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!

[cityslickercreations2004]

Well, you ran across a lively one. I have sewn for decades (circa 1968) and I could make several comments regarding the buyer's feedback. This was an inexpensive doll outfit with free shipping. Then she took an iron to an unknown fabric. Yikes!

The neutral feedback stings and stinks. I am glad it wasn't negative. Please do not let finicky persons dissuade you from determining what you will sell or not sell, unless there is a legitimate issue (your call.)

[fbusoni]

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@krazzykats wrote:

My recent neutral surpasses yours.

A buyer expressed dissatisfaction with the materials used in a product that I did not manufacture. I take neutral feedback seriously and will not sell this item any longer because of the complaint. 

But I've moved on, it is what it is...My life isn't over.  🤣

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@krazzykats 

I bow to you in great respect for responding to a complete imbecile with great delicacy and tact.

[bonanza125]

What I do is have a 30 day money back guarantee with myself the seller pay for the shipping back. That way if an issue like this occurs the buyer has the option to return the item. If they leave bad feedback I appeal it and win on the grounds that the buyer had the right to return no questions asked and they didn't follow through with that. 

[meme6253]

My sense of smell is ok, I don't know why or how, I am going to respond to the neutral, that items come from a smoke & pet free home & i stand by my word.

[meme6253]

The ornament was acquired in a batch from an estate sale, But i did not notice any odors & i sold about 6 others from the same batch & did not hear of any problems

[meme6253]

I think that has to be what happened here, something similar, a USPS driver/carrier that smokes & how & why should i be held responsible for that?

[meme6253]

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.

[chienoir]

Get used to it. Over several decades eBay has gone through some attitude shifts, the worst of which is the asinine idea that 'the buyer is always right'. Feedback has improved recently in allowing the seller to respond to retributive and untrue feedback. Malicious feedback can and does harm an honest sellers reputation. But eBay doesn't seem to care - so we have to defend ourselves by calmly stating the facts in our reply and exposing the lying buyer. Hopefully other buyers will realize that the negative feedback left was retributive. We must also block bad buyers as there are some really devious, nasty buyers here on eBay.

[pcobra93]

100% Agree and have been saying this since they removed negative buyer feedback ability. It should all just be based on metrics ratings only on both sides. That would be fair and simplify everything, "feedback" really means nothing nowadays.

[fern*wood]

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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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I received bad feedback a couple years back over an ornament too.  I don’t see how contacting me would change anything about what they thought they smelled, but it might result in me losing money.   My only response would have been to return for a refund, but I’d rather keep the money.

[reallynicestamps]

Feedback has improved recently in allowing the seller to respond to retributive and untrue feedback.

Responses to feedback have been allowed since at least 1998, when I started selling here.

Most experienced sellers discourage leaving responses, especially since they are all too often left while the seller is still upset.

In my opinion the second best response is "I regret you are unhappy with your purchase. Please return it for refund." since the seller is addressing not the unhappy buyer but their future customers.

However, I agree with @meme6253  that feedback is a relic of the 20th century internet, when it was edgy and scary to buy online, instead of how we get doorknobs and underpants.
I also agree with @chevymontecarlo88  that making more eBay metrics visible (not customer opinions like FB and reviews) would be more useful, at least for the thinking customer.

[turtles-trading-post]

I believe there is a limit that a buyer cannot submit negative feedback for a period of time... I seem to remember 5 days...  especially since many are inclined to post a negative for "Did Not Receive" the next day.

What we need is a Negative / Neutral process that forces the buyer to first message the seller.  The seller has time to respond (think the "Did Not Receive" process) to make it right.  Less than Positive feedback should be a last resort.

[adamcartwright]

@chevymontecarlo88 

That would be fine. I would also like a star rating for packaging. I don't want to give a negative or neutral for bad packaging alone, but I would give a less than 5-star rating for that metric.

[kensgiftshop]

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@meme6253 wrote:

The ornament was acquired in a batch from an estate sale, But i did not notice any odors & i sold about 6 others from the same batch & did not hear of any problems

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So it might not have come from a smoke free home as stated in your listing.

[kensgiftshop]

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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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You might not have noticed it while it was unpacked.

Being packed a few days, the smell didn't have anyplace to go.