How 1 bad buyer can ruin your week/month/life

[GreenhornGirl]

I'm being dramatic, but I am really at the end of my rope here.  I had 100% feedback for years.  Years.  Now of course eBay has changed things:  your feedback percentage is only calculated for the last 12 months; you can only leave positive feedback for buyers, so they have no retaliation to fear.  So what happens?  I get a newbie eBayer, who finds a tiny flaw on a piece of my glassware.  They paid under $20 for it, and I would pay 10x's that to have never had sold to them!  They complained to me and even though the flaw is the same as it is pictured in the photos, it is true that I honestly didn't notice it the first time around and I apologized out the wazoo.  When you sell hundreds of things, it happens!!  I gave a full refund, including return S&H, which my terms state I will not do, but I wanted to resolve the matter amicably.  I even sent the buyer another item, for free.  The buyer then leaves me NEGATIVE feedback anyways--not even neutral, negative!--and my feedback score has therefore fallen significantly.  I was near tears today and now I'm ready to give up eBay altogether over this.  I feel like I won't get any buyers because of my lovely new score, and I am just distraught because I did everything I possibly could to resolve the situation, to no avail.  I could have put a "block" on newbie buyers but I didn't because I try to be fair & equal opportunity.  So over this transaction I lost money, time, my 100% feedback rating, and...I just can't believe it.  That someone could be that cruel as to intentionally smear the name of a good seller, and believe me I go way out of my way to try and keep my positive status and keep buyers happy.  I'm sorry, I needed to rant...I'm just sick over it.  This new eBayer I'm sure has no idea that the majority of eBay sellers are not nearly as generous in resolving disputes, and isn't experienced enough to know a) how I didn't deserve that, given how hard I strive compared to most to describe every little single detail and coddle customers if something goes wrong and b) how terribly that affected my seller status.

I'm already annoyed with eBay over the relatively new feedback system, their outrageous fees (I just signed up for a store to try and lessen the fees, looks like I'll be cancelling that now), bad customer support, and more, but now I've really had it.

[hosman321]

That is totally and completely ridiculous! Sellers have been complaining a lot lately because ebay has become so unfair to sellers. I believe there is a way for you to leave a reply/note on their negative comment. I would say something along the lines of "Unfair! I made an honest mistake, gave 100% refund+FREE ITEM!"
If I see that a seller has 97% feedback or higher, I always go read why. If I see that the seller tried hard to resolve it, I will still buy from them. I'm sorry you had one bad apple, I would have been furious too!

[GreenhornGirl]

Thanks, hosman.  You made me feel somewhat better.     It is unfair, and eBay is super unfair to sellers now.  I did reply to the feedback on there along the lines of what you said, and hopefully potential buyers will take the time to see why my feedback score is what it is and that it's only because of one awful buyer.  It's just plain spiteful to throw out a negative feedback like that--in my opinion negative feedback is for people who do things like purposely misrepresent an item, don't communicate with the buyer, don't try to resolve issues, don't refund the item, etc.  I sent it out super fast shipping, I gave an immediate refund, I replied to the emails immediately...plus more.  In this case I feel like there's nothing I could've done, and the buyer had it set in their mind that they would leave me negative feedback no matter what I did once they discovered a small flaw.  You can't even petition to have a feedback retracted unless it has profanity or extortion...so basically besides "replying" to it my hands are tied.  I went and got a domain today and I think I'm going to just sell things from there (if a search engine ever finds me) using PayPal...unfortunat ely the eBay company will still get a cut through PayPal, but not as much of a cut.  Drawbacks are:  I have to set the price, people won't be able to "bid"; it will take me a while to get web traffic; it's even more work; I have to think about whether I have to register as a business now; etc.  But I am just disgusted with eBay right now, and at least people won't be able to defame me using this feedback system that feels rigged against the seller 

[sapphire]

Greenhorn, I've only ever bought on eBay never sold. I do check scores, but also make a point of finding those negative feedbacks and reading them. Even gone so far as to trace the buyer's feedback only to find there are many out there who seem to take a sadistic pleasure in leaving their 'droppings' everywhere.

Have you thought about including in your listing a note to potential buyers along the lines of what you have just explained. 

"Due to unjustified negative feedback left after a complete reimbursement (including S&H) and a FREE item in apology, which has seriously affected my Score,  I must ask that you only bid if you are a serious and FAIR buyer. Mistakes happen, we are all human"

Restricting sellers to the point of 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' is both ridiculous and unethical.  Buyers need to be rated on the same scale as sellers and sellers need to have the option to request a reversal or removal (upon proof) of damaging feedback.

