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eBay

If you buy or sell items on eBay, you will find tips and advice on this forum.

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Original poster

How do I leave negative feedback for a buyer?

18 replies

mussyhillmum · 03/12/2009 13:24

Hi. I'm not a business seller on ebay, just a SAHM who likes to make a few shillings selling my DCs clothes. I received an email from a buyer 10 days ago saying she hadn't received an item and wanted a full refund. I have confirmation of posting and I offered to split the loss and refunded her half her payment. I heard nothing more from her until last night when I received notice from ebay that I had been reported for non-delivery and that ebay had deducted an amount equal to the FULL payment even though I had already refunded her half of that. Coincidently, the postman returned her item to me this morning because SHE had failed to pick it up from her post office. The parcel was addressed properly so it was obviously a problem on her end. I emailed my buyer to explain what happened and said I would post when I received the money I had refunded her as well as the additional postage it would cost me to send the item. She claims that I still owe her the money because her postman "knew she was looking out for it". I have emailed her to say that I will refund her because I don't believe she is trustworthy. The overwhelming majority of buyers and sellers I have dealt with on ebay have been polite and reasonable people and the feedback I leave and receive is always positive. However, in this case, I think the buyer has behaved so appallingly that I want to leave negative feedback to warn other would-be sellers. How do I do this? Also, how can I block this person from bidding for my items again?

Many thanks for your help!

OP posts:

FiveGoMadonTheDanceFloor · 03/12/2009 13:54

You can't

Meglet · 03/12/2009 14:03

yep, you can't. For some reason e-bay thinks the sun shines out of buyers backsides .

When I get a real idiot I just don't leave feedback, but thats all I can do.

It's shit. And has made me e-bay less.

sixlostmonkeys · 03/12/2009 14:42

Luckily you can't because she wasn't in the wrong! She didn't receive her item and you only gave her half her money back?!! What's that all about? You should give the buyer the full refund and then you claim from Royal mail.
I doubt you will need to block her from bidding on your items - it's highly unlikely she will want to go through all that again.

Piffle · 03/12/2009 14:49

you can block certain buyers actually but you cannot leave negative feedback now I believe for buyers, which means they have sellers by the balls in many cases.

If a buyer has non receipt of item use the Royal Mails time for delivery which can be up to 14 working days before refunding, explain to the buyer that after that time has passed you will refund and claim form P.O
this gives enough time for a non delivered item
I think you refunded too quickly and should have done it through ebay who will give you time generally if you are using PO timescales

Fruitbatlings · 03/12/2009 14:54

"the postman returned her item to me this morning because SHE had failed to pick it up from her post office"

sixlostmonkeys - Surely the buyer is in the wrong then as she failed to pick up the item? Or have I read that wrong? (doesn't take much to confuse me!)

ChilloHippi · 03/12/2009 14:58

You cannot leave her negative feedback, but you can block her. Put 'blocked bidder page' into the help topic search and it comes up.
If I were you I would also email Ebay about her.

sixlostmonkeys · 03/12/2009 14:58

the postie doesn't always leave a card, therefor the buyer 'may' have been unaware that is was at the sorting office - it happens

Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 03/12/2009 15:00

The buyer may not have received the card through the door.

It's irrelevant really as you did not comply with ebays rules. You needed to wait til the item was returned to you or claim from Royal Mail and then you must refund ALL of the money.

Sending her half and saying 'lets split it' puts you entirely in the wrong. I mean it would be a great scam wouldn't it - you don't send it and then only refund half the money?

You need to comply with all of ebays rules. From her point of view she may not have lied or done anything wrong - she may not have got the card and then quite reasonably asked for a refund when it didn't arrive.

Original poster

mussyhillmum · 03/12/2009 15:19

Lauriefairy - As a seller I have confirmation of posting as proof that I wasn't scamming her. How does a seller know that they are not being scammed by the buyer ie claiming they haven't received something and demanding full refund. To be honest, I wasn't aware that ebay rules stipulated that the seller must bear the full risk of non-delivery by the post office or failure of the buyer, for whatever reason, not to pick up the item. I actually thought I was fairly dividing the risk. As I am not willing to guarantee the reliability of the PO or the honesty of all ebay buyers, I guess I will have to start sending everything recorded delivery - seems a bit OTT for bits and bobs of children's used clothing imo.

