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.

[femmefan1946]

I'm going to start selling voodoo dolls and have special discounts for eBay sellers.

[edubb101]

If i was reading it without having any context i would think that the overall transaction was positive and you corrected a small error.  I know thats not the case but from a neutral perspective i don't think the feedback hurts you or makes you look sloppy.  

I would leave it be but i also think your follow up feedback is ok to leave however  keep in mind that your customer could leave a further rebuttal to your follow up feedback.

[silverpinups]

Your overthinking this....

When looking at feedback I focus on the gray and red donuts and rarely ever read the positive ones...

If you weren't so accommodating with this buyer you may have received a neutral or negative feedback comment for doing absolutely nothing wrong in the first place. But even though you corrected the so-called problem, this buyer was still fixated on it enough to mention it in the positive feedback.

In other words, he's trouble... just move on and block the buyer.   

[goldnideas]

It is probably a new trend here, with customers satisfaction pushover, people assume they should have a bonus on top of a deal. My last two sales cost me extra $  

Buyers literally asked to make them happy, after they got their orders.

[femmefan1946]

There is a reason for having a standardized answer like:

"I'm sorry to hear you are not happy with your purchase. Please return for a full refund."

If they demand a bonus.

"I'm sorry to hear you are not happy with your purchase. Please return for a full refund."

If they demand a partial refund

"I'm sorry to hear you are not happy with your purchase. Please return for a full refund."

Rinse and repeat. Then BBL.

[momcqueen]

I suspect the buyer made a point of mentioning it (the ‘problem’ he supposedly had) because he knew that I knew he was lying, and he had already refused to return it for his full refund. It was his final stab at me, served to remind me as a seller which one of us wields the power. The buyer.

But you’re right, it’s positive feedback. And not the first time ‘soft positive’ has had zero impact on frightening future or prospective customers.

If I were smart, I’d let it rest.

If.....

[retroman_studios]

Turn your comment on feedback into a PR campaign for you. Say something like MomMcQueen is proud to have the best customer service. Thanks for letting us know.

I know you want to leave perhaps a slightly less....happy thought (being courteous of course) but just another the little later with happiness. Smile! It takes moreusvles to frown than to smile you know!

[esclyons]

quickest way out of a hole is to quit digging.  i would block the buyer , and move on. You have done all you can do.  Time to move on to the next adventure..

[ricarmic]

IMO there is nothing wrong with the feedback and absolutely do not respond at all.

Responding can only make it look worse.

Simply block the buyer and be thankful that the feedback casts you in a positive light.

One never knows if the buyer actually lost the item. I had one buyer that brought in a bunch of mail,  my letter fell down in between two magazines that they didn't get to for some time. They repaid me when they found it a couple months later. So for your peace of mind, assume they or their cat or cute little kids or grandpa lost it when it got there......as opposed to the criminalistic view maybe that will help.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Unfortunately, and it happens to all of us, you got one of those negative Nalzabubs. The ones that only feel good when they have the need to say something negative to feel good. I miss the old adage, If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Be grateful they didn't choose a neutral.  Had a customer I sold a new in package battery, that I was unable to test at a reduced price and included shipping. The listing was clearly marked UNABLE TO TEST. After apologizing to them profusely and refunding they left the neutral and an asterisk. Feels like a pimple that just won't go away. Well at least for another 6 more months. Say la vie!! You can't please all of the people all of the time.

-CM

[goldnideas]

that's the thing, they like to keep it! My solution is just a proposal of a small discount 10-15% or full refund upon return (of course). Everybody settles on discount, but before it happened once in the while, now -almost with every sale. If I will start a fight I will lose. We have to be positive and grateful that there is still interest from buyers. 

[reallynicestamps]

There is a good reason for refusing to do partial refunds.

And you've found it.

As said above:

There is a reason for having a standardized answer like:

"I'm sorry to hear you are not happy with your purchase. Please return for a full refund."

If they demand a bonus.

"I'm sorry to hear you are not happy with your purchase. Please return for a full refund."

If they demand a partial refund

"I'm sorry to hear you are not happy with your purchase. Please return for a full refund."

Rinse and repeat. Then BBL.

[zee-chan]

Agreed with others. BBL and move on. Not worth wasting more time and energy on certain garbages in this world.

[marnotom!]

If I saw this feedback comment while researching you as a potential seller, I'd see it as a good sign rather than a liability.

[ricarmic]

I'm adding an adjustment to my earlier advice.

I noticed that you are still in a profitable situation with the buyer and that it was a decent sized item/sale.

