Negative feedback - is it libel?

[argoq104]

Hi there, Folks.

Hope all is well with you all.

I've been selling and buying on eBay for just about twenty years. I probably have seen it all.

A bit of a dilemma here (nothing new).

What irks me in this particular case (the negative review from the buyer - please see my profile) is two-fold:

1. The perpetual lack of a safety mechanism that mandates that a party unsatisfied with their eBay transaction must contact the other party before being allowed to leave a negative. No contact - no negative or neutral feedback. That simple.

In this particular case the buyer did not contact me in any shape or form.

2. eBay must mandate that the feedback provided is factual. If eBay's AI can't do it just yet then involve a human capable of making such determination.

>> "Wrong description on the unit resulted in a bad purchase." - the buyer doesn't stipulate what was wrong with the description. I, as a seller, can only take a buyer so far - multiple pictures, origin of the part, its serial number(s). The rest of the purchasing decision rests on the shoulders of the buyer (please see note below).

>> "... I will avoid this seller for bad descriptions in the future." - again, the reference is to the part's supposed bad description. Again, where is the proof? Descriptions? - as in inference that I, as a seller, have been cited for several of such?

I sell on eBay to give good parts a chance to be useful again. I wonder if it's worth my precious time. It's not.

At the end of the day who losses out the most?

Let me know what you think, my good Brothers and Sisters.

Side note: I've dealt with cases when a buyer realized that he or she purchased a wrong part (even for parts that were sold 'as is'), reached out to express their issue (brave enough to admit to their mistake) and would have their own mistake turn into a very positive outcome.

[argoq104]

Thank you for your reply chevymontecarlo88

It does make sense if I do decide to continue to sell on eBay.

Completely agree with you on "At this point it is pointless to argue who is right."

The point to all of this is to get your opinions (no matter how varied they are).

[argoq104]

Thank you much for your comment, silverstatetreasureboxes

We are all part of a larger community. What we do (or don't do) eventually makes a full circle back to us

[argoq104]

Thank you for your comment, frankenhobbit

[fbusoni]

Sir:  The faults / shortcomings you outline are real and may explain why eBay does not factor feedback into our metrics.  

But advertising "no returns" (if true) all but guarantees that you will invite bad feedback for the simple reason that the buyer likely assumes he will not be able to deal with you and thus opts to not reach out to you initially.

[argoq104]

Thank you for your comment, etsvcs

I am genuinely sorry for that state of affairs. eBay could have fixed this issue eons ago if their primary motive wasn't ... fill in your own thoughts and observations.

[12345jamesstamps]

Not much one can do other than sending buyer a revision which is only good for '10 days'.

A new problem which sometimes might be a cause is a person making a purchase on their cellphone or in my case iPhone. On the computer you can see the 'description'...on the cell phone you have to scroll down and scroll down more and click onto it to read about a description.

And the 'no returns' kinda got misread by the buyer.

I go to the gym and everyone is on their cellphone. I am standing in line and everyone is on their cellphone.

[adamcartwright]

@argoq104 

Yes, it most certainly could be libelous, depending on how it's framed.

As I recall, this has been a problem on Yelp, resultling in libel lawsuits.

To best protect yourself as a seller/buyer, it's always best to couch your feedback in terms of how you felt, not in terms of what the other party did.

[argoq104]

Thank you for your reply, myfrugalboutique

No, not everyone.

I've issued refunds on purchases done by mistake (even on items sold as is) - WHEN a person would contact me and explain the situation.

The beef is with eBay's Buyer is always right no matter the evidence approach.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Feedback is wholly subjective and arbitrary, which is why it no longer counts in one’s seller performance metrics. Few bother to leave feedback these days and even fewer consult it when making purchasing decisions.

Most buyers are savvy enough to realize every seller will get an unhappy customer eventually and a neg will inevitably follow. It is not personal, nor is it likely to affect your long-term sales. This was a business transaction and treating it as such will save much heartache.

@argoq104 wrote:

”Hi there. I've provided all the serial #s of the part itself and multiple pics of it. If there was a problem or a genuine mistake on your part you could've simply reach out. But you haven't. Have you read my other reviews?”

Hi @argoq104 

The above quote is your follow-up response to the negative feedback.

Pointing out that one possesses stellar reviews on many stable transactions does not help this situation nor resolves the issue this buyer had. It sides-steps the point. Those transactions have no bearing on this one, and stating it in feedback invalidates the unhappy buyer’s concern.

It is quite possible that the buyer made a mistake. To be fair, it is equally possible that you may have. It is impossible to know with the limited data shared here.

But what is certain is that refusing to even entertain one’s possible culpability serves no one and nothing. The problem is not addressed to simply blame the buyer. And doing so blocks a potential solution from being formulated. 

Often it is not the initial negative feedback that impacts future buyers decision-making. What is more apt to ruin a seller’s reputation is his/her own ill-advised response in their follow-up comments.