Negative feedfack received for item not received. No contact from buyer before they left negative

[dfra8786]

Recently sold an item and received negative feedback from the buyer.  The feedback state that item had not been received by 12 February, even though I posted it on the same day of purchase.  Strangely though the buyer had not contacted me previously regarding non receipt, just left negative feedback.  Even though I have sent an email to offer refund, still no contact.  Am I right in requesting removal of negative feedback.

[phorum_junkie*]

Offering to refund or actually doing so is not grounds for feedback removal.

If the buyer wanted a particular item and didn't get it then of course they may leave a neg.

The only hope you would have is if it has tracking that shows it has been delivered then ebay may consider removing it.

[dfra8786]

Thank you for your input.  The buyer has never contacted me to say that the item was not received.  The only way I found out that the item has not been received was from the negative feedback left.  Unfortunately mind reading is not one of my skills.  My point was that the buyer should have first contacted me to advise that the item had not been received, in which case I would have offered a refund.

[aussiedraftstoppers]

HI , I have the same problem today. It really annoys me as a dedicated seller to just get Neg. feedback with out any communication from the buyer. I understand your frustrations completely!

[jfmgray]

Yes it is annoying when buyers do not contact sellers first in these circumstances, but Ebay will not remove the feedback.  I will always send a message to the buyer apologising for the item not arriving (yet) and explaining that the postal service is at fault, offer to refund and seek their agreement to revise the feedback.  If done well (ie sucky), buyers normally respond favourably.  For the sake of your feedback, it is best to bite your tongue and try everything to resolve for the buyer.

[5kazam]

Do you have the receipt from Aust Post?  Did you pay for postage by EFT?  If you say 'yes' to the first question, then go onto Aust Post web site, and track the item - you may find that it was delivered after all.  If you don't have the receipt but 'yes' to pay by EFT, you can contact  Aust Post, tell them the date and which PO you went to, plus the buyers postcode, they will find the tracking number and do the search for you.  (I always pay by EFT, because under Murphy's Law, the one receipt you need to find is the one that found legs).

I've had two buyers who thought their items hadn't arrived, only to eventually find them in the back room at their local PO.  No cards had been left for them.  Both buyers were able to go to their PO with a tracking number (one with T/N from my receipt, the other with T/N provided by Aust Post)

Before offering a refund it would be well worth checking as much as you can about the (non)delivery of the item.  Establish the date of postage and if it has been delivered (or could be at the PO awaiting collection).

Should you be able to get some positive answers, then eBay surely would be obliged to remove the negative feedback.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

unfortunately, some buyers think that leaving negative feedback is an acceptable way to communicate with a seller . . . . . . . and some sellers have listing descriptions and 'terms of sale' that make a buyer think that communicating with a seller through the eBay messaging system is pointless . . . . so they leave a negative.

By this, I mean that if a seller has "no returns, sold as-is" and also has "I am not responsible for items once I post them" in their description, that would make me wonder whether contacting a seller would help me at all.

[dfra8786]

Thanks, have already sent an email to the buyer, still no response.  This was a small padded bag sent with stamps on.  It was sent the same day as a few items and they have all been received.  I don't have anything in place that says I will not accept returns and that I will not accept responsibility after it is posted. 

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@dfra8786 wrote:

Thanks, have already sent an email to the buyer, still no response.  This was a small padded bag sent with stamps on.  It was sent the same day as a few items and they have all been received.  I don't have anything in place that says I will not accept returns and that I will not accept responsibility after it is posted. 

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sorry if it came across that I was saying you said those things in your listings . . . . I wasn't.  I didn't even look at your listings, as my post was more about how some buyers behave regarding the leaving of feedback.  Once again, sorry.

[santo66]

I just got one those.......buyer claims item not received and lodges a Paypal INR claim.......tracking shows delivered to the buyer's suburb so I uploaded the lodgment receipt into the Paypal claim which is stiil in the resolution stage then the buyer gives me negative feedback for an item not as described? They claim non delivery and provide negative feedback claiming they received the wrong item?

They either received the item or they didn't, can't have it both ways, unbelievable??