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Honest sellers make mistakes too
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Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:15 pm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=330541813826&si=ekJyWs43sIIzYEPDLrWGXnV4gFY%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AX%3AAAQ%3AUS%3A1123

I thought this was a 144 page Cthulhu D&DG book.

It was not.

I told the seller and sent it back, got a full refund including return shipping costs (With Tracking of course).

Obviously I am not pleased that I did not get the book I thought I would.

But considering what might have happened (And what is happening with another seller right now) I am not mad either.

After all was said and done, I actually think the seller simply made an honest mistake here.

Read SOME of the Acaeums description, but not all of it.

Maybe had too much on the table at once and missed noticing a crucial bit of information for this item...

Do I leave positive, or neutral, or negative feedback?

After all, seller sent it right after I paid.

Responded in a very civil manner when I noted a problem.

Refunded all my costs in a timely manner.

Other than me not getting the book I hoped for, I do not see anything the seller did badly here.

As such I do not think seller should be negged at all, and a neutral is just as bad is it not?

Other than a bad description, all the DSRs would be top scores too and I would simply not post one for the description slot in this case to save sellers scores from excessive damage..

Do I leave positive feedback with all but one DSR at 5 stars (with nothing for the Description), or simply leave nothing?

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

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Blackmoor
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:19 pm

Gnat the Beggar wrote:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=330541813826&si=ekJyWs43sIIzYEPDLrWGXnV4gFY%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AX%3AAAQ%3AUS%3A1123

I thought this was a 144 page Cthulhu D&DG book.

It was not.

I told the seller and sent it back, got a full refund including return shipping costs (With Tracking of course).

Obviously I am not pleased that I did not get the book I thought I would.

But considering what might have happened (And what is happening with another seller right now) I am not mad either.

After all was said and done, I actually think the seller simply made an honest mistake here.

Read SOME of the Acaeums description, but not all of it.

Maybe had too much on the table at once and missed noticing a crucial bit of information for this item...

Do I leave positive, or neutral, or negative feedback?

After all, seller sent it right after I paid.

Responded in a very civil manner when I noted a problem.

Refunded all my costs in a timely manner.

Other than me not getting the book I hoped for, I do not see anything the seller did badly here.

As such I do not think seller should be negged at all, and a neutral is just as bad is it not?

Other than a bad description, all the DSRs would be top scores too and I would simply not post one for the description slot in this case to save sellers scores from excessive damage..

Do I leave positive feedback with all but one DSR at 5 stars (with nothing for the Description), or simply leave nothing?

Tell the truth man! The truth will set you free :lol:

Games can get you through times of no money but money can not get you through times of no games!!

stylean
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:32 pm

Gnat the Beggar wrote:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=330541813826&si=ekJyWs43sIIzYEPDLrWGXnV4gFY%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AX%3AAAQ%3AUS%3A1123

I thought this was a 144 page Cthulhu D&DG book.

It was not.

I told the seller and sent it back, got a full refund including return shipping costs (With Tracking of course).

Obviously I am not pleased that I did not get the book I thought I would.

But considering what might have happened (And what is happening with another seller right now) I am not mad either.

After all was said and done, I actually think the seller simply made an honest mistake here.

Read SOME of the Acaeums description, but not all of it.

Maybe had too much on the table at once and missed noticing a crucial bit of information for this item...

Do I leave positive, or neutral, or negative feedback?

After all, seller sent it right after I paid.

Responded in a very civil manner when I noted a problem.

Refunded all my costs in a timely manner.

Other than me not getting the book I hoped for, I do not see anything the seller did badly here.

As such I do not think seller should be negged at all, and a neutral is just as bad is it not?

Other than a bad description, all the DSRs would be top scores too and I would simply not post one for the description slot in this case to save sellers scores from excessive damage..

Do I leave positive feedback with all but one DSR at 5 stars (with nothing for the Description), or simply leave nothing?

Seller ack'ed the mistake and refunded everything including the return shipping costs.

I'd positive that with some kind of appropriate phrase indicating 110% buyer confidence in getting what you paid for.

