Do You Care about How Many Negative Feedback The Seller Has?

• 

  whooah1979 on 09/07/2016 - 16:42

  +10

  Ebay sellers having negs are normal. eBay buyers are entitled and a pita.

  Tell your buyer to open a dispute and let them follow eBay's procedure for refund. They have to return the item at their their expense before a refund is issued.

  • 

    SnoozeAndLose on 09/07/2016 - 17:32

    Tell your buyer to open a dispute and let them follow eBay's procedure for refund. They have to return the item >at their their expense before a refund is issued.

    I dont think ebay now enforce the buyer to refund the item at their expense insead ebay ask the seller to pay for the return postage if the item is DOA or not as describe, which the seller and not way verify that the condition of the item when arrived on buyer hand and even buyer did not pay extra postage insurance.

    This rule has been change for many years and push away lots of people selling on ebay.

    • 

      whooah1979 on 09/07/2016 - 17:47

      I dont think ebay now enforce the buyer to refund the item at their expense insead ebay ask the seller to pay for the return postage

      ebay wants the sellers to accept returns as per their mbg policy. it's up to the sellers if they want to bear the cost of the return or choose to have the buyer pay for the return.

      Return postage costs
      Whether you or the seller are responsible for return postage costs depends on the seller's return policy and the reason for the return. In most cases, sellers require that buyers pay for return postage, but some sellers offer free returns – check the Return policy section of the listing.

      If you're returning an item because it isn't as described in the listing, the seller may be responsible for return postage costs, regardless of the seller's return policy. You will however be required to ensure you send the item back and you may need to manage return postage costs separately.
      http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/buy/return-item.html#shipping-…

      • 

        SnoozeAndLose on 09/07/2016 - 18:17

        Do you think ebay will ask the buyer pay for the return shipping if the buyer open return case not as describe or DOA?

        I very doubted as I have been the victim many time and no any one time I could able to ask the buyer to pay for the return postage. Some people are just being a d*** head and nothing you could do about it.

        Now the negative feedback is not count as your seller performance any more.

      • 

        whooah1979 on 09/07/2016 - 18:23

        @LoveBargain15:

        Do you think ebay will ask the buyer pay for the return shipping if the buyer open return case not as describe or DOA?

        the buyer has no say in the matter. the party that will pay for the return is chosen by the seller. the seller can either upload a shipping label or tell the buyer to ship it back at the buyer's expense. the buyer can comply with the procedure or contact ebay and whinge. ebay can say blah blah seller, but can't force the seller to upload a shipping.

      • 

        SnoozeAndLose on 09/07/2016 - 21:42

        @whooah1979:

        I believe you are not a seller of ebay. Seller have a choice to send buyer a shipping label or refund the postage cost if buyer want to send the parcel back by their cost.

        Once the return case opened, and the seller is not agree the only way is to escalate to ebay support and in my experience seller will have to pay for the return shipping cost in order to get the item back then have full refund the buyer. That means seller will be lose 2 shipment cost, the seller will have to refund the buyer 6 business days once the parcel returned. Moreover, if the return case opened and not resolved by seller, then the seller rating may be affected too.

        I hope you now understand what will happened when you selling on ebay.

      • 

        msmhw on 09/07/2016 - 22:07

        @LoveBargain15: yes this happened to me too. What ever policy you selected when you created you listing eBay force the seller to pay for return postage if the buyer selected not as described or DOA. It not really fair especially if the buyer play with the system to their side. Some cases you would prefer to issue full refund as the return postage cost more than what the actual cost of the item. So win-win to the buyer.

        When I spoke with eBay about this and it is not fair especially if the buyer didn't read the description. They told me they wanted to give the buyer better experience even if they are in fault. I tried to tell them if they bought something from actual store they will need to return it and spend time/money to do so and the store won't refund any of these. But they didn't agree with me and I had to give the buyer return label.

      • 

        SnoozeAndLose on 09/07/2016 - 22:19

        @msmhw:

        and the fact is the seller pay for all the selling fee too.

        Therefore now ebay is doing lots of 20% off to keep the big store player and more promotion in order to not only keeping the buyer as well as the seller.

