Negative feedback

[bumbleebuck]

Negative feedback rant . I recently received negative feedback from a buyer who said the item arrived damaged . I gave them a refund for the item as well as the shipping no questions asked . I then messaged the buyer telling them they have been fully refunded and I expressed my sorrow that the item was damaged in the mail . They told me they received no refund , however once it showed up in their bank account that they would change the feedback from negative to positive. Well needless to say it’s been weeks and I know darn well they got the money however they refuse to change it to positive . I called eBay and they won’t remove the negative. They told me the buyer has a right to express how they feel about the transaction. I also submitted a feedback removal request and it was denied . I’m a 16 year eBay seller and I do spend a fair amount of my money buying on eBay as well . The buyer is active on eBay still because they have positive feedback from sellers since they purchased from me . I’m going to scale back on listing for now and spend more time on other business adventures. 

[mam98031 · Accepted solution]

On the one you refunded, have you been back in contact with the buyer to verify they got the refund?  You are the one that needs to send them the Feedback Revision form, but not unless the buyer says they will change the feedback.  And if they agree, then tell them they will receive and email from Ebay and inside that email will be a link so they can easily revise their feedback.  Once you have done that, then send the Feedback Revision form.

The forms have a 10 day life span.  If the buyer doesn't use it, on Day 7 Ebay will send them a reminder.  If by day 10 they don't use it, on day 11 it closes and you can not send them another form on the same transaction.

Neither one of your current negatives are removable by Ebay as they don't break any feedback rule and that is a requirement.

Your comment on the feedback is perfect.  And while I know it is annoying to see them, they will drop off in 12 months.  Neither is likely to harm you with potential buyers.  I think you will be just fine.  No need to scale back because of a couple of problematic transactions.

[bumbleebuck]

Yes I sent the revision form , yes I have made contact multiple times . Each time they said the money isn’t showing up in their bank account. I sent them screen shots showing the money was deducted from mine . Last week I sent them another message asking if they received the money they then magically said yes . I then politely asked if they are going to then change the feedback like they said and no response . Since then they have purchased on eBay so I know they are active. Yes I have had a massive dip in sales since the negative , so I will have to disagree with you . If the rules are that a buyer can scam items from sellers by claiming they were broken in the mail without showing proof. Then I want no part of that system . eBay is not the only way to make money. There are other selling platforms. 

[yerstrulyjeanne]

I'm tired of the negative feedback killing my sales, so I wonder if I can close my account and get a new account with clean feed back slate

[mam98031]

---

@yerstrulyjeanne wrote:

I'm tired of the negative feedback killing my sales, so I wonder if I can close my account and get a new account with clean feed back slate

---

That one negative is not "killing" your sales.  

When sales are slow it is a great time to review your existing listings for ways you can improve them and in turn hopefully get more sales.

As a quick look at your listing, the most important space a seller has to advertise what they are selling is the TITLE.  You have 80 characters that are available to you.  You don't take advantage of that and leave out info that might be words the buyer would be searching by.  I'm not talking about just throwing in filler words, but words that a buyer may search by to find what you are selling.

For example:

Heavy Silver Leaf Napkin Rings.  Consider: Heavy Silver Leaf Napkin Rings Set or Lot of 4

Nike Cleveland Browns T-Shirt #13 Beckham Jr.  Consider: Nike Cleveland Browns T-Shirt #13 Beckham Jr Boys size XL.

The size of the shirt is really important and make sure you are clear it is a Boys size.

Look at the categories you have some things posted in.  IMHO Watercolor paint set should be in one of the Craft subcategories.  Same with the scrapbooking paper.

I'm sure you get the idea.  I hope this helps you as that is all I'm trying to do.  Good Luck.

[collectintime]

I am dealing with the exact same situation. I was not even allowed to speak to a human being. Email only and got form letters, saying the buyer can express how they feel about the transaction, the only difference is when I requested that the buyer remove the negative, I was just ignored by her.  I find it strange that the buyer can express how she feels, but I and you have NO right to express how you feel. I have asked two questions of eBay as well as these expert mentors in this community board, yet I  have no answers. I am just ignored. 

Question 1: Does eBay no longer remove a negative feedback once you have allowed the buyer to keep the item, refund in full including the original shipping? This has been the policy in the past. NO ANSWER from eBay or expert mentors. 

Question 2: Once I wanted to leave a neutral feedback, and got a message that I could not do this until 7 days had passed. This buyer gave me my first negative (with 4000 plus positives over 24 years,)  in less than 10 hours of receiving. Has this policy also changed? 

Why can't I get a straight answers on this? I just keep getting form letters that do not address my concerns. 

[mam98031]

@collectintime 

"I find it strange that the buyer can express how she feels, but I and you have NO right to express how you feel. "  It is because this is a business transaction and NOT a personal transaction.  It simply doesn't look good for a business to publicly shame customers, which is exactly why other sites like Ebay don't allow it either.

I know it is frustrating.  I feel your pain.

IDK where you asked your questions previously or how long you waited for an answer, but we are volunteers and we can't be around 24/7/365.

1.  If there was an INAD opened by the buyer, then yes, the feedback is removable.

2.  One of the benefits/perks of being a TRS is that buyers can't leave a negative feedback in less than 7 days from the purchase.  They can on day 8, but not before.  This is from PURCHASE, NOT receiving.

