unfair negative feedback

[vanpatrick2005]

Well, once again EBAY does NOTHING to back up the seller! As a twenty-year seller (TOP-RATED PLUS) who has always been blessed with 100% feedback (I go the extra mile to keep it, believe me!), I received my first negative feedback today, which at my request EBAY did not remove, and here is my story...

I ship the item, a large book, on time and USPS tracking confirms that it was delivered today,  11/23 (Saturday)  at 3:42 p.m. IN THE MAILBOX.  Within an hour, with NO notification from the buyer, I see that I receive a negative feedback from said buyer stating that the 'item was stolen off  their front porch.' Not only did I get blindsided, I didn't even have time to send them a refund (which I did immediately thereafter) before they left the negative- but EBAY customer service or whatever it is (or isn't) would not remove the negative! What is EBAY coming too? How can an event beyond a seller's control be our fault? Did I steal the item 'off the front porch?' The buyer is probably lying anyway being a scammer, but that's not the point. The point is that this negative FB injustice is so infuriating, I don't know what to do. Its hard enough getting sales on this platform, I have to scratch and claw and use every artifice to make one measly sale, every little advantage helps, and I believe 100% feedback is a necessary tool for more sales. I personally feel more secure buying from a seller with top FB, so I assume that's the case with most buyers! I feel like just closing up my EBAY store and saying screw it, because obviously EBAY doesn't have your back and hasn't for MANY YEARS NOW!!!

[adamcartwright]

@vanpatrick2005 

Why did you send a refund when you had both a delivery scan and confirmation of delivery from the buyer himself? You played into his hand. Don't let the fear of negative FB control you.

[reallynicestamps]

Why would you refund on a book? You have no responsibility beyond the confirmed delivery.

It is the Buyer's responsibility to have a secure place for deliveries.
And that fast?

Did they look in the BBQ? The shipment may be there,or some other "secure" place a family member decided to put it.

I disagree with the need for  100% feedback , since so many buyers seem to think that 95% or lower is an A+.

When you are calmer you can Respond "Delivery 23/11/24 at 3pm. Negative left at 4pm. " 

That should tell a sane and honest customer that the buyer is either nuts or a thief, without using those terms.

Don't mention that you refunded since that might encourage a similar scammer.

Do Block this nitwit.

[bonanza125]

I wouldn't have refunded the buyer. The package was delivered. You will get buyers who don't have common sense or think logically. This wasn't on you and it's beyond your control that is correct. Unfortunately Ebay has made there decision not to remove the feedback. I assume you also tried to appeal the feedback through the system as well not just through customer service.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Wait wait wait! @vanpatrick2005 —-What is your reasoning for refunding?

This was not necessary, nor expected under such circumstances, since the tracking proved delivery. It is the buyer’s responsibility to provide a safe secure area for delivery. That is not the seller’s responsibility.

You don’t have your own back here—refunding sends the wrong  message that you are accountable for something wrong/inappropriate/mistaken in the transaction. You did nothing wrong, so why did you shoot yourself in the foot here? Your follow-up response could make you a target for future scammers!! The buyer is quite wrong that a refund was owed!!

Feedback is not a critical measure any longer, not a must-have 100% rating to make sales. Feedback is wholly subjective, and arbitrary, and that’s the reason that eBay does not tie it to any seller performance metrics.

You have a proven track record where one measly negative would have no impact against such glowing reports of your previous salesmanship. (Well, except for the private listings that some buyers might look askance at.) it is not your buyer’s feedback that needs removed here. It is your follow-up comment.

[vanpatrick2005]

Well put, upon reviewing the situation in a more 'not totally **bleep** off light", I might have rewarded the scammer buyer's behavior. Thank you for your spot-on objective comments, I will amend now!

[vanpatrick2005]

Thank you for your concise comments, will follow your advice! I might have shot myself in the foot on this one!

[vanpatrick2005]

You are right, I was thinking by issuing a refund that it would bribe that idiot buyer to remove the false, negative feedback...

[albertabrightalberta]

@vanpatrick2005 

What you should have done when the buyer claimed not to have received the item because it was stolen would have been to tell the buyer to open an "item not received" claim. 

