eBay ratings- don't want to be a jerk...

[dexdog]

but I recently received an RF lens from an eBay seller. Lens is in very good condition as advertised. However the guy took 10 days to get it in the mail, sent it parcel post ($1.42 cost) even though his $7 shipping fee specifically said USPS priority mail. Insurance was a $3 option (I paid it), but the package was not insured. Lastly, the packaging materials consisted of 4 sheets of newspaper. Needless to say, I will never buy anything from this seller again, even though he had a 100% rating based on 58 sales.

My dilemna: Do I give this seller a bad feedback, or merely a neutral rating, and try to explain the explain the problems in 80 characters or less? I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and not assume that they are simply doing all they can to cheat me out of a measly $10, but this example seems egregious, given the really horrible packaging and no insurance. If the lens had arrived damaged, I would have been out the sale price, and would have to file a complaint against the seller with the Ebay administration- a real pita from all reports.

Whaddya think, folks?

 

[Goodyear]

Have you expressed all this to the seller?

If I were he, I'd refund the extra shiping and insurance charges.

 

[dexdog]

I have not contacted the seller. Recently, I have had 3 occasions where I have had similar problems. All of the sellers I contact by email were apologetic, but when I received the package, I was clear from the postmark date and postage paid that they lied to me about when they shipped the item, and whether it was insured. As you know, USPS insured packages always a separate sticker on the box.

I am going through a bit of bad luck recently with eBay, and am just frustrated, I guess.

 

[bobofish]

In all fairness, the damage has been done....even if his Ebay business is in selling $2 used washcloths, anybody with ANY common sense would know not to send a lens in newspaper, even if that newspaper was blessed by the Pope.

Ask the guy frankly what he was thinking, and why he did not package better, and insure the thing. The vengeful jerk in me almost wants you to tell him that the lens arrived damaged, just to see what he says.

Even if he does refund your shipping (personally I think it should be ALL of the shipping, not just the extra), I would AT BEST write a very, very apathetic review.

If he does however bend over backwards to appologize and help, then the best I think you should do is click the "positive" button, and write "ok."

 

[oftheherd]

Leaving a negative feedback invites the same from him. Leaving a neutral might get the same. I am inclined to think the seller deserves at least a neutral even if he refunds the money. If it were an honest mistake it would be different, but I don't know how it could be. Sounds like he is ripping people off and hopes no one will leave apropriate feedback out of fear of retaliation. Or, maybe the seller is just arrogant. Only you can decide if the risk is worth it.

 

[bobofish]

Boy...now that I think of it, that's the real crux of his situation now.

After you pointed it out (I'm not much of an Ebay-er) I thought ot myself of all the people that must glance over their problems, for fear of retaliation feedback.

I wonder how many of the glowing ratings some sellers have are due to people being worried that they will be black-balled in the future?

Shoot, maybe wait until he leaves feedback for you, and then ask questions.

 

[f/stopblues]

As a buyer, I'd find it valuable to read about someone's poor experience with a seller. Ebay is always a calculated risk, so honest feedback helps. If he's a careless shipper, that's significant enough in my book to share it with the rest of the community. Unfortunately, it does leave you open for retaliatory feedback. Also, most inflated shipping fee complaints are met with "Shipping cost stated in description", so maybe have something more creative in mind!

 

[rover]

I have left nuetral feedback for a very good seller because he lied to me when he shipped an item. I did not leave negative because the lens was in very good condition as described. He shipped the package 3 weeks after he said he did and that is what I said in my feedback.

 

[david b]

I recently purchased a metz flash which arrived from canada, in an un-padded paper envelope. Needless to say, I was pissed. I gave him a neutral FB.

There are 3 parts to get a positive feedback from me:

1. price & value
2. shipping - cost and timelyness
3. item condition

If one of the items is off , a neutral is given (ie...10 days to ship something). If two things are off, then a negative is given.

And I will accept all the negs you want to give me. I have proof of payment with a date stamp.

 

[prosty]

Just to restate what others have said, I think it best to give the seller the opp't to make amends. I've received a couple of broken items that were advertised in superb working condition. Twice, the sellers accepted the items back immediately and issued refunds. The other time I went into the ebay buyer protection program. Whatever rating you give, I think it would help future buyers greatly to know that a. the item was received in stated condition and b. the seller did not use the shipping service advertised and paid for. Fitting that into 80 chars is a different matter entirely.

 

[anandi]

Dexdog,
I'd feel steamed if I were you too. I've found contacting the seller in two cases were fruitful. Once I got a camera that was not in the condition advertised and the seller reduced the selling price. Another time, a seller was willing to take back a camera if I wasn't satisfied after running a roll of film through it. As a minimum he should give you your insurance money back. Hopefully he can redeem himself before it gets to the negative feedback stage.

