Any buyer worth his salt knows that one lone negative does not negate an otherwise perfect feedback score. Savvy eBayers know getting the red donut is inevitable if you sell here and that it is not always an accurate measure of the seller.
Feedback on eBay has lost much of its potency over the years. Fewer people leave it and fewer consult it. Most importantly, a poor rating is no longer counted in a seller’s metrics. There is only one way a negative or neutral can hurt a seller’s account in my view. The only real damage that can be done lies in the seller’s hands.
The real value of Feedback is a seller’s response to the negative rating. In fact, a neg or neutral can be used as an opportunity to impress future buyers with a well-worded professional reply.
Unfortunately, the current reply to your unfair neg is a lost opportunity. It sounds as if you are withholding a refund until the buyer changes his rating. We know this is not the case, but
others will not know this. Something like “Package lost in transit. Full refund promptly given.” lets potential buyers know what actually happened and also refutes the buyer’s claim.
