This could be a "Feel Good" story....

[gwens*4saleitems*]

So, back on Thurs. January 16, I had a sale. I have 3 day shipping (it's what works for me).  I had health testing done on Fri. the 17th and by the time I got home, it was too late to package and ship orders (post office closes at 4:30).  On Sat. I get a notification that a buyer wants to cancel an order. Sure, okay, it's packaged but no label yet.

This is what the buyer wrote on the cancel order: 

Buyer Comment:

""Looks like the item hasn’t shipped yet and it won’t arrive in time for a dinner I’m having. No worries—I just thought I’d cancel the order now before it got too late. Thanks!""

So, I cancel for her and issue the refund. No problem.

TODAY! I am looking through my All Orders and see that this person has left me a Neutral Feedback. 

I'm like HUH!?!?!?

She purchased, then she cancelled, she got a full refund. Now, she's leaving me a neutral. WTW?

FEEL GOOD PART.   That neutral is nowhere to be seen apparently eBay did something right ........ so, I don't know what she wrote. 

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@gwens*4saleitems* 

Sounds like they drink.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I do not see a recent neutral FB on the account you posted from.

[wastingtime101]

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@tobaccocardyahoo wrote:

I do not see a recent neutral FB on the account you posted from.

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That appears to be the point. eBay proactively removed the FB from a buyer-requested cancelled transaction. Seller didn't even have to request it.

[johnrj1226]

Now  you see how your  3 day shipping works for you - some people just want it  now especially  after they  have paid for their package + some  other  sites have spoiled buyers  with  next day delivery.   eBay sellers  with 1 day  handling time or sooner  have a distinct advantage over eBay sellers offering your service and can  nearly  compete with the top dog in the fight.

Sellers with a buyer first approach to selling have a better chance at  succeeding vs a sell first  approach - sold for  a 41.5 year career all  in the same industry  and basically the same products with  9 other competing brand names.

Question for you:

How long  does it take to put on a  shipping label to an already packaged item??    less than 5 minutes for me

Am familiar with "health" testing  wife  & I  see  Drs.. and specialists frequently  - 10  times in the month of  Jan. - 1 to 1/2  hour max, CT scans, annual exams, etc take very little time less than a hour.

What is important  in anything  we do - it is not who we really are but how  we are  perceived by others in life is what counts - a paraphrase of the  actual  statement.  Ref:  Temple of Gold by William Goldman a very good read - first read it in 1969.

[fbusoni]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@tobaccocardyahoo wrote:

I do not see a recent neutral FB on the account you posted from.

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That appears to be the point. eBay proactively removed the FB from a buyer-requested cancelled transaction. Seller didn't even have to request it.

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@wastingtime101 

Which speaks to the very real possibility that eBay's foray into AI is starting to reap some genuine benefits, especially for sellers.  

I do not want to get ahead of the available evidence, but since last summer I have seen on the forums a steadily increasing number of these sorts of anecdotes (from sellers having unjustified feedback removed proactively by eBay).  

But NOT from all sellers, however, which is an interesting wrinkle.   One which to my mind testifies to the ability of AI to reach deep into a seller's account and look at the whole picture -- metrics, seller communication with buyers, seller replies to negative feedback, in other words, assessing how the seller comports him / herself on the platform as a whole -- before rendering a verdict.

And this sort of "big picture" evaluation of sellers is precisely what is spelled out in Article 4 of the eBay user agreement... except now, said evaluation can be accomplished in seconds.

Would enjoy hearing from others on this.  

[chevymontecarlo88]

This is not the first post about feedback (negative) being magically removed. 

All of these seem to have one thing in common. (Buyers that cancel, get refunded and leave negative/neutral feedback) 

[meme6253]

Sorry about your health issues, we are at the mercy of some really merciless buyers & that is why feedback should just be eliminated, someone has a bad day or whatever & we get the backlash, At least you had a silver lining!

[luckythewinner]

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@gwens*4saleitems* wrote:

She purchased, then she cancelled, she got a full refund. Now, she's leaving me a neutral. WTW? 

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I can imagine a scenario where I buy an item and cancel and get a full refund ... and the seller absolutely, 100% deserves a neutral or a negative feedback that eBay should not remove. 

It's very hard to write rules that are fair in all cases. 

[gwens*4saleitems*]

You don't see it because it was removed by eBay even before I saw it.

