Negative feedback removal?

[rocketscollectibles]

I sold a old pack of trading cards sealed and the buyer opened it. Apparently the cards inside had defects and sticked together. Buyer contacted me agressive. I tried to explain that this is a risk to open old packs and quality issues is common with those. It was also written in the listing to educate buyers in case its bought for opening. Buyer was even told about it prior purchase (he contacted). He did not appreciate my reply (most likely expected me to just refund) and jumped to leave a negative. No photos provided, no return open. Left a huge negative and now just ghost my messages. He was just all-minded up to leave that negative and hurt me. He do not care about anything i say. I have more to sell and now it's dead, no one will buy until this feedback disapear. 

Cards quality inside a brand new product is totally out of my control and fully at openner risk. His feedback is mainly about the quality issue of the cards inside. Blaming me for it. Blaming me for not taking responsibility of it. Blaming me for my reply. While he's the one not answering my messages, while item is basically as described, brand new and sealed. Plus a warning about the risk of opening. It's all legit. 

Anything against policies to take responsible the seller for it? Don't it's considered a product review or something? 

I requested a feedback removal to ebay but i'm curious if anyone had this situation before. 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@brettjet38 wrote:

Has he opened an official "Claim" yet? No?

He probably will not, which is why he went the FB route.

He most likely went back and read your description after the fact, when he got your message, a bitter pill to swallow...

You called him out which is fine, but he may try a "chargeback" as payback, now that he knows he cannot claim a refund from you without lying.

The real issue is that the item was listed as NEW which really this is not, it's New/Old stock that is being resold. 

List as used NEW/OLD stock with a disclaimer about possible issues in the condition box.

Move ON

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The seller was limited for this type of item as to the condition thay could use. According to the eBay help page for collectible cards options are as follows:

Trading Cards

• Graded: A card that has been inspected by a third-party service. These cards are inspected for authenticity and assigned a score (usually on a 10 point scale) for the condition. These cards are then assigned an overall grade and usually sealed in a tamper-proof holder. Cards may be assigned both a numerical score, as well as a condition description such as Poor, Very good, Excellent, Near mint or better
• Ungraded: A card that has been pulled from a pack and not graded by a third party company. These are often referred to as “raw” cards

Many of the listing categories have had their condtion options "tinkered" with. As for condition that can really be subjective. One person's awesome is another persons why did you even list this item. 

-Lotz

Detailed help page for condition on dot ca attached. In comparing ca and com they can vary substantially (whimsically) depending on the category.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/item-conditions-category?id=476...

[mrdutch1001]

On Etsy(and I don't know if there is any similar applicable policy available to sellers on eBay since I rarely ever have to deal with a return), sellers are allowed to have a return policy that states "Buyer is responsible for return shipping costs and any loss in value if an item isn't returned in original condition."

Also don't know how often the Etsy selling site over rides a seller's return policy in the same fashion as often occurs here on eBay...I think in the many, many years I have been a seller on eBay, have had but one or two return cases(and 0 returns on the other selling site where I have been selling for nearly 15 years...)

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@mrdutch1001 wrote:

On Etsy(and I don't know if there is any similar applicable policy available to sellers on eBay since I rarely ever have to deal with a return), sellers are allowed to have a return policy that states "Buyer is responsible for return shipping costs and any loss in value if an item isn't returned in original condition."

Also don't know how often the Etsy selling site over rides a seller's return policy in the same fashion as often occurs here on eBay...I think in the many, many years I have been a seller on eBay, have had but one or two return cases(and 0 returns on the other selling site where I have been selling for nearly 15 years...)

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@mrdutch1001 

Interesting comparable. From an ebay perspective its policy  seems to be a very wishy washy when it comes to interpretation and enforcement.

[rocketscollectibles]

Actually sealed packs has their own sub-category. You don't list those in individual card singles. It's into 'sealed packs'. Condition is either brand new/sealed or opened/used. The item is indeed brand new and sealed, the damage inside is something you cannot predict. From the outside the packs are clean. 

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

I think that the point some other posters are making is strictly in relation to how eBay is going to evaluate the feedback removal. Not about whether you listed the item in a fair way, or whether the buyer should have reasonably understood the nature of vintage or older sealed packages of cards.

If I sell something "for parts or not working" and someone leaves negative feedback stating "the item doesn't work I can only use it for parts!", eBay might remove it. (Although, these days you never know). If I list an item brand new that has some sort of possible defect or flaw, even if that flaw is reasonably communicated in the listing, I am taking a risk that someone will not read the listing and will expect an item that is brand new and without flaws. In terms of feedback removal, that is how eBay might see it, it was brand new, the buyer's subjective opinon was that there was a defect not in line with a brand new condition.

What the CSR who reads your request sees is the buyer's subjective view of the item/transaction. That is, they bought a "brand new" item and the item was damaged and not "brand new". You can't reasonably expect an eBay CSR to apply direct hobby knowledge of the thousands of different types of items on eBay and apply it to each feedback removal complaint. On paper, you listed a brand new item and the buyer complained about the item being defective.

Keep in mind, as someone who also knows about trading/sports cards, if you did list it how you described, I think you did a fair job of describing the cards but that's not the point. The point is about feedback removal and why it might not apply to a CSR looking at this on paper.

With all that said, liability is a thing when selling on eBay. There are higher risk and lower risk items. Based on your posts, you seem to understand the risks that come with selling older sealed cards. It sucks that the transaction didn't work out, and hopefully you do well enough on the rest of your inventory to make up for it - but you always have to factor in the possibility of a certain amount of transactions going bad. It's impossible to sell online with zero liability and nothing going wrong. Honestly, if the buyer did not open a return and the only negative of the transaction was bad feedback then that's not a terrible outcome.