[Oceans64]

I do exactly the same as others. If I see a negative score, I go and find out why. If the response to the neg FB is respectful and explains the situation, I'll ignore it and buy anyway.

This is extremely unfair to you. Sellers take pride in their scores (as they should) so I feel your pain.

Have you tried to contact eBay's CS on the phone? If you explain this, they should be able to verify the refund etc. and maybe remove or (at least) change to neutral.

ETA: I really like Sapphire's suggestion regarding a note at the bottom of your description. Most buyers are going to notice the NFB anyway so addressing it up front with the explanation could score points - would with me anyway!

[ironlord1963]

    Sorry to hear about the unfair negative feedback,  I too have that fear, but have been telling myself sooner or later, I will get one.  I too when I buy, look at the reason for the negative feedback, and have seen lots of unfair ones out there.  Just don't let it ruin your modavation, I think every one that deals with Ebay knows that this happens.  Not that this makes it any better for you, Trust me when I get my first one, I'll be sure to vent here too.

[GreenhornGirl]

Thanks, all.  You really lifted my spirits this morning.  I was feeling so down about it yesterday.  Sapphire, that is really excellent advice; I may copy that word for word and put it on all my listings, if you don't mind!  It reads as friendly but hopefully will weed out bad apples.  Oceans, I have had bad experience with eBay's CS dept.  I've spent over an hour on the phone with them before and gotten nothing resolved, and I feel like from reading their rules about feedback that I don't have a chance on that front...their help center says "In general, we'll only remove Feedback in a few exceptional cases, such as when the Feedback contains inappropriate language."  And when you click on the link for "exceptional cases," it includes "providing eBay with a court order to remove feedback," the buyer never actually paid for the item, it got stuck in customs, or there's profanity in it.  Like I'm going to go get a court order to have eBay feedback removed.  Really!  Anyhow my emotions are too raw right now and if I call eBay I'm going to end up telling some poor CSR sap everything that's wrong with the eBay system that he/she can't fix.

ironlord, I hope you never get a bad one.  Maybe you won't!  It took me about 6 years on eBay to get a buyer like this.  I read what you said about sometimes you have had to let the buyer keep the item and given a refund on top of that to maintain your feedback; I wonder if I would have done this if it would've been different, if maybe that person going to the post office to send the return was the final nail in my coffin or what.  But I thought they didn't like the item because of the flaw, so I accepted the return and sent them something else.  I guess it doesn't matter now.  They still haven't gotten the other item I sent them as it is still in transit (they just couldn't wait to leave me cruel feedback), so I'm going to wait until they do and then send them a "feedback revision request" (one of eBay's "helpful" suggestions on how to deal with unfair feedback).  Don't have much hope for that working, though.

Sellers are at such a disadvantage with this new feedback system.  The buyer holds all the cards.  You can only leave the buyer positive feedback or none at all, and guess what?  If you leave them the positive feedback but put a negative comment in it, they CAN petition to have THAT removed.  It all caters to the buyer and the seller is SOL.

[mart]

Do exactly as Sapphire said,, and don`t be so quick to leave their feedback !! Many sellers wait to see what is going to happen with a sale before leaving it !!  And a lot of sellers will not leave feedback till the buyer does !!  This is thanks to ebay`s "system" !!!!

[ironlord1963]

    That is what I do, I wait until I get feedback, before leaving feedback.  More from the fact that it seems only 1/2 that buy actually leaves feedback, but if something goes wrong they will for sure.

[GreenhornGirl]

I wait to leave feedback until the buyer leaves me feedback, too.  I get less than half who actually leave feedback but then I always return the favor.  However even if the experience is negative, you can't leave them negative feedback, and even if you leave them positive feedback with negative comments just to try and warn others, 1) you're still contributing to their positive feedback percentage and 2) they can have eBay remove it for "negative comments contradicting positive rating."  I HATE this system!!  I remember when they started this new system and there were boycott groups trying to get them to change it back.  I guess that never went anywhere?  I don't know why companies always have to outgrow their common sense and ruin a good thing.

[GreenhornGirl]

Sapphire,  I can't thank you enough for your advice about the message to list on my items about what happened with my feedback.  I would never have thought to actually add that to my listings, but it was an excellent idea, I took your advice and as soon as I did I started making sales again not 10 minutes later.  And hope floats again!