julieooly
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2018
Posts: 721 
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Post by julieooly on Apr 27, 2019 10:08:20 GMT -5
I've been buying little tidbits of rocks and slabs from a seller on Ebay. So I've bought from this seller maybe 4 or 5 times and always been pleased with what I get. Well a month or so ago I purchased a piece and was totally disappointed in it, so I left a negative review. The seller contacted me and asked me what the issue was and explained the listing more clearly (which was totally unclear!) he said if he'd refund my money would I change my review? So I got my 2$ back and took a much closer look at the original listing and amended my negative review to "neutral" choosing the option that the "I didn't understand the listing".
Well a week or so later I was trying to bid on an item I had been watching BUT when I tried to place a bid I was told the seller had prohibited me from bidding on their items. Ebay told me I should try to contact the seller (I could never figure out how by what the website said). Then I noticed that this seller was no longer on my "Saved Sellers" list.
So apparently the seller banned me completely from their store for leaving a neutral review, for which I took the blame for not knowing what the listing meant. I can only assume that my review disappeared from their stats also.
I've read some recent threads about fake sales and fake reviews, I guess this is just another way that people mislead us.
Julie
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jimaz
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2018
Posts: 474 
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Post by jimaz on Apr 27, 2019 10:17:39 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing your experience. Bummer the seller banned you.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2019 12:19:30 GMT -5
I was banned by a seller after leaving a positive review and was satisfied with what I received. I asked why; wasn't given an answer or un-banned. Not sure what caused them not to want my money - or even having my bids to boost the selling price a notch or two for the things I didn't win - but decided not to obsess over a choice they made that affects them more than me. People can be weird.
On the other hand, I've put a couple of buyers on the banned list who've done some fairly egregious things. One that still gets my goat many years later is a person who purchased a Satin Flash hyalite bubble opal - not something that is even supposed to be water-clear with no inclusions (I fully described and close-up photos to show the bubble structure, streamers, etc. - the very things that make bubble opal desirable), yet the reason given in their angry, abusive complaint was that it was full of veils and such. Was an expensive, delicate piece, and I worried about it being damaged in the poorly packed way I eventually received it back. Not worth the time and expense of going through that again with that buyer.
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 27, 2019 13:56:59 GMT -5
Honestly, I would have banned you, too. You say you had made very many happy purchases, yet you were unhappy with one (which was your own fault) and you didn't attempt to contact the person?? I ALWAYS contact a seller with an issue before I leave a negative. I have almost always been made happy. I did it just yesterday. I got something advertised as a slab that was about 2mm thick. No. Uh uh. She returned all my money and told me to keep everything- even what was good and I DID tell her I was happy with the other things. I am never confrontational. I simply state the facts as I see them and let the ball roll. They don't want a negative and I don't want to be ripped off. I have never been banned.
eta I should add I have about 1000 reviews and God knows how much I've bought.
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 27, 2019 15:33:35 GMT -5
My oldest daughter takes music lessons at a store where the owner repairs/refurbishes instruments and sells them on Ebay. He says he bans everyone that leaves him a negative review as all of the ones he has had was due to the buyer not paying full attention to his listing. I have nothing else to go on but his word and my dealings with him but he is very meticulous and has treated us well, even helped us sell a French Horn. He feels his reviews are so important that he would rather not risk dealing with those people again.
Not saying this necessarily parallels your situation, maybe just the other side of the coin.
Al
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 27, 2019 20:55:18 GMT -5
The buyer has an obligation to work things out with the seller and the seller has an obligation with the buyer. No reviews or other action should take place until that happens. I find the level of support from ebay to be lacking. When something goes wrong they aren't much help and I occasionally have to deal with an irresponsible seller. ebay experience needs to be evaluated as an aggregate and my overall experience has been positive.
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tomg
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2019
Posts: 103
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Post by tomg on Apr 27, 2019 22:57:29 GMT -5
Don't use flea bay, simple as that!
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 27, 2019 23:25:35 GMT -5
Honestly, I would have banned you, too. You say you had made very many happy purchases, yet you were unhappy with one (which was your own fault) and you didn't attempt to contact the person?? I ALWAYS contact a seller with an issue before I leave a negative. I have almost always been made happy. I did it just yesterday. I got something advertised as a slab that was about 2mm thick. No. Uh uh. She returned all my money and told me to keep everything- even what was good and I DID tell her I was happy with the other things. I am never confrontational. I simply state the facts as I see them and let the ball roll. They don't want a negative and I don't want to be ripped off. I have never been banned. eta I should add I have about 1000 reviews and God knows how much I've bought. I agree. Feedback does not have to be left immediately. If I have a problem with a seller I contact them first and see if they are wiling to resolve the problem . Then I base my feedback on whether or not they were willing to resolve the problem. If problem is corrected I still leave positive feedback. If they refuse or screw around then my feedback is negative. |
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 28, 2019 8:58:35 GMT -5
I have made maybe 2 or 3 dozen purchases on Ebay over the years and I have never left any feedback that I can remember. I was always satisfied with my purchase and have made repeat buys from 2 or 3 of the Sellers. Why is the feedback so important? I have have never sold anything(see lack of picture taking skills) so maybe I am missing something. Hopefully this is not all part of the "everybody gets a trophy" culture.
