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They suddenly called my personal number this morning asked me removing negative feedback. Are they allowed to do it? I feel very scared and uncomfortable and already report to eBay.
eBay Seller Call Me out of The Blue after Leaving Negative Feedback
mzqa395 on 01/08/2023 - 15:19
Last edited 03/08/2023 - 09:11
Last edited 03/08/2023 - 09:11
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Welcome to 2023.
Have their address too … that's scarier
Reverse bikies?
Jesus, always helpful Ozb.
To be fair, you only implicitly give your phone number when you order an item because your phone number forms part of your address on eBay. It's not like the OP messaged the seller their number. The phone number is primarily there for shipping purposes, it doesn't give the seller the right to call and annoy you about leaving negative feedback, particularly if the negative feedback was warranted, which (unless we learn otherwise) I'm going to assume that it was.
OP there are proper channels via eBay where sellers can request buyers to amend feedback, but they're controlled and only allow sellers to request 5 feedback revisions per 1000 feedback received in a year. This seller thought he'd be a smarty and called you instead, which I reckon is a misuse of the phone number.
You said you already notified eBay so wait and see what they say. I'd be pissed off too if an eBay seller called me about negative feedback.
To be fair, all op had to do was say "no" and hang up.
More frustrating for them if you say yes you'll remove it then never get around to it.
Jesus, always helpful Ozb.
You're being dim on purpose.
Nobody is saying that the seller should have contacted OP. I'm sure this is against eBay's terms of service - just report it and move on.
What is unreasonable is to be "very scared" about it.
You're being dim on purpose.
Yeah, I ain’t.
What is unreasonable is to be "very scared" about it.
You might be right and the OP might just be overreacting. But for all we know the call could have been threatening. It’s not a huge logical leap for a seller with the audacity to call about something like that in the first place. We don’t have all the details, so I’ve taken what the OP has said and tried to be constructive. I know that’s not the Ozb way, but you know..
But for all we know the call could have been threatening.
OP never said that it was threatening, so the assumption is that it wasn't.
We don’t have all the details, so I’ve taken what the OP has said and tried to be constructive. I know that’s not the Ozb way, but you know..
Sometimes the most constructive thing you can do is just to be honest. Being scared about a phone call is unreasonable, and I respect OP enough to tell it to them straight.
OP never said that it was threatening, so the assumption is that it wasn't.
No, but they did say they were “very scared” so it’s well within the realm of possibility.
This is neither here nor there. Neither of us is right or wrong without knowing the whole story. If the seller wasn’t threatening at all (which again, I kind of doubt given the nerve to call in the first place) then I agree with you.
@p1 ama: Why choose your response based on the assumption that it wasn't threatening? Aren't you best off choosing the response that covers
more scenarios than just'non threatening'? We also don't know tone, what was said, how it was said and how to conversation ended. On top of that the OPs English (maybe they meant concerned, rather than scared but didn't know how to convey their exact feeling). On top of that you don't know OP. their life experiences or upbringing that may contribute to a strong fear response.
are you for real? …..some shitty ebay merchant with a vendetta calling a private number and you think thats ok???
Why don't you give your number out? I'd like to call you
Sorry, taken. Flattered though
it's just a call… You seem scared somebody wants to call you. Maybe put on your big girls pants.
Wel here you are already upset at OP's post, imagine how the seller feels.
On a number that you gave them
Not for them to call back because they are upset at negative feedback.
I imagine they are probably thinking something along the lines of:
You gave me your number. Now I call you and you bitch about me to all your internet friends. Srsly :'( Waaaaat. I thought we had something special.
okay, probably not really.
I agree but the angry seller probably has OP's address and there could be reprisals.
I'd move on but some people are a bit fragile.
Are you they allowed to do it?
Yes, unless you have an intervention order on them.
Juvenile villager.
Was the negative feedback you provided reasonable and considered?
It was about poor communication.
not directly related, but i wonder if that is why amazon has a notice when contacting sellers
Please note—sellers are not allowed to ask for a customer’s personal information including email or phone number: and you are not expected to change your review due to this outreach or any potential resolution.
