Tag Archives: help with eBay problem

Dear eBay Queen: Will Disclaimers Help My eBay Business?

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Dear eBay Queen:

Maybe it’s the heat of the summer here in Arizona, or maybe it’s just I’ve had all I can take with eBay.  It seems like lately all I get are complaints from buyers.  I receive one negative and one neutral feedback.  One states: “Didn’t ship fast enough” the other states:  “I didn’t know this was used.”  I responded to both of them, and I did ship the item same day, and the other item was clearly marked as vintage/used.  I received a message the other day from a buyer that had NO IDEA the “Depression Glass dishes I sent her were USED.”  And no, that was not from the person that left negative or neutral feedback.  I am on a Facebook eBay group, and one guy was talking about putting a disclaimer in his listings.  I’m thinking of doing the same thing, except update it to fit me.  This person KNOWS exactly how I feel.

Here is my disclaimer for my listings it is a mixture of the Facebook guy and mine.  I want to know what you think of it.

“Hi! I want you to be so happy with your purchase.  Here recently, I have had a rash of people leaving bad feedback.  I have this eBay business because I want to make a little money to help my family.  I’m not really a professional at this business, but I’m not a slouch either.  I learned from my parents and grandparents about antiques and collectibles.  Almost everything I sell is USED.  Buy USED it’s good for the environment!

Since the items are 20 to 100 years old, they are probably not in new condition. I am not an expert, but I do know a thing or two about antiques.  Sometimes I may miss something, but I do stand behind my products.  Keep in mind that it may not look like you want it when you are holding it in your hand.
Recently I had a buyer complain that her item had dust on it.  REALLY?  Wipe it off! I live in Arizona, the great Southwest! We have wind here and desert- like dirt.

When I buy these items at auctions, estate sales, flea markets or garage sales, I don’t ask the history behind the piece.  All I know is where I purchased it, and sometimes I do not know that!

I’ve had people ask if my items come from a non-smoking home.  I do not smoke, but my roommate smokes outside, and my attached garage (where the items are stored) is not only attached to my duplex, it’s attached to the neighbors.  That idiot smokes.  So sometimes my stuff might smell like smoke.  And again I don’t know the history of the stuff that I pick for all I know, they could have come from Joe Camel’s personal man-cave.

What I can promise is that if you have any questions or would like a picture at a different angle please feel free to ask questions BEFORE bidding and I will do everything in my power to help you.”

Do you think I should correct anything?  I thought it was nice enough. What are your disclaimers?

CTG

 

Dear CTG:

I think you can get those negative and neutral feedback removed. Call into eBay immediately and ask for the feedback to be reviewed.  Explain how you shipped the same day, and how you stated in your title, item specifics and description that the item is vintage/used.  I bet they will be removed for you.

I think it is best to have simple service disclaimers.  Such as: “I ship Monday through Friday!” Or: “We have the best question response time on eBay!”  Try to avoid the negative.   Although the smoking comment was witty, I think it would be best to say something like.  “I do not smoke, but my neighbor that I share storage space with does. Sometimes, that smell may be attached to the items I sell.”

I have found that long disclaimers turn buyers off. I would avoid those at any cost.

 ebaypiratebook

Strange eBay item of the Week: Item #:201594230454. It’s been quite a while since I looked for a book on eBay. It’s a book full of facts about pirates! Pirates Exquemelin Alexadre Olivier Bucaniers of America or A Lot 247 SOLD$5800.00.

 

 

Dear eBay Queen: How to Avoid the eBay Buyer Drama

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Dear eBay Queen:

I’m not sure what to do. I sold a super cute Lily Pulitzer dress that I wore one time to a wedding. It sold for 148.00 with free shipping. The dress was in perfect condition. The buyer left me positive feedback that was a little bit negative.

“Pretty dress the pink isn’t as pink as it should be”

I messaged the buyer and asked them if they were happy, and this is what she said:

“The dress is lovely, but I just didn’t think it was the right shade of “lily” pink. I live in Miami Beach you know, and Lily is all the rage here. I did wear it to Mass and brunch on Sunday, and it got rave reviews. I took it into the Lily Pulitzer store, and they told me it was authentic. That is why you didn’t get the feedback I thought the dress deserved for not being as pink as I needed it to be.”

I responded with:

“I’m sorry the dress wasn’t as pink as you thought it should be. I would offer a refund, but since you’ve worn the dress and received compliments, I cannot offer that refund, once you’ve sent it back. Thank you again for letting me know there was a problem”.

She responds with:

“Is there a way to revise my feedback? I should have given you a negative for your smartness!”

Do you think I should just leave this alone? Should I offer her a partial refund? Is there a way for them to change this positive into a negative? Should I respond to the positive feedback?

Gigi S

Dear Gigi:

I would not respond to her feedback or to any of her other messages. I would block this buyer and try to forget about her. If you were to respond, then she could also put a response in, and who needs that kind of drama?

 

Dear eBay Queen:

This is quite possibly the strangest thing I’ve ever had happen to me on eBay. I sell vintage plush and toys. I have an extensive cataloging system that keeps track of my items with photographs, sizes, price I paid and sold the item for. I also do this with my vintage toys, but haven’t been doing it for as long with the toys.

