Ebay Scammers & Negative Feedback

[Frizzle Fry]

So, like an idiot I sold an item on ebay rather than the forums.

I posted multiple pictures, mentioned and pictured damage to the finish, and sold it as "for parts".

So this idiot (with, may I say, the WORST username ever) sends me a handful of messages offering to buy it outside Ebay for under my starting-bid price. Then he bids on it and wins. I mailed it out, and it arrived within 3 days. At this point, he leaves me neutral feedback based on the issue that was pictured/described, and sends me an email stating that he will change it to a positive if I give a full refund, and a negative if I don't. Then (after feedback and email) he sent me an Ebay message saying "Before I leave feedback, I wanted to discuss this issue with you..." to which I responded that he ought to send me a picture of what he feels is a problem, which he won't.

What's the deal here? And why can't I leave him negative feedback?

[El Zilcho]

It more or less sounds like he is trying to extort you, if all of this stuff is documented, I would take it all to Ebay and let them deal with the buyer. I am assuming they have some sort of policy that prohibits this kind of behavior.

[blackdeath1k]

I had an issue where it wouldn't let me leave neutral feedback. Said the seller was ranked to high. Wtf. The new part had to be modified to fit the bike that was in its specs that it fit. To me that isn't positive. Some things are just jacked. Good luck with your ordeal. Hope it works out for you.

[Justus]

Long ago, Ebay bowed down to the complaints of the buyer and made their selling platform completely one-sided. Buyers started complaining that they would buy an item and then would be fearful of leaving negative feedback for the seller if there was a problem, because then the seller could also retaliate and leave negative feedback for the buyer. It was reasoned that once a buyer pays, timely, for a won auction, then that's all they have to do to receive positive feedback. Ebay now prohibits sellers from leaving negative feedback for buyers that simply pay for the auction. They refuse to give any credence to the argument that a buyer's obligation isn't fulfilled simply by paying, but also by working to a complete resolution where both sides are satisfied.

So now buyers have caught on, and have been doing things like what you describe. There's no retribution. If you open a dispute through Ebay, you're very likely to lose as a seller. This, combined with Ebay's high fees, is why that site is full of high-volume sellers only - people and companies that, through their size, can absorb the aggravation and expenses of the bad apples as simply a "cost of doing business." What started off as a place for anyone to post up and sell all kinds of items, mostly useful and lightly used, has turned into a cheap flea market where volumes upon volumes of things are sold, even "new" (read: refurbished and not disclosed) at retail prices.

I will buy things from the Ebay site from time to time, if I can't find them elsewhere or find a good deal. But I don't think I would ever sell things there again. It's too risky, with no seller protection at all.

EDIT: So you might be asking, "how does Ebay still get people to use the site, then?" Because it caters to the buyer in all instances, Ebay remains extremely buyer friendly. They own the auction site (dispute resolution), they bought PayPal (dispute resolution) and their policies favor the buyer to provide all kinds of assurances and protections - basically protecting the buyer from themselves, throwing caveat emptor out the window, at the expense of the seller.

And it's easy to promote yourself as a great marketplace for sellers when you can show so much buyer activity. If only high-volume sellers can afford to do business in the marketplace due to the buyer protection policies, then so be it. High volume sellers make more money for Ebay anyway, with all the listing fees, PayPal fees, etc. They simply don't care about a person who goes and tries to sell 20 things a year.

[Frizzle Fry]

Well I called him and they can't do anything because he emailed me and messaged me, and all I can do is provide screencaps of the messages which they deem inconclusive to prove extortion. I pointed out that he offered to buy outside ebay, they said it was irrelevant since he won the auction. I pointed out that his feedback complained about an issue, and that the issue was pictured and described in the auction, they said that didn't matter. Screw ebay.

Also, who calls themselves "Boom 911" that's just sick, especially since the auction ended on 9/11.

[XtraKargo]

I have sold on the bay for years, and I sold an Angel with out a charger. It stated in the listing that there was no charger. After he received it the buyer stated in a message that there was no charger, and wanted to know what "we" were going to do about. I kindly replied that "we" were going to re-read the listing stating that there was no charger and that "we" weren't doing anything about it.

You listed as damaged goods, and clearly showed it in pictures and black and white in writing. There shouldn't be an issue... This is ludicrous if there is...

[OPBN]

I have been hearing more and more instances of this. My brother in law sold a T9 a couple of months ago that was not only complete but included a bag of extras. I know the marker was complete because I had just used it with him the month before and he made no changes. Guy got it and started complaining that is was missing parts and it was going to cost him X number of dollars to fix and said the same thing.. "What was he going to do to make it right". ITT you're right, some people have caught on and are bidding on stuff without caring if it goes too high and then are complaining when they get it to negotiate a more favorable price. Seriously, how many times have we seen markers that have sold for stupid prices? Now what I don't get is that if people repeatedly do this, wouldn't Ebay notice a pattern?

[Frizzle Fry]

You listed as damaged goods, and clearly showed it in pictures and black and white in writing. There shouldn't be an issue... This is ludicrous if there is...

Apparently if he had filed a dispute through PayPal they would have sided with me, in which case the feedback would be removed by ebay. He hasn't filed through PayPal so the only way to get rid of it is to prove his scam, which according to them I can't, or to somehow convince him to retract it, which obviously he won't.

[knownothingmags]

well then all this being said no more of my markers for sale.
lol
like they were on anyone's radar