Good evening
I am writing this letter to you in regards to a recent transaction I had with one of my buyers.
A buyer recently bought some items from me.
After buying the items she contacted me regarding them and said that she wants me to lower the price on some of those items to match some of my other listings which carried a lower price or she would give me a negative feedback.
Upon trying to explain to her that the reason the higher priced items she bought was because it included free shipping which was explicitly written in the title, she would not hear it. She just said that I have to lower my price of the items to the same lower price even though it did not include free shipping which was the reason for the lower price.
She also wanted me to include the free shipping to her on the lower priced items
She just kept insisting that I lower my price or and I quote her “I would report you to eBay and give you a negative. You be sorry.”
Knowing I did not do anything wrong but wanting to avoid negative feedback since she bought a few items from me and her knowing it as well, she pressed me until I gave in and had to bite the bullet.
There must be a system to protect sellers with such behavior from buyers.
Upon reading her feedback, she was rude and nasty to other sellers as well.
I take my customer service very seriously but there are limits to how much and what buyers can do to affect our rating and our business as sellers on eBay. It seems that she targeted me because she knew my high feedback and Powersellers rating were important to my business on eBay.
This is no different then a person walking to a store with a gun to the clerks head and saying give me the Robert Mondavi wine at $5.00 even though it retails for $75.00 or you'll be sorry.
While it may not be viewed the same since one deals with a person’s life, her comments threatened my lively hood since I do eBay as a business.
My lively hood as well as other seller’s lively hood also effects eBay long term profits as well since we are the once who pay fees to eBay’s and PayPal which is a subsidiary of eBay.
All I am asking is can a system be put in place to report such behavior of buyers by sellers. There is a procedure to protect buyers from fraud, why cant there be a procedure to protect sellers such as myself who are in your Powersellers group from fraud, harassment and ransom behavior from buyers such as this lady ?
Presuming there are enough complaints against one particular buyer’s behavior from sellers, then that person’s account would be shut down to prevent harassment and such ransom holding behavior against other eBay sellers.
Is that to much to ask of eBay ?
In the meantime I ask you what should I do with this customer since I am being help ransom by her to reduce my prices or face negative feedback which can also effect my Powersellers status ?
I also have a copy of the email she sent me requesting me to lower her prices but it was on the phone that she made the threats for the negative feedback.
If you can assist me with this, I would greatly appreciate it.
Let me know what you think eBay can do to assist other sellers in this situation as well.
Thanks in advance for all your help.