eBay

hardware0608 · ‎02-12-2025

My feedback score was 100% until I ran into a horrible buyer.

He purchased gaskets that were silver in color and were listed as copper gaskets. His purchase was around $20. He left me negative feedback stating that the gaskets were aluminum not copper. I spoke to him over the phone, thinking we would be able resolve the issue and I would be able to offer a refund to please him but he was argumentative and was referring to me as "look lady" and "listen lady." I told him that I have 100% on feedback to let him know that I go out of my way to please my buyers and he said "not anymore." I'm not sure if he was talking down to me because I am a woman but it sure felt like it as he was referring to me as "lady" and telling me that I need to know what I am listing before I post items on eBay and that, if the gasket is silver, it means it is aluminum. I am still failing to understand why he purchased the gaskets, seeing that they were silver in all pictures provided in the listing, if he felt that all copper is only goldish in color. Also, I don't understand why he didn't message me or request a refund like most buyers do if there is an issue, but, yet, kept $20 worth of gaskets and left negative feedback. This gave me no opportunity to resolve his issues prior to him leaving negative feedback.

I have been an eBay seller for 17 years and have never run across this situation nor have I ever been abused by a buyer is such a manner. I have contacted eBay several times and have talked to 3 eBay agents to try to appeal the negative feedback but they are saying they have to find something that shows that the buyer violated eBay's policies so, I suppose, that is why it has been a long wait. Every agent I have spoken to tells me to wait 3 to 4 business days, but, nothing has changed so far. The 3rd eBay agent, that I spoke with today, told me to try messaging the buyer and try to resolve the issue again to see if I can get him to retract the negative feedback. I knew I was wasting my time, but I tried anyway. I told the buyer I would refund him and he could keep the parts but to please retract the negative feedback. Well, he said if I don't leave him alone, he would report me to eBay for harassment. Welp, I tried! So, I have learned that a buyer can purchase an item from you and leave negative feedback by merely being in opposition to what you described in your description without attempting to return it or without contacting you to give you an opportunity to fix whatever the issue is to please them. I will be looking at that (1) negative feedback as a thorn in my side for a year...so unfair!

Since buyers have "buyer protection" and sellers are to provide excellent customer service, why are buyer's allowed to abuse sellers in this manner by screwing up all the work we do to keep our feedback score excellent and all they need to do is automatically leave negative feedback without any communication with the seller and it doesn't even matter that their reason for leaving the negative feedback is untrue?

dryophelia · ‎02-12-2025

@hardware0608

Since feedback is so important to you, instead of calling the buyer to tell them about your perfect feedback record, you could have apologized and offered to refund.
Arguing about the material and not seeing the situation from your buyers’ side has earned that negative.

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lux.ra_14 · ‎02-12-2025

Short version: Items were not as described. Buyer did not violate feedback policy, and the neg won't be removed.

Sorry to say, but that's the bottom line. Nothing else in your long post matters to eBay.

dryophelia · ‎02-12-2025

@hardware0608

Since feedback is so important to you, instead of calling the buyer to tell them about your perfect feedback record, you could have apologized and offered to refund.
Arguing about the material and not seeing the situation from your buyers’ side has earned that negative.

pickapaper · ‎02-12-2025

When you call eBay's customer service, you get 3rd party employees who do not know eBay's policies and their job is to tell you what you want to hear instead of the facts. If you have a problem, it is better to reach out to Ebay via social media like Facebook.

In my 27 years of selling on eBay, I have never called a buyer on the phone and it would highly irritate me if a seller called me on the phone. Yes, calling could be considered harrassment to some people. Any communication between a buyer and seller needs to be via eBay messages so that there is a paper trail.

Your listing is confusing because those gaskets look like aluminum and anyone looking at them would assume they are aluminum. I don't know why your buyer bought them if he was actually wanting "copper colored" copper gaskets unless he was going by your title and didn't pay that much attention to the pictures.

And one last thing: you told your buyer you would refund his money and he could keep the gaskets if he would remove the negative. If he was a nice person he might do that but even if you refunded and let him keep the gaskets, but there is no rule that says he is obligated to remove the negative (and some buyers don't even if they say they will).

albertabrightalberta · ‎02-12-2025

If indeed they're copper but silver in color, that should have been CLEARLY specified in the listing.

To me, they do appear to be aluminum. Your package doesn't even say that they're copper. Are you sure they are?

And in fact, I looked up the exact part number, AN900-24 and found copper gaskets that ARE copper in color.

