Negative Feedback

[herway]

I sold an item 6 weeks ago and was contacted by the buyer today claiming that the item was not as described and they wanted a refund and an apology. 

The item was a glass seed bead handbag. The glass beads were sewn on a rigid fiber material. 

Buyer said the beads were not glass and I lied about them being glass and about them being sewn on the bag. When I told her that she was incorrect, she left me a nasty negative saying that I lied.

I don’t know if I am suppose to share the link but it’s a brown beaded handbag that is searchable in my sold listings.

Should I respond to the negative or just leave it alone?

[mam98031]

---

@herway wrote:

I checked, lol, lots and lots of postives in the last month.

---

@herway 

Are you sure you looked at LEFT FOR OTHERS?  Not their feedback from other sellers.  That will always be positive.

[mam98031]

---

@12345jamesstamps wrote:

I think you can request a revision of a feedback in a 10 day timeframe from the buyer.

'Glass beads'...it is in your description...but technically if they were the bag would not be perfect...for anything glass will break with the right force...it looks like a perfect bag.

Try for a buyer's revision first...before leaving feedback...but you only get 60 days to respond to feedback as well...so this is a time frame in the buyer's corner.

Might just not leave any feedback as well.

---

I don't recommend that anyone send out a feedback revision form without the buyer agreeing to revise the feedback.  There are a couple of reasons for that.

1.  The buyer won't know to look for the email which comes from Ebay, not the seller.

2.  The seller has a limited number of these revision forms available to them.

3.  The Revision form / email has a shelf life of 10 days.  If the buyer doesn't respond to it, it will just be useless after that time.

4.  The seller can not send out a second feedback revision form on the same transaction if at a later time the buyer decides they want to change the feedback .

[herway]

Yes I am sure. Tons of positives left in the last month.

[herway]

Follow up

I requested a feedback revision thru ebay. I made a 2000 character request explaining that buyer is claiming false info and is damaging my reputation by calling me dishonest in her negative feedback. Ebay denied me, said the feedback would stand. They told me to request a revision from the buyer which would mean refunding buyers money for the item.

So unfair, ebay did not protect me from this buyer who made false claims. I have been selling on ebay for 27 years. Ebay allows anyone who comes along to make false claims and damage my reputation.

[buyselljack2016]

A revision does not require a "refund", but if the buyer is not open toa common sense explanation that the item is indeed as described it likely will not happen.

[mam98031]

---

@herway wrote:

Follow up

I requested a feedback revision thru ebay. I made a 2000 character request explaining that buyer is claiming false info and is damaging my reputation by calling me dishonest in her negative feedback. Ebay denied me, said the feedback would stand. They told me to request a revision from the buyer which would mean refunding buyers money for the item.

So unfair, ebay did not protect me from this buyer who made false claims. I have been selling on ebay for 27 years. Ebay allows anyone who comes along to make false claims and damage my reputation.

---

Yes, I would think they would do that because the buyer did not breach any of the feedback rules with what they posted.  So I think that was to be expected.

As to sending a feedback revision form.  I would encourage you to read my post #17 about this before you do anything.

As @buyselljack2016  posted, the feedback revision form does NOT require any refund on your part.  Don't assume things you aren't sure of as that alone can get you into trouble and/or cause you to make a bad decision.  

[herway]

Exactly, I already tried to reason with the buyer. She thinks she is right and that I am dishonest.

[chapeau-noir]

---

@herway wrote:

Follow up

I requested a feedback revision thru ebay. I made a 2000 character request explaining that buyer is claiming false info and is damaging my reputation by calling me dishonest in her negative feedback. Ebay denied me, said the feedback would stand. They told me to request a revision from the buyer which would mean refunding buyers money for the item.

So unfair, ebay did not protect me from this buyer who made false claims. I have been selling on ebay for 27 years. Ebay allows anyone who comes along to make false claims and damage my reputation.

