posted on May 2, 2001 07:13:54 PM
So -- I have a non-responsive winning bidder on a four-dollar item and after several emails and eleven days, I file a NPB with Ebay. Two days later, when I've still had no response from this joker, I find this feedback: POS "Praise: excellent transaction ,great product ,I highly recomend seller !!!"
I'm still filing for refund of fvf. But should I respond to this nutty fb?
posted on May 3, 2001 06:44:37 AM
I have three of those, one from last week. I don't know who they think they are fooling... I also got a positive for sending "an awsome album" to a buyer. The funny thing is, they paid, did not send an address and never answered any of my Emails asking for an address. I even tried giving them a positve praising them for such speedy payment, and asking for an address... Two months later, I get a positive...Strange
posted on May 3, 2001 07:09:52 AM
I had this happen once. I just pretended I never seen the feedback. And emailed a final time inquiring about the payment. They finally sent the payment.
I guess they thought I would just let it go if I got a positive.
posted on May 3, 2001 11:51:04 AM
How often do you leave neg feedback for NPB. I have been reluctant to do so up till now because I am afraid of the dreaded retaliatory neg. Am I being a weiny???
posted on May 3, 2001 04:17:13 PM
>How often do you leave neg feedback for NPB
I most always do, unless they have stayed in contact with me, and have given me a good reason for not paying. (some will say not to, and they have their reasons.)
So far I've left 32 negs for non-payment, and NOT one of them has retaliated. (I've probably been lucky, as I have seen plenty of retalitory negs in other peoples feedback.)
posted on May 3, 2001 05:00:52 PM
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>How often do you leave neg feedback for NPB
I too leave it for every NPB and have left a total of 46, and not one retalitory yet. I guess I must be pretty lucky too, I have seen several people that get them right back in retaliation.
posted on May 3, 2001 05:31:14 PM
I suppose posting a neg is the right thing to do because you are red flagging the buyer for other seller. But still you aren't instilling a lot of confidence in me. I still feel I'm pretty new at all this. Out of 100 sales I've probobly had 3 NPB and I am dealing with one of them at the moment. I have'nt heard squat in a month. I'll file for FVF on Monday then I'll bite the bullet and neg them.
posted on May 3, 2001 05:41:54 PM
I have never left a neg for a deadbeat and I never will under the current feedback system. The other sellers in my 3 selling categories do however, and I'm very grateful. I LOVE the extra business it sends my way after the bidders compare our feedback profiles.
Neg 'em if you want but IMO (backed up by experience) it's a losing proposition for the seller but at most a minor irritation for the bidder.
posted on May 3, 2001 05:55:43 PM
>Neg 'em if you want but IMO (backed up by experience)
If you've never left a neg for a deadbeat, just how much experience is this backed up with?
Not that I totally disagree with you, leaving a neg on a deadbeat leaves you open to a retalitory neg, but MY experience shows this NORMALLY doesn't happen. (And filing for FVF's can tick a deadbeat off, and get you a neg also, and I've seen you say many times that you DO file for FVF's)
posted on May 3, 2001 06:30:38 PMIf you've never left a neg for a deadbeat, just how much experience is this backed up with?
A fair question. Here is the answer. I sell in 3 (related) categories. There are 6 or 7 other sellers who sell on a continual basis in the same categories. You might say that we are regular competitors.
We all sell the same basic items, very similar listings, and (with a very few minor exceptions) the same starting prices with no reserves. All of our listings are attractive and informative. And we all use dutch auctions almost excusively. Basically everything about our listings and our items is pretty much the same.
Now for the difference. The number of bids on my dutch auctions (on average) are almost double those of my next closest competitor. My ended auctions always outperform my competitors. Always, with maybe 2 or two or 3 exceptions over the past 20 months or so.
The only real difference is in our feedback profiles. I have zero negs, one neutral. The competitor with the least amount of negs has 6 with 2 neutrals. And 3 of these sellers have a total feedback number that is much higher than mine, as they started selling on ebaY quite a while before I did.
One of these guys got 9 retaliatory negs in one day a few months back. The next week his bids were off by a large margin from what he usually seemed to average before the negging spree. He has never caught back up to the previous level.
I have been paying close attention to this for the last year or so. I feel that I do indeed have experience that reliably backs up my opinions on this issue.
Microbes, I must say that you have some of the most intelligent posts to be found on these boards (translation: You and I seem to agree on most issues)
Edited because I missed your comment about FVFs earlier:
You're correct about my filing for FVFs. I file them religously at the first available opportunity. I also leave negs when I feel it is reasonable to do so. I left a neg 2 weeks ago as a matter of fact (but it WASN'T for a deadbeat).
posted on May 3, 2001 07:39:03 PM
dubyasdaman:
>And we all use dutch auctions almost excusively.
Sounds like you sell brand new stuff. Identical brand new stuff that some of your competitors also sell. Pricing on brand new merchandise is "tight", and buyers have lots of choices about where to buy, and choices aren't made by condition vs. price, but by customer service vs. price.
I can see where in your case your feedback could be more important to you than mine is to me (due to a tight market).
This isn't to say mine isn't important to me, and I hate getting Negs. I have 3.
One was over shipping delay that was beyond my control, and the buyer wanted me to refund PART of his money (the cost of shipping, in this case about $40.00). I offered to give him a full refund, but he REALLY wanted to keep the merchandise. We couldn't come to a meeting of the minds, and he neg'd me. I had already left him a GLOWING positive, so he got a "hit" on me for free, even though he was probably the biggest pita I have ever had, and deserved a negative even worse than any of the deadbeats I've ever had.
That was the last time I've left feedback for a customer as soon as I've gotten his money. I have about 3 or 4 customers I will leave feedback for as quick as the auction is over, but that's another matter.
Got another one where a guy hit the wrong button. It reads like a positive, and if you read the replys (his and mine) you would laugh.
The third was a dispute over "good condition", and I was blindsided. He emailed and asked for a refund, and five minutes later, neg'd me. I answered his email before I even looked at the feedback, and offered him a fat (read that two way shipping) refund. He got neg'd for being nasty. (if you read HIS feedback, you would know he wasn't a polite person, he has 3 negs from sellers about being a nasty person.)His email wanting a refund was very nasty, and I don't like that, I'll give someone their money back if they want it, just as quick if they are nice as if they are nasty, so what's the point?
Did they hurt me?
I have about 900 positives (And they read very nicely), about 300 of them repeat buyers. And I don't sell new items where the market is saturated. If I have something on ebay, and another seller with better feedback (I think mine is pretty good, the negs have responses and I think you could figure out what happened) has a basicly identical item as mine at the same time, there are still enough bidders to go around. I don't think my final prices suffer, but what I do notice is I get better prices than newbies (under 50) trying to sell the same stuff. (I think part of it is packing, some of my stuff is HARD to pack, and I get GREAT comments about my packing.)
Truthfully, I almost think that having a small % of Negs just lets the pita's know that you will only take a certain amount of crap.
[ edited by Microbes on May 3, 2001 07:49 PM ]
