eBay

2budds · ‎12-30-2008

Received an email from a buyer today..stated she was not happy with the purchase. I refunded her money $10 Plus shipping cost immediately through Paypal. I then replied to her stating that money had been refunded and explained I had not noticed any crazing on the item. I never asked her to return the item so I could check it. Not worth it for the amount of the sale. I now look at feedback she leaves for other sellers and she seems to get a lot of pleasure in repeatedly leaving negatives before even contacting sellers and resolving issues. What can be done about a buyer like that!! Watch out for this buyer. She is definitely going on my blocked bidder list. Perhaps others should do the same.

momoftwingles2 · ‎12-31-2008

Good Morning 2budds,

I just took a look at the buyer's feedback that he/she has left for others. She apparently does have a habit of freely giving out negatives.

You might want to consider reporting this buyer to trust and safety to *watch* their feedback practices. If T & S finds it to be a bit much they will suspend her and then your negative will disappear.

I mention this because my daughter was the target of a buyer who only liked red marks to be given to sellers. She brought this to the attention of T & S and they took care of it in a very timely manner.

Have a good one!
Susan
momoftwingles2

bare_bright · ‎12-31-2008

Yes report this sick puppy, she left 35 negs since July

again to much Power to the buyer, enough is enough

seems this person has no life and all she does is buy and just can't wait to see one hair on the item and boom Neg you

it's just not Logical that 35 items deserve a negative

Things like this get me more frustrated every day and makes me want to pull the plug but then I get a Nice buyer and I feel better, but one day just going to close my eyes and fly

Not that ebay makes a fortune from me, last month bill was $1362 but if many seller pull the plug it adds up

Happy New year to all! 🙂

T.J.

2budds · ‎12-31-2008

rockyeb220 Thank you so much for your comments. I have contacted Trust and Safety Department and asked them to look into this buyer.

lina-mallows · ‎12-31-2008

This is a case where the buyer has PAID for the item.
Too many complaints now exist for NON-PAYMENT.
Now the shift is to complaining about those that have paid.

Some buyers are hard to please. Some will never be pleased.
How many sellers are happy with any Negative/Neutral feedback- regardless of who it comes from?

As long as eBay allows- and encourages HONEST feedback- who are we to question the buyer ???

I received an item this morning- sent in a small envelope- with a 52¢ stamp on it. Nothing more- nothing less.
The seller ADVERTISES shipping at US$2.95- then invoices for US$2.95 PLUS US$1.00 for insurance.

I think we all know that eBay frowns upon excessive shipping, and does not permit SELF-INSURANCE.

I paid the PayPal money request for US$6.20 as it wasn't worth the time, and hassle, over an extra buck.

NOW- that I have the item in hand- being overcharged for shipping- and clearly the INSURANCE charge was not an error on the seller's part- does anyone here think I am going to leave a glowing positive feedback?

lina-mallows · ‎12-31-2008

I've taken a look at what I think is the buyer in question.
Out of 1518 feedback they have left- they left 78 NEGS, 10 NEUTS, and 3 that have been withdrawn. NO FB was withdrawn by eBay.

So, as for the buyer leaving NEGS for no reason- I can't see that pattern.
Whether we agree or not- each NEG/NEUT appears to be left for some perceived problem. If the buyer buys an item described as 60"- they do't expect 58". If the item sells for US$8.95- I certainly don't expect to see a declaration for US$50 when the item arrives.

(NOTE- I am going to take a much harder line on this tOVER DECLARATION issue. Accurate Custom's declarations are a must. I once purchased a watch for about US$100. The seller wrote US$1500 (appraised value- in their mind) as the declared value. When the item arrived with about C$400 Custom's taxes and duty- I refused the package. I never did get the watch- the seller went NARU, and this became a total write off. Seller's need to be taught a lesson- and if they learn, it won't happen to others. This OVER DECLARATION will now be a NEG- and not a NEUT for me. At least I've learned something from this buyer!)

Let's also take a look at the 1400+ POSTIVE feedback this seller has left.
Clearly they are not some newby who doesn't understand how this works. They are an astute buyer who knows what they want and expects it. Sadly, there are far too many sellers who fail to deliver what they describe. And, in the case of SELLER errors- this is not the buyer's fault.

This may be one picky buyer- but certainly one who has the wherewithal to purchase ALL these items- and is certainly within their rights to comment on them after they have received them.

