what to do with a negative feedback I feel I don't deserve ?

[lucky9092]

Maybe some of you will recall my post on a sale gone wrong with a particularly difficult buyer.  I'm relieved he finally kept the item after threatening me that he would return it if it didn't arrive on time.  It arrived 3 days late so I refunded all his shipping fees like I promised if it didn't make it by the 24th of December.  The tone of my messages to him stayed calm and polite throughout our "short" discussions. I packed this item with utmost care as it is a fragile camera lens. 

All this to say that the buyer left me a stinking negative like I expected (his messages hinted that he was very upset for not using Purolator with his account number like he told me to do and because of the fact that the item arrived late).  What really gets my gander up is that I can't even reply to his feedback.  I don't want to contact him personally as it is futile (he will only listen to his own mind). I'd like to warn other sellers that this person is impossible to please or reason with to prevent them from going through the same antics or worse.  Can I report the buyer to ebay for leaving me a negative ? Can I fight to have it removed from my record without contacting the buyer ? Should I just capitulate and be done with it ? Thanks.

[reallynicestamps]

Of course they don't read.

And based on some of the complaints we see here (and on the dotCOM Boards) neither do sellers.

Part of Cookie Jar Insurance is covering yourself for the costs of transactions gone bad. 

CJI is just self-insurance. Charging a bit more on each asking price to cover the costs of an occasional flub.

You have the right to add a Response to any feedback and do so indefinitely.

The most effective Responses are calm and factual.

However, they also draw attention to the original feedback.

EBay does not use FB to measure your selling account.

Future buyers might, although most only look at the number beside your name, not your FB page, and most of those think anything over 90-95% is hunky-dorey.

But it stings.

I have told a new seller who got a neg that reduced his FB below 80% just to open a new account since that one was poisoned. But with nearly 1000 positive FB, that would not be sensible for you.

[redqube]

I think this thread proves that ebay has to revise their feedback system. It's just too easy for any new buyer to leave destructive tracks behind them out of carelessness or ignorance. I've asked ebay many times to look into this since the time when sellers were denied the right to leave a negative feedback. Every time I have done so I felt like I was preaching in the desert to an invisible crowd.

The way it works now, buyers have lots of rights but very few responsibilities.  It's the exact opposite for sellers. You have to take whatever is coming at ya and do your best at controlling the damage.

The irony is that I left this buyer a glowing feedback and kick myself now for doing so...

Out of curiosity, is it possible to remove it without going through complex loops ?

[pjcdn2005]

Positive feedback can’t be removed.  IMO it would be pointless to remove it anyway.  Positive feedback doesn’t help a buyer so one more or one less feedback doesn’t make a difference.  If a seller was going to look at a buyers feedback, they would look at the feedback a buyer has left.