I'd be more inclined to buy from someone who has been documented to go out of thier way to fix something as opposed to not.

Or you can leave no feedback. I wouldn't nuetral though. The fact that they paid the return shipping (even if it was $5) clearly puts them a leg up over most sellers.

smarmy1
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:34 pm

Gnat the Beggar wrote:Do I leave positive feedback with all but one DSR at 5 stars (with nothing for the Description), or simply leave nothing?

If you feel that an honest mistake was made and that the seller tried his/her best to correct the issue, I would leave them positive DSR's and comment on their excellent customer service.

Hello Mrs. Cleaver, Theodore.

Gee, Mrs. Cleaver ... That certainly is a lovely dress.

smarmy1
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:37 pm

stylean wrote:The fact that they paid the return shipping (even if it was $5) clearly puts them a leg up over most sellers.

On most auctions even where the seller makes a mistake with the listing, generally, the buyer is required to pay return shipping. I have argued with ebay customer service over this point several times the past few months.

Hello Mrs. Cleaver, Theodore.

Gee, Mrs. Cleaver ... That certainly is a lovely dress.

Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:40 pm

The sellers return policy actually states they accept returns, but do not pay for return shipping, but she did.

excellent customer service.

I think I will use that...

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

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Badmike
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:07 pm

My policy is to sometimes not leave any feedback....as a seller, anything less than a positive, and anything less than a 5.0 on DSRs is basically a black mark, so sometimes no feedback is better than being honest if you feel the seller handled the situation well besides the screw up.

Mike B.

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"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
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Mars
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:32 am

I think you should ask yourself if this is a good or bad seller on Ebay and act accordingly. Personally, I think any seller who admits they made a mistake and pays for all of the costs so the buyer isn't out anything is great.

The sellers who insist that a buyer should pay return shipping (for a mistake that is clearly the seller's fault) is just shady. However, this seems to be the norm on Ebay.

If you want to leave a low DSR for item not as described then go for it but the fact that you were able to work it out and all shipping costs were paid for by the seller suggests 5's in the other categories.

lokiwookie
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:14 am

Actually, who look to DSR? Only ebay for their powerseller program I think. Everyone know that FB means nothing, absolutely nothing. DSR is the same. I had some awful transaction from 100% seller with 5* and some wonderful from seller with 90%.

It is so easy to get a 100% rating... and so easy to cancel a negative FB with ebay rules. You just have to answer to the - FB by adding personal informations about the buyer (like his name), and ebay (at least ebay.fr) have to erase the whole FB...

Adventures in Austerion : a fantasy RPG, with boardgame mechanisms and modular battlemap. By Guillaume Tavernier and GÃ©raud G.

Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:31 am

lokiwookie wrote:Actually, who look to DSR? Only ebay for their powerseller program I think. Everyone know that FB means nothing, absolutely nothing. DSR is the same. I had some awful transaction from 100% seller with 5* and some wonderful from seller with 90%.
It is so easy to get a 100% rating... and so easy to cancel a negative FB with ebay rules. You just have to answer to the - FB by adding personal informations about the buyer (like his name), and ebay (at least ebay.fr) have to erase the whole FB...

Feedback DOES mean something to me.

Now more than ever too.

I too have had good deals go off without a hitch from sellers with relatively bad feedback, and the seller I am having hell with now has 100%.

There are quirks in any system, but as a whole, low feedback scores DO GET MY ATTENTION (most of the time).

The feedback might get erased, but the rating does not?

As a seller BadMike has consistantly told me that DSRs matter A LOT to sellers for various Monetary Reasons and the Powerseller rating is only a part of it.

If his DSRs and feedback got bad enough, he could basically be run off of E-Bay and he makes a good portion of his living from selling on E-Bay.

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

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Badmike
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:53 am

Gnat the Beggar wrote:
Feedback DOES mean something to me.
Now more than ever too.
I too have had good deals go off without a hitch from sellers with relatively bad feedback, and the seller I am having hell with now has 100%.
There are quirks in any system, but as a whole, low feedback scores DO GET MY ATTENTION (most of the time).

