Feedback should be abolished

[meme6253]

The feedback system should be abolished, It is an unfair one-sided system that does not accurately portray the customer side, We have 2 choices, we either have to send a positive feedback for every customer no matter the circumstance, or leave no feedback at all, I just got a neutral from a fellow seller, that i all way's ask customers to contact me prior to leaving any feedback if there is any problem, & i think that is a courtesy that should all way's take place, You don't contact then you cannot leave feedback, I state in my store that all my items come from a smoke & pet free home & that is the truth!, Period!, so this wonderful seller/buyer blames me for odor that i had nothing to do with, without ever contacting me, Sellers know how important feedback can be & how hard it can be to maintain, If they have an issue they should extend the courtesy of contacting you., I know it's just a neutral but this type of thing infuriates me!

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@meme6253 wrote:

There was no smoke odor coming from my item or packing materials prior to it being sent out, The odor is not my fault, I thought i was pretty clear on that.

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Agreed—the odor is not your fault.

The issue at hand is that, with its buyer-centric policies, eBay still would consider it your responsibility. They will hold a seller accountable for a buyer’s dissatisfaction with the delivered item. Sadly, this can be the case even if the buyer fabricates, imagines it, or is otherwise completely mistaken.

eBay policies are designed so that the burden of risk falls onto the seller—not eBay, not the buyer. The seller can find themselves to be completely exposed to the whims of their buyer.

About the only remedy i’ve discovered to this inequity is to ensure i know as much (or more) about the rules that govern the site than those who would exploit them at the seller's expense. 

(Fortunately most transactions go off without a hitch. In 15+ years of selling, have never been defrauded by a buyer. Knock wood.)

[fbusoni]

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@lakefor94 wrote:

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@meme6253 wrote:

It must be a postal worker, evidently you choose to call me a liar, I do not appreciate that one bit!, So keep your bogus remarks to yourself

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Nobody called you anything. You are forgetting that anyone can see the feedbacks. All of them. The long documented history over the years tells the tale. You sell a lot of items with oders according to your buyers. 

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@lakefor94 

I took a look and was surprised to see so many.  Yet by his own testimony, neither @meme6253 nor his wife are smokers. 

In one reply, the OP refers to "the repurposing of boxes & packing materials."  

That makes sense... is easily preventable, and avoiding such materials would make for a better customer experience, it seems to me.  

[meme6253]

Your missing the more broader issue, there is way to much dissatisfaction with the feedback system, not just me, Sellers are way to vulnerable to the whims or maniacal antics of certain customers who know ebay's system & abuse it at the expense of the seller

[meme6253]

I was never given the opportunity to suggest for a return or refund, that's part of the point, I wish everyone would read before commenting

[meme6253]

The percentage over the amount of transactions is very low, & you basically did call me a liar although not directly, I am not a stupid person i can read between the lines. I don't even know how you think your even allowed to comment on this forum, when you have a total of 9 feedback's in the past year, nothing listed to sell, & talk about something to hide your profile states you live in the USA, won't even share where you actually live

[fern*wood]

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@meme6253 wrote:

I was never given the opportunity to suggest for a return or refund, that's part of the point, I wish everyone would read before commenting

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You do have the opportunity to offer a return policy in your listings.  Sometimes that goes a long way in how buyers react to not being 100% happy with their purchase.  Some will take you at your word and feel they don't have any options other than file a not as described return or give bad feedback.

[meme6253]

I keep trying to reply & it keeps giving best answer instead, My reply is avoiding repurposing  boxes & packing materials would cost me significantly more money, I am also a strong believer in repurposing & recycling.

[squinkercat59]

I agree that the feedback system can be abused, but I think it's important when you're buying something, to be able to bypass sellers that have an enormous amount of negatives, like book dealers with THOUSANDS of negatives in the last MONTH, or from dealers that consistently have negatives because items were not packed properly and were received broken.  Just a few negatives or neutrals on a seller's record don't bother me, especially with responses that make sense.  I would believe you, meme, and would assume that the USPS driver smoked, perhaps on a humid day when the cardboard just soaked up the smell.

[meme6253]

I appreciate your view, but i do not consider offering returns to be an opportunity but rather a vulnerability

[fern*wood]

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@meme6253 wrote:

I appreciate your view, but i do not consider offering returns to be an opportunity but rather a vulnerability

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No worries, I used to think that too. 

[lakefor94]

@lakefor94 wrote: When you pull up 200 feedbacks at a time and search for smell, odor and smoke, the feedbacks are riddled with comments about all three. The OP has been aware of this issue for a long time according to buyers feedback over the years......

@meme6253 wrote: It must be a postal worker, evidently you choose to call me a liar, I do not appreciate that one bit!, So keep your bogus remarks to yourself

@lakefor94 wrote: Nobody called you anything. You are forgetting that anyone can see the feedbacks. All of them. The long documented history over the years tells the tale. You sell a lot of items with odors according to your buyers.

@meme6253 wrote: The percentage over the amount of transactions is very low, & you basically did call me a liar although not directly, I am not a stupid person i can read between the lines. I don't even know how you think your even allowed to comment on this forum, when you have a total of 9 feedback's in the past year, nothing listed to sell, & talk about something to hide your profile states you live in the USA, won't even share where you actually live.

@meme6253 I certainly appreciate your well thought out assessment on which community members should be permitted to post on the forum. All I stated were documented facts by your buyers over the years. The comments are consistent. You blamed the postal workers. The problem herein lies with accountability. As sellers we are ultimately responsible to provide products that buyers are pleased with and the buyers are allowed to voice their displeasure through feedback.

As always, best to you meme and everyone in sales rolling into 2025. Time to get to work. Good luck.

[kensgiftshop]

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@meme6253 wrote:

I was never given the opportunity to suggest for a return or refund, that's part of the point, I wish everyone would read before commenting

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Yes you were.

You could have done that where you wrote this.

"My items come from a smoke & pet free home as i stated, & i stand by my word, I am sorry for your experience but i should not be held responsible for what most likely sounds like a USPS driver/carrier that smokes."

Since the items come from other locations, you don't know if they come from a smoke free place or not.

[meme6253]

You should follow your own advice!

[promoparfum]

I agree. that Ebay Feedback  is designed against Seller . There Must be a feature-  that Buyer cant leave Negative FB until they contacted Seller for bringing up the issue ,

Most of the clients write negative -  and assume its the way they must communicate  for a resolution.  

Ebay must protect and  help sellers before we all run away to other platforms !

[youn2240]

the smell people are the worst. I had one that ordered some power rangers zord parts that I have had in storage for a decade and the buyer said they steam cleaned it twice and soaked in alcohol and set it outside over night then steam cleaned it again and they just couldn't get rid of the smell of cigarettes. I don't smoke and I don't at all believe this persons story about how they spent an entire day attempting to get rid of the smells but I just cut my losses and gave them a refund then blocked them. it's an obvious scam tactic buuuuuut at the same time I do be buying things from all types of places and people so maybe it was and I just didn't notice the cigarette smell that was waifting off it after being in storage for around a decade and then in my basement for a couple months so I just let the scammer have it to discard (complete their zord for free). end of the day it's just easier to cessate the unreasonable customers and move on. luckilly 99%+ of the people I sell to seem to be quite honest. If they say there is a problem there is a problem so solve it or they will be petty and try to make your life hard because that's just how some people are. block and move on my friend. I've had a few potential buyers message asking about smoke smells etc and I just block them right there because they are letting you know they are not going to be happy with anything they get.