Negative feedback! What to do?
Good evening. I received my first negative feedback after 20 years on eBay. The buyer, while acknowledging that the item sent is obviously the one from the listing, new with tags and so on... complains that it doesn’t fit him, refuses the return (he wanted me to pay the return shipping costs), and leaves negative feedback. What can I do? Thank you for your help.
14 comments
heavenwelkin
·1 year agowhat’s more, that feedback could even be defamatory because I can understand that a size 43/44 doesn’t match, but that the seller would actually send flip-flops with different lengths between the right and left.........
And in any case, if the buyer had a basic understanding of the rules, he could have easily opened a dispute for item not as described for any reason, even a trivial one.
He could also have said that the color didn’t match the photos, or that the box arrived dented and he needed it as a gift (just a couple of examples).
The buyer should have at least a basic knowledge of how the platform where he chooses to buy works; we’re not on amazon.
That feedback didn’t solve any problem with the purchase; it’s just a vent of frustration for not being able to assert his rights on ebay.
marioelegio
·1 year agoTwo issues that could give the buyer reason and make the return for non-conformity seem correct, and therefore with costs charged to the seller:
1. In the feedback, it says the flip-flops are different lengths.
2. The size conversions you put in your listings do not match at all those indicated by Hawaiians on their website ….
hi
mario
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoI see no errors in the description.
The European size 43 corresponds to Brazilian 41, which is 27.3 cm
Correctly described in the listing
The chart you posted says that the 43 Hawaians are 27.7 cm
so we're talking about a 0.4 cm difference on a flip-flop.
digging.bill
OP1 year agoThanks everyone. I’ll try to explain. I sent the item that can be seen in the photo... honestly, do they seem different lengths to you? They are packaged by the manufacturer and you can also see the little tie that holds them together and guarantees they have never been used, along with the tag. As for the chart, I included in the listing everything that is written on the flip-flops, Brazilian and European size... honestly I don’t understand where I was lacking in transparency and honesty (and in fact this is the first time something like this has happened to me...). Isn’t it assumed that a buyer who purchases a flip-flop from this brand will be able to know what size it is (for this product)? If you then want to give it a try, that’s fine by me too, but if for any reason you don’t like it (even 0.1 cm in length, for heaven’s sake), I’ll also let you return it without any problem, I don’t know...
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoAs for the tolerance, we base it on the fact that the flip-flops are advertised for a size 43/44 foot, so 27.7 cm up to 29 cm
0.4 cm falls perfectly within the tolerance thresholds, as you can see here:
From my point of view the buyer thought they were on Amazon and could do a free return; having run into difficulties and not knowing the eBay platform and how it works, they thought it best to take it out on the feedback.
digging.bill
OP1 year agoIn any case, Ebay support, contacted by email, believes they cannot proceed because they cannot prove that the buyer made a false statement. Surreal.
heavenwelkin
·1 year agounfortunately the buyer is not obliged to open a dispute on ebay and if they want their feedback judgment can be enough even if it has solved NOTHING.
That feedback about the different size of the same pair could do you quite a bit of harm.
Suggest a revision of the feedback in exchange for a free return.
https://pages.ebay.it/protezione-venditori/feedback.html
Or reply to the feedback saying that the flip-flops are packaged and that two different sizes of the same pair seem not very credible, ask them to send photos and in that case you are willing to provide a free return.
digging.bill
OP1 year agoI responded to the feedback like this:
"I offer the possibility of a return: 1) for any reason, with shipping costs borne by the buyer, and 2) for nonconformity or defect, with shipping costs borne by the seller. Buying the wrong size does not, naturally, fall under case 2. The buyer makes an imprudent purchase by getting the size wrong, cannot open a dispute because the item is perfect, and therefore leaves negative feedback because they are annoyed at having to pay the return shipping costs. No hard feelings, but the behavior remains very unpleasant."
eBay support never got back to me...for me, the matter is closed. Thanks again for the support.
digging.bill
OP1 year agoHello.
The two sandals are not different lengths, I sent a photo in a previous message of mine. They were packaged together by the manufacturer and in the original box. The measurements I indicated are the ones printed on the sandals and on the box. All Havaianas sellers, even on Ebay, list the BRA size and the EUR size. This chart you’re forwarding seems to come from the Havaianas website and may be a useful tool for anyone who wants to buy and has never tried one of their products.
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoYou are a private seller selling new items, so you wouldn't even be required to accept a return for a change of mind or because the buyer says it doesn't fit.
Try contacting eBay support and let them know what happened, tell them that you are a private seller and that you are not obliged to accept returns, but that you were still willing to take the item back and the buyer did not want to pay the return shipping.
Best regards.
digging.bill
OP1 year agoSure, I already wrote to him in the first message that returning the item to me isn’t a problem at all. I could never have imagined then receiving negative feedback because, according to him, a size 43 from that brand doesn’t correspond to 43! I’ve already tried to contact Ebay, I sent an email because it’s the only channel I found. Thanks.
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoBuyers think everywhere is like on Amazon, even if they buy from a private seller....
In my opinion, the negative feedback comes from the fact that he thought you were doing him a wrong / a slight by making him pay for the return shipping.
The negative feedback comes from a misunderstanding about what the buyer’s rights and duties are and how ebay works.
I hope they remove it for you, let us know.
vonbalden
·1 year agoNegative feedback is usually the result of a lack of explanation, or rather of something that was left unsaid and that leads the buyer to a misplaced sense of misunderstanding. A bit like when, at Christmas, you all hyped up opened the long-awaited package and found inside something that wasn’t what you were expecting. You offer new items (I won’t go into the reasons why), which cannot be described so briefly. If I offer a coaxial illuminated sight, I can’t just describe the item as a laser light and that’s it. Even if the item costs less than 100 euros. I have to go into every detail that can satisfy and confirm the buyer’s legitimate curiosity. You could ask for the review to be revised in exchange for a discount for the unsatisfactory outcome, but often this tactic doesn’t work, creating the conditions for unwanted reactions. Try to review every description and, for the moment, forget what happened. Online, it’s another way of selling. One that requires greater care aimed at making the sale succeed.
digging.bill
OP1 year agoI agree with what I read. In fact, since I started selling online I try to be as complete as possible in the descriptions and I’ve never risked any misunderstandings. In this case... just a simple flip-flop. New with tag. The buyer receives exactly the size in the listing. They arrive, he tries them on and according to him they don’t fit the size printed by the manufacturer!