SELLERS FRUSTRATION

[pandoras_prints]

I have been selling on Ebay successfully for many years albeit over the past recent times it is becoming more & more frustrating to appease 'some' buyers who would try to use feedback as a weapon.

Recently I had a buyer purchase a print (which is predominately our medium) on reciept of the item she informed me she wasn't happy and wanted a refund.

Of course my reply was to send it back and we will of course refund, (which is our standard policy).

Her reply was that she didn't want to send it back, she knew I couldn't leave her neg feedback (thankyou Ebay) so she wanted the refund in exchange for a positive feedback.

So in short, she gets the item, she gets a refund, keeps the item and if she then feels like it she will leave me a positive feedback. Its absolutely wrong that buyers can have these powers over sellers. I have had a few of these sort of buyers mostly new to eBay, however their feedback is still reflective of my business. It is infuriating.

[***super_nova***]

I

Her reply was that she didn't want to send it back, she knew I couldn't leave her neg feedback (thankyou Ebay) so she wanted the refund in exchange for a positive feedback.

So in short, she gets the item, she gets a refund,

That is called FB extortion, and is a reportable offence.  If you reported her message, any NEG she left would have been removed.

[mattlikestobuy]

Hi I think you will find thats against ebay policy under feedback extortion. keep a copy of her message and send to ebay.

[pandoras_prints]

Thankyou I have kept the emails of course. I have told her that I was not going to refund for a positive feedback, I have also told her her emails will be forwarded to Ebay. However these being the case, I think I' still may cop a negative feedback because she can simply put 'she wasn't happy with the item' nothing I can do about it.

[*bad*angel*]

angelis_1 as already stated, there is something you can do about this if the buyer leaves you a neg. Now that she has threatened you, I believe you'll find eBay will remove the neg if you ask.

I never let the threat of a neg force me into doing anything, it's not worth it. Even if the neg was not removed you can follow up stating that "buyer wanted to keep item & get refund in exchange for positive fb." That would be enough to let most people reading know what the real story was.

Your feedback is amazing, no neg would bother most buyers or put them off your items.

[sunshineconfectionery]

I agree with what you are saying, as I have had a similar experience. 

Also the fact that the star ratings have an affect on your Top Seller rating, even when you are doing everything right.

These buyers know the system, and they just close one buyer name and start another.

I find it frustrating that the Buyers are not more transparent, correct  names, address and telephone numbers.  Also full names, not just first names.  Any other site will not let you go further without your full details.

[*bad*angel*]

I find it frustrating that the Buyers are not more transparent, correct  names, address and telephone numbers.  Also full names, not just first names.  Any other site will not let you go further without your full details.

Neither do eBay. And it's very simple to set blocks to prevent people bidding on your items if they have not gone through phone verification which goes some way to proving a real identity. Also simple to set many other bidder blocks to prevent nuisance bidders in the first place - rather than needing to neg or neutral them later.

[gfh462]

This very same thing applies to me. Buyer emailed and said not happy, I replied "return the item and I am happy to give a full refund" They said no, I want to keep the item but want half what I paid for it back or I will leave a neg so I obviously said send it back for full refund or keep it and no refund, your choice. next thing a neg with 1 rated stars and now I am restricted to listing 25 items per month. How is that fair? Feedback should be how it was originally intended, Your experience as a buyer OR a seller. All of the above was after having to lodge a NPD dispute in the first place just by the way. Sometthing has to be done about it.

[davewil1964]

This very same thing applies to me. Buyer emailed and said not happy, I replied "return the item and I am happy to give a full refund" They said no, I want to keep the item but want half what I paid for it back or I will leave a neg so I obviously said send it back for full refund or keep it and no refund, your choice. next thing a neg with 1 rated stars and now I am restricted to listing 25 items per month. How is that fair? Feedback should be how it was originally intended, Your experience as a buyer OR a seller. All of the above was after having to lodge a NPD dispute in the first place just by the way. Sometthing has to be done about it.

It's already been explained what to do about it, assuming you are after a solution not venting.

Did you read any of the replies? It's feedback extortion and you can get the neg removed.

[viewmont1071]

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/feedback-terms.html

Feedback is the foundation of trust on eBay. Having terms and conditions that dissuade an individual from leaving feedback undermines the integrity of the feedback system and decreases trust within the eBay marketplace.

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/feedback/questions/feedback.html

Feedback is made up of comments and ratings left by other eBay members you've bought from and sold to. These comments and ratings are valuable indicators of your reputation as a buyer or seller on eBay.

Keh?? NO I did not make the above statement up ebay did

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/inappropriate-feedback-comments.html

What are the guidelines?

eBay's Feedback Forum is intended to be an open, honest place to share your experiences with other eBay members. However, there are some things we don't allow in Feedback comments, such as obscene language.

We want Feedback to be an open and honest way for members to share their experiences with other members.

This helps buyers and sellers decide whom they want to do business with

READS GREAT DOES IT NOT???

 ...Hmmm I wonder why some members....especially newbie sellers become a little disillusioned with statements made by ebay like the ones above???

heaven forbid that they may feel.... a little conned

....ebay  "liar, liar your pants are on fire"

Can any supporter of the current feedback system tell me how a seller can leave open and honest feedback if they have had a negative experience as ebays statements suggest????