How-To Reverse Negative eBay Feedback

Don't be blindsided by negative feedback (Photo: _Max-B)

I’ve been selling on eBay since 2006.   I started selling my own belonging after picking up a book about eBay selling.  Although I loved watching people bid on my stuff, I hated the packaging and shipping part of it.  Later on I began drop shipping by finding some great companies though Thomasnet.com as well as Worldwide Brands.   The one thing you give up when you use a drop shipper is control over problems like lost packages and late shipments that occasionally occur.  Sometimes the problem is not with the product but with what is promised and communicated through the online listing.  Most eBay buyers understand if you are honest with them and provide reasonable refunds and returns when requested.  However, a short time ago, I received my first negative eBay feedback without any warning or chance to make it right.

eBay doesn’t send you an email when you receive a neutral or negative feedback, although I wish they would.  It is up to you to log-in regularly and monitor your feedback to ensure everything looks good.  When I found out that 1 unsatisfied customer dropped my feedback from 100% to 97% by casting his single vote, it made me very upset.  Turns out that the customer thought he was receiving a boxed game not a digital products that was mentioned 4 times in the listing.  Rather than blow up and send him a nasty email, I composed myself and took the following steps to reverse this negative feedback.

Contact The Buyer

I send an email to the buyer thanking him for providing his feedback and then asking him what I could have done better.  The message when like this:

—————–

Hi Anthony (real name not used),
Thank you for confirming that the game files make it to you safely!  I hope you enjoy the game this holiday season.
I would also like to thank you for providing your feedback.  Whether positive, neutral or negative – it helps me as a seller to understand how eBay buyers like/dislike my products as well as interpret my listing.
This is my 5th year selling on eBay and during this time, our recent transaction was my first negative feedback.  As a student of continuous improvement, I wanted to see if I could understand why you left the comment:

I received the game via e-mail in pdf format instead of a boxed game as promised
Perhaps the wording of my listing was misinterpreted or misleading.    I try very hard in my listing to make it clear that this game is sent digitally via email, rather a boxed game by stating in the listing:

Looking forward to your reply.

————–

Wait for a Reply

This can be a very difficult step as you want immediately put a band-aid over the situation.  Be patient.  Go for a walk and relax as the ball is in the buyers court.

Digest the Reply

Anthony got back to me a day later and wrote:

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Dear Gavin,

After reading your email, I went back and checked you eBay site again to recheck to see if I’d had made a mistake. I did not.  to quote from your ad: “A BRAND – NEW UNUSED, UNOPENED, UNDAMAGED ITEM” This to me refers to a boxed game.

So you see why I believe you duped me into buying something I did not receive.  If you send me a boxed version of this game, (like I should have received in the first place) I will re-evaluate and re-adjust your feedback.

Regards,

Anthony

——–

Anthony made some good points although my listing mentioned 4 times that the game was digital.  Rather than getting defensive I stayed open-minded and put myself in the shoes of the buyer.  I read and re-read his message several times until it was clear what I had to do.

Stay Positive and Persistent

Buyers hopefully will give in if you show that you are good intentioned and are unrelenting in making things right.  I responded to the last message with this:

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Hi Anthony,

Thank you for feedback and pinpointing the problem.

My intention was not to dupe or mislead.   When you create an eBay listing, eBay makes you select the condition: either New or Used.    When you select ‘new’ eBay then adds the description:   A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item (including handmade items). See the seller’s listing for full details.

Regardless of how eBay means for people to interpret ‘new’, my main concern that you did not get what you were shopping for.  I would like to make things right for you.  Please let me know what I can do.   I would be happy to cancel our transaction and refund you in full so that you can purchase the boxed game that you were looking for.

My goals are to get you want you want, and if you’re willing, to change my negative feedback to at least a neutral so that I can continue selling on eBay.

Let me know what you think and I hope we can work something out that’s mutually beneficial.

——-

The same day Anthony got back to me and I either convinced him that I was a good person or he was tired of wasting his time over a $15 murder mystery game.  You’ll notice that I didn’t ask for a Positive rating – that would be greedy.  A request for a Neutral rating is just what you want to do and many buyers will reward you with a Positive rating because they realize that you’re not a greedy little pig.    Anthony replied to me with this gem:

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Hi Gavin,

Thank you for making things clear to me. I now realize what and how things got screwed up. I appreciate you sincere concern for my happiness and satisfaction. I will not ask for a refund because we are already committed to the game. I will however change your feedback rating to positive since I now realize the steps you took (and the steps you were about to take) to satisfy my displeasure. I’ve dealt with some scam artists before and I apologize for treating you like you were one of them. I am now completely satisfied with your replies and explanations. I now see you are an upstanding person.  If I ever need another game of the same sort, I will definitely shop with you again.  My apologies and thanks.  Best regards, Anthony

Tagged as: drop shipping, ebay negative feedback removal