eBay Seller Offered to Pay Me to Remove Review

lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 13:55
Last edited 15/12/2023 - 15:13 by 1 other user

I bought an item on eBay last week cost me $59.82, it arrived yesterday, the quality was really bad, so I left a review stating that, and immediately sent it back through Aus Post.

Today I get an offer of $20 plus keep the item, if I remove review, here is communication, too bad its already on its way back to them, and return postage cost $22. Is this the norm with eBay sellers? I have never encountered this before.

Dear friend,
Thank you for your contacting. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.
Would you please send us some photos of the problem for us to improve?

As we all know, shipping back costs more time and money.
May we refund 20AUD for you as a compensation to keep the product to save your shipping back trouble?
Would you please revise the feedback to positive one?
How do you think? Looking forward to your reply. We are open to your idea.
Thank you.

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Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2023 - 14:00

    what was the product?

    • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 14:01

      spa cover

      • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2023 - 14:02
        +3

        im guessing the seller is trying to protect their rating - i haven't encountered this but I'm not surprised.

        • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 20:14
          +1

          That is my thoughts also
          It was a Victorian seller, but the message I received above came from @members.ebay.com.hk account

  • scrimshaw on 15/12/2023 - 14:02
    +31

    The bad review should stay there to dissuade others from purchasing the product (i.e it was a truthful review and accurately reflects the quality of the product). The eBay seller is not going to take your feedback and immediately recall their products to be fixed up, they'll keep selling them to other folks (& possibly rip them off) at the $59.82 price and cross their fingers they don't get the same complaints.

    • cameldownunder on 15/12/2023 - 14:23
      +8

      The seller took it back, and refunded more than the postage was. I think you should leave a neutral review.

      • scrimshaw on 15/12/2023 - 14:26

        edit: nvm. I re-read and I think the seller is refunding the whole order + postage cost and letting the OP keep the item, not just doing a partial refund.

      • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 20:11
        +1

        that isnt quiet correct, I paid for return postage, I got the notification from Ebay that I had to and where to send it to, I honestly didnt know any different
        The item had already been sent back to seller before offer was made, they would have received the tracking number before they made the offer.
        All I am expecting is the price I paid, I will chalk the cost of return postage up as experience.

        • cameldownunder on 17/12/2023 - 20:22

          Ok, I read that incorrectly. Request full refund plus repayment of shipping costs.

      • SlickMick on 16/12/2023 - 20:42

        Sure, the review should say product sucks, but at least they attempt to compensate customer if that's what legitimately happened, otherwise the review should say the product sucks and seller attempts to bribe customer to not leave negative review.

    • AustriaBargain on 15/12/2023 - 14:31
      -6

      But isn't a free product and a gift of $20 worth a positive review?

      • blitz on 15/12/2023 - 16:31
        +5

        But that's not what other people are buying - they're buying a spa cover. Other people won't get the "free product and a $20 gift" deal because the seller will go bust.

      • SlickMick on 16/12/2023 - 20:45
        +1

        Doesn't help me avoid going through the same process if OP leaves a positive review.

        Unless you think OP had a good experience, in which case maybe the review can be 5 stars but say "you won't get what you expect, but you'll be compensated"

  • pegaxs on 15/12/2023 - 14:02
    +8

    Soliciting positive feedback… Sounds like a breach of eBay terms and conditions… Run it past eBay chat and see if they would be happy for you to leave positive feedback before you were paid off.

    Or maybe change it to a passive aggressive positive feedback like "item was total garbage and wasn't fit for purpose, but seller refunded quickly and paid for return postage costs." Then give them 1 star on everything that doesn't get posted to their public feedback profile.

    AND, only do this "after" they have sent the refund… Not before.

  • Wampus on 15/12/2023 - 14:10
    +9

    To be clear this sounds like the seller is wanting to only refund $20 instead of the full amount, and have the OP keep the item

    I bought an item off a third party on Catch's platform and it didn't work, and the seller tried to convince me to keep the item and refund half the money. I had to get Catch themselves involved to get my money back. They ended up refunding in full and keeping the item (which just went into landfill unfortunately)

    • MS Paint on 15/12/2023 - 15:07
      +2

      I agree. Partial refund. Too late though.