[gwens*4saleitems*]

You know, even IF I printed out the shipping label, put it on the package to be ready to go, it still wouldn't have gone out until Saturday afternoon. This transaction happened on the Thursday before Martin Luther King Day which closed the post offices on Monday. So .......................... she still wouldn't have received the package BEFORE her so-called dinner party.

Now, had she messaged me about needing this when she purchased, I may have tried harder to get it out Friday morning. I have 3=day shipping for my own reasons.

[chapeau-noir]

That's good! And probably achieved with a simple matrix. Code wise, eBay seems to be slowly struggling into about 2015. 👏

[luckythewinner]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

That's good! And probably achieved with a simple matrix. Code wise, eBay seems to be slowly struggling into about 2015.

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What if the seller changed the terms after the sale, or admits to undisclosed damage or caveats after the sale?

I once had a seller tell me after a purchase: "I just wanted you to be aware that the item you are buying is counterfeit. For the price you paid, you should have known it was not an original".

Another time I negotiated combined shipping beforehand, because I was buying three 8x11 sheets of paper from the UK and shipping was 25 pounds each. The seller agreed to ship all three in one package for 25 pounds, but after the auctions ended he invoiced me for 75 pounds shipping and refused to honor the negotiated shipping rate.

In both my cases, I requested a cancellation and I feel very strongly that a buyer in either of those situations should be able to leave a negative. 

[johnrj1226]

I understand where you are coming  from.  Was just suggesting how you  could have possibly avoided it this issue.   In this  case  with  your 3  day  handling time technically by eBay rulles  they  mean you didn't  have   put this package in the  possession of the USPS for 3 business days late  Friday  orders, Sat. Sun and  Holidays  don't  count as a business  day or 7 calendar days.  Potentially  that means your buyer wouldn't get the package for 13 days (allowing 3  days for USPS shipping and delivery.  You would be compliant to eBay expected performance standards.  Most buyers "want it  now" and only count the days on the calendar.  A customer first approach, can and will produce more  sales and repeat  buyers.  See  you could  have placed your package in the lobby bin in your PO they are  open and  mail  does move over  the weekends or you could  have handed to your carrier as they dropped off  your  mail  delivery - carriers work well beyond noon on Saturday up to 8 PM some times.  Where there is the will there  is a way..  Again  personally only  had a 1 day handling time and often mail the  same  day day delivery.  My buyer FB says my  buyer  appreciated it and would came back for more.  Don't  know  a salesperson that didn't like  more sales.  Mom  always  beat in my head "can' cannot or cain't never got any thing done"  and "hard work never hurt anyone"  and "nothing ventured, nothing gained"

Your call

One more thing  in  my  selling  career  when I lost  an order I  tried to find out why I lost an order  but I also  wanted to know why I received the order.  Both of those inquiries help me to  sharpen my selling skills.  eBay  feedback can give you the answers. 

[fbusoni]

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@meme6253 wrote:

Sorry about your health issues, we are at the mercy of some really merciless buyers & that is why feedback should just be eliminated, someone has a bad day or whatever & we get the backlash, At least you had a silver lining!

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@meme6253 

I know that you would like feedback to be eliminated.

Speaking personally... for the dozen or so categories in which I sell, my reputation is actually vital to my sales.

The testimony of others is important for my particular buyer demographic -- at least as, if not more important than, price, in many cases.

Personally I think eBay is taking the right approach in dealing with a tricky issue. Investing in AI to detect and remove inappropriate or unjustified feedback is a good idea, in my opinion, and seems to be producing good results for many, according to what I've been reading here.

Side note:  As an experiment, I have of late started to reply to those who leave unusually thoughtful feedback for me.  

eBay seems to like the interaction, because I've noticed a concomitant uptick in sales.

I also have observed a striking increase in the number of offers I am being permitted to make.   

(NOTE: I refer here to the ability of AI to examine how a seller manages relations with buyers, and to eBay's ability to respond to that assessment -- if a positive one -- by heightening listing visibility. )

If there are other variables at platy, I am not sure what they could be, as I've not changed much otherwise.

As I've noted previously, AI has the ability to look at the sum total of a seller's comportment on this platform (I am convinced that our official metrics are just the tip of the iceberg).

I have no proof that AI is being so employed, but because the capability exists, I work from the assumption that it is.

For better, or -- for many sellers who do not understand how to communicate with buyers or otherwise manage themselves on this platform -- for worse.