To reply, or not to reply?

[aussie.grazing.boards]

What do you think? When you get a neg, should you reply to it? Or just leave it be?

I've always replied, and given my side of the story, but after viewing other sellers negs, it's almost like they have an excuse for everything, and they're always right.

How do you feel?

To neg, or not to neg? that is the question!

[kopenhagen5]

I'm with Lyndal, don't reply in most cases, stands out more.

And won't be long before it's on page 2. 

[robinsonmarineparts]

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@aussie.grazing.boards wrote:
What do you think? When you get a neg, should you reply to it? Or just leave it be?

I've always replied, and given my side of the story, but after viewing other sellers negs, it's almost like they have an excuse for everything, and they're always right.

How do you feel?

To neg, or not to neg? that is the question!

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Hi, i used to reply to bad feedback, now i don't.

Imo it make the seller look guilty trying to defend the undefendable, i'd just let them go.

[robinsonmarineparts]

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@aussie.grazing.boards wrote:
@lyndall

My thinking is that replying is drawing more attention to the neg, would you agree?

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Yes, agreeded.

Either way you can't win.

[springyzone]

Should you reply to it?

I think it depends. I read your fedback and some of it was grossly unfair. A neutral that says "Nothing to say"??

Or 'in general all good' etc with a neutral.

I don't think you need to reply to those types of feedback, they speak for themselves and they don't show the buyer in any shining light, let me assure you.

On the other hand, I liked the FB you gave for  some of the negs, such as the one about having posted same day & another where you said outright lie, the item was brand new.

If you don't respond to that sort of feedback, it leaves any potential buyer up in the air-maybe you really are slow to post, maybe all your items aren't new or are seconds etc. You need to answer politely and factually to rid them of any impressions like that.

My take though on your FB is you are being given neutrals and some negs not because you haven't supplied the items but because some buyers don't like the items once they get them. The question mark in my mind as a buyer would not be about whether you would supply the item because with over 3000 feedback i would be pretty sure you would. But I wouldn't necessarily have confidence in the quality of the items.

You can do a couple of things

-don't necessarily promise super fast postage (if that is what you do), allow a bit of leeway.

-see if there are any items that are the main troublemakers and maybe take them out of your range.

[digital*ghost]

Replying with your side of the story is just one option, but you can reply from different perspectives where it's more suitable. I always reply, except on one neut where the buyer left a follow-up comment essentially retracting it. Sometimes I think my response could have been better, but I don't actually make any excuses or imply the buyer was in the wrong (or, at least, I try not to...)

By which I mean "I didn't do that, but the buyer did this" kind of reply can be appropriate, but showing how you might respond to a similar complaint in non-neg format can be more appropriate.

Think of it this way, if a different buyer contacted you and asked about a feedback comment on your profile, what's the most important information you'd want them to know about that transaction (and let's just say, for arguments sake, you only have 80 characters in which to tell them ) Would it be that the buyer is lying or that you did your best to assist; that you've sold hundreds with no problems or that you've improved quality checks etc to help make sure it doesn't happen again; that the buyer never contacted you for help or that if there ever is a problem with anything, you're happy to help? 

The first choice in the above are more about the buyer's actions on a single transaction, the second highlights a seller's customer service skills in general.