Dear eBay Queen:

I am super confused, and I don’t even know what to do.  I tried to bid on an item yesterday, and I was told that I was blocked from buying from this seller. This is a seller I do business with, and has many of the items that I really like.  All of a sudden, my seller has become angry with me. I contacted eBay, and they said that he has partially blocked me because I can still send emails to him. eBay told me that he didn’t have to answer the  messages, because the messages are not tied to any eBay item. I sent him a message, and asked why I couldn’t purchase these parts that I have been purchasing from him for years.  It took him several days, but this is what he responded with:
Hi, thank you for messaging me, I appreciate your kind words about being a good seller, but they have come too late for us.  You have been a fantastic buyer, except as of late you caused some issues for me as a seller on eBay and my account can’t afford this kind of issue.  Here are a few of the examples of the problems you created.

1. 1-10-2015 you opened a return request without contacting me first.  You selected that there was a problem with the item, and this gave me a defect.  When I messaged you about the problem, you told me that you ordered the wrong size adapter.  This isn’t an issue that is my fault, so in order to get the defect removed, I called eBay and was on hold for 2 hours then they transferred me to someone else where I was either on hold or waiting for 45 minutes.  I got this defect removed, but it would have been so nice if you would have just messaged me or called me instead of opening a return request.
2. 1-17-2015 you left neutral feedback that said “Thanks for the fast shipping, adapter wasn’t the right size” This left a defect, and I had to call and get this removed, which was another 45 minute phone call with eBay.
3. 1-25-2015 You contacted me via eBay’s messaging system (thank you) but complained that you thought my buy it now price was too high on the CD drive for the Dell laptop.
4. 1-26 you purchased the above mentioned CD drive, and then before you even received it, you left me a neutral feedback. “Price was higher than competitors I like the Seller”  (defect received for neutral)

I understand you like me, but you are hurting my business, and costing me a lot of time in the process.

This happened over NOTHING as far as I can tell. We had a small argument about item details but even there the seller started the argument.  I’ve messaged him several times since I received this message, but he will not respond to anything I send him. I'm just trying to find out what the heck is happening! He won't allow me to bid on anything, won't allow me to subscribe to his newsletter, and I can't even ASK anything about the items he has listed. This seems wrong: he owes me an explanation. With this going on, how I can buy from him or even trust him? He's angry for no reason and has done all this to me. It actually hurts me.

Tim

Dear Tim:

I think your seller gave you a pretty good explanation in regards to what they are angry about.  eBay has made some changes to the way sellers are evaluated, and it is just not by neutral or negative feedback.  This defect system is sometimes a scary, not-so-well oiled machine to be up against as a seller.  This seller is afraid that you will create more problems for him.  It seems like you might not have understood how an eBay seller is evaluated based upon the innocent comments, or moves a buyer can make.

I don’t know if this situation is repairable between you and the seller.  If I were you I would message them again and let them know you did not understand that they were being given defects, or even being secretly evaluated by eBay in this manner. I would ask them to please give you another chance. All you can do is wait for them to decide.

Strange Item of the Week: Item #:171629243567.  In honor of Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday, I found a festive wreath on eBay: Mardi Gras Wreath with Mask Jester Feet Beads Fat Tuesday Carnival Celebration SOLD: $164.95.