Can i remove positive feedback i left for a buyer who is an **bleep**.

[misfittrio]

I left 2 positive feedbacks to a buyer straight after he purchased both items.
He recieved items and is whinging cause i refuse to refund postage even though he purchased both items very cheap.
I did not state i would combine postage.
He purchased then asked if i would combine which i replied no.
Today i recieved a rude reply cause postage price was less than what he paid.
I had to pay for packing material australia post box and bubble wrap and taxi fair to local post office and back.
IT COST ME MORE TO POST THAN WHAT HE PAID!!!!!!
He does not deserve any positive feedback.

[countessalmirena]

I'm a buyer only.

The content of your posting on these boards is unbecoming as a seller.

In my opinion you did yourself a disservice by posting here as you have.

• You posted a bleepworthy word, which means you've violated the Community guidelines. Did you not make yourself aware of the relevant posting guidelines? For that matter, why do you feel the need to post abusive terms? These are public boards; you've now placed yourself in public in the position of being known to behave in this manner.
• You asked about changing feedback from positive to negative, which indicates you have not acquainted yourself with something that's been in place for years - i.e., sellers can only leave positive feedback for buyers. It is a violation of eBay's Feedback policies to post a green positive dot with a comment that is negative, and the results range from eBay slapping you on the wrist to eBay suspending your account. Truly - not worth it, is it?
• The reason why you wished to leave negative feedback for your buyer is that they contacted you with a mild suggestion that you post items separately if you don't agree to combine. The buyer was not even going to give you any negative feedback, it seems, until you posted so inappropriately on these boards and they discovered it. The phrase "foot in mouth" occurs.
• I believe the buyer, who has now said that you sent them an abusive message in response to that polite suggestion. The way that you've posted here gives me reason to think that you do fly off the handle in response to any perceived criticism. You probably need to take criticism on board. Some of it can be very constructive, and help you to become a better seller.
• Selling on eBay is not just about what's "against the law". Selling of any kind involves a transactional relationship with your customers/buyers. Even if you're just a hobby seller selling off items from around the house, it makes sense to relate pleasantly with your buyers. If you disagree with what a buyer says, it costs you nothing to reply with a polite "Thank you for your suggestion. We always appreciate our customers' comments and take those into account."
• Perception plays a huge part in a purchase. A buyer who pays $20 for P&P is not going to perceive that you acted fairly by sending in an $8.95 box, irrespective of box and bubble wrap price. That does not add up to $20. You're entitled to some amount for handling, of course... But really you should have send in two separate satchels/parcels if you told the buyer that you would not combine.
• The price of the item is entirely up to you. You set the price when listing. Whether you want to set the price with a view to selling quickly or whether you want to set the price to give you a decent profit is in your control. You should never set a price that will result in your being out of pocket - otherwise, why on earth bother selling on eBay at all?
• Of course the buyer would have done better to ask before buying whether you'd combine. You had the right to reply with a polite no. You didn't have to combine, and the buyer even acknowledges that. However, you DID combine.
• You had a lovely buyer. You could have made that buyer a satisfied repeat buyer. It's a missed opportunity.
• If you found THIS buyer rude, you're in for a surprise. There are some genuinely unpleasant buyers who can make right nuisances of themselves, as the buying and selling boards here attest. If you cannot handle a transaction that was as reasonable and pleasant as this one was, you're going to have a terribly stressful time once you hit the genuinely difficult buyers!

[springyzone]

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@ford12ford wrote:

I read this with interest as yes it was me. First lets get it straight I paid 2 x $10 post for a small box costing $8.95 post and thought a $5 refund would have been nice but got a no. OK fair enough, might need a bigger box or something. When a small box arrived I did message seller saying it was only $8.95 and if they do not combine they should offer 2 parcels at least. This was more of advice I thought , as was too late for me.  Got such an abusive repy i would not even be able to copy and post on this board. OK I moved on and left a positive feedback.

Then lo and behold read the boards and saw no mention of the abusive name calling capital letters message email they send to me, never mind the untruths, and such behaviour is not acceptable to me. Yes the negative feedback was well deserved as ebay will see in my messages. 

 Despite the fact I could report them to ebay for such behaviour, I have not. 

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I read your reply with interest too. I notice you have made several posts on the boards before so you are an occasional regular  and maybe you came across this thread randomly. What are the odds that a buyer would happen to see a post about themselves!

I think your advice to the seller was warranted and timely. If a person sells 2 things separately and does not combine postage, then  those things need to be sent separately. I would imagine this is as much for the seller's benefit as the buyer's because they will need two separate tracking numbers to prove the 2 items have been delivered.

I am a buyer these days and I have to admit there have been a couple of times in the past when I have asked sellers about combining postage. Admittedly these were for auction items and I didn't pay straight away when I won, I asked the seller if there was any chance they could be combined on one invoice.