  • valleyrain on 15/12/2023 - 14:10
    +5

    Did you contact the seller before leaving the review and sending the item back? You could have worked out something and possibly saved on the return postage cost.

  • Empharand on 15/12/2023 - 14:12
    +3

    May we refund 20AUD for you as a compensation to keep the product to save your shipping back trouble?

    Too late, postage nullifies their offer and isn't valid anyways because you can no longer keep the item.
    Get your full refund and leave feedback.

    • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 14:13
      +1

      my exact thoughts
      warn the next person

      • Empharand on 15/12/2023 - 14:16
        +1

        Too bad you aren't an eBay Plus customer because I'm pretty sure it's free returns for eBay Plus customers.
        $9.99 for 1 Year of eBay Plus + free returns (and other benefits) vs $22 to return the product (at your cost) and get your full refund.

        Also their offer sounds like a typical Chinese Seller copy and paste offer, sounds very familiar. Chances are they're making a good profit on that item so if they can get you to agree to a $20 refund then they walk-away in the better position.

        • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 14:20

          I dont use Ebay enough, hence the question was it the norm for a seller to offer payment in exchange to revise review

        • FireRunner on 15/12/2023 - 14:40

          If it's not as described then the seller pays for return postage anyway.
          The free returns with eBay Plus are useful for change of mind returns

          Edit: I see OP paid out of pocket, didn't have to though

  • Wiadro on 15/12/2023 - 14:13
    +3

    so you paid $22 for postage to return it?
    there's your first issue

    • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 14:16

      I agree, I wasnt impressed, it was returned on principle, I wanted a protector to go over spa, as I am having some reno work done, and just wanted to protect it, but this thing looked like a few bin liners sewn together

      • Wiadro on 15/12/2023 - 14:17
        +5

        you should've just purchased a big roll of cling wrap, to be honest. and wrapped the top up.

      • scrimshaw on 15/12/2023 - 14:39

        Do you have a link or a picture of this item?

      • Protractor on 15/12/2023 - 15:37

        Got any pics to show this?

  • coffeeinmyveins on 15/12/2023 - 14:55
    +3

    Think of it like this.

    If another person left a negative review before you and you saw it on said product, you wouldn't have purchased it. So you're doing the NEXT person a favour.

    Reviews on Ebay/Amazon are rife with this sort of stuff.

    • Protractor on 15/12/2023 - 15:57

      "If another person left a negative review before you and you saw it on said product, you wouldn't have purchased it. " Disagree. If a sellers rating is less than perfect, at some cutoff point buyers would just find a higher % feedback rating and eliminate or reduce the risk. Many (if not the larger %) buyers just settle on a cheaper option somewhere close to the top and probably don't even read the feedback. And if the neg feedback applies to an item they are not buying, they still may use a low % seller.
      Feedback should relate to the entire experience, once it is over. This episode is not.
      That said ebay enables a lot of unethical dodgy,borderline and fraudulent practises. (The ACCC is complicit by it's lack of action in this area, IMO.)

      The feedback system is flawed because many ppl use it incorrectly, and I suspect some DO take that $$ for positive feedback bait.
      Sellers should only ever be afforded one ebay ID and ebay store to use , and it should be proactively policed by ebay. Location of item should be accurate. Drop shipping stores should be labelled by ebay thus, so buyers can choose

    • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 20:04

      I agree with this point, thankyou

  • MS Paint on 15/12/2023 - 15:18
    +2

    Here's my take…

    eBay seller has some dodgy dropshipping username like joy4life-321

    eBay seller already has a feedback score around 96%

    eBay seller dropshipped item from China and doesn't want it back hence offer to partial refund

    OP was lazy (implied) and didn't check feedback score or read other reviews

    OP just purchased the first cheap item they came across on eBay and is now paying the lazy (implied again) tax.

    OP is felling both ripped off and confused so rants on a public forum seeking validation with a misleading title.