        I believe if this dont change all the small seller will quit as the profit margin is very slim plus at risk of selling at lost.

      • 

        whooah1979 on 09/07/2016 - 22:50

        @LoveBargain15:

        I believe you are not a seller of ebay.

        on the contrary. we have two stores, four top rated accounts, plus one that keeps changes from top rated to normal and vice versa.

        Seller have a choice to send buyer a shipping label or refund the postage cost if buyer want to send the parcel back by their cost.

        we never upload shipping labels. we always tell the buyer to open a snad with either ebay or pp, and that they follow the instructions given to them. we do this because our listings are 100% accurate. the buyers that are looking for a free item doesn't open a dispute, or stop replying after they realise that they have to pay for the return shipping. buyers with genuine doa items gets a refund after we confirm the fault.

        we don't care much about neg fb. buyers that leave neg normally don't contact us with their problem before they leave the fb. they leave what they leave and we simply reply with the truth. potential buyers can make up their mind.

      • 

        SnoozeAndLose on 09/07/2016 - 23:06

        @whooah1979:

        buyers with genuine doa items gets a refund after we confirm the fault.

        you mean full refund plus return shipping or only full refund without return shipping?

        I love to hear how could you avoid this? by sacrificing your seller rating.

        I have maintained top rate for 3 stores but when it come to refund normally I have no choice but just do the refund.

      • 

        whooah1979 on 09/07/2016 - 23:16

        @LoveBargain15:

        you mean full refund plus return shipping or only full refund without return shipping?
        I love to hear how could you avoid this? by sacrificing your seller rating.

        it's easy in our case. the items we sell can't be doa or break and will probably last for decades. the only thing that can happen is that they get lost while in transit.

        btw. mbg only lasts for a few weeks. leaving fb is only good for 60 days and pp buyer protection is 180 days, but the buyer has to pay for the return. it also becomes a warranty issue.

• 

  kasumi on 09/07/2016 - 16:43

  Some people leave neg FB if postage is slow etc… which i normally disregard as some people expect the items to arrive the next day, even if they paid for standard shipping

  However, if neg FB relates to that item was misrepresented or not working, then i would take note of that.

  Why are people wanting to return your items anyway?

  • 

    msmhw on 09/07/2016 - 20:18

    They don't want to return Italy all. One of them said he doesn't want to waste his time/money to return faulty item. He only wants refund. While I tested the item before sending it to him and was working without problem.

• 

  kywst on 09/07/2016 - 16:50

  +4

  Can't you respond to the negative feedback? That way you can say something along the lines of "Thanks for your purchase. You have demanded a full refund and are unwilling to return the product. It's a shame as this is effectively extortion."

  • 

    whooah1979 on 09/07/2016 - 16:52

    +2

    "Thanks for your purchase. You have demanded a full refund and are unwilling to return the product. It's a shame as this is effectively extortion."

    change that to 80 characters.

    • 

      kywst on 09/07/2016 - 16:54

      +9

      "You have demanded a refund and refuse to return the item. This is extortion."

      78 chars

      eBay Feedback Extortion Policy

      Examples of Feedback extortion
      The buyer can't threaten to leave negative Feedback or low detailed seller ratings if the seller won't:
      Accept a return and pay for return postage.
      Give a full or partial refund for an item.
      Lower the postage and handling costs.
      Refund payment before the buyer sends the item back to the seller.
      Send an extra item that wasn't part of the original listing. (This doesn't include a situation where a buyer requests a replacement for an item that doesn't match the original item description.)

      • 

        msmhw on 09/07/2016 - 20:22

        I did call eBay and they agreed its me about it and they promised to remove the negative feedback and they gave me case number. It has been over 23days and they did nothing at all. I think the best thing to do to reply to the feedback as you suggested. Thanks by the way.

      • 

        eqv on 10/07/2016 - 11:20

        @msmhw: Follow up with eBay. If they already assessed and agreed, and it's all in writing, then you have all the evidence you need. I had my negative feedback overturned once when buyer unreasonably demanded refund.

• 

  Savas on 09/07/2016 - 17:26

  Why does he want a refund? And can't you leave the buyer feedback, "Crappy $%#@#%^ is a #$#% and should %^%$#!"