Amazon likes to hide all the 'customers' details, so sellers don't go direct.
Amazon and eBay want to protect their 10% sales commissions. People transacting outside of the platforms = loss of revenue. I think it's less about review manipulation and more about the potential to lose commissions at the end of the day.
Both companies (eBay and Amazon) claim it's to protect customers via the eBay Money Back Guarantee and A-Z guarantee etc, but it's ultimately their revenue they are concerned about.
whats the hyperlink ?
What?
source of excerpt
?@capslock janitor: You mean quote then?
It’s an auto pop up when you go into amazon messaging service before any chat starts
Can't sellers just do the same thing and leave negative feedback for you? Just block their number and move on
Nope, eBay changed it quite a while back that sellers can't leave Negative feedback for Buyers. Makes sense to me, because it's an easy thing to use for leverage ie. "Don't leave me negative feedback or I'll leave you negative feedback".
thanks for this important info. Been quite annoyed by a few ebay sellers recently. Paid aussie price for items that are clearly shipped from overseas.
Paid aussie price for items that are clearly shipped from overseas.
trick as old as time :(
Yes that's annoying af.
Every man and his dog wants to do 'drop shipping' so you have a zillion stores all selling from the one factory.
Love to see the day when they end cheap shipping from china when we have to pay 20x40x the price from here as businesses.
@smartazz104: I get what you're saying, but I'm just referring to these cheap one use items that we all often buy off ebay that pretty much break instantly.
I get super annoyed though when local stores charge $20 to ship a $10 item.
I think eBay do allow a seller to ask a buyer to reconsider any feedback however unsure whether the seller is allowed to use private contact information provided for the order rather than using messages via the platform.
Correct. All communication between buyer and seller must be done via eBay's messaging system. See my post further down the page with details (which bizarrely someone downvoted).
Anonymous negging is too weird
They suddenly called my personal number this morning asked me removing negative feedback. Are you they allowed to do it? I feel very scared and uncomfortable and already report to eBay.
Wait until you remember they have your address as well!!
Being scared in the 70s : The Viet Cong may ambush my platoon in Long Tan and kill us.
Being scared in the 80s : The Russians with superior armies are taking over my Afghanistan and kill us.
Being scared in 2023 : My eBay seller called me.
It was the seller's eBay id, "vc_ruski", that did it.
And in the 70s and 80s, keyboard warriors didn't exist and people could only yell at the clouds, now anyone can post anything on the internet and pretend they are a tough guy.
Get with the times
Potential nuclear armageddon, mass extinction and climate change aren't scary at all
In fairness you might have a skewed view of the threat level if you were also a member of an online bargain community that recommended bikies as the preferred approach for any dispute.
Well… To be fair there was a recent case where an eBay buyer became obsessed with a couple that he bought an item off.
Was it not lifelike?
Could I ask, why did you leave the negative feedback?
eBay so bad now, the seller didn't do the refund even promise to do so when goods didn't receive, and eBay just simply agree it due to didn't purchase insurance when you purchase goods, wish they withdraw from Australia market.
wut
As someone who sells quite a bit of stuff on ebay… For ebay to not side with the buyer, means the buyer must've done something quite out of the ordinary.
This usually happens to buyers who complain 'goods not received' too many times.
can you post the feedback that was left?
its kind of irrelevant….there are proper channels for communication on ebay for 'disputes' and this isnt it
I bet the negative was undeserved.
from 2 sentences you gathered that?? ….are you ozb's resident psychic?
90% of negative feedback I've ever read sounds undeserved.
….tell me youre an ebay selller that gets negs regularly without telling me youre an ebay selller that gets negs regularly
@franco cozzo: I've had about 10 negs/neutrals in 13 years of selling and 4k+ transactions. The last was maybe 2 years ago. Here are some i have had in the past:
Buyer: Never recieved
Me: did you move recently?
