What, if anything, would you do about this feedback? Reply, ignore. Bite someone?

[momcqueen]

It grates because I was hustled. There was no 'missing' anything in their bundle, I don't make that kind of mistake because I follow a time-tested process, and everything the buyer said and did screamed, 'Gimme something, I still want what you sold and I bought from you but I don't want to pay what I did so just gimme something extra to make me go away happy.' This, on top of a free gift with purchase which I place in each order that leaves my store.

The scam lost/cost me another $20 on an order with free postage. Obviously, my inventory did not hatch on my desk for free, I paid good, honest money for it. I still profited somewhat on the transaction but the feedback irritates me. 

Yes, it's positive. 

I'm concerned it makes me look: (a) sloppy and (b) like an easy mark.

Should I reply?

I'd like to say:

Correction: Buyer received 23 items including one extra character at his request.

I don't, however, want to draw additional attention to this remark.

My seller hat tells me to ignore it. 

My temper wants to start a bonfire.

[ricarmic]

I am also fortunate that it is a reasonably rare event for me as well.

I also, like I expect 99% of us, get very upset/frustrated/irritated when these things come along for me, depending on the situation and relative communications etc. That's why I made myself write up my in advance form letters written when I wasn't wanting to say ^@##$@$#^$%^$ back to the person! I too depending on the situation have a very tough time letting go of these situations as well. Giving the advice is a lot easier than exercising the advice.

[momcqueen]

This is an interesting development in relation to the BBL and another seller’s experience with it recently:

https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/abblog/blog.pl?/pl/2018/9/1536343182.html

[steveross]

EBay has long had an unpublished policy of overriding buyer blocks, but they recently announced it as an official policy that bidders can circumvent blocks if they really want the item.  

You might find this thread on the US forum interesting

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Last-night-ebay-removed-a-buyer-from-my-blocked-list-and-allow...

[momcqueen]

Yes, that's precisely the post to which the ecommerce article refers.

If I found a blocked bidder had succeeded in circumventing my BBL using any tactic, I don't think I would hesitate to refuse to fulfil the order for them. Cancel Order, the end. It is a retailer's prerogative to do so. I have a parcel locker that I use for USA shipments and placed an order to it from a well-known major American online retailer a few years ago and they outright refused to ship to it. No amount of cajoling their Customer Service reps on my part was able to persuade them otherwise because, I surmise, another person shipping to that address had defrauded them. Therefore, the address was banned for anyone who wanted to use it. Forever.

That retailer was however willing to ship it to my actual home address, so perhaps my story doesn't quite align. Except that the retailer did say no to shipping what I wanted to the address I preferred. I suppose the ebay equivalent of this would be asking my not-blocked sister to buy it for me which we all know happens anyway. Maybe this is ebay's way of keeping closer track of the real problem buyers, without forcing them to go underground. I don't know. 

Guest Checkout trumps all, after all. 

[szarfgrish]

Why would anyone want an extra bag of LEGO if they already received a complete set. If I had to mediate this case not sure how I would rule but barring any similar offenses by the buyer, I would certainly give the seller the benefit of my doubt.

[szarfgrish]

I used to buy a large amount of Chinese Lego for my grand kids or as gifts. Months after purchasing the kids would open the sealed bags and find pieces missing. Because of time lapse I could not put in a claim, but it does happen.
I seldom buy anything over $20.00 on any site other than Amazon so any losses I may incur I do not get upset.

[momcqueen]

I think that you have stated a great case for the reason to not buy counterfeit LEGO from China. Mine was actual LEGO from LEGO and factory-sealed, and I packed it into the box sent to the buyer myself. If anything was, in fact, missing, it's because he lost it himself and tried to gain a free replacement from me.

[momcqueen]

You have to read the whole thread to understand I am not allowed by Community Discussion Board policy to to quote the buyer but from our conversation it was clear he wanted to have his cake and it it too. He wanted it and more of the cake. Even more than he bought and to which he was entitled.

