Does eBay EVER come to the assistance of a seller when they are being abused by a buyer?
Summary: bro-comm expressed frustration over negative feedback on eBay from buyers who either did not understand how to use the products or made unreasonable requests, such as falsifying customs documentation. They felt that eBay's feedback system is unfairly biased towards buyers. flipistics suggested trying to have the feedback removed, especially if there is evidence to support the seller's case, and recommended maintaining professional communication with buyers to avoid escalation. msau4301 echoed the advice to seek removal of unfair feedback and emphasized the importance of maintaining politeness in responses, advising against derogatory comments in feedback replies to prevent complicating the removal process.
A few times in the past year we have been accused of things of which we are not guilty. We have been harassed by a psychotic buyer who because we would not provide handholding to solve some ridiculous problem, were then rewarded with neg FB. Today, someone who did not know how to operate equipment we sold, accused us of selling defective merchandise. While I was trying to get a tech's assessment to the buyer's problem, hot headed buyer left neg FB. Then there's the guy who wanted us to falsify customs documentation after we shipped his item and customs returned it and would not deliver it. Once again we received neg FB. eBay does not care if the FB is warranted or not. If the buyer posts it, it sticks. It's unfair to take one side and one side only and discouraging. Am I alone in feeling this way bc I am definitely exploring other venues for making sales?
msau4301
·2 years agoAs flipistics has said you can request eBay to have negative feedback removed if there is proof it is unjust and/or untrue, I think you are only allowed a few removals per year. And as you know, you can "respond" to the feedback, however be careful with your response that you are not being rude yourself. I understand being frustrated with buyers who as you say want some handholding and ask many questions, but wait to cool down before leaving critical comments that will remain on your feedback page as well.
You responded to your buyers feedback calling them "complete psycho" and "moron", which may make it harder for eBay to side in your favour to have it removed, especially if the buyer mentions you being difficult to deal with. We all know not everyone is the sharpest tool in the shed, but we have to try and bite our tongues and remember some people still believe "the customer is always right", even though we know they are not!
I know I've tried the "you get more with honey" route when people have frustrated me (not just here, but in real life) and as hard as it is to do (serenity now as Mr. Costanza would say), it almost always works out better, most people can't stay angry at someone who is being nice to them.
flipistics
·2 years agoDid you try to get the negative feedback removed? The one asking you to falsify customs info in particular should have been removed if you gave the person reviewing it the communications history. Either way, while it can be extremely annoying to see those negatives for the next year, I wouldn't be too concerned unless it started to affect your sales. Since you appear to still be top rated, I would assume it probably hasn't.
Some of the categories you seem to be selling in are naturally prone to people not understanding how to use what they are purchasing. If I'm selling something that I think someone might have trouble understanding how to set up or use, I'll often include some step-by-step instructions. People usually appreciate the extra effort and it goes a long way towards a positive rather than negative experience for the buyer (and hence feedback for the seller).
Also, and this is just my opinion, a handful of negatives would not prevent me from buying from someone with an extensive selling history. What WOULD prevent me from buying are the responses you gave. I would highly recommend keeping responses polite, neutral and strictly factual (if responding to them at all).