OP posts:

Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 03/12/2009 15:36

yes, you need to send recorded in order not to scam or be scammed

And you definitely need to know and abide by the rules regarding refunds.

sixlostmonkeys · 03/12/2009 15:36

a seller is responsible for getting the item delivered, not just posted.
Recorded delivery is the only way to prove that a buyer may be lying....
Even without recorded delivery you can still claim from the royal mail - after you have refunded your buyer in full of course.
at least you seem to be aware of the ebay rules now and so can prevent any similar problems in the future. happy selling

Original poster

mussyhillmum · 03/12/2009 18:10

Oh dear. I think I will give up selling on ebay. Just the thought of standing in our very crowded, under resourced PO sorting out recorded delivery for 30+ items brings me out in a cold sweat. Of course, if I give up selling I will have to give up buying and I fear I don't have that sort of willpower!

OP posts:

sixlostmonkeys · 03/12/2009 18:15

If you are taking 30 + items to the PO on a regular basis your PO would probably come to an arrangement with you where you drop them off on a morning and they go through them between customers throughout the day. You then settle up with them at the end of the day. Most ebay businesses do something similar to this

Original poster

mussyhillmum · 03/12/2009 20:30

Sixlostmonkeys - Many thanks for the tip! I will ask at my PO whether they offer this sort of service. I don't make a lot from ebay, but it's nice to have that little bit of spending money all the same.

OP posts:

theyoungvisiter · 03/12/2009 20:43

I'm not an ebayer but:

"Even without recorded delivery you can still claim from the royal mail - after you have refunded your buyer in full of course."

Is this really correct? I was pretty sure that was not the case - if you don't pay for registered/recorded then Royal Mail will only refund your postage on any lost items, not the value of what you allege was in the envelope. Otherwise you could claim any old first class letter contained a diamond ring - surely?

Or is there some special arrangement with ebay items specifically?

theyoungvisiter · 03/12/2009 20:47

well I mean I am an ebayer - but only a buyer, not a seller, so I don't know about the postage side of things iyswim.

Mussyhillmum - I really sympathise with your predicament but I have to say, as a buyer I would be pretty pissed off if someone gave me a neg for the circumstances you describe.

I recently had no less than FOUR items returned to sender as "not called for" without me getting so much as a sniff of a delivery card, a ring of the bell, anything.

Luckily the sender was my work so they rang me up to arrange redelivery - but it's perfectly possible your buyer was in this boat and not scamming at all. She has no way of knowing whether you sent the item or not, and proof of postage is fairly meaningless as you could have posted her an empty envelope or a bit of junk mail, if you see what I mean.

maxybrown · 04/12/2009 08:05

That is true, but if someone claims no item delivered, they need to check with their local delivery office first. I always do this anyway, even though I have an excellent postie who always leaves me cards etc. (ooh er that sounded dodgy!!)

I can't imagine my useless post office offering a service like leaving your things, they have enough difficulty processing things when you are there, but i always send recorded and sometimes have taken a lot of things! It's easy, I just stand their and say, all second class recorded please

sixlostmonkeys · 04/12/2009 08:59

recorded delivery offers no more insurance than standard delivery. (it does however provide you with the all important tracking number that paypal will need in the event of a dispute) Should an item get lost in the post you can claim from Royal mail and receive the cost of the postage back plus the value of the item or 100 x 1st class stamps (£39) whichever is the cheaper. You do of course need to provide proof of the value of the item. If you can not provide proof you will receive 6 x1st class stamps.
Special Delivery next day offers a lot more insurance cover.
If sending by standard parcels for eg you can pay for extra insurance should your item be worth more than £39, but it doesn't provide a tracking number.
It is worthwhile checking the RM website to work out what is the best way to send a particular item if it valuable.
Sending valuable items such as money or jewelry will only be covered by using special delivery.

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