In each case, the seller said yes. If they had said no because the items were already wrapped or whatever, I may have been disappointed but okay with it but my attitude is/was that there is no harm in politely asking.

Also, if a seller can do it without too much trouble, why not do it? Sometimes it might even be easier for them-just one combined parcel, one address to print or write, one parcel to send etc

But whether an answer is yes or no, it is better for the seller to keep it polite.

I am not sure the seller is really getting the point. It is not a sin if a seller does not combine postage.

But it's a sure fire way to upset customers if you say you can't combine postage, then you do, but leave the charges the same as 2 separate packages. Following up with abusive responses to messages almost guarantees a negative after that.

.

[lyndal1838]

What are the odds that a buyer would happen to see a post about themselves!

.

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Actually Springy, it is not all that unusual.

I have been around the boards for 15 years and twice in that time I have had sellers here complaining about a transaction where I was the buyer.

One transaction was with a new seller who just was just clueless.....by the time I found the thread the seller had already been set on the right track and acknowledged it was their fault.

The second transaction was a most unpleasant experience....the new seller had been to the boards for advice on how to list, what was acceptable etc.  I looked at his listings and found a couple of things that I was interested in for my daughter who was in the process of setting up a new flat.

I was fully prepared to make allowances for a new seller who was very much on a learning curve but was prepared to take advice (or so I thought) but it was downhill from the minute I hit the button.

Within hours the seller was back on the boards about the dreadful buyer and was embroidering the story with his version.  Most of the boardies saw through him but a few newbies managed to portray me as the clueless buyer from h*ll.  Even back then I had many thousands of transactions under my belt and a long track record on the boards so definitely not clueless

Boy were there a few red faces when I identified myself on the thread.

[springyzone]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

What are the odds that a buyer would happen to see a post about themselves!

.

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Actually Springy, it is not all that unusual.

I have been around the boards for 15 years and twice in that time I have had sellers here complaining about a transaction where I was the buyer.

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That must have given those sellers a nasty jolt as I bet they thought you would never see it.

I'm not saying it wouldn't happen, as obviously it has to you-twice!-but i'd say it is pretty unusual overall and rather bad luck in this case for the seller. It's good sometimes to get the other side of the story, in this case from the buyer's perspective.

[jellybirddesigns]

I find it's much more agreeable/beneficial to offer a fair postage cost which takes all packaging into account, and/or combining postage so that the buyer feels they are getting a fair deal. It's also morally better to refund a buyer who has overpaid in postage and perhaps focus on pricing your items accordingly. Focussing on making a few dollars on postage is not taking the wider picture into account.

After almost 6000 transactions, I can definitely say that when a buyer feels they are treated fairly, they are far more likely to come back and purchase again, or recommend you to their friends/family as someone nice to deal with.

If you only consider your side of things, then you might make a single transaction with that person, but lose them forever as a possible repeat buyer.

[padi*0409]

Right from their first post the OP was heading for trouble, wanting to give their buyer a less than positive feedback. Further posts only made matters worse for them, then the buyer appears and gives the other side of the story to put the icing on the cake.

From my side as a buyer their actions spell out greed to me, and I imagine that their sales may well be impacted by their attitude. Certainly a lot of members reading here would be tending to avoid them I suspect.

[everard6920]

Sellers like the OP are EXACTLY why eBay started charging fees on postage costs.

Postage costs are not supposed to be about profit. If you're not being transparent and/or fair about postage, then you deserve bad feedback, imo.

As an aside, I think eBay should review their "pay separately, post separately" policy.  Everything on eBay should be combined wherever possible - if someone buys two items separately and pays for both within a short period of time, I message them asking if it's OK to combine and 99 times out of 100 they say yes.

I'm not trying to kill the planet any faster with extra boxes and materials, not to mention the extra work.

[digital*ghost]

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@everard6920 wrote:

As an aside, I think eBay should review their "pay separately, post separately" policy. 

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They don't have this policy (and never actually have).

PayPal do, but not as a general requirement.

Before managed payments, multiple separate orders from the same buyer would always be grouped as individual orders on the tracking screen, now they are always grouped together as a single order (not on the selling history, only when I go to add tracking), which I choose to take as implicit encouragement to post together, lol (I always did / do anyway, even if they came through multiple stores). 

[64alec]

I also left positive FB for a buyer who paid promptly..  but then made variety of

FALSE claims trying for REFUND after pickup of 2 of the 3 items of furniture.

He LOST his false claim and won't pick up 3rd item.   What are my rights.

Asking Ebay is TOTAL WASTE OF TIME!!!!

Ebay seller service is ABYSMAL

Can I dump 3rd item  or take ownership and sell or donate it

[repentatleisure1952]

Compared to your other post this one provides more details... but still not enough.

What "False claims" did the buyer make?

How did the buyer pay?