beasterbrook wrote:
2) Change the way you do business. That means for you probably holding a lot more stock on hand and being more up to date with items that are currently experienceing delays in shipping etc (AND FOR GODS SAKE DON'T RUN ANY AUCTIONS UNLESS YOU PHICALLY HAVE THE ITEM)... this means that you have to offer better customer service as well....

Anything else you have my email....

Brette:)

Damn I HATE sellers with vapor stock, that really pisses me off.  Gives a bad name to sellers everywhere.....good for you Brette!

Mike B.

Subject: RE: eBay transaction Entertainment House Australia

Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 12:10:22 +1100



Hi Brett,



Thanks for your response, as with the majority of larger eBay sellers we employ a form of drop-shipping with certain suppliers, we can't carry all stock all the time. We normally have around 18000 DVD's on hand though there are often titles listed that are temporarily out of stock, as the suppliers online inventory states the title is readily available, occasionally these system fail as would appear to be the case with your transaction.



As per consumer law and eBay regulations (which I'm sure your aware of) our terms and conditions do state that items may not always be on hand, customer should be notified of this immediately via an automated system, there should also be regular updates and notification once stock is supplied, completely independant of any direct communication with customer service, (if these emails were not received perhaps check your spam filter settings).



Unfortunately with some suppliers accurate ETA's are simply not possible, and the stated "reasonable timeframe" may not necessarily be adequate, in any case you should have been offered either an alternate title or a refund from the start. In the case of BABYLON 5 - THE LEGEND OF THE RANGERS of the stock ordered only 1 copy was ever supplied.



The changes in the feedback system mentioned were in relation to feedback 2.0, ie neutral carrying the same DSR penalties as negatives, the changes you have mentioned are scheduled for the US only at this stage and are in line with eBays current stategy to force sellers into using Square Trade to seek neutral/negative feedback withdrawal or risk being suspended.



At this stage we'd be happy to offer you $20 credit toward another title in our range that we will ship for free, if so I can send you a "mutual feedback withdrawl request" via your "my messages" folder on eBay, once responded to your feedback will be withdrawn and we will not be able to leave any comment for the transaction.



Hope to hear from you soon, regards,



Nick



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Hi Nick,



Thanks for the reply..



Yes I do understand that you and other big ebay sellers have a form of drop-shipping and I do understand the ecomonics and the reality of the situation. Yes I do understand that while you have done your best and given me the correct information as you have recieved it. However as a buyer you have said that the DVD is available and its not, the fact that your suppliers system is showing that it is available and it is in reality not,  is something that you need to bring up with them and not me customer. They are your supplier,s not mine and what information they are giving you is effecting your business, not mine. I can say that yes I did recieve emails that said you were having difficulty in suppling the product, 1 a week for 3 weeks from memory. When it had become apparent that there was going to be some delay in supplying the DVD I was offered 1) Wait a bit longer, or 2) Store credit. As with most places its easier to keep the money (and profit) by offering something else. Thats business and I understand that, and while it will work in some sitiations, in others it will not. As I said, most people on the net will buy what they want because they want that specific product and not something else. I didn't want anything else, if I did I would have bought it....







In the last email I said you have 2 choices and in all reality you still have 2 choices. If you continue the way you are going and have delays with shipping some products you will have people leave you negative and neutral feedback relating to this. That is what has happened in the past and that is what will continue to happen. I have a couple of sayings I like to tell people one of them is "Always remember the 'Golden Rule'! He who has the gold makes the rules!". Ebay has changed the rules and you will need to either change as well and work with new rules set up, or,  you need to decide to leave ebay and move your sales elsewhere. The sales environment is constantly changing and so you also need to change yourself, 15 years ago ebay didn't exist and you would never had exposure to so many customers, in 15 years time ebay may not even be here .. who knows...







Ebays feedback system is disigned to give buyers and sellers honest feedback on the transcation. I believe that I have given an honest oponion on the service I recieved. I contacted you ahead of paying to find out if a product was available. You indicated that it was and then I was told that it wasn't. As i said this is something for you to bring up with your suppliers... What has happened in the past is that some sellers don't like being told that they are not either "doing a good job" in service, product, communication etc and have retailated to buyers comments and left negative feedback when in fact the buyer has done nothing wrong. I paid promply, I communicated with you quickly, I was patient (I waited 3 weeks). As a buyer I have done nothing wrong and yet because of the (honest) feedback given, like this, some sellers "get back" at buyers and leave negative feedback. I believe that is one of the things ebay has changed, and so they should. Yes some buyers do deserve neg feedback, thay do ask unreasonable things, rude etc, however for the most part it has been retalitory feedback that has been given to a buyer from a seller after negative feedback has been left first for not good reason. Ebay has obviously seen that some change is justified otherwise they would not be doing it. They have to weigh up both sellers and buyers opinions ewith their own underlying need to remain profitable for their shareholders....







The offer for the credit is nice, however it looks like you are trying to buy my (honest) feedback retraction by offering my something that looks like it has strings attacted. It looks like you are not offering me a credit to keep a customer/ potential customer "happy" but rather as a "bribe" to retact the feedback.... or maybe I'm reading that wrong.. anyway... The fact that ebay may now be penalising you for this is the new reality that you have to adapt to in selling on ebay. I will not be retracting my feedback as I believe it to be an honest opinion of the trasaction... and as I said before do you believe that my feedback is justified?



I hold no anger or frustration in the transaction, this is just the way it is.... business is business...



Brette:)

Well spoken, Beast! Personally, I would have said "Fuck off", but it sounds so much better when you bury the FU in several paragraphs.
I cna imagine the guy starts reading it, all hopeful, and by the end he realizes he isn't getting the removal. Funny stuff!

I'm going through something like this right now. I BINned a couple books from a particular seller, paid, and then asked for confirmation the item had been shipped after about 3 days, 'cause I don't feel it takes longer than that to get off your butt and mail something... even if you can't get off your butt. I've heard absolutely nothing back, and its now in dispute so I can get my money back, and I fully intend to leave negative feedback... but am a little worried I will receive them in return.

Oh well.

Well, yes, its one thing to say it will be delayed (in the auction itself, or in an email) and another to not say anything, at all. I'm ordinarily patient, but I like to know that I should be expected to wait... not emptiness, if that makes sense.

I don't have too much problem with drop shiping ,after all its a good business model if it works properly and everyone wins. I had problem with the fact that I enquired first and was told the item was available. It wasn't due to a "problem" with the reporting system of the supplier. Like I said I prob should have neged him because of that, if I hadn't then a neutral prob would have been would have better... The fact that ebay treats a neutral as if it is a neg is something that the sellers needs to bring up with ebay and not me... I fully expect to get neged in return, today will tell. Its really a business model that a fully expect on ebay. First off you get the money, if the product is delayed you either get them to wait or offer store credit. If that doesn't work you are first nice to the customer and see if they will remove it at minimul cost. If that doesn't work you then offer a larger insentive to remove it. If that doesn't work you neg them as well and hope that your own neg will scare them in removing the one given wich is your last resort .... You can read all of this between the lines on the emails sent if you look hard enough.... I have of course implied that I have done nothing wrong and to retailate with a neg is the reason why ebay is changing things. If he does neg me he has just proved that I was right all along... The neg doesn't worry me at all...



Brette:)