eBay

saintpaulgolf · ‎05-18-2018

Buyer sent me an email earlier today about an item they received damaged. I work days. Didn't even have a chance to in any way address their issue - there were numerous ways to handle this situation: I have more of the same bobble head; I could have sent them a new one; I could have refunded them.

I didn't even get a chance to respond via email to them to discuss how they wanted to proceed.

What the heck?

time4david5d28 · ‎05-19-2018

On EBay or anywhere else one has to live by the motto "The Buyer is Always Right" (even if wrong).

For instance, I do not sell things on here as a Business. I am an individual selling items I have or have acquired over time. BUT the buyer sees me listing things on here with an EBay "Store" as if I am a Business.

As an Individual I feel that responding to a message within MY acceptable time frame should be acceptable to a buyer. However, as a Business, responding to a message to a buyer requires being aware of the buyer's needs and anticipating their impatient and "need answers now" perspective.

So, I have a choice. Repond on my own terms . . . or respond as quickly as possible. I choose the latter to hopefully avoid problems. However, a buyer can leave feedback at anytime so the only control I have over the process is my Customer Service. If they don't like my response or my response time, there's nothing I can do about it . . .

The problem with many EBay buyers is that they expect immediate Customer Service. Immediate gratification. They don't want to wait. They want issues resolved NOW. This is one reason why I am slowly removing my self from the EBay experience as a seller. Many of my buyers have been impatient ones - especially the ones that claim an item is not as described and want their money back NOW. They want the transaction reversed like it never happened. Well, there is a process and even that 'process' is too long for those that file cases. Some negative feedback happens when the process takes too long, frustrating the buyer that wants the return to be an easy, seamless process.

fern*wood · ‎05-19-2018

@saintpaulgolf wrote:
I hear people on this forum (usually buyers) say this.

If you go into a restaurant and get a late order, or the wrong order, and they offer you a refund or free meal at another time, is that "BRIBERY" as well?

If that is all that's said, then no, I don't call that bribery. If you offer a refund or free meal if the buyer changes their rating, then I call that bribery.

That's why stated to not discuss or even mention the feedback until everything is settled. Then, if the buyer is happy and wishes to, they could revise the feedback. You can't make the refund dependent on the revision.

mam98031 · ‎05-19-2018

@time4david5d28

Whether you consider yourself a small business or not is really not the point. ANY transaction on Ebay is a business transaction and NOT a personal transaction. And while you don't consider yourself a small business, IRS would probably differ in that opinion.

"As an Individual I feel that responding to a message within MY acceptable time frame should be acceptable to a buyer. " Not if you are selling on Ebay no matter your size. While in this particular case described in this thread the buyer really was impatient, they did not do anything that breaches any Ebay rule and those are the rules that matter here.

I agree with you, the quicker we can respond to a message from a customer the better. Some people tend to forget that there are real people at the other end of the message they sent and they do not appreciate or respect that they may not be glued to the computer 24/7 waiting for them or someone else to email them.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

saintpaulgolf · ‎05-19-2018

Not even allowing a half a day (I don't know if they even gave me 6 hours before they trashed me with a negative) is INSANE.

Any rational, fair-minded person I think would agree with that. They didn't even allow a half of a day to respond. Absolutely ABSURD.

Heck I would have likely given all of their money back with a simple courteous polite exchange of communication, but they couldn't even extend me that simple gesture of courtesy.

Sick.

buyselljack2016 · ‎05-19-2018

@saintpaulgolf wrote:
Not even allowing a half a day (I don't know if they even gave me 6 hours before they trashed me with a negative) is INSANE.

Any rational, fair-minded person I think would agree with that. They didn't even allow a half of a day to respond. Absolutely ABSURD.

Heck I would have likely given all of their money back with a simple courteous polite exchange of communication, but they couldn't even extend me that simple gesture of courtesy.

Sick.

I got my negative before even being given the opportunity to resolve the issue.

Some buyers think that is leverage that they need for resolution.

Issue was then resolved promptly. The negative still stands.

couldabeenworse · ‎05-19-2018

Resolve the issue, then ask the buyer if they would consider a feedback revision.

saintpaulgolf · ‎05-19-2018

I emailed them twice last night. No response through today. Maybe I will leave them negative.

