eBay

redqube · ‎05-05-2019

Here is the situation: I sell my own digital images. These are of course high resolution images sent by email to the buyer. This is very clearly described in both my subject line and listing content. Almost 2 months after a recent sale, I get a negative feedback from a buyer with a feedback count of (8 and most of those are neutral feedbacks left for others). All he writes is "no sent". He never contacted me before leaving a negative almost 2 months after the sale. I checked my email, images were sent within 24 hours after purchase. They were sent to a reputable gmail account and did not return to me with a failure notice therefore he received them and I have proof from my email outbox that they were sent. I can even pull the email raw data if required.

I contacted the buyer and told him he should have contacted me and even sent him screen shots to prove that his purchases were sent to him the day he bought them. I also told him I would report him to ebay for inappropriate feedback. Of course, he did not respond as he knows he is lying. I kick myself now for leaving him three very positive feedback statements !

I always strive to satisfy my buyers but some people on ebay are just plain dishonest and don't know how to use the feedback system and/or just don't care about the consequences.

The seller of course always has to take the hit, put up and shut up. That's the way ebay has become. Remember the time when a seller could leave a negative feedback as well ? That's long gone unfortunately.

I will not be able to have his feedback removed because I can't physically track something I sent digitally which is an ebay requirement but I have a suggestion to make: Would it be possible in the future (not so distant hopefully) for buyers to be required to contact a seller and wait at least 4-5 days for a response before giving a negative feedback ??? As it stands anyone can give a negative on a whim for just about any reason without engaging in a discussion. Makes sense ??? Not to me it doesn't. Here's hoping...

If it seems like I am venting, perhaps I am. The feedback system is a mess and needs to be revised IMHO.

femmefan1946 · ‎05-05-2019

If it's any comfort, eBay does not use feedback to assess your selling account.

Buyers do, but most members do not understand that anything under 98% positive is very poor-- look at all the saps who buy from sellers with 90% FB possibly thinking that's an A-.

But you are right, there is little protection for sellers of digital items, and it doesn't seem likely that there ever can be.

Funny, slightly off topic story, a well-known SF author was apologizing on FaceBook today because her current book was going to be late. She forgot to email it to her editor, and now everything is ready, cover, blurbs from previewers, print time, but no manuscript. Oops.

There is a seven (?) day Hold on feedback for Powersellers, but those of us who don't fit in that lofty realm are on our own.

I'm not clear on why you can't send the buyer another copy of the missing print. I also don't see what advantage he could get for leaving FB. He's way too late for a Dispute, even if digital items were disputable. So my tendency is to think that for whatever reason he didn't receive the print. Or he received it and accidentally deleted it without noticing. Or something just as foolish.

a52split · ‎05-06-2019

@redqube wrote:
...... a buyer with a feedback count of (8 and most of those are neutral feedbacks left for others).

From now on, check every buyer's FB left for others. When you see a trend like this guy's, cancel the sale. A strike against you is way better than the theft of your money.

snoopwiz · ‎05-06-2019

From now on, check every buyer's FB left for others. When you see a trend like this guy's, cancel the sale. A strike against you is way better than the theft of your money.

Maybe once, twice or until your FVF go up an additional 4% (soon to be 5%) or until you get the "your selling privileges are permanently revoked" letter from San Jose.

sylviebee · ‎05-06-2019

Anyone who looks at that FB will see that the buyer was expecting an actual hard copy of the picture and didn't understand that delivery was digital.

I don't think your buyer is dishonest and this FB is a head's up that you either have to be clearer in you description or accept that there will always be some buyers who don't understand what you're doing.

In any case, I doubt that it will hurt you as far as sales are concerned.

A follow up comment from you pointing out that the buyer didn't understand that delivery was digital might actually help prevent this type of thing in the future.

P.S. Just looked at you listings again and you're very clear that delivery is digital. That said: I'm pretty sure that some buyers will never understand and there's probably nothing you can do about that.

(Last week I spent about an hour on the phone with a buyer who couldn't figure out to make a payment.)

redqube · ‎05-06-2019

Everybody in the whole world who uses the internet in moderation knows very well what the word "email" means. I wrote "email delivery" in my subject line plus I reiterate this clearly in my listing description. The buyer is from Japan. Every Japanese ebayer I have ever sold a digital photo to knows enough english to fully understand what I am selling. Actually, those who write back to me do so in perfect english (or almost perfect). Incidentally a third of my buyers are from Japan. I don't know how I could be clearer unless I translate my whole listing in a variety of popular languages including and not limited to japanese, mandarin and chinese.

Also, anybody with half a brain knows that I can't possibly deliver a physical print to an address in Japan for 99 cents. I would go bankrupt in a hurry. High quality 12 X 10 prints from a pro lab would cost me about 5$ each. Shipping in a high quality hard cardboard mailer would cost me somewhere between 20-30$ probably. Maybe the buyer has less than half a brain ? I suppose it's a possibility.

I asked for a feedback revision, blocked the buyer and will respond to his feedback soon. I suppose it's all I can do unfortunately. I tried communicating with him directly with no response.

I want to thank everybody who responded. I would be quite lost at times without the help of other experienced sellers and their wisdom.