  • 

    MrMcHairyHead on 09/07/2016 - 17:27

    You can't leave buyers feedback on eBay at all.

    • 

      Savas on 09/07/2016 - 17:32

      -1

      Huh?

      • 

        MrMcHairyHead on 09/07/2016 - 19:19

        That's nine years old. You can't leave buyers feedback on eBay at all anymore.

      • 

        Savas on 09/07/2016 - 19:25

        -1

        @MrMcHairyHead: Then what is this?

      • 

        msmhw on 09/07/2016 - 19:49

        +1

        @Savas: now you only able to leave positive feedback. In the past it used to be able to leave negative feedback to the buyer too.

      • 

        MrMcHairyHead on 09/07/2016 - 20:10

        +1

        @Savas: Shit, looks like I was wrong. You can't leave negative or neutral feedback, but you can leave positive.

• 

  nocure on 09/07/2016 - 17:31

  +1

  he is happy to revise the feedback if I issue full refun ($42) without returning the item….

  Was this included in an eBay message or verbal.

  • 

    tomsco on 09/07/2016 - 18:15

    +1

    That's my thought. As kwyst pointed out, eBay clearly have a policy on extortion. If you have an eBay message from that seller, call eBay back and quote their policy.

    • 

      nocure on 09/07/2016 - 18:19

      You can dispute the neg and eBay will go through the messages and reverse the feedback.

  • 

    msmhw on 09/07/2016 - 20:24

    Yes it was in eBay messaging and when I called eBay they saw that and agreed with me about it but it has been 23days and they didn't remove it. Because I sell regularly in eBay I was afraid if the negative feedback will effect my sales.

• 

  Bonsaichop on 09/07/2016 - 18:45

  As someone who has an eBay store I really get annoyed with negs given to us. Granted out of the ~1500 positives we have had in the last year, we have had 4 negs and a neutral.

  What really annoys me though is that they're left without the buyer even contacting us to resolve it. Usually it's something that Australia Post has lost in the mail, we had one person who wanted free extras and left a neg after I refused. And two were not happy with the condition even though photos were shown and it was a used item.

  Every single person did not contact us, even though eBay asks you to confirm that you have tried to contact the seller before leaving negative feedback.

  Frankly I wish that a buyer could not leave negs or neutrals unless eBay can confirm that they have contacted the seller first.

  As a buyer I do read look at the negs and see if the seller responded, then use my best judgement. Granted that I accept the risk if I do go ahead.

• 

  snorbz on 09/07/2016 - 18:48

  +2

  Generally anyone with a powerseller endorsement is good enough for me to ignore a few negs.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 09/07/2016 - 19:20

  +5

  I usually consider only the negatives relating to the product I am considering purchasing. I also look at the volume of sales.

• 

  Gotchas on 09/07/2016 - 20:50

  +1

  I actually bid on items from sellers with bad feedback as they generally go for less and there's PayPal protection for me if they continue to play up

• 

  bengal tiger on 10/07/2016 - 00:56

  Call me cynical but to me it looks like a professional scam.

  An honest customer asking for a full refund would understand the goods would have to be returned. Or keep the goods and ask for a partial refund. To ask for a full refund and keep the goods (faulty or otherwise) sounds to me like a scam.

  There's people out there who understand the importance of negative feedback to eBay sellers. Often you'll see seller ads asking "please do not leave negative feedback, contact me first" as they're trying to keep a perfect record. Some dishonest buyers are aware of the one-way feedback system and will take full advantage of this, holding sellers hostage by threatening them with negative feedback if they don't meet their demands.

  In this case, the larger question at hand is how much do you value a 100% positive feedback score and how much are you willing to pay out and accept as a loss (in this transaction and in the long run if/when this occurs again) in order to maintain perfect feedback.

  • 

    whooah1979 on 10/07/2016 - 08:24

    There's people out there who understand the importance of negative feedback to eBay sellers. Often you'll see seller ads asking "please do not leave negative feedback, contact me first" as they're trying to keep a perfect record.

    this is part of the problem. some sellers will do almost anything to keep their fb spotless in this flawed system. that includes a full refund without the buyers returning the item, issuing custom vouchers or shipping gifts after a complaint in hope that the buyers don't leave a neg. the sellers are training the buyers to expect a free meal.

    the only way to take the power away from the buyers is not be so caught up in having 100%. all sellers would benefit if they lowered their kpi from 100% to 98% or lower.

    no organisation can operate at 100% at a reasonable cost.

