Negative feedback

[ceeg_69]

I received a negative feedback from a buyer on a book sold.  The buyer had a question about defects, I replied the book had the "normal wear and tear".  I did submit a photo with my returned reply showing the lower pages were bent.    In the feedback, the buyer wrote "normal wear and tear does not include lower-right corner bent-up pages".

Now I have a negative feedback and "my selling privileges are limited to one item until my overall feedback is greater than 0".    This is only the second item I have sold.  

[hillbillymedia]

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@robot-hands wrote:

Take the advice of using a scanner.

You absolutely do not need 12 pictures of a $2 book.

One will suffice but next time use the book category, and select the proper condition from the drop down.

No one should be working this hard for $2

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I hear ya. The problem with using the scanner is that it makes all items look flat.

[ceeg_69]

Thank you for your reply.

[ceeg_69]

Thank you for your reply

[hillbillymedia]

"unnecessary suspension"

For 1 bad feedback? Where is that written in policy?

[ceeg_69]

As has been said by others, a description of its "defect" was required. I will take this as constructive criticism. Thank you for your reply.

[tellmemama]

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@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures wrote:

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@ceeg_69 wrote:

I received a negative feedback from a buyer on a book sold.  The buyer had a question about defects, I replied the book had the "normal wear and tear".  I did submit a photo with my returned reply showing the lower pages were bent.    In the feedback, the buyer wrote "normal wear and tear does not include lower-right corner bent-up pages".

Now I have a negative feedback and "my selling privileges are limited to one item until my overall feedback is greater than 0".    This is only the second item I have sold.  

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Your buyer asked about specific things..defects... and you gave them a very generic response detailing nothing.
The damage should have been included in the listing, with pictures as well as part of an accurate description. I can see where they would be upset.

You cannot take short cuts....it is not like buyers have the ability to pick items up and inspect them...you have to show and tell everything about your items.
Write descriptions like you have no pictures and take pictures like you have no description.

Also take some time to read up ebay, policies, how to's etc before listing anything else. At this stage you cannot afford any other mistakes as your selling privileges can be suspended.

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Perhaps you missed the part where the OP said he included a picture of the damage in response to the buyer's question?  I bolded the statement in case you didn't see it.  If that's the case, the buyer is a complete numpty.

OP, if this is true I would call eBay.  You may be able to get the neg removed.

[gracieallen01]

Selling books, online, is difficult, at best.

If you are going to sell collectible books, you will need to learn how to describe everything that might influence a very picky person to buy your book.  And, use the correct terminology.  Personally, I would say it is worse than selling clothes and I've sold books on-line since Amazon was only a book search.  Believe it or not, there are people who still collect books.  The better the condition and the better the desription, the better price you can get.

If you are going to just dabble in 'pop literature' - on occasion, including soft covers, you still need to describe anything significant.  (Significant being anything that catches the eye and is different than new, on-the-shelf.)  In either case, photos/scans help greatly, and often make the difference.  Torn, dog-eared, creased pages are not general wear and tear.  Neither are bashed corners or broken hinges or worn spine ends.  They are caused by people who just want to read something, and don't care for or about the book.  To many people, the book is disposable.

Of course, this is my personal opinion - your mileage may vary.

[robot-hands]

You can put 20 minutes of work in to a $2 all you like but don't expect anyone else to. 

Work smarter not harder.

[annadryl]

While the listing was lacking to say the least, the buyer in this case saddens me. Who has the heart to neg a new person and put them below zero over a few bucks?

That was just unlucky. There's a lot of great advice here on listing. It takes time to learn. And it's a tough category, not to be done quickly.

Is Duran Duran still around? Check the Casino Circuit. Could be a good song idea.

[gracieallen01]

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@annadryl wrote:

While the listing was lacking to say the least, the buyer in this case saddens me. Who has the heart to neg a new person and put them below zero over a few bucks?

That was just unlucky. There's a lot of great advice here on listing. It takes time to learn. And it's a tough category, not to be done quickly.

