eBay Fitment Did Not Protect Seller from Unfit Feedback

by: my2cents

@A
Since we can't see exactly what the buyer wrote or the listing they purchased from, we go off the details in which you supplied.  To be honest, I'm not sure the buyer's feedback actually breaks any of the Ebay feedback rules.  Which might be why you are having trouble getting it removed.

Maybe if you could share which rule you believe their FB broke it would help.

A sad thing about Ebay customer service, you can all too often get different answers from different CSRs and they all could be wrong or misinformed.  I would suggest you try going the Ebay for Business on Facebook and give them a try.  We tend to see better trained CSRs there.

If that doesn't work for you, try coming and write a thread in the Ebay Community.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/bd-p/selling-d
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by: Rexford

Absurdity is right. Feedback should have been removed after the first call.

by: pace306

I’m in the middle of an issue myself with eBay - 3 cs agents, 3 st numbers, 3 different answers …. What’s brighter? A dead lightbulb or an eBay employee????

eBay can see what the buyer entered- as Rex said - should have been done / fixed the first time.

It’s part of eBay’s “feedback disease “

by: Snapped

The lesson here is that eBay is not reliable.  They obfuscate any ability to communicate with anybody actually empowered to ‘act’.  They will say ANYthing to have you end contact with whoever you do manage to reach.  

If the FB in question is factually false or libelous - and too often even if it ‘violates’ transaction extortion threats they can SEE - they do not care.  They may ‘promise’ they do, they may ‘promise’ to act, but they do not keep their promises.  

So self reliance may be a better option, since they cannot be trusted.
Truth isn’t the focus at eBay.  Money is.

Go in knowing you’ll have a battle if you choose to fight what eBay has deemed the customer’s entitlement to act ignorant.  When they seek a return, your terms can state a requirement it be in UNINSTALLED condition, original packaging, with all ‘parts’ included, and in resale condition.  You can even require an RMA number be obtained, though don’t delay supplying it if asked. You can even require a ‘restock’ fee if it’s reasonable.   Keep eBay at bay.

Then nod and smile and endure any slings and arrows.  You even have an option to reply to it - We’re sorry your experience with mis-ordering this item was an inconvenience for you - something, you know, that ‘tactfully’ says what really happened.  

Of course, even though eBay and their robotinators also ‘promise’ to support this approach, one’s faith in even that is subject to being tested.

And don’t worry about the donut.  For all its trumpeting to the contrary, eBay doesn’t care about ‘accuracy’.  Just don’t make it worse by contributing to it.  As for their cypher-locked “system”, it’s man-made.  It can be man-UNmade.  Lies are the only thing at the root of their ‘systems’, electronic, and administrative.  

Absurd is the word all right.

by: toolguy

EBAY LIES

They can remove ANY feedback they want to at any time.

I get very bitter when I KNOW I'm being lied to. . . .

by: RL15

the assault on the sellers continues......

by: pace306

Its sad that you have to fight (2) enemies - the bad buyer AND the platform that SWEARS "its just a venue".

For alot of sellers - its just too much. They just want to sell their items and be done with it all. Not every sale need be WW3 - but eBay makes it so.

Of the approx 1000 people eBay layed off - it seems they disposed of the WRONG people. Its the liars in the ivory towers in San Jose that need to be gone, not the "poor shmoe" making 125K a year "managing" some dept. Oh wait - it probably wasnt them either - it was the lower level people.

Maybe they can AI their lawn and get rid of the gardener next?

by: COVID-19

How about an AI bartender for Walker's West? Hahahah!

"What can I get you today, sir?" "I'm sorry, sir. I cannot understand your selection. Could you pick a more generic drink, sir?" "Uh.....sir? Hey, where did you go?"

by: my2cents

Not speaking about the seller regarding this article.  But many sellers believe their negative FB should be removed when it really doesn't break any policy.  The seller just doesn't like it, so they want it removed.  There has to be guidelines for this.

And I'm so glad they too away the benefit of sellers with Concierge service could get a set number of negatives removed each quarter just because they asked.  I think that was a very good move on Ebay's part.  But dang there are some mad sellers on the threads that lost this benefit.

by: etvideo1

Welcome to the club.  Had a buyer give me a NEG on a LIE, but eBay would not remove it because they say the buyer was just expressing his view of the transaction and it did not have to be true, just what he believed.

by: pace306

My2

What’s wrong with (seller wanting) eBay to remove undeserved negatives?

If negative feedbacks are eBay’s “Holy Grail” on how the transaction went, shouldn’t it HAVE to be true? (Never mind- way).

It should not be opinion based, it should be a history of the sale.

Wholesale removal is %101 wrong- but working with good sellers to clean up the messes that eBay itself allowed to happen should be just fine.

Why should a seller loose a sale because eBay allowed a lie to stand?? eBay hates loosing money but it’s ok if sellers do???

by: salvagepanda

Yup, same happened to us. We had a buyer totally lie in a negative feedback. We chatted with ebay CS, was told the feedback would be removed within 24 hours, never happened. Contacted ebay CS again via chat, same deal only this time they said could take up to 72 hours, same as before never got removed. 3rd time on Chat, got a manager who told us the first two reps were mistaken and sorry can't be removed even though was untrue. So there is our seller support, what a joke. We posted the screenshots of all three chats to social media to warn fellow sellers that ebay does not have your back as a seller. We will lose business because of this untrue smear which means ebay also loses money. Moving our inventory to a shopify store, won't do business with a company that treats its sellers with such utter disrespect.  

by: my2cents

@Pace

You would have to point out to me where I said it was "wrong" for a seller to want FB removed.

