General Feedback and SNAD

[jerseyvintagefinds]

We've casually been on eBay since 1998 and decided to take selling to the next level. Everything was going great, EXCEPT, I am lacking feedback. Buyers just don't leave feedback anymore. I've had 72 sales in 90 days, and only a handful of feedback. I am leaving feedback for my buyers hoping they will reciprocate but most do not. Enter the 2 negatives I received (my first EVER in 26 YEARS). The first one was my fault, I put the wrong measurements for a shower curtain in the listing. The buyer was rude as can be, of course I offered a return at my expense, but I definitely knew that negative was coming. The second negative was NOT my fault. I listed a handbag with 15 photos. FIFTEEN! The buyer insists it looks nothing like the listing (she took photos in different lighting than I did, I found this bag looks different in many photos online, it's the way it catches light, but my listing has it in different lighting so that the photos she sends looks just like ones in my listing) Anyway.... She doesn't contact me, but just left a negative. I contact her and tell her I will happily take it back at my expense if she is unhappy. She complains and complains but doesn't want to return it. I ask eBay to remove the feedback, the rep saw exactly what I was saying and she agreed but I received the decision that they won't remove it. So now I am at 95% positive. Any thoughts? Should I try to have it removed again? Will they even do that?  Is this even worth stressing over? I'm so annoyed right now, I've been working hard and have MANY happy customers who just don't bother leaving feedback.

[inhawaii]

Sorry, I don't think ebay will remove either of those negatives as they do not violate policy.

I understand your frustration when they jump to leaving negative feedback without contacting you first.

As sellers, I think we've all been there.

It seems like some buyers would rather complain than have their issues solved.

[jerseyvintagefinds]

I would never expect eBay to remove the first one, I truly made a mistake, I didn't appreciate how rude the buyer was but whatever. The second one though, it really bothers me because what they got was EXACTLY what was pictured. Their photo is in different lighting, but it's the exact same photo. I'm disappointed that eBay would rather knock a good seller and side with some buyer with less than 100 transactions when it is clear it's the exact same item and the buyer is nonresponsive to returning it. 

[wastingtime101]

---

@jerseyvintagefinds wrote:

The second one though, it really bothers me because what they got was EXACTLY what was pictured. Their photo is in different lighting, but it's the exact same photo

---

I understand the frustration at receiving neg FB, especially when the buyer is not interested in resolving the issue with a prepaid return label for refund.

I have to say the bag looks like 2 entirely different colors in your lead photo and the buyer's pic. Your title says cream, but your photo looks brown. It's not just a different interpretation of color shade - they look like 2 different colored bags.

Some colors are difficult to photograph, especially if you are using incandescent yellow-toned dark lighting rather than "daylight" LED bulbs, natural sunlight, etc.

I scrolled through your listings and it appears you do have a photo set up with better lighting, but (I'm assuming due to size or shape) that set up was not used for a lot of your bags.

Some of the bags photographed hanging from a door look off in color. Maybe find a new photo spot for those items, or change the light source, or evaluate the time of day you're taking pics in that spot.

I would take this as an opportunity to evaluate the lighting you're using for those larger items, and add some safety checks, such as holding the physical item up next to your computer screen and editing the photo to get a closer color match.

[wastingtime101]

This is about 40 seconds worth of photo editing to adjust color balance and brightness. It's definitely not perfect, but it's much closer to what appears to be the actual color. I'm not sure why you used that door pic. Your third listing photo is much closer to that "cream" or "natural" color than the brown appearance on the door pic and would have been good as your lead photo.

Go through your listings - most of your pics look OK but there are a handful of items photographed hanging from the door that appear to have that same lighting issue. Hope this helps!

[albertabrightalberta]

To add to the issue of obvious color differences as pointed out by @wastingtime101, I'll add that many buyers see a "no refunds" policy and figure they really don't have grounds to return the item since it's clearly the same bag but just not as represented in the pictures. And because they're disappointed, they express it in the way they believe is their only option. 

(I don't disagree that the buyer should have contacted you to request a return before leaving feedback.) 

As a handbag and accessories seller, I've found that in many cases, depending on the colors or materials of bags, I have to take multiple pictures in various locations to make sure that the color is as accurately depicted as possible. And even then, some adjustments may need to be tweaked to get it right. 

[robbie31415]

I diagree with the whole buyer should contact before leaving feedback.

There are many times I've gotten something wrong but made it work.

Does that mean I'm satisfied? No.

If I bought some chocolate chip cookies and they sent me oatmeal. I'll probably eat the oatmeal and not bother with a return. But I specifically ordered chocolate chip. Hopefully my feedback will push them to be more careful and verify what they are sending out.

[albertabrightalberta]

---

@robbie31415 wrote:

I diagree with the whole buyer should contact before leaving feedback.

There are many times I've gotten something wrong but made it work.

Does that mean I'm satisfied? No.

If I bought some chocolate chip cookies and they sent me oatmeal. I'll probably eat the oatmeal and not bother with a return. But I specifically ordered chocolate chip. Hopefully my feedback will push them to be more careful and verify what they are sending out.