There are a couple of basic rules that I follow when purchasing. 1) I am completely familiar with whatever it is that I am purchasing. 2) If the description or pictures do not fill in a complete image of the condition or the build then I ask questions, or I just don't buy. There are things that I would never buy online, need to see it and hold it in my hands. Even then if I am not real familiar with something buying in person has risks.
I do find Ebay useful for finding odd things, Wife needed a special, long dis-continued Xmas tree cookie pan. Search Ebay and found 4 or 5 of them, bought one, the Wife was happy(win-win!!)
Good luck
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 28, 2019 9:17:08 GMT -5
I have made maybe 2 or 3 dozen purchases on Ebay over the years and I have never left any feedback that I can remember. I was always satisfied with my purchase and have made repeat buys from 2 or 3 of the Sellers. Why is the feedback so important? I have have never sold anything(see lack of picture taking skills) so maybe I am missing something. Hopefully this is not all part of the "everybody gets a trophy" culture. There are a couple of basic rules that I follow when purchasing. 1) I am completely familiar with whatever it is that I am purchasing. 2) If the description or pictures do not fill in a complete image of the condition or the build then I ask questions, or I just don't buy. There are things that I would never buy online, need to see it and hold it in my hands. Even then if I am not real familiar with something buying in person has risks. I do find Ebay useful for finding odd things, Wife needed a special, long dis-continued Xmas tree cookie pan. Search Ebay and found 4 or 5 of them, bought one, the Wife was happy(win-win!!) Good luck Feedback is very important. It let's the buyer know if the seller can be trusted. Agreed, you NEVER know what you will find on eBay. I found found the most obscure things. |
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 721
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Post by julieooly on Apr 28, 2019 9:33:15 GMT -5
Great feedback for a newbie buyer, I hadn't considered contacting them before leaving the feedback, duh. They had emailed me asking for reviews and I simply clicked the boxes for what I thought about the stuff I bought. I also never considered there would be negative repercussions for completely accepting the blame and simply going neutral.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,718
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 28, 2019 9:36:18 GMT -5
Always talk it out before any action is to take place.... Makes things go so much smoother!! I always want my customers happy with their purchase! (No matter how or what happens, communicate)...
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 28, 2019 9:40:35 GMT -5
Great feedback for a newbie buyer, I hadn't considered contacting them before leaving the feedback, duh. They had emailed me asking for reviews and I simply clicked the boxes for what I thought about the stuff I bought. I also never considered there would be negative repercussions for completely accepting the blame and simply going neutral. You have long time to leave feedback. Don't let the eBay nagging emails get to you. I've made a lot of good lapidary relationships contacting sellers. A guy was selling huge rocks of something I wanted. I contacted and asked him if he could list something for a trimsaw and he did.  Lots of really great rock people. I have given sellers a second chance, too. Sometimes with success, but there is a guy selling dino bone that is too free with photoshop. Wish I could remember his name now. |
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Post by grumpybill on May 1, 2019 10:41:45 GMT -5
You should ALWAYS contact the seller before leaving negative, or even neutral, feedback.
If the problem is resolved, give positive feedback and maybe comment on what the problem was and how it was resolved.
If the problem is somewhat resolved, but not to your complete satisfaction, maybe mention the problem and give less than 5 stars in the appropriate area(s).
I've only ever once considered giving negative or neutral feedback, but decided in the end that maybe the multiple lame-assed excuses I'd been given could have been true, so I decided to just not leave any feedback.