The feedback might get erased, but the rating does not?
As a seller BadMike has consistantly told me that DSRs matter A LOT to sellers for various Monetary Reasons and the Powerseller rating is only a part of it.
If his DSRs and feedback got bad enough, he could basically be run off of E-Bay and he makes a good portion of his living from selling on E-Bay.

Negative/positive feedback is really meaningless at this point as long as you have volume sales (check out Troll and Toad's FB sometime, they have more neg feedback in a month than I've had in 13 years). As Gnat say, however, bad DSRs can have a financial effect. You are only allowed a certain percentage and number of 1's and 2's before you are basically shut down on Ebay for anywhere to 1 month to longer. You also lose a percentage (from 5 to 15 percent) of money you get back on your monthly fees. The worst part is that DSR ratings are totally anonymous so sometimes you aren't exactly sure who has left them, unlike bad feedback you can't get it taken off. There is nothing worse you can do to a seller than leave a 1 on their DSRs.

Now, as mentioned, if you aren't a frequent seller a low DSR is probably meaningless, but for a regular seller it is the kiss of death. Which is why it's my policy to block any buyer that has been unhappy with any process of the sales process, they are very likely to be ones that have left low DSRs, and I can't take the chance they will shop with me again and be unhappy again (and again leave low DSRS). I've gotten to the point where I even block buyers that ask stupid questions; I'm that proactive.

Mike B.

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"The Acaeum hates fun" Sir Allen
"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
Co-founder of the North Texas RPG Con
NTRPGCON

lokiwookie
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:59 am

Badmike wrote:I've gotten to the point where I even block buyers that ask stupid questions; I'm that proactive.

Like "how many pages in this Deities & Demigods?"

As said, I think that low DSR and low FB are only a financial matter for seller. Almost all buyers (collectors are finally only a few part of buyers) does not take care of DSR/FB. They even choose low FB because that will take away some buyers and the sell price stays low. I frequently buy from low DSR rating for this reason, and mainly I am more than happy with my purchases.

Adventures in Austerion : a fantasy RPG, with boardgame mechanisms and modular battlemap. By Guillaume Tavernier and GÃ©raud G.

puterdragon
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:00 pm

Regardless of which FB method you choose to use or not use, I like your context--that mistakes happen, and a "mercy" approach is better in this instance, rather than a "judgement" approach.
<smile>

Gildor speaks to Frodo: 'Others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more. The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.'--Tolkien

ashmire13
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:05 am

I wouldn't leave anything personally, as it's a dead transaction and you haven't bought anything in theory. Had you retained the book, but at a discounted price, I'd have left FB accordingly, but when the transaction is effectively cancelled, I wouldnt even bother now.

Rolls a '3'

"Did I hit.....?"

argyrebasin
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:31 pm

"I've gotten to the point where I even block buyers that ask stupid questions; I'm that proactive. " -Badmike

What a great idea!
Will you mail to 3rd party warehouse in central Uganda for freight forwarding to us? = Blocked.

Honestly Gnat, I've been on both sides and in this case I'd leave +fb with good DSRs (good being 5/5 since anything less is considered a negative by ebay) and a comment like: Had to return item but seller resolved problem. At least that way you aren't hurting them financially but you are letting people know that there was a problem with the book and the seller resolved it. Fair, I think, for your case.

Now if they had shipped an empty box for instance? Fire away.. neg & 0/5 DSRs. Had that happen once. Troll knuckles and other bad words!

The eye that looks ahead to the safe course is closed forever.

Serian
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:30 pm

argyrebasin wrote:Honestly Gnat, I've been on both sides and in this case I'd leave +fb with good DSRs (good being 5/5 since anything less is considered a negative by ebay) and a comment like: Had to return item but seller resolved problem. At least that way you aren't hurting them financially but you are letting people know that there was a problem with the book and the seller resolved it. Fair, I think, for your case.

This does seem to be the most fair and honest solution. It shows that the seller is willing to resolve issues, and that you are satisfied with how everything turned out.

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