What's there to complain about? This buyer appears to have followed the rules. eBay apparently agrees. None of the feedback this buyer has left has been withdrawn by eBay.

fatdane · ‎12-31-2008

I had a Neg from a buyer in Greece that was buying low priced items from many sellers and then giving a neg over shipping costs - which I clearly stated in my description. I contacted Trust and Safety, and apparently got a "real" person rather than an autoresponder, but still got a basic "I can see what your saying, but thats to bad" reply. Apparently, however, enough of the sellers negged by this idiot buyer complained and he was NARU'd and the negs disappeared. I know several of the other sellers contacted me asking me to complain to Trust & Safety so perhaps there wee enough complaints that a real human looked at things and decided the person didn't want to buy "It", he just wanted to give negs.

lina-mallows · ‎12-31-2008

fatdane- I have a hard time here believing that the buyer in question, spending many thousands of dollars, is doing so just so they can leave a negative feedback for the seller every so often.
The pattern of feedback doesn't indicate that. Be careful what you wish for trying to remove buyers who PAY for their items- and complain afterwards. PAYING BUYERS are what keeps us in business. It's the NON-PAYING buyers that are able to leave feedback that I find most troubling.

And, as for giving a NEGATIVE when the selling is clearly stated- I can think of many examples where it is justified. I recently bid on a 99¢ item- and asked the seller if the US$9.99 for shipping to TORONTO- from TORONTO was correct. They said it was. Rest assured, if the item showed up, as it easily could, in an envelope, with a 52¢ stamp on it- NEG would be the response. eBay is woefully uncommitted to taking action regarding excessive shipping, and handling, charges. Sometimes it takes a few buyers to give the seller the wake up call they deserve. US$9.99 charged- when the actual cost is C$0.52 plus a few cents for tax (and an envleope)??- is clearly a good reason for NOT leaving positive feedback.

faerywishes · ‎01-01-2009

I'm sorry Lina I disagree with the neg that was left for 2budds; I feel it was unfair. However, we all know a lot of things aren't fair, especially in here at times. I also feel this buyer is a little too quick to leave Neg Feed Back. In a grown up world most people give Seller's the opportunity to correct something. I also don't think you leaving Neg Feed Back for the Seller that charged you $9.99 for shipping is fair. You were fully aware of that when you purchased the item. You bought it so you agreed to the terms. That is what the DSR's are for. Or you can also contact Trust & Safety. I bet that Seller would also think it was unfair.

The buyer contacted the seller and the seller immediately issued a full credit. As well the seller apologized.

That should be enough to not earn a Neg or Neutral; if the buyer is is of sane mind and can understand these things happen. It's not like this was typical for this Seller. I would never have left a Neg in this case. But I am of sane mind most times.

That said as far as I am concerned that Neg Feed Back means absolutely nothing, other than this person can't provide fair feed back. I totally agree is was unfair. I was happy to see that you didn't leave any rude or nasty comments and remained very professional. I couldn't believe what 1 Seller left. I would definitely never buy from that Seller because of that.

I appreciate the heads up and have blocked this person, not that it looks like she buys scrap booking items but you never know.

Happy New Years!!!
Colleen

fatdane · ‎01-01-2009

In my case I charged US$3.50 on an international shipment that sold for a $ or 2. The actual cost of postage was $2.30 ( 30 to 50 grams going to Greece) and this was back when the $C was at par or worth a bit more than the US$. When I looked the buyers feedback he showed a clear pattern of buying low priced items and giving negative feedback.

westernstargifts · ‎01-01-2009

Anybody that leaves that many negatives will definitely go on my blocked bidders list.

faerywishes · ‎01-01-2009

I remember you letting us know about that buyer as well fatdane. I also put on my blocked buyers list. It's quite a stretch that he would buy scrap booking items. But you never know he may want to showcase his stamps in a different way...lol.

I feel this is a avenue to let other sellers know of problem buyers. As well as to receive support from our peers when things aren't always fair and we just need to vent.

craftycatsattic · ‎01-03-2009

Lina I don't think anyone has said that this buyer is buying items so they can leave negatives every now and then. I think what everyone is saying is that this buyer is very picky about the items they purchase (new or not) and is extremely cavalier with their feedback. If the item is not mint (has a tiny flaw, an animal hair) they are very quick to leave negative feedback whether or not they contacted the seller and whether or not the issue was resolved. I agree this is unfair. I do agree however, that some sellers who are non performing do need a wake up call but to me a buyer should always give their seller the benefit of the doubt and give them a chance to smooth things out to their satisfaction. Clearly this buyer is not doing that.