Buyer: …yes…please send me a revisionBuyer: jeans are loose around the bum
Me: yes, that's how those boyfriend jeans are supposed to fit.
Buyer: …Buyer: material is synthetic
Me: I stated that in the listing…Buyer: seller kept $1 of the refund i was entitled to when the item didn't arrive
Me: I refunded that dollar as overpaid postage the moment I shipped out the order. When you didn't receive the item, I refunded the rest
Buyer: I am so sorry I forgot, please send me a feedback revision.This is why I assume it's unwarranted. Because most of them are. And OP has yet to post the feedback they left, I assume it was also unwarranted. Or they've bought something from a dodgy chinese based seller.
@Some Human: so in other words youre ignoring whats posted here and just using your own biases as a seller?
@franco cozzo: A reasonable buyer would work with the seller to find a solution to whatever issue they had. Obviously OP was unwilling to work with the seller and just negged instead. The seller would have contacted them through ebay to get the feedback changed, so it wouldn't hurt their account. Either OP has ignored the seller, or demanded something unreasonable. I don't support them contacting the buyer outside of eBay, but they must have felt there was no other option. They don't want to look at a red dot for a whole year that they probably didn't deserve.
As OP has done an ozpostandghost, we can't know for sure. We can just have a very good guess based on past experience.
I am biased as a seller, but I also buy things sometimes. I get personally offended when sellers I like get negs for stupid reasons. Most of the time they are unwarranted.
@Some Human: i just went through this:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/788209
and they got their neg and they bloody well deserved it.
and thats the buyers perspective on shitty ebay merchants trying to pull a fast one@franco cozzo: Yes I remember reading that thread thinking how unusual it was that the seller was unhelpful and trying to shift the blame on you. I've personally never experienced that sort of thing before and I've bought from plenty of chinese sellers.
You did the right thing by trying to resolve the issue with the seller.
I found it commendable that when you made that thread, you included all required information and stuck around to answer questions so we weren't left in the dark speculating amongst ourselves like we are here today.
I sell on eBay and have had one really nasty customer unfairly leave me negative feedback. I'm not saying the OP is like that though. Anyway, after giving a refund I asked the buyer to retract their negative feedback via eBay's messaging system. They refused, accompanied by a flurry of four letter words. So I left it at that, put the buyer on my banned buyers list, and am waiting for their negative feedback to drop off my record.
I would never however contemplate contacting them via mail or phone. That is completely unacceptable, and the OP is right to report the behaviour to eBay. The seller is breaching eBay's guidelines.
You can request ebay remove unfair negative feedback. I've had it done once after a buyer lied in their comment after I initially refused a refund.
As for the OP, I agree in that contacting ebay about the seller's actions would be the best course of action.
Honestly when I buy stuff off ebay I don't look at the feedback at all if the seller has over 200 sales.
Having worked in customer service as a student, and now luckily consulting in and out of the sector, away from customer facing, I can say is people are fked. It's just good to know people who do leave undeserved negative feedback often lack significantly in the same and other aspects of their life. What goes around comes around.
What I do pay attention to is amazon product reviews, even then it's hard because there's often fake reviews and competitor reviews.
Not to mention the mess that is productreview and all these social media affilliate commission sites.
typical ozb thread where the 'mob' turns against the OP despite them having a reasonable gripe….never heard of a seller doing this and its clearly against ebay T&Cs and is bordering on harrassment.
Yeah, wtf?
And the comments from Mr hardass being all "in the 70s we had to worry about the vietcong" BS is just boomer talk at its best.
At the end of the day this is 100% against the ToS of Ebay and if OP reported them, should get them booted off the system.
Block the number too, and if you can update your review, do so with this information so others know to stay away
At the end of the day this is 100% against the ToS of Ebay and if OP reported them, should get them booted off the system.
This is what everyone is saying, though.
You're deliberately confusing two things:
1) Whether it is "right" for the seller to contact OP - obviously it is clear that this is against eBay's terms of service, and OP has already reported them
2) Whether this is a matter that OP should feel "very scared" about and pursue further action in any way
Obviously, if no threat has actually been made, then it is unreasonable to feel "very scared" and there is nothing more that OP can do because, aside from violating eBay's terms of service, the seller has not actually done anything illegal.
