My only two negative feedbacks on eBay are from sellers, that said “quick to leave negative feedback.” So, literally, the only thing I did to “warrant” it was to leave them negative feedback, and they pretty much admitted it.
One was a local guy selling a dinner table for pickup. I used Buy it Now, he sent me an email with a phone number and such, I asked the total and the email address to Paypal the money to and when/where we could pick it up. After a week, several emails and at least two phone calls, I never got an answer. Then after a week he wrote me to say someone else had already taken the table and the listing was a mistake. Due to the first email, I suspect he just got a higher offer from someone he knew/saw the table in person, and wrote me off. I was PISSED, because it was two weeks before Christmas and I was trying to find a table for my apt so I could have a dinner party. I missed a week’s worth of ending auctions of tables I might’ve been able to use/afford because this sorry asshole couldn’t tell me that he sold it to someone else. So I left neg. feedback that said “took over a week, several emails and phone calls for seller to tell me auction was a ‘mistake’”. And I got negative feedback.
Second was some dealer of cheap silver jewelry. I paid immedately after the auction ended, and after a month I was wondering where my stuff was. I never got a single email from them, despite several inquiries if they’d shipped the stuff yet. It wasn’t until I left negative feedback for the seller that they finally responded – by leaving me retaliatory feedback. I don’t care, though. All my other feedbacks are good. I don’t hestitate to leave neg. feedback and have left plenty for deadbeat bidders.
I don’t really have a problem with the shipping issue, as long as it’s stated up front. I understand that a lot of the eBay sellers charge low bidding prices and inflated shipping as a way of skirting some of the eBay fees (since the fee is based on the ending auction amount.) As long as they state UP FRONT the “shipping” charge, I don’t really care what they charge. I consider it part of the final price. Now, if I pay for insurance, they’d better well actually insure it.
I charge $10 flat rate shipping on all my flat artwork. Yeah, I could ship it for probably $2 first class post, but I buy priority, insurance and deliv. confirmation on every. single. thing. I mail domestically, it’s not optional. The actual charges usually work out to $6-7 per mailer. Plus the cost of the cardboard mailer. I spend a lot of time preparing my shipments very carefully though and include extra stuff like an informational packet on the care of the artwork. I’m upfront about all the charges though and what they get for that price, and I’ve never had a single complaint about my shipping charges. I ship once per week because i don’t have a car, and I try to be as upfront as I can about estimated delivery times.
For the most part, my experience with eBay has been positive. I’ve bought a ton of stuff and had relatively few problems, aside from some sellers slow to respond to emails. Mostly, though, I think as long as you know how to recognize suspicious/bad sellers, it can be a fun place to find a lot of cool, hard to find things.