I sold a large Animal Fair Henry the Dog 2 weeks ago. The buyer messages me and tells me it is not the correct size, and does not match up with my listing. I know that Animal Fair Henry only came in a couple of sizes, so I ask her what size is this Henry? She doesn’t respond.   A couple of days go by, and I am looking through my catalog and I see that I sold four years ago (yes it was really four years ago.) the same size Animal Fair Henry to this same buyer. I called eBay Seller support, and was on hold for 1 hour and 43 minutes without them ever answering. I went back into the return request, and asked the buyer if she could give me the measurements of the item that I sent. She responds to the case and says:

“It doesn’t matter, I want to return it!”

I respond to her this: “I see you are a seller also, and it does matter when someone says that you did not measure something correctly.   Animal Fair Henry only comes in a few sizes, and those are NOT close to being the same size as each other. If you want to return this simply because you do not want it, that is fine, but to say I did not measure it correctly will give me a defect. I did do some checking in my records and see that you purchased the same Animal Fair Henry plush from me 4 years ago. Did you make a mistake and not realize you purchased the same size plush? I don’t want you to be upset with me, but I know that I measured this correctly. Could you please measure this?”

She responds with: “You are an idiot. I don’t want it. Accept this return and take your defect like a man.”
I have not responded after this. Can you let me know what I should do with this problem? Should I just go ahead and accept the return and take the hit?

Henry

 

Dear Henry:

I would call eBay either early in the morning, or late afternoon. If the system tells you it’s a 10 minute wait, and you are on hold past 30minutes I would hang up and try again until you get through. This buyer is not being truthful I believe she wants to return it without paying for the shipping. I hope that eBay sees it the same way. I would make sure you tell eBay that they purchased the exact same item from you several years ago. If you have the date and the item number, I would make sure you can give it to them.

 lilydress

Strange eBay Item of the Week: Item #:262017888774. Lily Pulitzer items are incredibly popular right now. I found this dress that sold relatively high: Lily Pulitzer Dark and Stormy Shift Dress SOLD: $455.00.

 

Dear eBay Queen: Should I Buy My Way Out of a Negative Feedback?

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Dear eBay Queen:

I’ve talked to my husband about this and my neighbor. They both said I should ask your opinion. My neighbor said it’s just a newbie mistake, my husband says I’m giving stuff away and being passive with people I should not be passive with. I’m not sure if it’s a newbie mistake when I’ve been selling for 4 years!

My brother purchased a house and 100 acres in Nebraska 5 years ago. The house and 2 barns were FULL. Once a month he brings me stuff from his barns/house and to sell on eBay. We split the profit and he pays the listing fees. Some of this product he brings me is old store stock from a general store that the previous owner of the property had.

I had listed a Bakelite necklace, earring and bracelet set. I tested it to make sure it was Bakelite before I sent it, and packaged it in bubble wrap and double packaged it when I sent it. The buyer contacted me with this message:

Hello, thank you for sending the jewelry set so quickly. I don’t think this is new, and I’m not really happy with it. This looks like something my grandmother wore in the 1950’s, not the cute necklace set I thought I was buying from this century!

I paid $145.00 for the set, and I think I should receive half of it back. Perhaps if you used Buy It Now I would not have to negotiate with you for the price of the item afterwads. You know if you give me good customer service I will buy more from you.

I messaged the buyer back, and told her to send them back and I’d refund her money. She responded, and told me “it was not worth it” and if I didn’t refund in full and allow her to keep them, she’d give negative feedback. I was going to refund the buyer’s money, because I don’t want a negative, and just let my brother know what happened. I talked to my brother and he told me to NOT refund the money. So I am coming to you for help.

The buyer sent me another message today.

“Well, 5 hours have gone by, and I have not heard from you. What are you going to do? My negative feedback is not going to be nice. You will never be able to sell that crap you call inventory if you don’t give me what I want. I better receive a refund before tomorrow, or your 100% positive feedback rating will no longer be 100%.

So should I just give them their money back and save my account the negative?

 

  1. Jenkins

 

Dear M. Jenkins:

I’ve been in similar situations, and I think I would message your buyer and tell her that based upon eBay’s new rules for sellers, you can’t give a refund without her opening a request. Give her these instructions:

  • To start a return, find the item in the Purchase history section of My eBay. …
  • Select the reason for the return. …

Let her know that once that is done, you can proceed.

Once you message her, contact eBay. I’m pretty sure that eBay will side with you and this is why:

  • The item was never described as new, but as vintage in excellent, used condition.
  • By her own admission, it looks like something from the era it is from.
  • The buyer refuses to return the item.
  • The buyer wants to KEEP the item and receive half of the money back.
  • The buyer threatened negative feedback if you do not give her what she wants.

Make sure that you do not say in your message you will give her the item or a refund. Just wait for the case to be opened by the buyer.

I hope that you get a fantastic understanding eBay CS representative that handles this swiftly. I don’t think it would hurt to report this buyer either.

 ebaybakelite

Strange eBay Item of the Week: Item #121684686777. Bakelite jewelry is highly collectible. If you are ever lucky enough to come across a bakelite “gumdrop” bangle, you might be able to sell it for quite a bit on eBay! Rare Red and Cream Vintage Bakelite Bow-Tie Gumdrop Bangle Bracelet Late 1950’s SOLD: $3000.00.