eBay feedback problem - advice needed

[melpomene]

I'm fairly new to selling on eBay and recently sold a couple of romper suits which dd2 had outgrown. I described them as being in very good condition and that was true in my opinion - there were no stains or marks. If I had bought them through eBay I would have been pleased with the condition, IYSWIM. They sold for just 99p.

The buyer left me neutral feedback (without contacting me beforehand) saying that the condition was not as good as described. I emailed her to politely ask why she said that, and she replied that the romper suits were grey,not white, and that one had a large stain. She said she had to throw them away, but she didn't bother asking for a refund because of the low price.

I can't understand why she is saying that. I checked carefully before posting and there was no stain. The items were used and obviously didn't look brand new, but there is no way I would describe them as grey.

If she had asked for a refund I probably would have given one to avoid damaging my feedback,but if she's thrown the clothes away then that's not an option.

So my questions are:

1. Should I respond to the neutral feedback, or would that just draw more attention to it?

2. What sort of feedback should I give to the buyer?

I would respond to the negative feedback, making it clear that the items were as desicribed and that the buyer failed to notify you of any problem. Also I would leave neutral/negative feedback stating what the buyer did.

personally, i would leave neg feedback for them as they have already left your feedback, so all they can do is respond.
also respond to your neutral feedback stating your case.

some people are just pains and can never be satisfied. put a note on the feedback that she didn't ask for a refund, and you would happily have given one. i would neut them back, other sellers need to be aware.

But leaving feedback purely based on the other person's feedback for you, is just retaliatory feedback and does not make a seller look good. It would put me off, as a buyer, to see that a buyer who had a problem, got slammed with negative feedback for complaining about the problem.

I would respond, calmly and factually, to the feedback she has left for you. Something like "all items checked before being sent out, buyer did not contact me with problem, just left neutral feedback".

I would then forget about it. If you want to leave her feedback, I would leave a neutral saying "payment etc fine, then left neutral feedback without contacting me about the problem."

HTH. I think as a seller you have to go one better than the buyer and not indulge in tit for tat games like this. It will look better on your profile to buyers who know what they are doing.

i would leave negative, not in retaliation but purely because imo, the buyer is a poor one, to leave neutral feedback without contacting the seller, stating untruths about an item

Well, a buyer that pays doesn't really deserve a negative IMO. They are just a bit of a twat and this will show from the feedback whether it's a neg or a neutral.

i am a bad tempered old bag today

No I think I am partly playing devils advocaat Spacey, I think a lot of (most?) people would agree with you, but my philosophy as a seller is that your conduct towards your buyers should be beyond question. I will always refund immediately if anyone has a problem, for instance (although I mostly sell small price goods so it's easy to do).

I did once completely lose my rag with a buyer and ended up assaulting her via email but amazingly she apologised and we ended up sorting it all out

ive never had any one unhappy with a purchase yet..however, i did this week sell my lovely gliding nursing chair on ebay, it was in lovely condition, obviously it was used, but still lovely, the buyer sent her husband to collect and he stood there staring at it, saying, oh its not quite in the condition we expected, we will have to recover the cushions!!!!! i was gobsmacked, there wasnt even a mark, let alone anything else, he took it away and later emailed to say they werent leaving feedback because they werent happy, i offered his money back and he said no and had the cheek to ask me to pay to have it recovered!!!!!!!!
i emailed back that i would report them to ebay!

honestly some buyers are a pita, we have someone telling us they haven't received something and because we (or my dp grr) didn't send it recorded, we have to refund them. their feedback looks dodgy too like they make a habit of it, but we have no choice .

SEA, didnt you get a proof of posting from the po?

yes but they only cover up to a certain amount (and my dp works for the royal mail!)

If you don't send recorded, you take that risk really SEA - what a nuisance though. If the buyer's feedback shows they have done this before, I think I would have sent it with all possible security measures!

it wasn't my fault! sob it was dps! he has learnt his lesson the hard way.

oh how rotten. Obviously you can't leave bad feedback as it may be that the goods never turned up, but you can make it quite clear that they have made you refund their money. Might make another seller more wary next time.

what a bummer..you do get a receipt from the po though that at least confirms you posted the item, if you posted the item in good faith, can prove it and the buyer didnt ask for insurance then in theory, its not your fault if the item doesnt turn up.

yes good point! he wanted to deal off ebay as well. we need to block him for future auctions.

Interesting points. I think I'll do what Franny suggested in her post of 2.46 and leave neutral feedback for the buyer. She has 100% positive feedback currently. I really can't understand why she's done this though. I did wonder if the clothes had been damaged in the post, but that's not very likely because they were in a good quality plastic mailing envelope.

Sorry SpaceC I keep disagreeing with you but it is definitely your responsibility to get the goods to the buyer. If a mail order company sent goods to you and they got lost in the post, you would not be too chuffed if they just said "Ah, well, we did post them."

It's your responsibility to send them by the correct method for their value, then you can claim back from the PO if anything goes wrong.

its a difficult one, when you are just a private seller, i agree that if a company fails to deliver the goods as it were, then you expect a replacement, however i have noticed that people do put on listings that they do not accept responsibility for items lost in the post.
i would add though that i always send items recorded if they are over a certain value or even special delivery, taking out insurance on recorded, that way, i can check that the item was received by the buyer in case of a query and know im covered if it fails to arrive.

As a private seller you have the same obligation to provide the goods as a large company does. Obviously if it was a one off item you can't provide an alternative but you can and should provide a refund. I have also seen people stating "I am not responsible if this gets lost in the post" - they are wrong, they are responsible. To send goods insufficiently insured and then refuse to refund when they get lost in the post is fraud.

i'd nneg her myself. feedback is based on the whole experience and she's been a twonk.

spacey- hi bud

hiya pixiefish
franny, i must admit, im always put off by sellers that state that in their listing, i would always offer a refund[halo emoticon]

You are an exemplary seller SpaceC

Pixie - to neg someone when you have their money is a bit low, IMO. I agree feedback is for the whole experience - it wasn't all bad, was it? She got paid, after all!

yes but she left a neutral without contacting her to complain.

i would neg her personally