    • Protractor on 15/12/2023 - 15:41

      This take (above) is the normal formula, here.

      ergo, "eyes bigger than stomach wallet "

    • pharkurnell on 15/12/2023 - 15:56
      +3

      you forgot
      eBay seller has several stores with different names, same suburb, same photos, same offers/shipping etc…

      • pegaxs on 15/12/2023 - 17:03
        +1

        And all their listing photos have the AusPost logo on them… Account resides in Shenzen and the order tracking number starts or ends with CN

        • MS Paint on 15/12/2023 - 17:24
          +1

          And their pricing structure is bloody weird

          Cost me $59.82

          And the exact same item is available on Aliexpress for $30 delivered (probably)

    • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 20:02
      +3

      Here's my take on your take…

      Are you serious, you are absolutely incorrect on so many points
      ..wasnt joyflife-321 or similar sounding and had 634 reviews
      ..100% user feedback
      ..probably correct on that point, but the return address was Victoria
      ..that is the second time you said I didnt read feedback score, yes I did, and yes it was 100%,
      ..You can imply all you want about my username, doesnt mean is accurate
      ..Nope it wasnt the first 'cheap thing', but the dimensions were correct for my spa.
      ..You just love using that 'LAZY' word, again incorrect, sorry to disappoint you
      ..I simply queried if it was a 'thing' for sellers to offer compensation and ask you to change your review.

      Hopefully you feel better now Muzeeb for your rant and thanks for your comment/s

  • Ocker on 15/12/2023 - 15:49
    +3

    Seller is obviously Chinese, and selling typical sub-par quality Chinese made products.
    No way would I remove my review.

    • yippy on 15/12/2023 - 16:02
      +4

      To be fair I would not expect a $60 spa cover to be of decent quality to begin with, regardless of where it was made.

      • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 19:51

        It was literally a cover to to protect spa during renos, but the product was so thin, it would have ripped with in a day

      • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 23:59

        Its very similar to a BBQ cover or outdoor setting cover, it was a fair price, just crap quality

      • cookie2 on 17/12/2023 - 07:14

        If it's vinyl and from os, I'd expect it.

  • pharkurnell on 15/12/2023 - 15:55
    +1

    Exactly why online reviews arent worth a pinch of shit

  • MagicMushroom on 15/12/2023 - 16:21
    +1

    Did you leave a product review (out of 5 stars) or a seller feedback(out of 100%)?

    I'm guessing you're talking about seller reviews?

    With eBay's policy, you're not meant to leave product reviews on seller's feedback. Seller's feedback is for their performance and not about the products. The seller can actually ask eBay to remove those feedback.

    Seller is also not allowed to ask you to leave or change feedback with incentives. They usually hope you will leave positive feedback or avoid you from leaving negative feedback by offering these discounts.

    • foxmulder on 16/12/2023 - 20:52

      It's been forever that seller rating is used for both items and the seller performance. Only recently eBay introduced product rating in the listing similar how Amazon has been doing. Yes seller rating should only used for their performance not the product

  • rb123 on 15/12/2023 - 16:31
    +2

    Can you change the review to: the product is really poor quality but the seller paid me $20 to keep it and leave a positive review?

  • drfuzzy on 15/12/2023 - 16:55
    +1

    I was sent a transit damaged, bulky desk from ebay. It was still very usable, but banged up one corner. It would have gone to landfill if returned. The courier cost to return would have been high.
    I offered a partial refund of 50% and I'd keep the damaged desk and that was immediately accepted by the seller.
    I see that as a win-win and left a positive review as the seller accepted responsibility and was quick to accept a resolution.

    • Protractor on 15/12/2023 - 18:52

      Maybe seller was insured or made the courier reimburse cost of freight + item?

  • trapper on 15/12/2023 - 18:18

    Today I get an offer of $20 plus keep the item.

    The offer was just $20. Of course you would get to keep the item that you already paid $59.82 for.

  • lazydaisy on 15/12/2023 - 19:49

    OK, I best clarify a few points, seems a few people are making assumptions

    Yes I checked their reviews 100% positive
    Yes I checked where is was being sent from, Mortlake Victoria
    No I wasnt expecting anything flash for $59.82, it was literally to cover the spa during a reno, but the quality of the cover wouldnt have lasted a day.
    Yes I said I wanted to return item.
    I received notification from Ebay to return it to seller, I was given an address to send it to.
    I sent it back an hour after I received it, I didnt want any recourse from seller.
    The communication I received from seller today was from @members.ebay.com.hk, this appears to be the parent company, which doesnt show in listing.
    As stated Im not an experienced Ebay user, Ive used my account occassionally since 2015.
    I am quite happy to write the postage cost off and chalk it to experience, and hopefully warn the next person.