Is Duran Duran still around? Check the Casino Circuit. Could be a good song idea.

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Yes, it is unfortunate when a new seller gets a neg. feedback.  However, as fern*wood so aptly put it, take it as a learning experience.  There are just too many people who throw things up haphazardly, be it books or clothes or whatever.  People need to take responsibility for their listings, no matter how ebay may hinder them with hoops.  If you don't know the area in which you are selling, learn or leave it to those who do know.  When it comes to selling quality, you can't fake it, as there is going to be someone out there who will call you on it.

[ceeg_69]

femmefan1946,

Interesting.

It has been my understanding that eBay no longer looks to feedback as a measure of seller accounts.

Look at your Seller Dashboard.

Did you get a Defect for your handling of the Dispute?

I looked at my Seller Dashboard and it shows Above Standard, but that is based on previous transaction.  As I mentioned, this was my second sale.  My account is to be evaluated again come Monday, Aug 20.  

[1786davycrockett]

In addition to what gracieallen01 has said, you need to be aware that eBay's bizarre grading system is significantly stricter than the grading system used by most antiquarian booksellers -- according to the eBay grading rules, ANY damage to the front cover drops the grade down to only Good. This, despite the fact that many new, unused, unopened, straight-off-the-retail-shelf books include minor defects which eBay apparently considers to be "significant", dropping a "Brand New" book four grades to only "Good." So, if you're planning on selling any more books (or really ANYTHING that requires an eBay grade), you'll need to study the bizarre eBay grading system thoroughly -- and grade on the conservative side!

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

Your thoughts on ebay's 'grading' are certainly true in most categories unfortunately, not just those which traditionally are "graded".

A fair % of brand new off the shelf goods can be found to have imperfections if you want to look that closely, but here buyers expect champagne on a beer budget far too often.

[everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures]

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@hillbillymedia wrote:

"unnecessary suspension"

For 1 bad feedback? Where is that written in policy?

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NO they did not get supended for the one bad FB they already have one now...they got an additional restriction on their account now too....more bad FB, disputes etc can get them suspended.

[everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures]

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@tellmemama wrote:

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@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures wrote:

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@ceeg_69 wrote:

I received a negative feedback from a buyer on a book sold.  The buyer had a question about defects, I replied the book had the "normal wear and tear".  I did submit a photo with my returned reply showing the lower pages were bent.    In the feedback, the buyer wrote "normal wear and tear does not include lower-right corner bent-up pages".

Now I have a negative feedback and "my selling privileges are limited to one item until my overall feedback is greater than 0".    This is only the second item I have sold.  

---

Your buyer asked about specific things..defects... and you gave them a very generic response detailing nothing.
The damage should have been included in the listing, with pictures as well as part of an accurate description. I can see where they would be upset.

You cannot take short cuts....it is not like buyers have the ability to pick items up and inspect them...you have to show and tell everything about your items.
Write descriptions like you have no pictures and take pictures like you have no description.

Also take some time to read up ebay, policies, how to's etc before listing anything else. At this stage you cannot afford any other mistakes as your selling privileges can be suspended.

---

Perhaps you missed the part where the OP said he included a picture of the damage in response to the buyer's question?  I bolded the statement in case you didn't see it.  If that's the case, the buyer is a complete numpty.

OP, if this is true I would call eBay.  You may be able to get the neg removed.

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I saw it just fine and one so so picture in the listing and one in the messages did not/does not even show all the damage or defects and in any case they were required to be in the listing and the item accurately described and that includes describing the damage.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/selling-practices-policy?id=4346

Item description

The listing page is where buyers get most of their information about an item. Information in the listing helps buyers decide what to buy and know what to expect when they receive the item. It's important to make sure that the listing is only used to describe the item for sale and to communicate the terms of the sale in a professional way.

You're required to:

• Specify the condition of the item
• Describe any defects or flaws in the item – this helps avoid problems or buyer dissatisfaction