# What kind of feedback should I leave this ebay customer? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 27, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144 "2008-01-27T01:04:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/1 "2008-01-27T01:04:23Z")
I sell stuff on eBay. Right now, I’m selling some body shapers. They are Spanx, a major name brand. All of my listings contain the details of my guarantee: The item will be as described; if it is not, please contact me for a full refund. So a woman ordered one, on a Buy It Now price (I don’t know if that makes a difference in your advice or not), and today I see that she’s left me a Neutral, because, her feedback says, “Not exactly the same as the ones I bought at the Spanx store; sizing is inaccurate”. She never contacted me to let me know she was dissatisfied. I have not left her feedback yet. Now I’m not sure what kind of feedback to leave her. She did pay right away. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/2 "2008-01-27T01:09:43Z")
I’d leave a negative, explaining, as you did here, that she never contacted you for a refund or exchange per your listing. But then, I’m a vindictive asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Pixilated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/3 "2008-01-27T01:31:22Z")
I would say negative since it sounds like she is blaming you for the difference in sizing? How can the sizing be inaccurate unless she was sent the wrong one or she ordered the wrong one? Or I think there is a way to request a removal of the feedback - you might want to contact her as well and explain that although you understand her feedback of “neutral” you would like the opportunity to “make it right”, and also let her know how you appreciate that she paid right away. Explain how the nuetral feedback actually HURTS your rating (this I will never understand). Wait a few, and then give her negative feedback if she doesnt respond. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/4 "2008-01-27T01:36:03Z")
[QUOTE=Pixilated] Explain how the nuetral feedback actually HURTS your rating (this I will never understand). [/QUOTE] It’s not that it hurts your rating, but its presence might cause someone to decide not to buy from you; it affects your reputation as a seller. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/5 "2008-01-27T01:36:49Z")
I don’t think a negative is ever an appropriate response to the feedback someone left you unless it was profanity laden and abusive. Contact her and work with her to solve her problem and change her feedback to you, but your feedback to her should reflect her behaviour as a buyer, not as a feedback-provider – namely, she paid on time and didn’t try to scam you in any discernible way. That deserves a positive. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/6 "2008-01-27T01:37:33Z")
Can’t you leave some message to “respond” to other people’s feedback, so that anyone who sees it knows that its bullshit? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/7 "2008-01-27T01:40:00Z")
Well definitely try and get her to retract it, but if she won’t absolutely leave a neagitve- you shouldn’t have the possibility of your sales being hurt because some asshole can’t read and doesn’t understand leaving negatives are a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/8 "2008-01-27T01:41:23Z")
[QUOTE=jacquilynne] …your feedback to her should reflect her behaviour as a buyer… [/QUOTE] Part of her behavior as a buyer is failure to follow the steps for a proper resolution of dissatisfaction as outlined in the listing. A negative is perfectly appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/9 "2008-01-27T01:42:22Z")
Contact her and see if you can remedy the situation. Assume that she’s acting in good faith, and give her a chance to change her feedback. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/10 "2008-01-27T01:55:51Z")
Well, I did email her. Essentially I said that, as per my listing, everything I sell carries a guarantee (unless the listing specifically and clearly states otherwise), and that I’m disappointed that she didn’t contact me to try to resolve the situation before leaving me a neutral. BTW, if it matters, my feedback is 99.7% positive. I have 370 feedbacks. Hers is the only neutral, and I have one negative, also from a customer who never tried to contact me to resolve the issue before leaving feedback (and I added a response to the feedback that says so). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/11 "2008-01-27T04:55:07Z")
Leaving her a NEG is like leaving yourself a NEG. See savvy buyers don’t just check out how many NEGs you have got, they check out how you reacted to them, and how you leave FB. A nasty retalitory NEG to this newb naif would have me hitting the “back” button real quick. It will hurt your sales and do _nothing_ to her (a few negs does nothing to hurt a buyer). So, you’d be hurting yourself for spite. Stupid. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/12 "2008-01-27T05:17:24Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Well definitely try and get her to retract it, but if she won’t absolutely leave a neagitve- you shouldn’t have the possibility of your sales being hurt because some asshole can’t read and doesn’t understand leaving negatives are a big deal. [/QUOTE] She didn’t leave a negative – she left a neutral. ---
**Author:** ![jeepus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeepus/32/3593_2.png) [@jeepus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeepus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/13 "2008-01-27T05:49:11Z")
I absolutely check out how sellers respond to negs and neutrals when I’m considering buying from them. If you respond with a neg because you received a neutral from someone, I would hesitate to buy from you. I don’t hold getting a neutral or even a neg against a seller so much if they continue to act in a professional manner. Depending on what you sell, you can expect to get some neutrals or negs. It’s all about how you respond to criticism. If you were to say, “I am sorry you were disappointed, would have been happy to work it out if you’d just let me know there was a problem,” as a possible buyer reading this, I’d be more likely to dismiss this neutral as an unrealistic buyer than if you gave her a neg and/or call her names. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/14 "2008-01-27T07:05:16Z")
Reply neutral, “Thanks”. No harm, no foul. Nobody really cares anymore, anyway. Feedback score was once useful, but now you can just delete any negetives anyway, with a few keystrokes, so its pretty meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/15 "2008-01-27T07:36:48Z")
You should not leave a negative, because she did pay on time. You’re rating her as a buyer not as a feedback giver. Don’t give her any feedback at all, but reply to the feedback she left you (on your page), that she did not contact you about a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/16 "2008-01-27T12:47:24Z")
I’d just say that she didn’t offer you a chance to correct the dissatisfaction and leave it at that. It’s not a bad review…just neutral. Sooo…that said, do you sell Spanx that have a snap crotch? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/17 "2008-01-27T12:52:38Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Feedback score was once useful, but now you can just delete any negetives anyway, with a few keystrokes, so its pretty meaningless. 😕 I’m not very computer savvy; how does one do that?? (Not that I’m going to delete the one Neg I have, but I’m interested in how it works, so I can try to assess if what seem to be shady sellers have done this). > [@Kalhoun](#): > > that said, do you sell Spanx that have a snap crotch? All I have right now are the HiRise Spanx that have the gusseted crotch. And I only have them in very limited size/color selection. Sorry. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Leaving her a NEG is like leaving yourself a NEG. See savvy buyers don’t just check out how many NEGs you have got, they check out how you reacted to them, and how you leave FB. A nasty retalitory NEG to this newb naif would have me hitting the “back” button real quick. It will hurt your sales and do nothing to her (a few negs does nothing to hurt a buyer). So, you’d be hurting yourself for spite. Stupid. Excellent point! I hadn’t even considered that! ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/18 "2008-01-27T15:06:59Z")
I wouldn’t worry about it. Anyone with more than “many” sales on eBay will have an unhappy customer somewhere. Not a big deal and her complaint is “small”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/19 "2008-01-27T17:49:41Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] . Feedback score was once useful, but now you can just delete any negetives anyway, with a few keystrokes, so its pretty meaningless. [/QUOTE] Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144/20 "2008-01-27T18:36:32Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Cite? [/QUOTE] The keystrokes needed to re-register under a new name 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-feedback-should-i-leave-this-ebay-customer/435144.md?page=2)