There are lots of things in life that are "undeserved", many of us deal with that from time to time.  While the seller's opinion may be that it was "undeserved", the buyer may see things differently.  And often that is where the problem starts.  Ebay simply does not get involved in a he said she said.  It would be very difficult to determine who was right and who was wrong without an investigation that may take a serious amount of time.  

Because the seller says it is untrue doesn't mean it actually is untrue.

How do you know the seller lost a sale?  I think that may be an assumption.

If Ebay will not remove the FB, IMHO it is in the sellers best interest to respond to the FB in a polite, professional and factual way.  No emotions, no name calling  and no pointing fingers.  The response the seller writes is NOT for the buyer that gave them the neg, but for the potential buyers that may review their FB page.

by: pace306

"But many sellers believe their negative FB should be removed when it really doesn't break any policy. The seller just doesn't like it, so they want it removed. There has to be guidelines for this."

Same thing said in another fashion.

For the record - since it was said in open court ... "WE ARE JUST A VENUE" - not my opinion - stated fact. True eBay loves to lie - but this one is as clear as day. BE the venue. Mind your own business. Dont hold peoples money. Dont have your finger on the scale when making a judgement call just because it makes you money (and have the "seller be damned" attitude).

Those are all things eBay NEEDS to do - and besides a young lady that doesnt post here anymore (at least under her own name) - we all agree.

"There are lots of things in life that are "undeserved", many of us deal with that from time to time. While the seller's opinion may be that it was "undeserved", the buyer may see things differently. "

YES - and we work to fix "injustices" and here - its not about "feelings", its about FACT. If you dont have the FACTS then DONT make "a decision".

If a seller looses money because eBay and they buyer lied (that sale plus possible future sales due to a negative strike) isnt that important? Isnt that "quest for the truth" something you would want?

%99.9 of the time, eBay never saw the item in question - so WHY is the seller ALWAYS wrong? Why is the BUYERS words worth more then the seller? If "thats the way it is" (which is BS) then why NOT put it in the TOS in clear language.

"As a seller on eBay we tend to NOT agree with you on any issue. We always side with the buyer and you take your "chances" when making a sale".

Thats words that NO SELLER would accept. Never mind that the sale is a contract between buyers and sellers and NOT eBay.

But people are used to letting eBay run wild (aka the San Jose Mafia) where they can do as they please - bound by nothing but Jaimes imagination and an old Archie comic book.

"How do you know the seller lost a sale? I think that may be an assumption". Well when eBay sides against you - you lost, and THEN when the NEXT buyer sees your negative - they decide NOT to buy from you - because "obviously eBay agrees YOU were at fault, that makes you UNTRUSTWORTHY. Its kind of how human nature works.

In this case, eBays own mechanism - one THEY created - said the seller was in the right - what more do you need?

by: my2cents

@Pace
No it isn't.  I said what I meant, you are just reframing it to be something I did not say.  Unless you are of the opinion that whenever a seller asks for a negative FB to be removed, it should be whether or not it breaks any policy?

As to the rest of your post.  I've seen it or something similar from you many times.

by: Bill

Pace,
Your are in an argument with that young lady

by: mjr55

I am so sick of hearing about Ebay and courtesy feedback removal for large sellers. We are very large sellers and never got courtesy removals let alone a set number each quarter like some here had talked about.

However, we did get feedback removed a lot because it violated policies. That was open to any seller regardless of size.

Now, they basically don't ANYTHING no matter what....even ones that are supposed to be against policy. This new seller help process has been a dismal failure....the reps will even admit to this. Sellers now have to spend 10x the amount of time trying to get a feedback against policy removed.

Also, this crap where CS reps say it qualifies and then it doesn't is trash. Either fire those reps or remove the feedback. If a rep has said it qualifies, then it should be removed....end of story....even if they errored. You shouldn't be able to tell someone something and then have it be flat out wrong.

Instead of training their damn reps, Ebay would rather just penalize all sellers. It's all good, though....if Ebay doesn't want to remove valid negs....buyers will just not buy from us on Ebay but will go to Amazon and buy from us instead. Problem solved.  

by: mjr55

@my2cents.....your opinions on here are really worth even that. Do you actually even sell on Ebay anymore?

by: my2cents

@mjr55

While you may not like my posts, I take no issue with that.  You will however be happy to know that Ebay no longer removes feedback for certain sellers [big and small] with a Concierge service, just because.  They allowed a few each quarter.  I forget the number.  But this perk was taken away a couple months ago.  I was so happy to see it go.

by: pace306

"Unless you are of the opinion that whenever a seller asks for a negative FB to be removed, it should be whether or not it breaks any policy?"

Yes of course

If a seller gets an undeserved negative it should be removed, period. Why and who does it serve to abuse sellers for nothing?

There are MANY buyers who see a negative on an account and skip that seller - right, wrong, meaningless - that action just damaged the seller - for no reason.

No one ever told eBay to "worship at the alter of buyers negatives" - that's THEIR choice (to make them sacred). HOWEVER, if they are going to undertake that view - at least they could be responsible for its effects.

As a seller since 1998, I know there are ALOT of crazy buyers (sadly the NOISE they make seem to outweigh the good ones) and eBay could easily control the issue should they want to - but they dont.

Sellers are NOISE and dont count - I clearly remember a past CEO saying it as clear as day.