I myself have bit my tongue on many occassions where I've purchased items meant for resale that were grossly misrepresented and where the seller did nothing to resolve. Now I leave HONEST feedback and am glad to have the opportunity to do so but realize it can also impact me as a seller and hope that my buyers will be as conscientious as I am and give me a chance to resolve any issues.

As for the excessive shipping charges 4scrapperlicious disagress with you about:

Whether shipping is stated or not, as a buyer I expect the seller to charge me a reasonable shipping charge covering all of the expenses directly related to shipping my item and no more. How am I to know if this is what the seller is actually doing until I've actually received the item and taken note of the postage costs and the effort/packaging involved? There are cases where it can be difficult to decide what is reasonable but there are clear cases where it is not. Charging $9.99 for a 52 cent stamp with no reasonable explanation for the huge difference is in fact excessive shipping and against eBay policy...shipping stated or not. The buyer should contact the seller for a refund and leave appropriate feedback should the buyer be unwilling to resolve. In many cases I've found that the sellers overestimated the shipping charges and were happy to refund once pointed out. The issue as to whether or not they should have noticed once the item shipped out and refunded beforehand is another one but again...benefit of the doubt! If the buyer sold their item way under a reasonable cost and added the "real" cost into the shipping then perhaps it's lesson learned to charge what they should really charge for the item and add on a reasonable shipping charge. This common "ruse" falls under eBay's fee circumvention policy and is what incited many of the feedback policy/shipping policy changes in the first place due to many buyer complaints!

whatnerds · ‎01-03-2009

Honestly it happens,

I have received two negative feedbacks (1 still coming up), honestly I am one of those sellers who does not care.

I offer the best services, helpful and make sure everything is perfect but from buyers a just dumb as logs.

For example, I had a seller purchase something on Dec 14th, then complain why it didnt arrive by the 19th, when they live in the USA. I explained to them that during the holidays there is a slight delay in shipping because of the POST OFFICES are loaded with alot to do. Well anyways I got negative feedback, he says the package arrived in a bag, when I shipped it in a nice box (one from Canada Post even), says its damaged (came with insurance), but did he email me about any of these problems, Nope!

Just sent me an email and threatened to give me negative feedback unless I gave him a full refund and let him keep the stuff as well. Well I told him to leave me negative feedback (and F off). I dont care, I went from 99.8% too 99.6% who cares, in one year it will be gone (hell I wont be there by then).

Now a second buyer who purchased on the 24th, is complaining it should have arrived by the 29th, now she has opened a paypal claim as well, threatening negative feedback. Well I tried to be nice, and told her it could be delayed due to the holidays, and that her package was shipped on the 27th. Does she care, nope...so she still opened a paypal claim. Sent me an email bitching blah blah...well I got sick of it, told her she wont win the paypal claim, I have tracking and insurance, sent a copy of the receipt as well. As well I told her to leave negative feedback as well, because what...(yep, I dont give a f***). I told her in a week your feedback will be so low on the list no one will ever see it anyways, and how my percentage will go from 99.6% to 99.5%. Even if I lose my powerseller who cares, what do I get from it anyways!

In the end, I have worked hard for 2 years to get off eBay, that was goal as of March I am out of here and ebay can kiss my right butt cheek. I spend over $500.00 in fees a month. I have my own website running, i get more visitors there then my eBay store. I used eBay for marketing thats all and it worked! Since I built my own website myself, it cost me nothing to build it, I webhost it for 15.00 a month, got an SSL ticket for a good price for the year, got Macfee scanner as well for a good price. I accept Credit Cards, PayPal and Interac Online. I got a great deal from a Canadian Credit Card Merchant

I also built an automated subscription service. So my end advice build to get off ebay if you can, building your own website is not hard, it just takes some learning, I invested a year of my time and have a great end product and a good growing online business. I am no longer limited to what eBay tells me. I doubt eBay will missing my 100 listings a week thou lol. Thanks.

Sukh
(Dream About Comics)