And the comments from Mr hardass being all "in the 70s we had to worry about the vietcong" BS is just boomer talk at its best.
I didn't make this comment, but obviously it was a joke. The point is that there are objectively measurable ways of determining danger and risk. Being called by an eBay seller is pretty low on that list of dangers and risks that people may face.
To be fair, OP didn't state what was said. What if they made threats? Do they have OPs address?
I just hate neggers.
if i had any negs left, i'd neg you!
update: got one…there you go.
What's up my negger!
So little information.
Were threats made?
If not, what's the prob.dont be stupid…this shit is not on
So did the ebay seller also threaten you with bikie gang because they have your address?
ninjas actually!
feedback I post were they replied my message slow 5-6 days after I sent the message
I agree with that. See how quickly they responded once they received your feedback. They gave you a direct call ! Obviously learned their lesson.
Presuming the seller wasn't on a holiday etc and is a larger business?
Was your contact urgent / needed a response within that time frame - was it time sensitive?'Seller feedback is important to sellers, presumably as you got to the point of them asking to change the feedback, did they offer to address your original concerns?
I can't for the life of me see on the t&c if it's prohibited or not. Ebay say you cannot exchange details until the sale goes through; but some stores will require your number for notification of order details, support and delivery reasons.
As a seller, I am provided customers phone numbers when i follow the contact a buyer or bidder help forum:
https://www.ebay.com.au/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/…
^^ I log in and can see customers details including phone number if they have completed a purchase, not bidders who have not completed purchase thoughhttps://www.ebay.com.au/help/policies/member-behavior-polici…
^^ As a seller I am prohibited from requesting a customer contact details directly prior to a sale and recommended to use the platform for communications so it's traceable:Prohibited:
- Make offers to buy and sell outside of eBay
- Send spam
- Threaten others, or use profanity or hate speech
- Exchange any personal information (except names), including email addresses, phone numbers or other contact information
- Send viruses, malicious code or software through our messaging serviceWas the seller threatening in any way or are you just uncomfortable they used your mobile number to contact you? If there is a problem with the order; I'm actually not sure based on what I can find on the guidelines that prevent me from phoning a customer. Based on the guided (after logging in) contact buyer page, I get buyer's contact details (except email - which is routed through an ebay proxy).
Anytime I've sold something on ebay as soon as i put it in the post i leave positive feedback all sellers should do this its a indication you are confident in the item you have sold.
A seller should provide excellent honest description and good photos from all angles that way there are no surprises for the buyer.
This way i keep my 100% positive feedback.
If the item arrives late or does not arrive no fault of your own, and buyer does not reach out and the buyer leaves negative feedback. I see this all the time as the negative feedback.
What can you do? Not much.
I used to do this previously when I started out as I have full confidence with all the items I have sold on eBay, and my listing descriptions plus photos are transparent.
However, I have had several buyers complain and provide neutral/negative for factors outside of my control such as Auspost failing to deliver the item on a timely matter (even when the Buyer themselves told me that they've experienced issues with their postie). Another common example is where the Buyer doesn't read the listing description or title and they blow up about measurements not being fit for their own purpose, despite having been provided in both the listing description and photos with a measuring tape. There's no recourse for Sellers to leave Buyer feedback but obviously for eBay's interests sake.
Now, I just wait until I see the tracking number shows the item has been successfully delivered and I wait a day or so before I send out the positive feedback to Buyers. I prefer to wait for them to have the item on their end before giving it out feedback as a given.
Sounds like a narcissist
Introverts don't like unpredictable calls, especially in the morning ..
Why are you answering phone calls from unknown numbers?
This is comforting for the OP isn't it?
"Literally spitting in the sellers face" Literally….
Had same thing happen where seller threatened over negative feedback, eBay don’t do shit
You feel very scared because someone called you. On a number that you gave them. FFS