And another picture - same item:

albertabrightalberta
Volunteer Community Mentor

albertabrightalberta · ‎02-12-2025

@hardware0608 wrote:

I told the buyer I would refund him and he could keep the parts but to please retract the negative feedback.

That's a feedback violation. You can't try to buy the removal of the neg.

albertabrightalberta
Volunteer Community Mentor

lonebuck-books · ‎02-12-2025

You made a mistake. You said in your description they were copper an you sent aluminum. The buyer is rightfully upset. Honestly, you calling them to "fix" the problem probably made them more upset. I doubt it had anything to do whether you are female or not. It is more likely because they didn't get what they ordered and then they got a phone call trying to get the feedback removed. That will make almost anyone upset.

@hardware0608 wrote:

I knew I was wasting my time, but I tried anyway. I told the buyer I would refund him and he could keep the parts but to please retract the negative feedback. Well, he said if I don't leave him alone, he would report me to eBay for harassment.

So if I understand this, you haven't refunded the buyer yet? That should have been the first thing you did with an apology for the mistake. Depending on how you wrote this message, eBay could see this as you being the one who violated policy by inferring that their refund is dependent on the removal of feedback. That is a big no-no. If the buyer knows the seller policy and want's to be really nasty, they can wait until the MBG period expires then file a credit card dispute for a not as described. You will lose, eBay will give them their money back and they will charge you a $20 CC dispute fee. It is never a good idea to fight with a customer telling them how wrong they are.

eBay won't remove it as there wasn't any feedback policy violated by them. Their feedback was short, to the point and most importantly it is actually true. It isn't unfair either, it is just how it goes. Keep on selling and it will be buried shortly.

fern*wood · ‎02-12-2025

I have sold here for a lonnng time and have had my fair share of negative feedbacks--some fair and others not so much. Regardless, they are survivable. I may have discussed them early on with a buyer back when they counted against our selling ability as defects. I've had a few revised back in the day, but now I try to not discuss in any way with a buyer. I do not focus on them or let them guide how I deal with issues.

From what I read, I'm not so sure the buyer was wrong, but maybe he used them anyway and couldn't file a not as described returned. Otherwise, that would have solved his issue. I might have contacted them to see if I would solve the problem by telling them to return for a refund, but I would make no mention of feedback and I certainly wouldn't bother them with a phone call.

A good follow-up to assure your future buyers would have helped soften the feedback, but I'm no fan of what you ended up writing. sorry

jameshen1 · ‎02-12-2025

Your listings for this item are still up and still say it is copper. You now know it is aluminum. You should change your listing or you may get more problems and more negatives coming your way.

kandf_vintage_finds · ‎02-12-2025

you actually called one of your buyers on the phone? oh my.......

jbbowers12012 · ‎02-12-2025

Hi, It looks like you just made a mistake. Your buyer is well within his rights in leaving you a negative. Even though most buyers would quite likely have "worked" with you to find a solition - this buyer decided not to. Try not to stress over it - life is too short. Just accept your neg. & move on. i really dont' think that it will affect your sales that much and it will age-off in no time. Good Luck! (J.B. From N.J.)

bro.us.5iedd7mtn · ‎02-12-2025

Absolutely disagree with everyone else here. The pictures on the listing are part of the description. The pictures clearly show white metal colored gaskets. The buyer cannot say that the item is not as described.

Metal can be plated, and the fact that they are silver colored does not necessarily mean that they are not brass. At no point in your listing did you specify that they are brass-colored.

You should not have called the buyer - never contact a buyer/seller outside of official eBay channels, but I don't think you're wrong here in being frustrated. Contact eBay support by phone and tell them that the item is as described, and the buyer needs to prove that the gaskets are not in fact brass. The color is not enough.

See example of silver-plated gaskets here: https://www.lesker.com/newweb/flanges/hardware_cf_gaskets.cfm?pgid=silver-plated - these look very similar to the ones in the listing.

tobaccocardyahoo · ‎02-12-2025

You made an error in your description. The buyer did not know what they were going to receive based on the whole of your description.

You made another error by calling the buyer. Even if you had superior customer service skills, the buyer does not want a phone call about a $20 Ebay order. It is far more important to you than it was to them.

Your quid pro quo offer if the removed the negative was a denial of your failure as well as a violation of Ebay policy.

You need to hope the buyer does not report you.

Although negative FB is survivable, your negative FB will probably kill any future sales of these washers, since it is clear that they are unlikely to be copper, and the sponsored ads on the listing page make it clear what copper washers look like. I recommend you fix the pages you claim are copper which do not appear to show copper washers.