I recently purchased some perfume on Ebay. It is old and discontinued, and as it turns out, rancid too.
The seller agreed to refund my money minus shipping if I send it back, and I'm happy with that. If I get the refund I won't leave negative feedback, but I'm just wondering what kind of feedback I should leave. Neutral, or positive with an explanation? I haven't done much Ebaying and all of my transactions have been positive up to this point. Technically, the product was as described.
Posted by adfectio (Member # 11070) on :
I guess for me it would really depend on how nice the person was about it. I don't mind a little bit of hassle, as long as the person I'm dealing with is understanding. No matter what, try to explain the situation, that's why the comments are there. But If (s)he gave you any problems about returning it, then I would probably rate it neutral.
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
To me, the feedback and comments rate the transaction as well as the item. If I got my money back, I'd be leaving a positive.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Thanks to both of you -- I was leaning to positive, but I wasn't sure if I was being too much of a softie. I'm a tiny bit irritated about not having any of the inflated shipping price returned to me, but not enough to make an issue of it; I agreed to that price for shipping when I bid on it.
Posted by ricree101 (Member # 7749) on :
quote:Originally posted by Swampjedi: To me, the feedback and comments rate the transaction as well as the item. If I got my money back, I'd be leaving a positive.
It depends on how honest the shipping was. I know that some sellers will inflate the shipping costs in order to reduce the amount they have to give ebay and to make the item look cheaper. If that is the case for this particular item, the seller could still be making a profit off of this.
Since the item is being sent back, check to see how the cost to ship it back compares with the paid shipping cost. If the actual cost is much less than what was paid, I'd still suggest considering a neutral or negative feedback.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
Do not leave a positive feedback. Any seller who will not refund s/h on a defective item is dishonest, period.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
If you get a total refund, it's as if the transaction never occurred. I'd leave neutral with written praise for the sellers reasonable behavior.
If you suspect at all that the bottle had been opened when it was stated as not having been, or if the shipping charge was unreasonable for the packaging and postage, or there was excessive rudeness or delay, a negative is not out of order. Inflating shipping costs to reduce ebay charges is against policy and should be reported to ebay.
Only a transaction where you receive the item in stated condition in a timely manner with reasonable shipping charges deserves a positive.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:Inflating shipping costs to reduce ebay charges is against policy and should be reported to ebay.
Yes, it should be, but if the charges are available beforehand (as they almost always are) and you bid and win anyway, you are absolutely responsible for paying them, whether you think they are fair or not, and they are NOT a valid reason to leave a neutral or negative feedback. It is the buyer's responsibility to be aware of all the seller's policies and fees prior to purchasing.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
As it stands now, I'd leave neutral feedback. Something along the lines of "product not satisfactory but Seller willing to return/refund". I don't think there's anything (s)he could do to get a positive out of me at this point.
And I'd watch that seller's future listings to see if (s)he relists that bottle of perfume once it's come back.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Thanks to all of you -- your comments have been helpful.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
erosomniac, I agree. I would not leave negative or neutral feedback if I bid on something that had inflated shipping, as long as the item arrived in good condition with no shipping damage.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, I never bid on something without checking the shipping first, and if I'm okay paying it, I wouldn't leave neg. or neut. feedback even if their cost was much lower. However, if they refuse to answer questions about shipping, and do not list shipping cost in their listing, I take that as a red flag and do not bid.
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
also note, most sellers wait until you leave feedback until they give you feedback...and will give you negative feedback if you give them either neutral or negative feedback.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lupus: also note, most sellers wait until you leave feedback until they give you feedback...and will give you negative feedback if you give them either neutral or negative feedback.
The easy way to avoid this is to tell the seller that you do not leave feedback until feedback is received, for any reason. Since feedback is exponentially more important to sellers than it is to buyers, it's pretty easy to hold them ransom, and you don't lose anything by doing so.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
He left positive feedback immediately. The seller has high positive feedback ratings, so I don't really think he makes a practice of trying to rip people off, which is one reason why I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt.