Buyer left negative feedback after non-payment/communication

[eatandoph]

Hi all — this is my first post. I've sold items sporadically over fifteen years or so on Ebay and have gotten my first negative feedback and am wondering if there is anything I can do to get it removed.

The situation is as follows: on the listed item, I wrote that payment was expected within five days. The winning bidder did not pay within this period, nor communicate. As I was would be leaving for travel shortly, I sent the buyer a message  six days after the end of the listing, saying that if they wanted the item, they should pay within a day, as afterward I'd be unable to ship it. I didn't hear anything, so I cancelled the listing. About two days later, the buyer left negative feedback, stating "Seller sent me one lousy email and didn’t give me a chance to reply."

Since Ebay would have contacted the buyer about paying at the end of the auction, it seems to me like I did more than what was necessary to accommodate the buyer. My sense from reading around is that it's difficult to get feedback removed, however. I contacted the buyer yesterday requesting revision/removal; they have not replied yet. Does anyone have any suggestions? 

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

If buyers don't pay their feedback WILL be blocked IF the seller files and closes a UID. An automatic UID will block feedback as soon as it opens. A manual UID will remove feedback when closed. If that doesn't work, seller can call Ebay and have the feedback removed.

You cannot compare Ebay to Amazon or B&M stores. They don't run auctions or accept best offers. Sellers CAN run listings Fixed Price with Immediate Payment Required if they want immediate payment. That works just like the two places you mentioned.

As far as not paying, buyers change their minds. If you've ever returned anything to the store you have done essentially the same thing. Are you calling people unethical because they return a toy to Target?

[fab_finds4u]

Cancelling the transaction when the buyer hasn't requested to cancel earns you a DEFECT.  

From a buyer's side

Some buyers will not pay until an unpaid item dispute is filed.  It extends their payment time by 4 days.   eBay is good with this as long as they pay after a dispute is filed.  This means they can drag payment out for 6 days instead of the 2 days that eBay gives them to pay.     

  In your case it would give the buyer 9 days to pay because you extended their pay by time from 2 to 5 days.  So I'm sure when the buyer saw they had 5 days to pay they knew they actually didn't have to pay until you filed the unpaid item dispute. Which is what you shouldn't done. 

They weren't counting on you to cancel and give yourself a defect for not completing the transaction.  Your vacation plans called for you not to extend the buyer's payment time.  Buyers know if unpaid by 2 days an unpaid dispute can be opened.  

If you said 5 days to pay you needed to file an UNPAID item dispute when they didn't pay, not message the buyer. The buyer was probably thinking on the 6th day you would open an unpaid dispute and they would pay on the 4th day but instead they got an email saying pay in 1 day.  Surprise Surprise.   

Next time a buyer doesn't pay file an unpaid item dispute.  Negative feedback is removable if they didn't pay.  And you can leave a factual feedback reply to clarify or defend the neg. 

EOA xx/xx I emailed the buyer 6 days later to pay by 1 day or I wouldn't ship.

Most people reading that would think the buyer should've paid by 6 days!  

[turquoisetulips]

I don't think you should cancel before filing an unpaid case.  

I also think it's wrong that ebay allows buyers who don't pay when there are no problems, to leave any feedback.

Since they didn't pay, they are not a customer, just a nonpaying PITA. jocli76 

I agree with both of these statements . The op/ seller SHOULD have filed  an unpaid item before cancelling,, big mistake there  . However the buyer did have 7 days to pay  and then complains in the neg feedback  they left that the seller didn't give them a chance . Baloney . It's the buyer who deserves the negative  in this case . Of course that isn't allowed,,,  so here's yet  another prompt encouraging bad buyer behavior . IMO Tulips 

[eatandoph]

Thanks all for your replies. I didn't realize that cancelling would get me into trouble, given that the terms of payment for the listing hadn't been met by the buyer. In fact, when on the Sold Items page Ebay had a button asking if I wanted to cancel or relist the item after a few days, I figured it was legitimate to do so. 

Anyway, the sense I get is that I'm stuck with the feedback, so I'll wait another couple of days, see if the buyer responds to my request, and if they don't I'll respond with a factual statement. I wish they gave you more than 80 characters!

[eatandoph]

Anyway, I'll certainly take into account the lesson that I need to make an unpaid item claim when this situation arises again. Happily, every other buyer on this round of auctions paid more or less promptly and what feedback they'll left has been quite favorable, so hopefully future buyers will look at the feedback itself rather than the rather low percentage I'm stuck with for the time being, since Ebay doesn't take older feedback into account for that figure.

[jocli76]

If you've ever returned anything to the store you have done essentially the same thing."

If you return something to a store, then you already paid. Doesn't apply to the issue of not paying.

"Are you calling people unethical because they return a toy to Target?"

To return a toy to Target, or to an ebay seller, you have to buy it first. Again, returning an item after the buyer paid has nothing to do with not paying. 

[pburn]

Please remember to put the id of the non-paying member on your Blocked Buyers List so s/he can't make another purchase from you with that id.

[jocli76]

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@eatandoph wrote:
Anyway, I'll certainly take into account the lesson that I need to make an unpaid item claim when this situation arises again. Happily, every other buyer on this round of auctions paid more or less promptly and what feedback they'll left has been quite favorable, so hopefully future buyers will look at the feedback itself rather than the rather low percentage I'm stuck with for the time being, since Ebay doesn't take older feedback into account for that figure.

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That's the most positive action you can take, imo. 

If I saw the "buyers" feedback with a professional response from you about how they didn't pay in 7 days, and never paid, It wouldn't deter me from buying from you. I would read the buyer as a deadbeat who doesn't pay.

[scottish_kat]

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@myangelandmyprincess wrote:

You don't have the item in the condition they purchased it.   If it wasn't for seller error they would still want it.  They aren't requesting to cancel what they bought.  They just don't want what you're offering instead.  You can ask the buyer If they're still interested in it but if they aren't it should still be cancelled for out of stock.     And out of stock doesn't have to be just multi quantity.  I lost an item completely...

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You have no way of knowing what they purchased it for. Maybe they wanted it for a Halloween costume and don't care that it's not perfect.

Frankly, ebay is tough enough on sellers that I think it's crazy you'd want to punish yourself for something when you could easily avoid it just by apologizing. Sellers do this to me when they find something has happened in storage; I'd be much more annoyed if they just cancelled 'out of stock' like some sort of robot.

[smashedbanana]

Hi eatandoph

Other that what other people have said I would say don't concentrate on terms you manually enter in the auction description. Ebay's policies trump everything you can write there so it's best to not put too much effort there rather concentrate on seeing what E-bays policies are. i.e. you can write I expect payment within xxx days. But it doesn't matter to ebay. The real process is sending an invoice, then a payment reminder, then opening an unpaid item dispute and carrying it from there. 

I used to put a ton or effort writing things like "no zero feedback bidders" "I expect payment within xx days" "Item is as is". But all these things get overturned quick. Had to learn from that, hoping to save you any more harsh lessons.

Good luck!

[mam98031]

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@eatandoph wrote:

Thanks all for your replies. I didn't realize that cancelling would get me into trouble, given that the terms of payment for the listing hadn't been met by the buyer. In fact, when on the Sold Items page Ebay had a button asking if I wanted to cancel or relist the item after a few days, I figured it was legitimate to do so. 

Anyway, the sense I get is that I'm stuck with the feedback, so I'll wait another couple of days, see if the buyer responds to my request, and if they don't I'll respond with a factual statement. I wish they gave you more than 80 characters!

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You didn't notice when you filed for the cancellation that there wasn't a reason that you could choose that had anything to do with the issue you had on this transaction?  The options are very limited.

Did you actually send them a Request to Revise FB?  If you did, you really shouldn't do that without having open communication with your buyer and an agreement by them that they would revise the FB.  There are three reasons for this.  You have a limited number of these forms that can be sent.  They have a limited expiration date on them.  Once you send one, even if it expires, you can't send another one for the same transaction.

If you decide at some point to respond to the buyer's FB on your account.  Remember to be professional.  Don't let your personal feelings get in the way.  You don't want to potentially damage yourself with other buyers that will read it.  So just be careful.

[selsa84]

Id call and DEMAND it be taken off.  if you get the right rep they will. 

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

If you return something to a store, then you already paid. Doesn't apply to the issue of not paying.

Think a little outside the box. It's exactly the same thing. Buyers change their minds. Your buyer just changed theirs earlier than you did.

How on earth is that better than not paying at all? I'd rather know up front that someone doesn't want something than to have to pay for shipping both ways. Not paying is WAY better than paying then returning.

[mam98031]

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@selsa84 wrote:

Id call and DEMAND it be taken off.  if you get the right rep they will. 

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What policy did the FB break?

@selsa84 

[abethkap]

I would recommend politely communicating with the buyer after the negative.   For example, I would say that I was surprised to see the negative, and that the e-mail was supposed to give them one last chance to pay for the item, beyond the five days offered in the description, not to catch them by surprise (I am guessing the buyer may not have read the description.)  Ask them if there is a way to straighten out the situation, let them know your limitations (eg. I am unable to communicate or mail during my vacation, but will be able to after I return)  and to please respond quickly as, again,  you are leaving to travel.  If it seems that the communication is going well, and a solution is arrived at, I would request that they please revise the negative feedback, and remind them that this has a 10 day expiration period from the start of the request.   I definitely think this is worth a shot.  I had to do something similarly recently-- it turned out the buyer had mistakenly left me feedback intended for another seller.