---

@herway  A couple of things here:

There's no way eBay can 'protect' you from this buyer because they don't have the actual item in their hands to inspect. Your tenure here makes 0 difference, really, due to the lack of physical examination of the item in question, and that's impossible with the tens of millions of people who use this site, so eBay doesn't get into arbitration. I know, it feels unfair, but even long term sellers can make mistakes - you didn't, but eBay isn't going to know that, so the process is pretty cut and dried yes/no.

However, that feedback won't damage your reputation. Negs, including unfair negs, are common - it's part of online selling - and you can work that to your advantage by leaving a professional feedback designed to assure your FUTURE buyers of your integrity. Don't argue with the past buyer - that's been and done and no one really cares about your beef with her (save to mention your belief that this item is truly what you say it is), they want to know if you can be trusted, and you can do this by affirming your good practices and willingness to stand by your items. But FB doesn't factor into metrics because it is so subjective.

I have a neg because the individual didn't like the price she paid for one of my items, because it had gone up in the last 40 years. 😖 Didn't make any difference to sales.

[buyselljack2016]

I would have to reread, but I think it was mentioned.....................  it is what it is..........   just move on and accept it as part of dealing with the public online.

[herway]

Yes, I agree with what you said, I already had another neg that was due to fall off soon, that one was from cancelling an order from a foreign buyer who used a freight forwarder to get the item to Poland. Probably should have just let that one go and ship it but I have had problems with foreign buyers in the past. 

I also have another probable neg coming, sold an item that had damage that was clearly stated on the listing. Buyer just opened an “item arrived damaged” case on it. 

Guess I feel a bit beat up on at this point.

oh well, it is what it is.

[chapeau-noir]

---

@herway wrote:

Yes, I agree with what you said, I already had another neg that was due to fall off soon, that one was from cancelling an order from a foreign buyer who used a freight forwarder to get the item to Poland. Probably should have just let that one go and ship it but I have had problems with foreign buyers in the past. 

I also have another probable neg coming, sold an item that had damage that was clearly stated on the listing. Buyer just opened an “item arrived damaged” case on it. 

Guess I feel a bit beat up on at this point.

oh well, it is what it is.

---

@herway  I don't blame you! 

I just ship to freight forwarders - the chances of buyer problems IMHO are less than the chances of getting smacked with a neg for canceling an order.

Well, so they say trouble comes in threes, so maybe it'll be smooth sailing now.

[mam98031]

Most shipments using a Freight Forwarder go off without any issues.  You are also afforded some protections in the Money Back Guarantee too.  I have not had more problems with these types of transaction than I've had with regular US shipments.

Do you use EIS for other international shipping?  That is a really good program for sellers shipping direct to buyers in other countries.

You are going to be FINE.  Just try to relax and not worry about it.  There appears to be nothing you can do to make this buyer happy.  So just learn from it and move forward.  It happens to all of us at one time or another.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

DO NOT send a Revision Request to the buyer.  First off, you're limited in how many you can send & there's no point, this buyer isn't going to change her mind UNLESS another bag shows up & she was confusing bags.  There's no point in ever sending one unless you & the buyer have worked it out.   

I promise you, it won't damager your reputation!  Almost no one even checks anymore, it's a bit convoluted to even find these days depeding on which 'view' your looking at.   I personally WOULD reply to the FB left & say something like 'return was available, buyer chose to keep bag.  Bag was 100% individually sewn glass beads'  or something like that & then I'd move on.  Make sure you respond to the FB she left & not to her. 

I have a NEG b/c a 100% wool sweater was "ichey"  & other equally stupid ones, but *I* can't even figure out how to see them anymore.   @chapeau-noir  is right that eBay doesn't know who's right.  I would 100% take her knowledge on this though,  I've 'known' her for well over a decade now & she really knows her vintage & hats & kimonos & a lot of other stuff 🙂  Also, since a FF was involved, I wouldn't be surprised if another bag shows up one day & she ordered more than 1 bag & confused them.