eBay Feedback Policy Not Enforceable if You Are a Seller?

[thomasjaybaker]

Here's the situation:

eBay Feedback Policy: Our feedback policy is to ensure that feedback is meaningful for both buyers and sellers. We do not allow feedback that is harmful, inappropriate or irrelevant as this reduces trust between buyers and sellers, and undermines the feedback system.

Feedback Received from Disgruntled Buyer: ENDED UP WITH BUSTED FRAME AND CUT UP PAPER FROM NOT BEING PACKED PROPERLY NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN ALL I DID WAS LOOSE MONEY AND NO RECORSE FOR REFUND

My View: This buyer's feedback statement "NOT BEING PACKED PROPERLY" is an out and out lie and harmful to me as a seller. The buyer provided no proof that the packaging was damaged at all. The only pictures he sent showed a broken picture frame which he could have dropped while trying to hang it on the wall.

The buyer's feedback statement "NO RECORSE FOR REFUND" is an out and out lie and harmful to me as a seller as well. The buyer was offered a full refund upon return and inspection of the product. I purchased and sent him a return label. He then claimed he'd disposed of everything because he'd cut himself on the glass and everything was covered in blood. I could not find one spot of blood in any of the pictures the buyer submitted to back up his claim.

The buyer's feedback statement "NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN" is harmful to me as a seller and totally irrelevant. The buyer's future purchasing habits have nothing to do with feedback for this product or transaction.

eBay's Further Feedback Policies: When do we remove feedback?

Harmful, inappropriate or irrelevant comments and images

We remove all feedback that contains any:
Personal attacks that could harm the reputation of the seller or their business and could not reasonably be viewed as constructive criticism

My View:  The buyer filed a refund request. The buyer had the burden of proof to show he didn't actually damage the product himself and to provide me with evidence so I could file a claim against eBay's agent, UPS. He was responsible for returning the product to me for a visual inspection. A refund was offered. A return label was sent. The buyer then claimed he disposed of all evidence and had nothing to return. Under the circumstances, I fail to see how anyone could reasonably view the buyer's feedback as constructive criticism. It looks more like a personal attack that could harm my reputation and my business.

eBay's Further Feedback Policy: eBay site or program issues

We remove neutral/negative feedback when:
An eBay Money Back Guarantee case or payment dispute was closed with the seller having met their obligations to the buyer.

My View: This is the feedback policy that eBay has decided in favor of the buyer.
1. The buyer opened an eBay Money Back Guarantee case.
2. I offered the buyer a full refund upon return of the product.
3. I purchased and sent a return label at my expense.
4. The BUYER closed the eBay Money Back Guarantee case in my favor.
5. At that point, I'd met all my obligations to the buyer.

After all that, eBay claims they STILL can't remove the negative feedback "because it doesn't go against any of their policies".

In my opinion, I think it goes against just about every policy they have.

Opinions?

[femmefan1946]

You can Respond to the feedback

I purchased and sent him a return label.

Say so. Heck, give the number of the label. State that it was not used.

The buyer had the burden of proof to show he didn't actually damage the product himself

No he doesn't.

Except for the return of the product (at the seller's expense) before the refund.

He was responsible for returning the product to me...

Yes.

...for a visual inspection.

No.

He returns. You refund.

Then and only then can you Appeal the claim.

Given that you sent the Label, and that it was not used I would appeal to one of the eBay employees assigned to Social Media

The phone reps have a terrible reputation for getting you off the phone as soon as possible even if that means giving you the advice you want to hear instead of the advice you need to have.

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://www.facebook.com/ebay— Message button in upper right on landing page.
#204760888466
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/


https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851 -> Automated Assistant, type AGENT -> enter. You will then get more options.


The social media Chat accounts are covered by trained eBay employees with some authority.
And you get a transcript so you can compare what you heard with what you were told.
 

[femmefan1946]

Who do you think reads feedback?
Not the buyer.
They know what happened and don't care.
Not eBay.
They do not use FB to measure member accounts.Not only is FB voluntary. Not only do less than 40% of transactions get any FB. But also FB is an opinion on how the transaction went.
Not your fellow sellers.
They never see buyer feedback because less than 15% of transactions are Auctions. Most are FixedPrice or Buy It Now/auction and the seller meets the buyer after the purchase has been made.
 
The only reader will be your future customer.
Who will hit the backbutton when they see how you badmouth other customers.
Remember only you can see the identity of the buyer.

[mam98031 · Accepted solution]

@thomasjaybaker 

Forgive me, but I did not read your post.  It is late here and I'm a bit tired.  I did however look at the feedback you got and that one should be removeable.  A couple questions first.

The INAD filed closed in your favor so Ebay should not have even allowed this feedback to get posted.  

Also check the buyers feedback left for others.  Look to see if they do this to other sellers too.  If they do that is called feedback abuse which is yet another reason to have your feedback removed.  But mostly your reason to get it removed is they won't return the item for refund.  Your buyer is refusing to honor returning the item.  

Go to the Seller Help page. Towards the bottom of the screen you will see a place to click on to submit the feedback for removal.

https://www.ebay.com/sellerhelp/feedback?id=5566

They usually respond within a couple hours or so.  If for any reason they decline the removal of the feedback, which they really shouldn't, but if they do, then you need to contact Ebay directly.

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

[papastraindepot2006]

I just got a positive feedback with the comment "Scammed me a little on shipping and wouldn’t come down on it buyer beware". This is not only against eBay policy, but is also listed in their documentation as a reason for feedback removal. Positive rating with negative comments has ALWAYS been against policy and reason for removal. The only tools I have right now are to respond to the feedback. THAT. IS. IT.

On the feedback page, there is no longer a link to even request that the buyer CHANGE their feedback... which I've used many times over the years, usually with a good result. I can "report a buyer", but there are only three options to choose from for reporting, making demands, misusing returns, and messaging or retracting a bid with no intention of paying (good luck proving anything there). NO OPTIONS about feedback.

eBay Customer Support refuses to even discuss feedback on the phone.

This is creating an environment where buyers are 100% free to abuse the feedback system with 0% chance of recourse. This makes eBay an UNSAFE platform to try to earn an honest living. It seems that everything eBay has done over the last decade+ is to make it easier for buyers to scam sellers and/or destroy sellers' reputations. Oh, but we could NEVER say ANYTHING bad about a buyer.

eBay sucks more and more every day.

UPDATE: I contacted eBay through FB Messenger, and they've agreed to remove the feedback as it violates their policy. This is great. Why do I have to go to another website to resolve an eBay issue? Why not allow me to report the violation right there on the feedback page? SMHID

[mam98031]

You don't ever want to send a Feedback Revision form to a buyer without their prior agreement to revise the feedback.  However in this particular case you would NOT be able to send this form since it was a positive feedback.  You can use these forms on positive feedback, only on negative and neutral.

UPDATE: I contacted eBay through FB Messenger, and they've agreed to remove the feedback as it violates their policy. This is great. Why do I have to go to another website to resolve an eBay issue? Why not allow me to report the violation right there on the feedback page? SMHID

I'm unsure of why you are reacting this way regarding Ebay's presence on Facebook.  You chose to go there for help, it isn't your only choice for getting help on the site, it is one of many.  So you were successful in getting help there and then you object to voluntarily going to Facebook for help.  

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