Why is it okay to misrepresent items? Are you sick of having your time wasted by improper listings?

[gdavidf2007]

Once again, I'm over listings that incorrectly define the item.

Why is this okay in an online environment like ebay?

Just purchased a 15W wireless fast charger specifically because the listing states "Input interface: Type-C USB Port"

Item arrived today with USB micro cable and input interface.

My feedback is accurate, sadly on the feedback page listings ebay places a hyperlinked "reciprocal feedback". Reciprocal is from reciprocate or return, how does a seller return feedback before receiving feedback?

Call me old fashioned but item misrepresentations, location misrepresentations, pricing misrepresentations within multiple item listings are starting to wear very thin on me.

[sandypebbles]

I am sure my answer will not be welcome but you did ask

No, I check a seller's feedback before buying

If they have terrible feedback for never sending/sneding incorrect or selling rubbish, I don't buy from them

Your seller has many,many negs for sending something that was not what they described it as being so I would not have choosen to take the chance with them nor to help them stay in business 

Obviously you have opened an item not as described dispute

[digital*ghost]

---

@gdavidf2007 wrote:

My feedback is accurate, sadly on the feedback page listings ebay places a hyperlinked "reciprocal feedback". Reciprocal is from reciprocate or return, how does a seller return feedback before receiving feedback?

---

Reciprocal has multiple meanings (not all that different from one another, but with enough nuance to convey different concepts anyway), as it's both a noun and an adjective. It can mean simply "mutual" which is how I assume eBay meant it - if you click it, all it shows is the feedback the other party left for the member on the same page rather than having to go to the other member's profile and searching through their FB. This option has always been available, but before the page got a facelift, it was via a much more obscure (but clickable) icon.

.....which I recognise is all a bit by the by, really, and certainly not the main point of your post. 

What did the seller say, anyway? When you advised them of the error? I'm assuming by the neg that they weren't in the least helpful? 

[imastawka]

Neg first and ask questions later...................or never.

[gdavidf2007]

Firstly, the seller had quite positive feedback generally.

"What did the seller say, anyway? When you advised them of the error? I'm assuming by the neg that they weren't in the least helpful?"

Questioning the Seller regarding them having sent me a MicroUSB charge pad, even with the included screengrabs showing the item for sale description as having specification of USB-C and a picture of the item sent (micro USB posrt and cable plainly visible) they still asked "was it the cable or the charger?".

Yes, you are entirely correct regarding their lack of help.

The really annoying thing is that all this does is waste the time of everyone involved:

My time in waiting for an exchange or refund on an item which is manifestly different to the listed item purchased in good faith.
The time wasted by the requirement to buy another item to fulfil the original need or want.

The time wasted by involving ebay, the seller and the purchaser who sends money instantly on ordering the item.

Even more time wasted by an incredibly clunky process which lacks the ability to censure a seller based on their listing practices.

I've generally had good experiences with ebay, but when the failures happen it becomes a trainwreck very quickly.

[countessalmirena]

@gdavidf2007,

The seller's feedback percentage is 98.7%, well below the feedback percentage that I (and most others on these boards) consider acceptable. I use 99.5% as the cut-off point for a high volume seller.

That is NOT a seller from whom I would have so much as contemplated purchasing.

Clicking onto the 12-month negative total shows consistent issues highlighted in buyers' feedback. I list a few examples below:

Bought 2 they both dont work, requested a refund havent got it yet.
No good broke straight away
Item description wrong and bad reply from seller
Cord snapped within a month and I handled with care
item was damaged,replacement was wrong item,seller would not replace it again
Totally different from the description. Very disappointed
The charger was faulty. Seller sent another one also faulty. DO NOT waste money!
Didn't come
3 weeks later and I still haven't received my item. Clearly not a local seller..
False advertising product was not fast charging as described
What I bought and what I got were two different items.
Doesn’t work
Delivered late, not happy missing items
don't buy it! honestly when i tried to place it cracked !!!
Item arrived damaged
Chose option for ipad 6 gen. Received bigger screen protector that is too big.
Absolute Garbage. The clue was not strong enough to adhere to the phone screen
It has been 1 week & Have not received my IPad cover! Disappointed!
Never received item.
Tempered Glass Screen Never Turned up, riff-off
Item not as pictured wrong colour.
Item was not received, hassle to get a refund. Not a good seller
Didnt have advertised product. Tried to pass off a cheaper model. Refunded.
Thanks it arrived on time. Looks as described but does not work.Contacted seller
Item not received. Store did not reply to repeated requests for an update.