Once that was done, you would answer it by pasting the tracking number into the field with a note that "USPS tracking showed delivery on November 23, 2024 at 3:24 PM." (The comments/note aren't necessary but it adds more evidence to the claim, which the buyer also sees.)

In 2-3 days, the case would close in your favor and the buyer wouldn't be able to leave feedback. 

[trickmusic]

Yeah.  They can fix it on Facebook, Instagram, or X according to some sources here.  

Lucky you, to have the opportunity to facilitate the full Silicon Valley circle jerk.  

Actually, executives at eBay are working on a forum in Twitch where you can get the feedback removed.  Pretty soon we might have the opportunity of improving our eBay experience at TikTok.  After that, they are going to send us to Pornhub to remove the feedback.  

Dont worry though, the feedback “engagement” department costs eBay and the Form 4 fillers at this dirge more than they could ever imagine.  The broken feedback system is one of the biggest tells for exactly how out of touch, inbred and pathetic eBay management is.  

If you add the resourcefulness of every executive in the eBay Hamilton Ave C Suite, they don’t have half the intelligence of big sellers on eBay using zero feedback burner accounts created just to leave targeted feedback for competitors.

These people are disgusting, but it’s ok. Sellers can leave feedback for eBay EVERYWHERE.

[vanpatrick2005]

The negative feedback was left without warning from the buyer, I just happened to see it before I started listing last night. Too late to do anything about it except notify EBAY and file a report.

[vanpatrick2005]

Of course, the automated appeal process denied my request for removal of the stupid feedback, as the feedback 'did not violate EBAY policies'. Well, it sure violated my policy of fairness and of common decency! Now I expect my listings will get kicked down the ladder as I have often heard negative feedback screws with the visibility of the listings, which I can believe. Maybe all buyers should leave all sellers negative feedback as the feedback system is a piece of sh#!t!!! 

[toysaver]

It could have been delivered to the wrong address.  The PO can confirm the GPS location of the delivery. I wish USPS would up their game and take a picture like FedEx.  It gets embedded in the tracking.  Either that or make the GPS location part of the tracking.

[rugerskick · Accepted solution]

Ebay needs to include a feedback removal reason along the lines of "buyer is blaming seller for an issue out of the sellers ability to control."  If the ebay system causes an issue with an order its not right for the sellers account to take a hit, the seller cant prevent it.  If the carrier causes an issue with a package, or a thief steals a delivered package, its not right for the sellers account take a hit, the seller can't prevent any of it.

If ebay truly is interested in the buyer experience and documenting it properly, they need to allow buyers to rate the carrier, and rate the ebay site/systems performance.  That way the true problem area can be noted.  If ebay messed up things, then the buyer can ding ebay.  Won't do anything but we'll start seeing just how much ebay is the cause of order problems.  If the carrier messes up, then we'll start seeing just how much the carriers are the cause of order problems.

But ebay won't ever do this because they really do not want to know this, or have it reported this way.  They really don't want to let it be known just how much they screw up orders, or how much carriers are the issue, because ebay makes a lot of money with the carriers and regards them higher than the sellers.  They really don't care the buyers can't really assign anger to the proper places, they are very happy the only place they allow buyers to focus anger is directly on the sellers, always.  They cover themselves and the carriers they have very nice contracts with.

Sellers are totally open to this level of accountability because it would allow the possibility of blame be assigned to the proper entity.

But this is just another way ebay shows its unnecessarily punitive and aggressive attitudes towards sellers.

The current officers will never allow this to be implemented, but at least they could add one or two more valid reasons for negative fb removal, such as "buyer unfairly blamed for something not under their control", and another such as "ebay confirmed buyer abused the MBG", and maybe something along the lines of "the account of what buyer told seller happened, changed in messages/what buyer told seller vs ebay reps is not the same version of events", or "buyer changed reasons/story when first attempts to get what they wanted, failed".

[mam98031]

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@vanpatrick2005 wrote:

The negative feedback was left without warning from the buyer, I just happened to see it before I started listing last night. Too late to do anything about it except notify EBAY and file a report.

---

Have you actually asked Ebay to remove the feedback?  Sellers are not responsible for porch pirates.  

I would suggest Ebay on Facebook for the best results.

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