---

Personally, I don't neg a seller unless the issue is egregious. If I'm not happy, I generally just don't leave feedback. 

But in this case, I stand by my opinion because I didn't just say that the buyer shouldn't leave feedback; I said that the buyer should have contacted the seller BEFORE leaving it. Depending on the seller's reaction and response, then the buyer could make a feedback decision. 

[safan80]

---

I easily have double the number of sales on my account  than I have selling feedback for. I've had a hard time getting buyers to leave feedback.  The one negative I got was from a Canadian buyer using a US address as their ship to, so they could resell in canada... They tried to get an extra processor out of me and even threatened me over it in ebay messages and EBAY SAID "That's just his opinion." I've politely ask buyers to leave feedback and some due and some don't, but I changed my listings to just include if you enjoyed your product from me please leave a positive feedback.  The biggest problem with the feedback system is that it closes too soon. When I buy stuff I inspect it within a week, but I may not use it for a few months, so I can't leave feedback. If ebay cuts off the option for negative feedback  as the system does for feedback in general (THE WAY IT IS NOW), but left the option for neutral or positive feedback open for A few months I think people would leave feedback more often. I wish we could get rid of the bad actors on the platform as they hurt everyone and NOT just their victims.

@jerseyvintagefinds in the end you just have to let the buyers do their own thing. unless by some miracle an actual ebay user somehow becomes CEO things just are NOT going to change. With all that said. I haven't sold on this account since I was pushed into mismanaged payments. 

@jerseyvintagefinds wrote:

We've casually been on eBay since 1998 and decided to take selling to the next level. Everything was going great, EXCEPT, I am lacking feedback. Buyers just don't leave feedback anymore. I've had 72 sales in 90 days, and only a handful of feedback. I am leaving feedback for my buyers hoping they will reciprocate but most do not.

[safan80]

---

You can color calibrate your monitor TO AVOID having to do that.  @wastingtime101 

It's a big topic and that rabbit hole has tons of videos online on how to do. Most people don't know how to do that though, that is why a warning in one's listings are strongly encouraged.

@wastingtime101 wrote:

---

I would take this as an opportunity to evaluate the lighting you're using for those larger items, and add some safety checks, such as holding the physical item up next to your computer screen and editing the photo to get a closer color match.

---

[robbie31415]

Literally the first sentence you quoted from me, I said BEFORE.

So I'm not sure why your response included an all cap BEFORE.

You are free to not neg any seller for any reason.

I'm free to be tired of whining sellers that feel buyers should have to contact them BEFORE leaving feedback.

They shouldn't, and they should be able to express their opinion within policy.

Just like I'm free to never buy from this seller simply because of their feedback responses. For me the seller did more damage than the buyer.

[reallynicestamps]

I ask eBay to remove the feedback, the rep saw exactly what I was saying and she agreed but I received the decision that they won't remove it.

The phone reps will agree to anything to get you off the phone so they can take a pee break.

They work for a subcontractor and have little training and less authority.

Meanwhile, in my opinion the best response would be :
"I regret that you are unhappy with your purchase. Please return it for a refund."

Followed by:

"I regret you are unhappy with your purchase. Please return it for a refund. If you open a Not As Described Claim I will be able to supply you with a Return Shipping Label."

Many nasty customers have so many Claims from their account that they are no longer eligible for the Money Back Guarantee.

If they open a Claim, they automatically lose. Lost Claimants cannot leave feedback.

Refusing to open a Claim and get Free Returns and Money Back, would be more likely to persuade a real eBay employee - the ones assigned to eBay's social media Chats- that the buyer is not all that unhappy and may lead to the FB being removed.

[chevymontecarlo88]

---

@jerseyvintagefinds wrote:

 So now I am at 95% positive. Any thoughts?

Should I try to have it removed again? Will they even do that?  Is this even worth stressing over? I'm so annoyed right now, I've been working hard and have MANY happy customers who just don't bother leaving feedback.

---

Don't stress about it and work on your pictures. Personally i would reply to the negative feedback a little less combative but you do have the right to do it. Many future buyers may take replies in consideration especially if your feedback percentage has a few dings. If anything, i would communicate a little more with your buyers at the time of the sale, after it is delivered (day of delivery to remind them) and maybe 3-5 days after as a follow up. This may encourage more buyers to leave you positive feedback.

[albertabrightalberta]

---

@robbie31415 wrote:

Just like I'm free to never buy from this seller simply because of their feedback responses. For me the seller did more damage than the buyer.

---

On this ^^^^ you'll get no argument from me! 

[wastingtime101]

---

@safan80 wrote:

---

You can color calibrate your monitor TO AVOID having to do that.  @wastingtime101 

It's a big topic and that rabbit hole has tons of videos online on how to do. Most people don't know how to do that though, that is why a warning in one's listings are strongly encouraged.

---

---

My monitor is calibrated and those bags still appear to be 2 different colors between buyer and seller photos @safan80 . Calibrating your monitor does not fix a lighting problem.