Undeserved negative feedback

[1136earlwood]

At a loss to understand why buyers leave negative feedback without trying to resolve the issue.  I will begin screening all buyers for the feedback they leave for others.  Only remedy is to block them.

[1136earlwood]

You are so right.  Some have nothing better to do I guess.

[spark-chaser1]

Sorry that happened  to you. As a buyer I tend to ignore negative feedbacks that are basically reviews of the product and not of the transaction or seller's performance. 

I shake my head when I read a negative and see that it's a gripe about the product, or about something else  that was most likely the buyer's fault.

And then you have cases where they decided to throw a nutty over the most trivial of details that the seller obviously has no control over, such as delays in delivery due to carrier issues.

I, and most objective people,  would look at that negative you received ( as well as your fair and factual reply) and discount it for what it is. A product review by a buyer who got upset because the item itself didn't meet some pre- conceived notion of what they thought they were buying and skipped reading the details of the listing.

[soh.maryl]

How would you be able to determine, on reading the FB a buyer left for a seller that (a) the buyer did not try to resolve the issue with the seller first or (b) that the negative was undeserved?  

[1136earlwood]

There are signs.  This particular person asked a lot of questions that were obvious had they read the description and the negative feedback they left was petty.  Things like, "it was too small" for me when the photos clearly show the size.  I had one that kept asking for more and more photos and it was never enough.  There are ways to tell.  Once someone like that bids, they can be blocked.

[1136earlwood]

Thank you for your kind comments.  I just don't get it.  Nothing better to do, I guess.  Now I check on my lower rated bidders for this kind of behavior, if I catch it in time, and simply block them and cancel their bids.   Sad.

[evry1nositswindy]

If you said you would have refunded, why don't you offer returns?  It allows buyers to feel secure buying from you.  Many don't know about the eBay 30 day money back guarantee and feel like they have no other option.  I offer free returns, and the number of returns I get per year is very low and did not go up when I added the free return.

[1136earlwood]

That is something I am considering.  Could be better than all this nonsense!  Thanks!!

[coolections]

I is not actually the only remedy. It is terrible that the buyer says it is not the one he expected when it is easily seen what they were getting.  The other option is politely ask the buyer if he would like to return the item, give a shipping label, and then once returned and refunded ask the buyer to remove the negative. (Costly though). Personally, I would reply to the feedback that the item is the exact item the buyer purchased and is in perfect condition. Sorry it happened; this feedback should be removed but unfortunately Ebay will not remove it.

[luckythewinner]

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@1136earlwood wrote:

At a loss to understand why buyers leave negative feedback without trying to resolve the issue. 

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Because resolving issues with sellers takes time and energy and sometimes buyers don't think it is worth the effort especially if it involves re-packaging and returning a $10 item. 

Plus, not all buyers know how eBay works and when the see a seller who says they do not accept returns they think they have no other options.

[gloryglorygifts]

I feel your pain. I just had one neg this week. It's all about the response to them imho. I have all BIN listings, so no way to screen them, but I did block this one. Looking at the reviews she left for others, I am not even going to bother trying to work with her. I doubt she will revise anything if it is resolved.

Don't sweat it. 

[1136earlwood]

It's just so sad that I offered a full refund and never even mentioned the feedback, just trying to make it right for her.  Then she said she used it several times and threw the packaging away already.  Not sure I wanted it back after that.  I'll live with the feedback, small price to pay to learn a lesson.

[nickelsanddimes2015]

Since you offered a refund contact ebay and ask for it to be removed. If not having a couple negatives are not a big deal and it's impossible to tell who's going to leave a negative.

[chapeau-noir]

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@1136earlwood wrote:

I did offer a full refund.

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"No refunds" to some people means end of deal and no recourse so they just go ahead and leave this kind of feedback. Offering a refund afterward doesn't do much.

ETA: They don't have to be free refunds. But I wouldn't tie yourself into knots over this or start checking every.single.buyer. - an undeserved neg stings (I've had one) but expending so much energy over it is IMHO running your business to suit the negative, not the positive, and that's just a downhill course.

[inhawaii · Accepted solution]

Great reply to that feedback.

I would have no hesitation buying something from you.

Keep up the good work.

Added on:

I just thought of something.

That negative feedback would be considered a "product review".

It has nothing to do with the sale or the service you provided.

For that reason ebay SHOULD remove it. 

I've had it done before.

I would keep trying until you get the right agent.

Good luck!

[chapeau-noir]

Yeah - "doesn't flip good" lol. 🙄