Why do I do this?

JennE · **Why do I do this?**

Okay, so I decided a couple of weeks ago to sell some things on ebay. Makeup being one of them. I sold a small gift with purchase size eyeshadow and mailed it out and got this email today.......

"I received my eyeshadow today. Unfortunately, it is completely crushed !! I do understand that you do not want to be held responsible for lost or damaged goods however, I honestly think if this was packaged correctly this could have been avoided. Needless to say I am not exactly happy much less satisfied. Not only did this take forever for me to received it ... it was damaged also.

Please Respond before I leave feedback for this item."

I specifically say in my auctions that I am not responsible for lost or damaged items. I have a 100% positive rating and this is going to screw me up.

Why do I put myself through this again? It was only a $3 item!!! Do I refund the money or what?

Claire · 08-21-2006, 08:59 PM

Honestly, I would not refund it or worry about it. If they leave negative or neutral feedback, just respond that you were not responsible for damage due to the mail service.

I used to be very anal about my feedback, but my Dad said something to me once about it not really mattering in the grand scheme of things. People with low (92% and lower is low to me) sell stuff all the time on e-bay. I would just say, I am sorry, but you did not pay for insurance (if it was available). One bad feedback is not going to ruin you on e-bay. JMO

Ev_Cal_n_Syds_Mommy · 08-22-2006, 01:41 AM

I have to agree with Claire... I just went through a matter with a lady, who sent payment but didn't have the right address and it was in the end my fault for some reason!

I just can't stand some people!!!!

Amanda

Spoodler · 08-22-2006, 07:48 AM

Well...I am on the other side...I think it depends. How did you package it? Was it in a padded envelope that would still get crushed in the sorting machines? Was it in a box? I mean, how would you feel if someone had the disclaimer "not responsible for lost or damaged items" in their auctions but then mailed a Ming vase to you with no padding? Would it still be your fault? What I mean is, there is an expectation there that item will be packaged to withstand normal postal handling...including machines.

It sounds to me that you might have packaged it in a way that was not the best way to go for an item like that. If that is the case, I would refund the money, and learn from the experience. Now you know how NOT to package eyeshadow.

I had a similar experience a while back...I had a TON of homeschool books I was selling. Hundreds of them. I was packaging them in big yellow envelopes and sending them on their way. Everything was going along fine until a lady contacted me to let me know that the envelopes weren't holding up in the sorting machines and the corners were being ripped off. The good news was I had put so much tape on the whole mess that none of the books slipped out when the envelope ripped. She didn't want a refund because all of her books arrived safely, but if they hadn't I would have given it to her because it was really my fault. I also packaged all my books differently from then on.

I would also take her feedback into consideration when making your decision.

Good Luck!

JSEVEN · 08-23-2006, 11:22 AM

If it states in your seller's terms regarding shipping...no worries. Not to worry about feedback...these days it doesn't matter. I bought items from ppl who have less than perfect 100% and I was pretty much satisified. I did get many ppl who did not leave feedback ...don't know why they didn't but it happens and nuetral ones...but I always reply back to my feedbacks now. Reason why...state what is it and what condition it was(NEW/USED/GOOD TO EXCELLENT CONDITION) and etc...

So....what counts is your customer service, if u are very strict with seller's terms and believe in it whether it states not responsible for the shipping damages, no refunds all sales are final and etc...so be it.
Otherwise....u can say to this buyer, send it back minus the shipping cost that this individual sends it back to u and refund the item that he or she paid for or send out another one...if u have another one.

Right now...customer service is KEY. Feedback these days...are like popularity contest.

carleighsmommy · 08-23-2006, 04:46 PM

I had a bad experience about a month ago w/ a customer that didnt pay for a few days after the auction. It ended on a wednesday. Her payment date happened to fall on a Sunday- I specifically stated in my auction that I would ship the SATURDAY following payment receipt, which I actually did ship two days eariler than promised and emailed her to let her know and that shipping time was 2-9 BUSINESS days. Apparently she wasnt all that great at reading because the following Monday, she had filed a complaint w/ paypal stating that she wanted a refund because she did not receive her merchandise. Rightfully, I still had another two days before I even had to ship it!

Starlite · 08-24-2006, 11:48 AM

If it was me, I would probably refund the lady her $3. For such a small amount of money, it's not worth the fuss or the ding on your perfect feedback score.

Look at it this way: If you ordered something from a company and, upon opening the package, you discovered it was damaged, wouldn't you try to contact the company and get another item shipped or a refund? That's what she's trying to do in this situation.

Both my dh and I have worked customer service jobs, so I guess it's just hardwired into both of our brains that the customer is always right. Although I'm sure the shipping damage wasn't your fault, this woman does have a valid complaint.

JMO.

Missystuy · 08-24-2006, 07:43 PM

I agree, refund. Its only $3, while frustrating, a $3 item is not worth losing your perfect feedback for. If it was $30 I might have an issue, but $4 is pocket change in the world of ebay.

mommy&wifeisme · 08-24-2006, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoodler

Well...I am on the other side...I think it depends. How did you package it? Was it in a padded envelope that would still get crushed in the sorting machines? Was it in a box? I mean, how would you feel if someone had the disclaimer "not responsible for lost or damaged items" in their auctions but then mailed a Ming vase to you with no padding? Would it still be your fault? What I mean is, there is an expectation there that item will be packaged to withstand normal postal handling...including machines.Good Luck!

I agree!! I know it sucks, I'm sure you thought it would make it there alright. But it didn't! It's only $3.00 so I would just apologize give the refund, keep your good feedback and chalk it up to a lessoned learned. Not that this is the case but looking at it from her point of view the disclaimer shouldn't allow the seller to be negligent.

Tidbits · 08-25-2006, 03:48 PM

If you feel it was packaged properly and you did say that you are not responsible for items once in the mail, then I would not refund the money. I have had two people leave me negative feedback through my time with ebay and you do get over it and it is not the end of the world. Others know that there are some ebayers who leave negative feedback when they shouldn't. Once the seller sold me a bogus gift card and I reported them to ebay, got my money back, but the negative feedback remained. Not sure why that would be, but my $100 back was my priority at the time. The other time was when a seller sold me an item that they didn't even have! They got mad when I asked where my item was and turned them into ebay when I didn't get a response. Anyway, you are able to respond to their emails with an explanation and both times these people had MULTIPLE negative ratings so I don't think it hurt me. I don't think it is okay to just let ebayers get away with things because you are scared to get a negative feedback. I am stubborn! JMO