Bogus Negative Feedback - HELP

[nameless_user_101]

Negative feedback received 10/6:

 

Buyer did not reach out to me before leaving feedback.

I requested feedback removal but was denied on grounds of no policy violations (which I do not think is correct - buyer uses profanity “**bleep**”).

I reached out to buyer to initiate a dialogue on 10/7 asking him politely to remove the feedback because my listing was accurate and received no reply. I then followed up offering a full refund on 10/8 and received no reply. Clearly I am not at fault but the impact of the negative feedback is real and I just need to solve, so I offered the refund. In the 8 days before the feedback I made 10 sales. In the 3 days since, 0 sales. The impact is real.

I emailed customer service but so far am getting the standard template responses suggesting I reach out to the buyer to resolve. If buyer doesn’t respond / isn’t interested in resolving then what?

Anyone have any advice here? I really earned my perfect feedback score so this is a difficult pill to swallow. If negative feedback came along for something genuine I would accept it and move on, but there is nothing I can really learn from this other than that there are buyers out there you just can’t work with and no way to anticipate and block them ahead of time. Super frustrating.

[heckofagame]

The buyer is not required to contact the seller before leaving feedback.

The feedback does not contain profanity.

Offering a refund for better feedback might be a policy violation. 

It is unlikely that this feedback will have any impact on your sales, even though you believe otherwise. 

[nameless_user_101]

Thanks for the reply.

One rebuttal - the feedback does contain profanity. Here’s the proof. I quoted the specific term in my post above and it was automatically replaced with **bleep**

 

[mtgraves7984]

Anyone have any advice here?

@nameless_user_101 

Let it go. It's there for 12 months (it only feels like an eternity), and you can still raise your feedback score mathematically. Admittedly, I don't know what "REGION B" (in the listing description) means, either... maybe the buyer should have reached out earlier. Hang in there...

[brightlightbookseller]

---

@nameless_user_101 wrote:

Thanks for the reply.

One rebuttal - the feedback does contain profanity. Here’s the proof. I quoted the specific term in my post above and it was automatically replaced with **bleep**

 

---

You do know everyone can see your feedback?  Here's the exact text:

Why sell in the United States a copy from a euro region, I don’t know what region B is. I searched for the USA not bloody Europe so some sort of B S going on!

Space added.

That's not really profanity by any standards I know of.  Certainly not going to be likely you'll get that removed.

[cambriachick]

Why don't you clarify to us exactly what Region B refers to?  I have purchased DVDs in the past from a seller who claimed they were in the US and received a terrible cheap copy.

[robbie31415]

I have no clue what region B is.

Also B S is pretty..... Grey area for profanity scale.

The forums may have stricter guidelines. And censor it.

But it seems like a legitimate feedback. I don't think it should be removed simply because they said B S.

[buyselljack2016]

listing clearly shows what the "region" is.

Sorry you got a numpty buyer

[kickin.assets]

@nameless_user_101 

You'll be just fine. Received a neg myself today ... it is what it is. Unhappy people will be unhappy people. You can not change that, nor can I. 

Just keep doing the best you can, and forget the truly unhappy/angry people out there and you'll be good!

I buy from 90 something percent feedback people all the time and they are some of the kindest, best sellers out there!

Happy Sales,

Kiks

[robbie31415]

---

@buyselljack2016 wrote:

listing clearly shows what the "region" is.

Sorry you got a numpty buyer

---

It's clearly defined as region B. You are correct.

No real clarification what region B is.

Are you sure you aren't reviewing a different listing?

[itscalledapostingid]

@nameless_user_101 

Source: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/feedback-policies/feedback-policies?id=4208

Their entire complaint is that it's region B.

Region B is stated in the title.

Current feedback removal policy states this as a reason for removal:

• The buyer is raising an issue that was correctly disclosed in the listing

[chapeau-noir]

The nannyware here removes B S, which also means bachelor of science and other things. It's not profanity, they're just a bit over-cautious.

My question to the buyer is why on earth would they PURCHASE a region 2 DVD if they live in region 1 (the US)? I think you'll be fine, though - sales go up and down at the best of times.

ETA: 'there is nothing I can really learn from this other than that there are buyers out there you just can’t work with'

You actually just learned a very basic and important fact of online selling - you're gonna get these type people from time to time. 

[kraftique]

You can't do anything about what they wrote. you can write a response under their feedback.  Just be professional. Your being to sensitive about the whole thing....  Believe me this is going to happen to you.. It happened to all of us..  Sometimes we mess up.. Sometime the buyer does....  Like others said-- let it go.. it goes off your record in 12 months,.

[itscalledapostingid]

If ebay is going to start allowing acronyms of curse word phrases in feedback that could be a slippery slope that will soon have people crying foul.

[chapeau-noir]

I once got a warning here because I used a bogus string of capitals joking about these ZOMG!! acronyms, because it *might* mean something.