topic Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative? in Selling

Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

collectibles_in_canberra — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:06:11 GMT

I sold a portable CD player - I actually had 3 of them , tested each for 1/2 hour & all worked fine.

Sold all 3 with 2 positive feedback but the 3rd apparently is not working.

I received an email & I quote 'The junk you sold me doesn't work You lied in your description'.

I politely asked what the problem was but no reply. I followed up with another email & was told it doesn't work & that it has been thrown in the bin.

After checking their feedback I can see they are most likely genuine & I do believe they couldn't manage to work the player but their people skills need a little work (as do mine at times). They don't leave a lot of negatives & have left positive feedback in the past after getting a refund.

Now my dilemma is do I refund the total $23 (purchase & post) and avoid a Negative or just leave it & cop the Neg - Would you pay $23 to get a negative removed or in this case avoid one?

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

harley_babes_hoard — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:14:50 GMT

nope I won't be blackmailed ......... I would ask them kindly to send the item back then and only then refund. so you give them what they want, item + refund and they leave positive feedback........by doing this you are letting them to continue to rob sellers.

How many times have they left positive after getting a refund?

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

bigbrickshop — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:12:35 GMT

There's no guarantee that refunding will avoid a neg.

I would refund or replace if I felt the claim was genuine.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

collectibles_in_canberra — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:17:38 GMT

I agree that refunding buyers without getting the item returned can create problems for other sellers but I tried the refund on return earlier this month & copped a neg instead.

They are not trying to blackmail me & havn't actually asked for a refund but I'm thinking from their feedback history I will get one if I don't refund.

I don't want my feedback to get any uglier and if Ebay asked for $23 each to get my other negatives removed you know what - I would pay it.

There's another money making idea for them!

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

letscleanupmycupboards — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:18:45 GMT

No. If they binned it they can't return it for a refund. Can't walk into Kmart and show them a receipt and ask for a refund because what you bought doesn't work, but you threw it away. Doesn't work like that.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

kopenhagen5 — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:19:48 GMT

For the sake of $23, I would refund.

Regardless of what feedback I might get.

It's only a small amount and I can hold my head up high knowing I have gone beyond the call of duty.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

letscleanupmycupboards — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:20:08 GMT

Surely a negative out of 19000 isn't a big issue is it?

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

letscleanupmycupboards — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:22:13 GMT

For some reason it won't let me edit my post but I forgot to add that wouldn't the OP be out more than $23 - refunding item cost plus postage plus OP has paid the postage to send it and lost the item.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

bigbrickshop — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:40:30 GMT

@collectibles_in_canberra wrote:

I don't want my feedback to get any uglier and if Ebay asked for $23 each to get my other negatives removed you know what - I would pay it.

There's another money making idea for them!

Shhhh, don't speak too loudly, it might give them ideas 🙂

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

millj40 — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 04:13:44 GMT

Personally I would only refund if she can return the item. But I would offer to refund the return postage on receipt of the item as well, so she is not out of pocket at all.

Regardless of her FB who knows how many times she has tried this on.

She can get it out of the bin and send it back if she wants the money that bad. If your FB can take a neg (and it looks like it can), just respond saying 'buyer wouldn't send back for refund inc return postage' or something like that. And just to make ebay customer service work a bit, send them all messages and see if they will remove the neg.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

collectibles_in_canberra — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:08:28 GMT

I have just issued a refund to the buyer.

Hopefully just bought myself out of a Negative but will of course be hit with another defect because of the refund.

I know the item was working & have had buyers in the past return small electrical items such as walkmans as not working only to find they work perfectly. They put batteries in the wrong way, don't realise you need heaphones or plug the headphones in the wrong input.

I hate getting negative feedback because it is just not neccessary. I will always refund, send a replacement if possible & even pay return postage to keep the customer happy but sometimes the buyers would rather just leave bad feedback.

I guess it is the nature of selling 2nd hand items - one persons fair condition is another persons poor.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

collectibles_in_canberra — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:19:03 GMT

I came across 2 examples where they left positive feedback after getting a refund.

I don't think it is a scam, I just think they have no idea how to operate the player (not that it is hard).

Not like the one I had last week where the last 6 feedbacks they left all stated positive for the sellers who had refunded after items missing or damaged in post. She claims the item I sent her is also missing - I might yet cop a negative for that one as well after I suggested she get a PO Box or pay for registered mail since the post in her street is not very good.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

cmcoins2000 — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:41:14 GMT

This one sounds as if it should be run by PayPal - numerous items gone 'missing' - numerous refunds - sounds like she is in 'business'.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

phorum_junkie* — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 07:14:41 GMT

I would not refund one cent based on what coloured dot would appear o my computer screen. I would have asked for either a condition report from a qualified third party or for the item to be returned and if I received neither would tell them to go through Paypal.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

digital*ghost — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 07:29:01 GMT

Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

Not no way, not no how.

If I refund a buyer, it's because it's the right thing to do under the circumstances. Sometimes that does mean refunding without requiring return, sometimes it doesn't, but I don't make a single business decision based on what feedback a buyer may leave, or has left (for me), even. If I allowed someone else's actions (potential or actual) to be a motivating factor for my decisions, then I am giving up control of my business to the unknown whims of a stranger on the internet....and I just won't do that.

Re: Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

ajarnjenny — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 08:53:04 GMT

DG, you always talk good sense. Calm and controlled.