If it were me, I very likely would  not block the buyer, and here's a good example why:

Buyer buys a large $350ish if I recall item. Receives item and complains about the content. Personally I did not agree with what they were surprised/disappointed by, both the pictures and description showed what they were getting. As I always try to do, I put on my professional hat and I left the determination of the amount of the reconciliation amount up to the buyer. They picked an amount that was on the borderline of what I consider unfair. Normally if I think they weren't fair I block them. I must have been in a better than normal mood that day because I did not block them. Subsequently that buyer purchased a few thousand more $$$ of stuff with no problems. I'm very thankful that I was in a good mood that day and did not block them!!!!

[momcqueen]

Do you think that's it a coincidence the next buyer to leave feedback made a point of mentioning they received all 22 minifigures unlike the buyer who lied about it to get extra? I see the value in your advice but this wasn't a question of the problem buyer not liking what they received, it was that they were not honest about what they received.

To me, it looks like testing the waters to see what they  might get from me as compensation for dishonesty. It wasn't as if I sold them a toy in package where the package might have ben more banged-up than they expected, this buyer received a full order and then lied about it to get more than they were entitled to receive. 

And without being able to quote their messages to me which is against the Community Board policy, I cannot adequately validate my position, but you'll have to trust me on that. It wasn't as if he and I differed on the definition of the term 'very good' condition for packaging or something. Or that the packages were described as new when they had been opened, or any one of a half-dozen sore points in selling collectibles as I do.

The buyer flat-out pretended (lost or wrecked, fed to the dog) not to receive one of the items that I know I placed in the box myself. So that he could have another one on top of the gift with purchase he already received. And made a point of saying so in feedback which now looks like other buyers may have noticed. I don't like it.

I might have lost an extra $20 on a $215 sale but the items themselves cost $100 to procure plus I paid for shipping and Final Value Fees and paypal fees plus bubblewrap and fresh boxes. That $20 on $215 doesn't sound like a lot but it was a substantial part of my profit. I don't sell on ebay for love of the game, I sell here to make money. If I don't make money on it, there's no point.

This person flat-out stole $20 from me. There's no way on earth I want to sell to him again. It's not like we had a difference of opinion about something, this was theft. At best, it may have been sloppiness on his part except that he decided to make me pay to fix if, in fact, he accidentally dropped it down a heat register once it was opened. 

[ricarmic]

Yes I expect the other buyer's extra specific feedback was maybe trying to be extra helpful, never hurts!

Regarding the cause, for sure I don't know the conversation between you and the buyer, if aspects of it are concerning then for sure blocking would be in order. In my example the buyer was fine conversation wise, I only added the example to note that sometimes it is worth overlooking things.

From a wellbeing point of view, I still suggest after blocking them to put it from your mind. Theft happens everywhere, I think we're a lot safer here than B&M stores. They got $20 from you, fortunately you still made $$$ on the transaction, and you've blocked them from further impacting you. My mantra has been burn me once, shame on you, burn me twice shame on me.

[momcqueen]

Yes, I agree with your advice. Had this been an instance where the buyer and I had disagreed on another sort of aspect of the transaction and it were the sort of thing that was an area that was open to personal interpretation (such as what constitutes 'mint' packaging because that is an area of contention in collectibles) I think I would feel as if I had perhaps salvaged the relationship with an unhappy customer and made the best of it going forward. To not block a buyer with whom a seller has reached a compromise is smart. There's a kind of give-and-take there that is appreciated by both parties.

Unfortunately, I don't think this was like that. It was more like, 'I want more because I paid you more that I wanted to pay you for what I bought even though buying it from you was an easy, fast and guaranteed way to get every character that I want in this high-demand (sold-out) blind bag series but you should make me go away happy and, no, I don't want to send any of it back, I'm not going to do that because I don't want to give it back to you and I don't want a refund, I just want more and you must have more so give it to me'. I can't stress the last bit enough. Oh and 'I cannot imagine this is a big enough deal for you to get police or Canada Post involved.'

Like, that blatant. Except that I'm paraphrasing.

There was an instance last Christmas where you might remember I stuck ebay stickers to some packages and the buyer was upset with me that they were hard to remove but she and I talked it through and even though it grated on me that she expected a partial refund, I didn't block that buyer. I think, in fact, I could have done a better job making her happy after I had made her unhappy with those stickers. I didn't refund her at all, I told her to send it back for a refund. She too left positive feedback and said she 'had issues with the packaging which she was prepared to overlook because she got what she ordered fast', and that was fair feedback, I thought, even though it didn't make me look like a great seller. It was fair comment.

I learned from that experience that I could have done a better job smoothing over some rough edges with her. I wish I could say this experience was like that.

In all, I have been fortunate this type of thing doesn't happen more often.

[momcqueen]

Also, yes, I'm going to have to get over it as opposed to sit and stew. Like I said earlier, I am lucky in that this is a very rare situation to develop for me. It could have been worse.