I am relatively new to eBay. I registered towards the end of this past July in order to buy some stuff. Around November, I started selling as well.
I found it to be a great way to get rid of a lot of the clutter I had around my apartment.
So far, all has been great. I’ve built up a really good feedback rating (almost 100 positives), but today, I received my first negative.
I should have known too. I should have waited until I could get to the store to buy some proper packing materials, instead of stuffing what I thought would be sufficient newspaper in with the item, but I was anxioius to get the item sent off to the buyer.
The item was a lantern/candleholder with glass panes. Apparently some of the glass panes broke during shipment.
I wish the buyer had gotten in touch with me before leaving negative feedback so that some kind of resolution could have been met. I’m somewhere between bummed out and pissed off right now. But at least I know that I need to be much more careful in the packaging of some items.
If I were you I would refund the persons money, and note that in the reply area of your feedback. Something like “buyers money promptly refunded- sorry for the inconvenience”
People understand that breakage happens. I would gladly bid with someone that had 100 good and 1 bad feedback. No worries.
I too think the buyer should have contacted you and given you a chance to make things right (refund or whatever) before leaving the negative, but it sounds to me like you’re not taking it too badly, and that you did learn a lesson that’ll serve you well in future dealings. I would, however, write a short note of apology to the buyer and still offer a refund - the buyer has the option to make a follow-up comment that may be more favorable. I would NOT post counter-negative feedback, though - that way lies madness, and can only lead to misery. If the buyer paid on time, it’s fair to leave him a positive despite the negative he left you.
Take the high road, and don’t let one bad experience turn you off. (I have 630 positives and one negative, so I know whereof I speak!)
Yes, they were in the wrong not to contact you. Don’t worry; with a comment like the one Zette suggested, most people will still trust you.
I had someone leave me negative feedback over a dress I sold. I was aghast–I sold it for cheap and it was nice. She claimed it was dirty, old, and not as advertised. I quickly left a response saying I’d refund her money, and then contacted her. Turned out she meant to leave that feedback for another seller! I didn’t even DESERVE it and wish I’d waited to note her error in the response instead of responding in a panic.
She never did make the correction–and ebay won’t remove negative feedback left in error unless the buyer agrees to leave that exact same comment in the correct seller’s feedback. I guess she hasd second thoughts about slamming the other seller. So it still stands there. Grrrr.
But really, I think most people understand there are bad buyers out there, and that even good sellers will get crabby-ass comments from these types.
So far, I’ve only been a buyer on eBay, not a seller. When I look at someone’s feedback, if they have a couple of negatives out of mostly positives as seller, then I feel pretty confident. I’ve worked in retail, and I know that you just can’t please some people. I’d say to try to work it out with the buyer, and maybe get a good followup rating.
devils advocate: What if you just told that person “that’s why the Post Office sells insurance? It’s not my fault they broke your item.” (Of course, I have no idea what your packing job looked like, and you did yourself own up to maybe not being as secure as you should have been).
Bottom line: yes, they should have contacted you first, and no, this most likely will not deter people from buying from you.
Everything that’s been said is right on. You should still offer the buyer a refund, and then leave positive feedback as long as they paid on time.
Breakages happen, as Zette pointed out. The buyer really should have contacted you first, before leaving a negative. But don’t sweat it- just wrap better next time. Maybe you’d also want to offer insurance for fragile items? When I buy, I look at the ratio of negative to positive, and I check the comments. Checking comments is a way to find out just what people are complaining about. Like Lynn said, there’s just no pleasing some people. Bizarre but true tale: I’ve been selling on Ebay for a while now, and I only have one negative feedback comment out of 320. I sold someone a porcelain figurine, and they slammed me with a negative because I used packing peanuts! This was apparently too much of an inconvenience for them. (I just responded with a “WTF???”, and I never heard from the person again.) So when I check people’s feedback, I look to see if they’re just getting negatives from whiners. You would not believe the insane things people will leave a negative for.
Could be worse. Some yahoo (shear_adrenaline) won my auction then sent me a note asking to be released from the sale because he couldn’t afford it. This was the 5th time I had listed the item (a ring) and was sick of the whole thing, so I told him, no, he’d have to pay. He turned vicious (e-mails) and gave me a negative stating that I had sold the ring to the second highest bidder before he could pay - like that makes any sense. At least the other non paying high bidder just left me alone. The other listings never met the reserve price. I avoid eBay now. Too much hassle for me.
Thanks for all of your suggestions.
I really do not want to refund this individual. I don’t even want to offer a refund to them.
The auction ended towards the end of January, which is when it was shipped. It took the buyer this long to even leave feedback. And I checked out the feedback that the Buyer has left before. There are a couple other negative feedbacks she has left, and the responses indicate that she did not get in touch with the buyer to reach a decent resolution. I do not want to cater to this person who can’t even extend the courtesy to get in touch with me about the matter. And in reality, I don’t know for certain that item was broken (although, I would like to believe that a person wouldn’t lie in a situation like this).
I am considering just replying to the feedback (I left her feedback once I shipped the item), and saying that I wish the buyer had contacted me so a resolution could have been met. But I really don’t want to contact the buyer myself. Does that seem so wrong?
I think your plan is sound, Harli. She didn’t bother to contact you about a replacement, but rather used feedback. I think your addressing the matter via feedback (saying you wish she’s tried to contact you directly) is fair. Then it’s up to her to be proactive and do the right thing. She can’t hurt you via feedback anymore.
I agree with Cranky. While I would probably pursue it myself (because I take everything personally), I think you’re probably right in not wanting to extend the situation any further.
Harli always at least put in the shipping instructions that insurance is recommended because no matter how well you pack things can happen to whatever you are sending.
I sent five separate FRAGILE things to four different buyers(one lady wanted her things shipped separately)…three days later four of the packages arrived safely. The other one disappeared into the PO twilight zone for four extra days and when she got it the box was crushed along with the figurine she wanted so badly.
She however didn’t blame the PO she blamed ME even though the stamp AND my copy of the insurance showed both her packages were sent the same day.
She even sent me a cam shot of what the figurine and the box looked like when she got it(looked like it had gotten squished on one side)…she wanted me to give her a partial refund despite having paid for insurance. I instead sent her all the necessary paperwork needed to get her money back in full FROM THE POST OFFICE.
She was not happy about this…in order to collect she would have to turn in the item and despite the breakage she wanted to keep it so she gave me bad feedback saying I packed it poorly…as revenge.
Some people you can never satisfy and you will go crazy if you try. Just be honest, recommend the insurance, and the good buyers will more than make up for the idiots out there.
(I just responded with a “WTF???”, and I never heard from the person again.) So when I check people’s feedback, I look to see if they’re just getting negatives from whiners. You would not believe the insane things people will leave a negative for.