thing is to allow a buyer who left a positive feedback to make a return. 

Not really.

I recieved positive feedback some years back from a buyer who calmly pointed out I had misdescribed a book. (It was the first paperback edition but not a paperback original).

I sent return shipping, he returned, I refunded, he left positive feedback.

He was happy with the transaction-- if not with the product.

The book resold. I think I broke even.

I don't think I have had a return after FB was left, but it could happen. Some buyers leave it before inspection. Some leave it by mistake.

FB is meant to be about the buyer's impression of the transaction. Which may include the quality of the product, or the seller's customer skills.

[little.font.lord.leroy]

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@cheyennetradingco wrote:

 And as they are, the seller sucks it up line doesn’t work for us!!  Fresh ideas welcomed.   You are losing me on the party line.  If anyone wants to innovate please come aboard. 

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My response to your OP was, how could a seller who has been here since 2004, not be aware of the rules concerning sellers leaving feedback. But by your 3rd comment (?) in the discussion you made it clear that you thought the rules were bad and you only came to complain about that. But, you have to admit, you were a coy about it at the beginning, "I have been cheated for leaving honest feedback." Is that a little dramatic?

Now you want "fresh ideas". I'm unsure what a Fresh Idea is (is that like alternative facts?) and if you're being coy again. There are no fresh ideas on this topic and I wonder if you know that, too?

Like yelp, where restaurants do not grade the customers, eBay changed the rules a long time ago. The fact that Sellers can still leave limited feedback is a vestige of the old system. Plain and simple.

Having to take returns is part of retail. Target takes in millions of returns a year. But you aren't Target, you have hungry infant mouths to feed, and a retun can mean that baby don't eat tonight. Well, here's a fresh idea.

The retail world, whether on-line or brick and mortar, has a certain amount of returns. It is part of doing business. If the eBay market is too volatile for your needs, perhaps you should grow strawberries in your backyard and make jelly to sell at the local farmers market? Ah, but that might be too unreliable of an income for hungry infant's mouths. Perhaps deliver those local advertising pages/papers, you gotta get up early, but the income is reliable and predictable. If the health and well being of children is involved, you might do better by them if you found a more reliable vocation than retail. Fresh enough?

[robot-hands]

You don't get restricted for doing that once.

...and the estimate of 25 million ebay users is off by about 150 million...give or take