Oh, that's right...eBay stopped allowing sellers the gratitude of leaving negative feedback on buyers who are abusive in their dealings.

fern*wood · ‎05-19-2018

Try not to let it consume you---it isn't that big a deal really. Most sellers have gotten them. I know I have. Some I deserved and others not so much.

hatchchi-32 · ‎05-19-2018

@saintpaulgolf wrote:
I emailed them twice last night. No response through today. Maybe I will leave them negative.

Oh, that's right...eBay stopped allowing sellers the gratitude of leaving negative feedback on buyers who are abusive in their dealings.

Sellers shouldn't be allowed to neg, all it did was make them look petty

saintpaulgolf · ‎05-19-2018

So when someone extorts us we shouldn't be allowed to give them negative feedback? But when we don't answer their email within 2 hours we deserve a negative?

Got it. Strange world we live in now.

saintpaulgolf · ‎05-19-2018

So the person just responded to my emails. This is what they wrote to me:

You should NOT have received negative feedback for this. We can work this out. Please send me a feedback revision request and I will get it changed asap.

I am honestly totally confused right now.

flyinhawaiiangirl · ‎05-19-2018

@saintpaulgolf wrote:
So when someone extorts us we shouldn't be allowed to give them negative feedback? But when we don't answer their email within 2 hours we deserve a negative?

Got it. Strange world we live in now.

I know you're angry and frustrated right now, but I'd like to invite you to take a step back. Grab your cell phone, and then go to your local mall/grocery store/gas station/doctor's office. Look around you everywhere you go. How many people have their phone in their hand? (versus their purse, their pocket, their car, their home) How many people are looking up from their phone, more than to glance they are still heading in the proper direction or to narrowly avoid a collision?

Yes, strange world we live in now, but also recognize this is your buying pool. Do you take a stand and "teach" everyone in today's world a "lesson", or do you adapt to the changing market place? I hate cell phones with a passion. Mostly because I'm really phone dumb, and untrusting of apps that possible could contain tracking software or viruses. I basically own a $600 texting machine that is worthless now as it's a Samsung 3, no more updates to such an old phone, and I can access 1/10th online than when I first purchased the phone for a penny because WM was rollingout the new 5 version. I'd pay twice what they charge for smart phones, to get my old flip phone back that at most needed a new battery.

flyinhawaiiangirl · ‎05-19-2018

You also need to send a feedback revision request as the buyer asked for. We all make mistakes. Luckily you may have a buyer who recognizes their own mistake and would like to fix it. Most of mine who made a mistake and recognized it, vanished quite quickly in to the horizon.

flyinhawaiiangirl · ‎05-19-2018

@saintpaulgolf wrote:
So the person just responded to my emails. This is what they wrote to me:

You should NOT have received negative feedback for this. We can work this out. Please send me a feedback revision request and I will get it changed asap.

I am honestly totally confused right now.

One more point:

As I mentioned, I hate the new smart phones. I have petite hands the size of a preteen, even though I'm in my mid-forties. ALOMST EXCLUSIVELY ON EBAY'S MOBILE SITE, my fingers have much difficulty hitting the correct exact section of the screen to actually do what I'm trying to do. Blowing the screen up makes it even worse as it tends to recall the origianl placement of the radio button, and chooses whatever it wants to. This happens on the classic site, AND the mobile site when using my PHONE. I usually reserve these actions for my return home to the main computer, but have used the phone in the past to bid, buy, answer questions, etc, but it's mostly just cheching tracking status on my sold and bought items.

Your buyer could have very easily hit the wrong area, and you got a negative as a result. Just a thought.

saintpaulgolf · ‎05-19-2018

Oh, I'm not talking about this particular transaction.

I'm talking about on numerous other occasions where a buyer had used extortion tactics to get refunds for items they bought for me. It's happened to me on more than one occasion.

Before you say "you didn't have to take that" or "you should have reported that to eBay" I don't have time to go into all of the different things regarding the past, but in a nutshell buyers have extorted from me before.

KO