I am a top rated seller. I have been here since 1999. 100% positive feedback as a seller. Feedback left for me is a love fest to the point of being yucky.
I sold a projector lens to a buyer. He emailed me when he got it claiming it had "sever" damage on it. He meant "severe". As someone who has dealt with scammers in the past, bad spelling is one of their traits and throughout my messaging with him, he sounded like English was not his first language. He is in America.
When he finally sent me a picture of the lens, it was clear that he had simply used a marker on the lens to fake scratches on the lens. The big, wide "Z", almost Zorro sign scratch, was so obvious. I figured he was fishing for a partial refund but I had no proof since he was being coy. I then offered him a small amount for the scratch. He countered by demanding half the price of the lens. I refused. I told him to return the lens for a full refund and told him I would file a claim with the USPS.
That set him off. He said he would not deal with me anymore. He also said he would not return the lens because that would prevent me from reselling it to another unsuspecting buyer. Yes, what a nice man, and I am a bad, bad seller. He then concluded by assuring me I would not be getting positive feedback.
Stop and think about it; would you accept to keep a lens that was so severely damaged that it cannot be used? Especially when you can return it for a full refund? At no expense to you? Why would you keep a projector lens so badly damaged to be unusuable? Any legitimate buyer given the severe damage shown on this lens would have opened up a return right away.
He left me negative feedback yesterday claiming I sold him a damaged lens without declaring it. I called eBay and explained my side. The picture he sent was there to see. His email saying no positive feedback for me was there. Yet the eBay representative in the claims department refused to remove the feedback. I asked what about the feedback threat? She said the wording was ambiguous. What about the scam itself. She said she was not an expert and could not tell.
Ebay will not protect it sellers. It will not use common sense in deciding cases. Imagine I sold you a car that was badly damaged in an accident as in perfect condition. Would you return the car for a full refund or would you keep the car because you were trying to prevent me from selling it to someone else? Because scammers are angels who care about others?
I am not going to make a rash decision on what to do next but I have soured heavily on eBay. To quote a certain president, "so unfair, so unfair".
