Email alert problem, buyer dispute and negative feedback

littlesaint

This is a long story. At the start of March I spoke to eBay about a problem I was having with emails. Basically I was getting messages in MyEbay but was no longer recieving email alerts despite being signed up to this. I spent a long time on there trying to resolve it and it seemed it was sorted when they sent me the transcription of the conversation.

In March I made two low value sales, both went swimmingly it seemed. I recieved positive feedback from the first but nothing from the second. About a week after I had dispatched the parcel I messaged him to ask him if he had recieved the item and heard nothing. I double checked by going into Myemail and nothing there either. I put him down as being an uncommunicative buyer.

Today I noticed a refund had gone out of my account in a dispute that had been awarded to the second buyer. It seems he had not received the parcel went on holiday responded to my message saying he'd not received it, launched a dispute, but I received no email alerts and stupidly forgot to check my account to check that all was well. So I missed all these messages and the dispute has been awarded against me.

I would rather not appeal this because I can't be arsed with the hassle for a small item. But I am concerned about my feedback. I have only made two sales recently and one of them has a negative against it now which makes my score 50%. I have messaged the buyer explaining to him the situation and asking whether he would consider changing the feedback but I have lost confidence in eBay's messaging so I don't believe he will receive this and I don't if he can remove or revise the feedback now even if he is minded to do so.

I put a reply on the account but I am now wondering if I should just start from scratch with a brand new account because I only have one recent positive rating now (although I have had more than 30 sales previously with 10% positive feedback). Anyone have any ideas?

I am about to sell a higher value item and I would like a clean record before I do.

soolin

I just have a niggly feeling that maybe 'asking buyer whether item was received' triggered the claim..sellers do not usually ask that unless there is something amiss and a less than honest buyer might have taken that as a sign that you had a worry- and so go to a dispute.

However, I should not assume a buyer is dodgy just because they open a claim, so in answer to your question yes, I would properly close the current selling account and start again with all fresh details as I don't think your feedback score is going to do you any favours.

hermum

Soolin, my first thought was the same as yours.
Asking if they received their item makes it sound as though they may not have for some reason. I always work on the no news is good news.
OP I would do the same as soolin, open a new account but you may need to get some FB before trying to sell a high value item.

soolin

hermum wrote: »

OP I would do the same as soolin, open a new account but you may need to get some FB before trying to sell a high value item.

Yes this is a vital bit I forgot.

OP, do you have a buying account at all? If so convert that to your new selling account, sell a few smaller items and only then list a dearer item.

and never ask a buyer if their item has arrived and if all is well.

littlesaint

Thanks. I'll put this one down to experience and start again. It's a shame after such good feedback in the past, but at least I have only sold a couple of items recently. I did speak to Ebay about the situation but they were only slightly helpful.

littlesaint

I buy and sell from the same account. Would that make a difference? Would buying a few items help with the feedback?

soolin

littlesaint wrote: »

I buy and sell from the same account. Would that make a difference? Would buying a few items help with the feedback?

Some feedback looks better than no feedback but I was rather hoping you had a good established buying account already as that would help if you sold a few lower priced things first.

I don't think opening a new account and selling an expensive thing first is going to work at all.

littlesaint

Thanks soolin. So is the best thing to do to start a new account, and sell a few low value things before buying or selling something expensive? Plus, should I keep my buyer and seller accounts separate in future? Should I even use my current account for buying?

Sorry, so many questions!

hermum

Most people will separate their buying-selling accounts, so that you can't get people wrecking your FB as a seller.
Selling a few cheap items will give you better standing as a seller for when you want to sell expensive things.

littlesaint

Thank you. So then what I will do is buy things on my current sellers account in future (providing that negative feedback won't prevent me from buying) and sell things on the new account. I'll find a few low cost things to start me off. Please let me know if there are any problems with this approach. Otherwise thank you hermum and soolin - I remember the name from when I last was active on this forum a few years ago. Maybe if I'd checked in here a bit more recently, I wouldn't have got into this bother : (

hermum

I'd start off the new account with buying a few things cheap things if you can, then separate them.