Question:
Please give me your opinions.
Mindful that eBay feedback is primarily for the benefit of future buyers, more than to please or punish sellers, I face a dilemma. All input is welcome.
In November I won a fairly expensive item from a private seller, intended as an X-mas gift for my brother. I paid in full - for the item and UPS shipping - ten minutes after the close of auction, via PayPal.
Three weeks later the item had not been shipped. Seller told me he'd miscalculated shipping costs. It would be more to ship. I immediately sent him the extra funds via PayPal.
Several days later I had still received no tracking number and no replies to my requests for shipping confirmation. I initiated a PayPal dispute. The seller went ballistic, claiming I'd had Paypal withdraw the money from his bank account and return it to me and now I expected delivery? I was scamming him. I replied that no refund had been issued. It was his responsibility to ship the item. He refused. I escalated to a Paypal claim and soon received my money back.
This merits negative feedback in my view. I know from researching the seller's other feedback - largely positive - that when given negative feedback he responds in kind, all caps calling the buyer a liar and a cheat and so on. Is my obligation to the truth, to alert other eBayers, or to let it pass and keep my own hundred percent record?
What would you do?
Answer:
I would post negative feedback. For the most part, i think neg. feedback hurts less buyers and, more importantly to me, since I would want to be warned about that type of character, I would warn others.
Answer:
You got your money back. Let it go. Enjoy life.
Answer:
I agree with this. It's going to hurt a seller a lot more than a buyer. You see a seller with one completely terrible experience and think 'oh shit, that could happen to me,' but you see a buyer with one terrible experience and think 'who cares, that transaction didn't work out."
Or at least, that's how I view the situation.
Answer:
I wouldn't do anything- he will leave you negative feedback in return and damage your reputation. The feedback system is quite flawed in my opinion.
Answer:
I agree 100%, unless you don't use your account to sell things. If you are a seller also, you want your feedback to be as close to 100% as possible.
There are many problems with the ebay feedback system. There is no quality control and no objective standards. People can say whatever they want, whether or not it is the truth or based on reality. The biggest problem is that people will retaliate simply because they got negative feedback. Most sellers wait to give feedback until they have received feedback. So they are giving feedback simply based on what feedback they received.
Answer:
Shady.
It does clearly merit negative feedback but whether you want to get your own feedback dinged is another matter. If you have lots of feedback, I'd do it, because one neg isn't the end of the world and anyone looking into it will see it's an isolated incident.
If you don't have much/any feedback yet, it's a harder call, esp. if you sell too. I wouldn't do it in those circumstances and just don't give any feedback at all.
Answer:
This is the eternal eBay dilemma. Keep your own hide intact or use your ability to warn future victims. I would go full-throttle -- leave the negative FB. Take the time to word it perfectly given the number of characters you're allowed. Heck with it. Life has consequences, and thus, unscrupulous sellers should be held to account.
The only reason a lot of bad sellers stay in business is that so many people fear the negative FB reprisal. They count on the fact that their feet won't be held to the fire, and they go on bilking people. I'm an eBayer and I know I'd appreciate warnings, where appropriate. Up to you, but don't be shy. Yes, I agree the FB system is flawed, but you'd be taking the high road and doing a service to the eBay community. Even if you do get the negative FB, I believe there's a way that you can have it removed if the dispute is decided in your favor.
Answer:
If it counts for anything, I'm always skeptical of the all-caps, name-filled negative feedback. It reflects worse on the person who left it than on the recipient. If you leave a calm, measured reply, I suspect most people will have a similar reaction.
Answer:
This alone merits negative feedback IMHO. To take 3 weeks to come back with that response would be unacceptable to me.
As others have said, it's your call because he will probably do the same. I'd simply state the facts, which are hard to refute.
Answer:
Leave negative feedback.
Answer:
Leave negative and live with his retaliation.
I once left a neutral to a guy who overpriced shipment and he gave me a negative for retaliation, I didn't even bother writing a comment on that and it has not hurt my business (I'm just a buyer on eBay) I even think that this makes clear to sellers who look at my feedback that I pay ASAP but don't want to be cheated on shipment, which is good.
Answer:
Agreed.
What's the great quote about 'evil' and 'men who doing nothing'?
Answer:
Here it is.
http://tartarus.org/martin/essays/burkequote.html
Answer:
One more vote for leaving negative feedback. When I look at feedbacks and I see sellers retaliating with a furious reply and a negative feedback in return, it usually adds insult to the injury (almost literally) and turns me off even more.
When I see retaliative feedback from sellers, I usually completely discount it