    Thankyou for all constructive suggestions

    My user name, really…. Thanks Muzeeb I have been using that name for a very longtime, interesting how you make incorrect assumptions, I could do the same with yours, but I wont.

    • MS Paint on 15/12/2023 - 20:28

      Was the return address also a Mortlake address?

    • MS Paint on 16/12/2023 - 00:22
      +1

      Thanks Muzeeb I have been using that name for a very longtime, interesting how you make incorrect assumptions, I could do the same with yours, but I wont.

      You must be new to the internet. Have you ever heard the term "username checks out"?

  • this is us on 15/12/2023 - 20:22
    +1

    I think the most normal thing to do is to contact the seller before you hysterically and impulsively write a bad review. They'd often provide a reasonable solution.

    I've had at least four poor quality items for free after contacting the seller as obviously sending back is usually more expensive than the item itself. Two of them went straight to the rubbish bin. The other two I ended up using. I also got a significant discount for another item as it was different from what I had ordered but still OK.

    If you think the item is usable, you try to get a partial refund.

    If you think it's not usable, completely crap, then you contact the seller and request a full refund, and wait for the offered solution before you spend more money sending the item back.

    The final review will depend on the solution.

  • MS Paint on 16/12/2023 - 00:05

    Is this the mob you purchased from. They are using about 4 different store names but using the same location etc as suggested by pharkurnell earlier.

    Screen capture

    Same price
    Based in Mortlake China

    I've been to Mortlake and I can guarantee there is no Chinese guy there selling spa covers.

  • Bilby s on 16/12/2023 - 08:42

    A very common strategy from eBay sellers that come from countries where reviews are bought. I would either give them no review or post a positive experience and explain what you experienced including being asked for a positive review with the $20 bribe.

  • JIMB0 on 16/12/2023 - 09:50

    Get the $20 upfront. Then leave a negative review. Nothing they can do about it.

    • ColtNoir on 07/02/2024 - 11:14

      Get the full refund upfront if it's that bad.

  • lew380 on 16/12/2023 - 11:16
    -3

    Quality spa covers start at about $400. You brought a $60 cheapo off ebay, compared it to a $400 one and complained, and tried to ruin some ebay sellers reputation. You just sound like a terrible human being.

    • ColtNoir on 07/02/2024 - 11:15

      Don't sell $60 landfill pieces if they're of such shit quality.

      • lew380 on 07/02/2024 - 15:07

        Their will always be cheap shit to buy which doesnt do the job required. Don't buy cheap stuff unless your happy to tinker, that's my rule.

  • foxmulder on 16/12/2023 - 20:54
    +1

    The wording used by seller not really ask op to review feedback for the money.

    Maybe it's just happen it's on the next sentence thus you may assume the money is for that.

    • MS Paint on 16/12/2023 - 22:20

      Agree. Seller is offering a $20 partial refund to avoid the whole returns process but OP was too impatient to follow the complete process.

      Asking for a review change is a separate request and not related to the $20.

      FFS this whole eBay purchase has been blown out of proportion because of OP misinterpreting a bit of Chinglish.

      OP needs to change the title..

      eBay Seller Offered to Pay Me to Remove Review

      because it is totally incorrect.

  • Waltervp on 17/12/2023 - 20:18

    You probably knew it was a really good price. It turned out to be very poor quality, the seller resounded to you and offered you the postage and a refund, probably because they already had the notification it was shipped. They tried their best and communicated. That is all good. You know when you buy cheap it can be low quality. Some people only want the low quality and pay less…. if make it neutral at least. Let people know it is crap quality but seller was quick to offer refund.

  • Arch1818 on 21/12/2023 - 23:45

    If you pay with paypal you know you can claim the return postage fee yea?

  • ColtNoir on 07/02/2024 - 11:13

    They're doing this to avoid having to refund you in full and return the item.

    I recently demanded a full refund and for them to return the item. They gave me a full refund and I kept the item.

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