 

[dexdog]

I have left a total of 3 neutral ratings for sellers who have obviously lied to me regarding very delayed shipping (i.e., greater than 3 weeks), but have not left a negative because the items were as described, and were well-packaged. Also, since I only participate in auctions with PayPal, no seller could ever accuse me of late payment , because I always pay the same day, and usually within the hour. The only harm done was that I had to wait longer. In these cases, all sellers gave me a positive rating, feedback, offering lame excuses for their poor performance.

I view this situation as more serious due to the higher risk that I more or less had to assume because the seller was either forgetful, lazy or just deceitful. Thanks for the opinions folks, I think that I will email the seller with my issues, and ask for a refund of the shipping costs.

 

[nwcanonman]

dexdog,
Don't think that because you paid the seller immediately that you CAN'T get a Negative/Neutral on your Feedback.
I won a NIkon EM that was totally NOT as described and the seller had been paid right away. When he refused to refund the money I left him a Negative. In retailiation he left ME a negative too, which is the only non-positive in over 300 transactions. He was so stupid that the seller's negative comment states that "I" was a bad seller - DUH !
His comment hasn't stopped anyone from selling or buying from/to me.
:bang:

 

[ch1]

I have left a total of 3 neutral ratings for sellers who have obviously lied to me regarding very delayed shipping (i.e., greater than 3 weeks), but have not left a negative because the items were as described, and were well-packaged. Also, since I only participate in auctions with PayPal, no seller could ever accuse me of late payment , because I always pay the same day, and usually within the hour. The only harm done was that I had to wait longer. In these cases, all sellers gave me a positive rating, feedback, offering lame excuses for their poor performance.

I view this situation as more serious due to the higher risk that I more or less had to assume because the seller was either forgetful, lazy or just deceitful. Thanks for the opinions folks, I think that I will email the seller with my issues, and ask for a refund of the shipping costs.

One cautionary is worth mentioning here. There are sellers who consider "neutral" FB to be the same as "negative". I was "retaliated against" by such a seller who "responded" to my neutral with a negative. I had given him a neutral both for poor packaging and less than timely delivery even though I had paid via PayPal within minutes of the auction end.

So be careful with FB. My approach now is to either give positive FB when deserved or just do nothing so as not to provoke retaliation. [BTW: most seller are saavy enough to wait until the buyer posts FB before they respond.]

 

[Al Patterson]

Dexdog, If the camera was in one pice, I'd leave a positive with a statement like "worth the wait" in it. Were I mad enough I might add, "could be packed better". But then, that's just me.

 

[iggers]

I agree that you should let the seller know why you are unhappy, and suggest a refund of all excess shipping and insurance charges.

As for feedback, I suppose I would be inclined to leave no feedback if the seller is at all responsive and apologetic.

If the seller is not responsive, I would be tempted to leave a neutral.

Retaliatory feedback is a pain. Having separate buyer and seller accounts has been suggested as a way to deal with this: as a buyer, you can leave a neutral or a negative without fear that your seller rating will be harmed by an unfair retaliatory negative.

Even though most people avoid giving negatives out of fear of retaliation, it often is possible to discern lack of enthusiasm in a seller's feedback. And of course, if a seller is cruddy or a sociopath, they will collect negatives.

I think I once got a negative or a neutral (only have 3 in over 1000) that was a retaliation for a neutral.

Once or twice, I left a positive that included negative comments such as "took 2 wks to ship."

 

[nomade]

I think u should talk to the seller 1st...Then surely no one can blame u for a negative remark afterwards, explaining the problem in a neutral way, it's other people right to know...

 

[ZeissFan]

It seems to me that a growing number of eBay sellers are making extra money by padding the shipping costs. There is one, and I'd be happy to share his name here but won't, who charges entirely too much. Actual shipping costs were $3.10, and he asked for $10. For another item, he wanted $20 shipping -- actual was $5.

I always check shipping and see if it's reasonable or unreasonable.

I'd send one note to the seller. You can still leave positive feedback but note that shipping costs and time were unreasonable and that the item wasn't packed properly. It's a way to say that you're happy with the item but not with how it was delivered.

 

[Goodyear]

Actual shipping costs were $3.10, and he asked for $10.

I'd be curious what that figure was based on.

If that's the postage cost on the sticker, remember to figure packing materials, fuel to get to/from the post office, time, etc.

 

[Pherdinand]

I'd definitely contact the seller and clearly ask for refund. In fact, it is similar to the case when i bought the contax iiia+sonnar from the US. The seller asked for 43$ shipping costs but it cost him only 27$. So i asked him what's the matter, are all the rest "handling charges" that he forgot to mention in the listing? I got a refund (and an explanation that the guy was listing/e-mailing, the wife was shipping).