Also - another tell-tale sign of a problem seller - every listing by that seller is a private listing. (You can see this at the bottom of each listing: ❝This is a private listing and your identity will not be disclosed to anyone except the seller.❞)

• You can avoid the waste of your time by looking more scrupulously at the seller's feedback score and the negatives over the last 12 months - and also by avoiding any purchase from a seller whose listings are "private". That screams of dodgy issues.
• You can avoid wasting your time in an "exchange or refund" by not even contemplating the issue of an exchange from a seller who has already got such red flags in their selling behaviour, let alone by your receiving the wrong item. Simply start a refund request, and if the seller has not accepted the return request within 3 days (and provided you with a postage label), ask eBay to step in. Don't let the seller drag out this timeframe.
• You can avoid wasting time in buying another item by not purchasing from such a seller in the first place. (Look at the red flags.)
• You won't be able to avoid eBay's dispute timeframes; the seller should respond within 3 days, and you'll need to send back the wrong item to the seller. You should receive a refund upon the seller receiving the item. Yes, that all takes time, which is another reason for being a buyer employing the caveat emptor principle.
• It's not up to you to censure the seller. You won't ever know what action eBay takes against the seller for privacy reasons, but while it's morally satisfying to administer a nice deus ex machina punch on the nose to an unsatisfactory seller, I think it's largely irrelevant. You, for instance, completely ignored the tell-tale negatives before you purchased from this seller. There is no reason to suppose that other buyers will read your negative feedback and be moved to avoid the seller. Some buyers will, unfortunately, continue to be foolish in their buying...

If you aren't prepared to put up with eBay's timeframe in resolving issues, I would suggest that perhaps you would find in-store purchasing a much better practice. Alternatively, find online Australian sellers whose own websites seem to have a more streamlined resolution process in the event of any issues.

There are undoubtedly drawbacks in online purchasing. It's up to you whether you are able to take those drawbacks into account for the sake of the conveniences which are the flip side of online purchasing.

[springyzone]

---

@gdavidf2007 wrote:

Once again, I'm over listings that incorrectly define the item.

Why is this okay in an online environment like ebay?

Just purchased a 15W wireless fast charger specifically because the listing states "Input interface: Type-C USB Port"

Item arrived today with USB micro cable and input interface.

My feedback is accurate, sadly on the feedback page listings ebay places a hyperlinked "reciprocal feedback". Reciprocal is from reciprocate or return, how does a seller return feedback before receiving feedback?

Call me old fashioned but item misrepresentations, location misrepresentations, pricing misrepresentations within multiple item listings are starting to wear very thin on me.

---

The bottom line is it is not okay.

You don't have to put up with it.

The best thing to do is open an item not as described claim with ebay and insist on money back. If the seller then wants his item returned, he will be up for the return postage.

I think that's the best possible revenge on such sellers because it leaves them out of pocket. If enough buyers follow through, that seller would learn to be a bit more careful with descriptions for fear of losing out.

Unfortunately, there are some sellers on ebay who aren't the best. As you say, that can include people who misrepresent the items or their location etc.

There can be ebay penalties on sellers who don't come up to standard. It certainly doesn't affect all of them though or many of the Chinese sellers. About all you can do to protect yourself is check out feedback beforehand and if a sold item is misrepresented, make sure you follow through with a claim and approriate feedback. No one likes being caught out so use the tools to protect yourself, Personally, I always click on a seller's negatives & neutrals before I will buy from them, just to get an idea of what others say.