• 

  Axelstrife on 10/07/2016 - 04:13

  tell them to get fked (don't really lol)

  take then negs but type a little reply to the negative votes so that future buyers know your side of the neg.

  id type "buyer wanted full refund for no return"
  that would tell me if i was a future buyer the other buyer was clearly a scummy type of buyer.

• 

  dm01 on 10/07/2016 - 08:30

  My opinion: don't give in to the extortion. Anyone who's been using eBay for more than 5 minutes knows that there are some bad-egg eBay users out there trying to game the (in my opinion) skewed feedback system, and that there is much fraudulent feedback as a result. It doesn't me buying from a seller if they have a couple of bad feedback in a sea of good ones, but I will read the most recent (-)ve comments to gauge the situation and make a judgement.

  I'd politely but firmly reply to the buyer refusing a refund unless the item is returned, and mention that their conditions constitute extortion as per eBay's policy (include link to eBay's policy on this), and that you won't hesitate to report a user making such a threat.

  If they go ahead and leave the negative feedback, report them immediately to eBay, include a copy of their messages, plus your replies. Politely but firmly request eBay to remove the feedback, as the buyer has breached eBay's feedback extortion policy.

  If for some reason eBay didn't remove the feedback, I'd be creating a PDF or web page somewhere that summarises your dealings with the buyer, and then using a URL shortener to link to it. Then I'd include this in a "reply to feedback" comment in response to the negative one saying something like:

  "BEWARE - reported buyer for extorting refunds - details at bit.ly/1hdfb75m" or whatever then link is. Not sure what eBay's policy is on the link, but the lack of http etc in the URL should let it go through.

  Remember, the government won't negotiate with terrorists, so neither should you!

• 

  resisting the urge on 10/07/2016 - 17:40

  IMHO (IANAL):

  eBay vendors are expected to be compliant under the Trade Practices Act or equivalent law in their registered country. In Australia and many jurisdictions, this means you must supply an item as described. If vendors post/courier/hand-deliver an item, they are responsible for that (service part) of the sale as well as the item and claims made during sale. That's right, losses, insurance and damage are not the buyers responsibility or fault at all. Looking at the posts so far, the OP in this instance needs to understand this better.

  And yes, this second part is where most vendors come unstuck. If the item is not as described, and the def'n of this is often a grey area, they do not understand that should/will make them responsible for the return freight. The buyer gets no recourse under the law for wasted time/delay in supply/their trouble, etc. but from their point of view, at least they get their money back in full. If you buy a large/heavy item the shipping cost may be very high, so this is a risk every vendor needs to balance against the prices they set. The only consolation is that covering return freight doesn't generally open you up to fraud.

  eBay vendors have often succeeded in getting eBay to support them against 'small fry' buyers. In the past, only a buyer who knows the law and can say so during the dispute resolution process can avoid being nailed by the vendor and eBay conspiring against them. But eBay has changed its practices, as well as its vendor advice/process, in the last year or so a lot. They must be under pressure from the Dept Fair Trading, ACCC, Ombudsman, Choice or other consumer advocates, for getting it wrong far too often.

  This is why eBay now encourages vendors to cover return freight every time they list something. It is not them, they'd probably rather it be simple and quick to post*, and for it to be a low-friction experience for everyone. They are gradually being dragged kicking and screaming into helping the consumers and vendors who can't interpret or understand the law to comply, without actually explaining why, every time.

  Probably the most common problem sales are 'not as described'. When they have to get involved, eBay sides with the most reasonable and legally correct party. Being courteous, patient and trying to resolve problems in a way that aligns with your obligations is vital. Behaviour or attitude in the messages you send that indicates you don't care, understand your obligations, or are gaming the system will only help them to make decisions against you.

  .*It is hard to say this as their horrible web UI continues to fail in this regard, and all they seem to do is make the overall experience worse and more complex.