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Post by aDave on May 1, 2019 12:43:26 GMT -5
Based upon your story, it sounds like the seller "made you whole" by refunding your money - even though it was you who didn't understand the listing that well. As others have mentioned, that really deserves a "positive" rating which reflects upon the seller's honesty and willingness to work with you. After what the seller did in reaching out to you and fixing the problem, the "neutral" is a bit of a slap in the face. If you are so inclined, I believe you can change your neutral to a positive. I didn't dig too deep, but it looks like it can be done as long as it is done within 30 days of the transaction. If you go that route, let the seller know you would like to change the feedback for them. Explain that you're new to the format and you're still trying to figure things out. From there, I believe the seller sends you a feedback revision request. Here's an article I found that kind of explains the process. www.salehoo.com/blog/ask-an-expert-how-to-get-negative-feedback-removedAfter all of that, maybe the seller will consider removing the ban. Who knows? |
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Post by greig on May 1, 2019 13:04:58 GMT -5
I usually don't leave feedback, unless I am very happy with the purchase. I would have to be really angry before posting neutral or negative feedback, especially on a small seller. I don't like hurting someone else's business. I have slagged a couple of people who were selling fake merchandise. They knew it and tried to pass it off as legit. In fact, on one Canadian seller, I told them I was going to the RCMP with the item. That got their attention pronto. ;-)
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Post by MsAli on May 1, 2019 17:37:29 GMT -5
I usually don't leave feedback, unless I am very happy with the purchase. I would have to be really angry before posting neutral or negative feedback, especially on a small seller. I don't like hurting someone else's business. I have slagged a couple of people who were selling fake merchandise. They knew it and tried to pass it off as legit. In fact, on one Canadian seller, I told them I was going to the RCMP with the item. That got their attention pronto. ;-) As a seller I count on feedback and it is kind of a slap in the face not to get one at all. It is so very important to have those pluses and not just because others see them. Your fee rates, listing quantities and more are affected by feedback. & it doesn't take long to say Thank you, or good seller, item as described, had problem but seller fixed satisfactorily, etc. Every little thing positive helps where as a negative or neutral really does hurt the seller and we as sellers cannot do a darn thing about it if the buyer is lying. Which is why a lot of sellers will bend over backwards to fix things. I had a gentleman leave a really nasty feedback on a very expensive LP just because he didn't get his way with me re-valuing the LP to lower his custom costs. My policy states clearly I will NOT do this and he harassed me for a month straight via messages to refund him which I refused. Even though I had proof via his messages this is why he left the negative feedback EBAY would still not reverse it. It will drop off soon but it wasn't good for another potential buyer to see for a whole year, even though as a seller I can and did leave my comment under his. |
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Post by rockjunquie on May 1, 2019 17:55:08 GMT -5
I just got a 4 star review. No, it's not that bad, but it really bugged me because it was a bargain stone. I messaged her and was very friendly, polite and positive. I reminded her of the description of the item and she immediately updated her review because she had forgotten that it was advertised exactly correct. I was not trying to deceive anyone. I flat out said it wasn't my best and was a B stone. Made me think I won't be offering any newbies or wrappers any bargains from now on.
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Post by Rockindad on May 1, 2019 19:27:28 GMT -5
I usually don't leave feedback, unless I am very happy with the purchase. I would have to be really angry before posting neutral or negative feedback, especially on a small seller. I don't like hurting someone else's business. I have slagged a couple of people who were selling fake merchandise. They knew it and tried to pass it off as legit. In fact, on one Canadian seller, I told them I was going to the RCMP with the item. That got their attention pronto. ;-) As a seller I count on feedback and it is kind of a slap in the face not to get one at all. It is so very important to have those pluses and not just because others see them. Your fee rates, listing quantities and more are affected by feedback.
& it doesn't take long to say Thank you, or good seller, item as described, had problem but seller fixed satisfactorily, etc. Every little thing positive helps where as a negative or neutral really does hurt the seller and we as sellers cannot do a darn thing about it if the buyer is lying. Which is why a lot of sellers will bend over backwards to fix things. I had a gentleman leave a really nasty feedback on a very expensive LP just because he didn't get his way with me re-valuing the LP to lower his custom costs. My policy states clearly I will NOT do this and he harassed me for a month straight via messages to refund him which I refused. Even though I had proof via his messages this is why he left the negative feedback EBAY would still not reverse it. It will drop off soon but it wasn't good for another potential buyer to see for a whole year, even though as a seller I can and did leave my comment under his. Thanks for the enlightenment (see green above). Not being a seller I did not know this. Do you know if this is the case anywhere else besides Ebay? Al |
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Post by rockjunquie on May 1, 2019 19:31:45 GMT -5
I usually don't leave feedback, unless I am very happy with the purchase. I would have to be really angry before posting neutral or negative feedback, especially on a small seller. I don't like hurting someone else's business. I have slagged a couple of people who were selling fake merchandise. They knew it and tried to pass it off as legit. In fact, on one Canadian seller, I told them I was going to the RCMP with the item. That got their attention pronto. ;-) As a seller I count on feedback and it is kind of a slap in the face not to get one at all. It is so very important to have those pluses and not just because others see them. Your fee rates, listing quantities and more are affected by feedback. Are you talking about etsy? I have never heard that they charge differently according your shop's reputation and good standing. |
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Lots of really great rock people. I have given sellers a second chance, too. Sometimes with success, but there is a guy selling dino bone that is too free with photoshop. Wish I could remember his name now. 
