eBay

jazzy9931 · ‎09-23-2022

I bought a high-end designer item listed as NWT. When it arrived it did not have the designer tags. There was a plastic t-hanger, with what the seller said was a "department store" tag, although there was no indication of any department store on the cardboard tag.

The listing didn't show any tags, but the seller has thousands of transactions and 100% positive rating and only provides 3-4 photos. I contacted them and they dismissed my concerns about the designer/manufacturer tags and said that the "department store" tag meant it qualified as NWT. If this is the case, anyone could remove designer tags and attach their own tag, then sell something as NWT. I can't find anywhere that this violates ebay policy, but it should.

I left negative feedback regarding the lack of designer tags for this high-end and expensive item. The next day I looked and my feedback was gone. How is this possible? It seems like a scam. Where is the famous "buyer protection" that ebay promotes?

marnotom! · ‎09-23-2022

@jazzy9931 wrote:

Where is the famous "buyer protection" that ebay promotes?

The "buyer protection" is the Money Back Guarantee system, not the feedback forum.

jazzy9931 · ‎09-23-2022

Have an honest view of seller feedback, including negative feedback, would help protect buyers.

jazzy9931 · ‎09-23-2022

Do you have any insight on how a seller can have honest, fact-based, negative feedback removed?

msau4301 · ‎09-23-2022

That's a tricky one! Since New With Tag basically should mean it wasn't used and still has tag attached, it doesn't however (I guess?) actually say what the tag has to be just that it has a tag. Likely the seller called eBay to have the feedback removed (you say they have thousands of transactions so they are likely not a stranger to the inner workings). They probably said something like, the feedback left was false since there was in fact a tag attached (not having to be specific about the tag itself). Or if you left the feedback right away and they are a Top Rated seller you are not allowed to leave negative or neutral feedback for at least a week. I guess one of the perks of being Top Rated seller. If it was more than a week that they must have asked for it to be removed.

You are right, it doesn't seem fair that negative feedback can be removed certainly never when it is truthful but sometimes negative or angry feedback can also be left that wasn't deserved or was wrong (ie seller gave full accurate description and photos but buyer didn't read it and complained anyways) in which case this must be why eBay allows some feedback to be removed. I don't think they can remove it just because someone asks, there would have to be some reason and sounds like the NWT issue isn't really spelled out with what the true definition is so they got off on that technicality. That's rough.

marnotom! · ‎09-24-2022

@jazzy9931 wrote:

Have an honest view of seller feedback, including negative feedback, would help protect buyers.

You asked where the Buyer Protection was. I answered your question.

Unless you plan on returning the garment for being "not as described," this sale will not likely get on eBay's radar, even if the feedback were to stick.

marnotom! · ‎09-24-2022

@jazzy9931 wrote:

Do you have any insight on how a seller can have honest, fact-based, negative feedback removed?

@msau4301 did an excellent job of covering the bases. Unless you can irrevokably claim that the item did not conform to eBay's definition of a "New with tags" item, any negative comment on that aspect of the sale will likely be removed.

If I were in your shoes and otherwise happy with the garment and assured of its authenticity, I would probably try for neutral feedback along the lines of, "Happy with garment but seller's definition of 'New with tags' might be different than eBay's." Not sure how well that would work, but it's factual and honest.

femmefan1946 · ‎09-24-2022

Were you buying the item or were you buying the tags?

Do you usually leave the tags on garments you wear? Isn't that uncomfortable?

If you think the garment is fake, you can open an Not As Described dispute and have 30 days from delivery to do that.

The seller will be required to send you return shipping and when they get it back (department store tags intact) you will be refunded.

Some large sellers have a perk which allows them to have negativer feedback delayed or removed. Not having that status, I'm not sure what they need to do to win the perk.

And any seller (or buyer) can have feedback removed that is vulgar or which uses certain trigger words like "thief. This does not seem to be the case here.

jazzy9931 · ‎09-24-2022

I bought the item to give as a gift, which is why I wanted the designer tags attached. I believe it is authentic and it looked new to me, but the gift recipient has many items from that designer and she noticed right away that the designer tags were missing, so she was not convinced it was new.

It is a silk scarf, high end ones do not have plastic t-bar tag holders on them because they can snag the silk. They usually have either paper tags glued together, Hermes uses that type, or cardboard tags attached to the fabric garment tag with a silky rope. This scarf should have had the designer tags with the rope. Several of the same scarf were sold with the same few photos and none of the photos showed the tag.

I trusted the seller because of the thousands of feedback with 100% score. Now I know that means nothing.

flipistics · ‎09-24-2022

The seller is wrong. eBay actually defines what condition means for various categories, and is very clear that NWT is "A brand-new, unused, and unworn item (including handmade items) in the original packaging (such as the original box or bag) and/or with the original tags attached".

I can see a very thin argument around the packaging even though it is clearly contrary to the spirit of the condition description, but the seller didn't argue that point. Any tag added after it left the manufacturer is, by definition, not original.

jazzy9931 · ‎09-25-2022

Thank you. The seller's position was that it was new and a great price, so I should be happy regardless of whether it had the original tags as implied by the listing. Ebay is apparently fine with that too.

zee-chan-jpn-books · ‎09-25-2022

Have you tried filing an item not as described claim? You can return the scarf for a refund but wait for the seller to provide a return shipping label.