---

@szarfgrish wrote:
Why would anyone want an extra bag of LEGO if they already received a complete set. If I had to mediate this case not sure how I would rule but barring any similar offenses by the buyer, I would certainly give the seller the benefit of my doubt.

---

[steveross]

---

@momcqueen wrote:

If I found a blocked bidder had succeeded in circumventing my BBL using any tactic, I don't think I would hesitate to refuse to fulfill the order for them. Cancel Order, the end. It is a retailer's prerogative to do so.

There's just one possible fly in the ointment here, momcqueen.

If the buyer hasn't paid yet, the transaction can be cancelled with no repercussions, they won't even have a button to leave feedback showing on their link.

If they have paid, you can cancel and use the standard tools through eBay to refund their payment, but if they've paid and you cancel their order and issue a refund, they have the option to leave negative feedback.

So in a scenario where a blocked buyer gets on the 'phone to a rep, gets themselves unblocked, then buys the item and pays immediately, you could find yourself facing a blocked buyer who can leave you some very vicious negative feedback if you cancel them.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here.

[hlmacdon]

---

@momcqueen wrote:

Guest Checkout trumps all, after all. 

---

Yep there is that. There used to be a time when circumventing seller blocks was a site violation, but now ebay encourages and facilitates this. As to why we are seeing things like this and other ludicrous policy changes all you have to do is look at quarterly earnings and see how dismal user growth is relative to others in the space. The exec team doesn't care if user growth comes from con artists or consumers. Ebay is quite happy to take all the buyers that get banned from Amazon. 

[pjcdn2005]

If the buyer hasn't paid yet, the transaction can be cancelled with no repercussions, they won't even have a button to leave feedback showing on their link.

The part about not seeing a feedback link 'may' be true but I think that they can still leave feedback if they go to the feedback page. I'm not 100% certain on that though.

[kooz-klan]

I agree with the others. I think you need to ignore it and move on. The feedback is positive for the most part.  It could have been neutral or negative which would have been even more upsetting.  I didn't even know that blocking a buyer was an option. By all means if you feel that he was dishonest  and you really don't want his business then I would do it! 

[kooz-klan]

I think there has to be a completed item purchased in order for them to have something to leave feedback on? Does that make sense? I don't think you can just go on to a sellers page and leave feedback unless there was some kind of interaction.

[pjcdn2005]

A buyer purchasing an item and then having it cancelled is considered an ‘interaction.’ It may not always apply but I know in some situations that a buyer can still leave feedback on a cancelled transaction even though that may not be evident in their purchase history.

[rose-dee]

Reading that FB as an uninvolved buyer, it simply looks as if there was a minor issue that the seller corrected promptly, and that the buyer was, overall, more than pleased with the transaction.  After all, the first words are "excellent seller", and that's what will stick in a prospective buyer's mind.  

Besides, I doubt many people look at FB in a critical way anymore before a purchase, and that FB comment will soon be down the page anyway.  

Listen to your business voice.  The less said or done, the better.  

[zee-chan]

^ exactly. It started with "excellent"!

As a buyer, I'll buy from large sellers with 98% feedback (yes, I'm aware it's considered "low" for some), and I'll read their negative feedback (not positive and not even neutral) to see where the problem usually is. If it's people buying things dirt cheap and expect high end quality leaving negative feedback, or if it's one of those "I didn't receive it" but they are located in places I personally don't ship to, or I don't see any negatives for similar items that I'm planning to buy, then to me that seller is okay and I'll go ahead and buy. They are usually cheaper items that's a few dollars to a max of $20 anyway. So far I haven't had issues other than certain items taking as long as 3 months to get here.

If their feedback score is 100%, I don't even bother reading them at all.

[momcqueen]

Yes, the more time that passes between then and now, the more I can see clearly through that immediate-anger fog.

Not responding was ABSOLUTELY the smartest choice to make in this case.

I would only have poked and provoked the sleeping bear, drawn attention to the problem, and made myself look like a donkey.

Coming to the Discussion Board to relieve steam and seek advice is the smartest thing a seller can do in cases like this. 

I'm very appreciative of everyone who shared their thoughts on this.