OH I know that stings.

While I don't think you had an INAD opened as clearly the buyer just wanted to berate you and not return the item.  Likely a bully tactic to get you to do what you did, refund them and they get to keep the item.

You did the right thing by refunding them in full.  So please know that.  If I were in your position, even though the feedback policy doesn't specifically cover this, I would contact Ebay and try to get it removed.  But do NOT contact them until you are calm enough to keep your emotions out of the conversation and just talke about the facts.  While I respect your emotions and know they are very important, they simply aren't to Ebay.  Be gentle with them and just give them the facts.  Remember you want them to want to work for you, that is the best way to get them to do what you want them to do, which is to remove this feedback.

However, BEFORE you contact Ebay,  take a look at the Buyers Feedback Left For Others.  Some strong evidence in your favor would be if this buyer has a history of leaving negative and neutral feedback for similar reasons.  If you do see something, would you mind coming back here and share your findings as well.

**********************************************************

On each Ebay page there is a link to contact Customer Service at the top of the page and again at the bottom of the page.

I would suggest that you contact Ebay for Business on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the better trained CSRs.

Here are your options for contacting Ebay Customer Service. Please be aware that for social media CS, you send them a Private Message and briefly explain what your problem or issue is. Feel free to leave your Name, address, phone number and/or your email address in this message. It is private and secure and it may help to speed up the response for you.

https://twitter.com/askebay

https://www.facebook.com/ebay

https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/

Your options will be on the left. If you use the link below you can only get to the Automated Assistant or Chat box type AGENT in the box and hit enter. You will then get more options. Not all options are available 24/7. It will depend on staffing available. So sometimes you can request a call back and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you have the Chat option available and other times it won't me. If it is important to you to use one of those options, just try back later.

If you use a cell phone or other mobile device, you may need to turn off your Spam filter so that Ebay can call you.

If you are a seller outside of the US or Canada, you will need to use the Chat Option.

https://www.ebay.com/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid

https://www.ebay.com/help/home

[mam98031]

@collectintime 

One other thing, this thread is old and is likely to get closed soon.  Post a link to where else you have asked for advice so we can stay in touch on this matter.

[collectintime]

Here is what I sent yesterday. For some reason the link jumped up to the paperclip? The headline reads: Ebay refuses to remove negative feedback.  https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/eBay-refuses-to-remove-negative-feedback/td-p/34894375  OK, here it is!! YEAH! 

Now the only way the chat bot will let you notify the department to remove feedback is through email and once emailed a form letter is sent out quickly by eBay saying this person has the right to express him or herself, removal denied. I am ignored completely when asking about removal once buyer has been paid off and also somehow left a negative feedback within less than 24 hours of receiving the item. And yes, she emailed me first throwing a fit saying it was broken. I just asked her to send some specific photos so I could put in a postal claim. She did not answer. Within an hour of my request about photos from her, she just opened a not as described, and either right before or right after, she left this untrue horrible feedback. So I can't talk to a human being at eBay. I tried the Facebook and was given the link right back to eBay page that doesn't allow me to contact a human.

I did go the chat bot about something else and COULD talk to an agent, and when I finished with that question, I asked about the denial of feedback removal, she sent a letter to that department as well. I explained the situation, she looked and checked everything I wa saying and she could see everything that had happened. She assured me since she had been with eBay for many years, that this would NOT be denied again, but it was. I asked her what to do before hanging up, since you can only contact them by email and she said, you have nothing to worry about it isn't going to happen, but it did. If you have a contact human, I would love to speak to him or her. And by the way, I am alway calm when talking to eBay. I taught high school for 39 years, I can deal with almost anything! LOL I do appreciate your reply. 

[collectintime]

‎01-21-2025 01:49 PM

Here is what I sent yesterday. For some reason the link jumped up to the paperclip? The headline reads: Ebay refuses to remove negative feedback.  https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/eBay-refuses-to-remove-negative-feedback/td-p/34894375  OK, here it is!! YEAH! 

Now the only way the chat bot will let you notify the department to remove feedback is through email and once emailed a form letter is sent out quickly by eBay saying this person has the right to express him or herself, removal denied. I am ignored completely when asking about removal once buyer has been paid off and also somehow left a negative feedback within less than 24 hours of receiving the item. And yes, she emailed me first throwing a fit saying it was broken. I just asked her to send some specific photos so I could put in a postal claim. She did not answer. Within an hour of my request about photos from her, she just opened a not as described, and either right before or right after, she left this untrue horrible feedback. So I can't talk to a human being at eBay. I tried the Facebook and was given the link right back to eBay page that doesn't allow me to contact a human.

I did go the chat bot about something else and COULD talk to an agent, and when I finished with that question, I asked about the denial of feedback removal, she sent a letter to that department as well. I explained the situation, she looked and checked everything I wa saying and she could see everything that had happened. She assured me since she had been with eBay for many years, that this would NOT be denied again, but it was. I asked her what to do before hanging up, since you can only contact them by email and she said, you have nothing to worry about it isn't going to happen, but it did. If you have a contact human, I would love to speak to him or her. And by the way, I am alway calm when talking to eBay. I taught high school for 39 years, I can deal with almost anything! LOL I do appreciate your reply. 

[kh-cathy]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.