eBay Removed Negative Feedback I Left for A Seller

Awakeatlast

I have 100% feedback on eBay and have been there since 2014.

I purchased some A4 260gsm photo quality paper from an eBay seller.

When it arrived I weighed it.

It didn't weigh what it should have.

It was the weight of 240gsm.

Inside the front of the cellophane wrapping was a sheet of A4 with the sellers brand on it and a tick clearly marked in the 260gsm square.

I contacted the seller and said I'd weighed the paper and thought it was 240gsm. The seller replied stating that they had sold a lot of this paper and never had any complaints. They also told me that scales could often be wrong. They told me if I wasn't happy to return it. The seller didn't even ask me what weight the paper was or offer to exchange it. Nothing. The reply bordered on them being the victim.

I asked my neighbour to check the weight. It was the same as the weight my scales said. 240gsm is approximately 7.7% lighter than 260gsm for the paper I paid for. 

GSM is a measure of the weight of paper, regardless of size or quality of finish.

I opened a return "Item not as described case", and left in depth information about the paper not being the correct weight. The paper was returned in the packaging it was delivered in.

The seller issued a 50% refund stating the item had been opened. This was incorrect.

I rang eBay. I wasn't happy that I had to open another "Item not as described" case and also wanted to explain that this sellers behaviour was raising several red flags with me. Not least that the seller claimed the paper was made for them. It wouldn't be a difficult task to open the cellophane and insert his branding with the 260gsm box ticked.

eBay refunded the balance.

I left negative feedback with photographs of the paper on the scales showing it's weight and the tick in the 260gsm box. The tick was printed, not hand written. I also left a photograph of the calculation of weight of the paper and how it couldn't be 260gsm.

My feedback was removed.

OK, I got my money back, which is all eBay really guarantee. And of course, as I have done, I can ensure I don't waste my time again by shopping elsewhere.

I don't feel it's right just to allow this seller to continue to sell 240gsm to people buying 260gsm. It's not honest and is threatening other sellers who are. Is this something I can report to trading standards or am I wasting my time as they don't have the resources?

Thank you

Kind regards

RFW

Awakeatlast said:

I contacted the seller and said I'd weighed the paper and thought it was 240gsm. The seller replied stating that they had sold a lot of this paper and never had any complaints. They also told me that scales could often be wrong. They told me if I wasn't happy to return it. The seller didn't even ask me what weight the paper was or offer to exchange it. Nothing. The reply bordered on them being the victim.

I asked my neighbour to check the weight. It was the same as the weight my scales said. 240gsm is approximately 7.7% lighter than 260gsm for the paper I paid for. 

GSM is a measure of the weight of paper, regardless of size or quality of finish.

I opened a return "Item not as described case", and left in depth information about the paper not being the correct weight. The paper was returned in the packaging it was delivered in.

The seller issued a 50% refund stating the item had been opened. This was incorrect.

I rang eBay. I wasn't happy that I had to open another "Item not as described" case and also wanted to explain that this sellers behaviour was raising several red flags with me. Not least that the seller claimed the paper was made for them. It wouldn't be a difficult task to open the cellophane and insert his branding with the 260gsm box ticked.

eBay refunded the balance.

I left negative feedback with photographs of the paper on the scales showing it's weight and the tick in the 260gsm box. The tick was printed, not hand written. I also left a photograph of the calculation of weight of the paper and how it couldn't be 260gsm.

My feedback was removed.

OK, I got my money back, which is all eBay really guarantee. And of course, as I have done, I can ensure I don't waste my time again by shopping elsewhere.

I don't feel it's right just to allow this seller to continue to sell 240gsm to people buying 260gsm. It's not honest and is threatening other sellers who are. Is this something I can report to trading standards or am I wasting my time as they don't have the resources?

A couple of questions: how did you work out the GSM? A sheet of A4 is 0.061square metres, so it's a fairly tricky calculation to get to the exact gram per square metre weight.

The other question is what did your feedback say exactly?

rollingmoon

Did you mention anything about eBay refunding you, or opening a case etc? Because eBay once removed a negative I left, and when I contacted CS to enquire that was the reason I was given.

sammyjammy

Let it go, you use Ebay at your own risk!

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

RFW said:

A couple of questions: how did you work out the GSM? A sheet of A4 is 0.061square metres, so it's a fairly tricky calculation to get to the exact gram per square metre weight.

@RFW Wouldn't it be 260x0.61=15.86g?

An A4 sheet is 210mm x 297mm so 0.06237sm (tying closer to 16 sheets of A4 being an A0) giving 16.2162g

OP you may wish to read this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6546760/under-weight-packaging/p1

7.7% is 1.25g, are you sure the scales are that accurate?

Regarding the feedback, having sold on eBay for years sometimes it has been impossible to get feedback removed that appeared greatly unjust, I think eBay have been a bit more relaxed in recent years and with CS being overseas results can vary meaning some feedback is removed when it shouldn't be. 

As an aside, interesting video on bubble wrap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMGpQ-xtAF4&list=PL-UkPzxSQGaTPWn29OsHrP2n0KAwL8oxg

se2020

Since feedback and reviews started appearing on individual listings I've seen feedback removed automatically. 

Some listings show a summary on them of the feedback left for that particular item.

On a high sales volume item like paper, if that particular item had 500+ positive feedback, I can see why ebay would remove a negative.

Awakeatlast

Just catching up on the replies. Thank you for your thoughts. It was kind of you all to find the time to help. The maths is not in question. There were 100 sheets of A4 paper and my sincere apologies for not mentioning this. 

This could be exactly what I have suggested. A seller deliberately sending 240gsm but telling purchasers it's 260gsm. The modern term used for my feelings I think is "my Spidey senses" sensed something wrong. As someone who has now achieved the age where others think I'm a dinosaur I'd use a different phrase. i.e. "If it looks like a duck". 

As I've said I eventually got my money back, so eBay's guarantee remains intact. The effort to do so was frustrating and I'll admit irritating. I’ve learned my lesson and won’t purchase through eBay again. My time’s far more valuable than trying to recover a small amount of money using their guarantee. 

But my main concern is, if I'm correct, and hence my verification of the weight of the item, my concern that the seller had claimed they had sold this paper to a lot of people. My feedback has been removed. eBay haven’t even bothered to say why, albeit I don’t have any expectations there. If the seller is continuing to sell 240gsm paper as 260gsm it’s, well where I come from, it’s dishonest. 

Some may think it's not my concern and I should just move on with my life. I got my money back. “I’m alright Jack”. However, I'm me. I have a very strong protective instinct. It's just who I am, warts 'n all. One of the largest problems with getting older, or at least for me, is I’ve found I’ve become more than aware of all of my faults. Trying to raise an issue about something which doesn’t appear to be correct or honest isn’t on that list. 

Thank you all 

Kind regards

RFW

Awakeatlast said:

Just catching up on the replies. Thank you for your thoughts. It was kind of you all to find the time to help. The maths is not in question. There were 100 sheets of A4 paper and my sincere apologies for not mentioning this. 

This could be exactly what I have suggested. A seller deliberately sending 240gsm but telling purchasers it's 260gsm. The modern term used for my feelings I think is "my Spidey senses" sensed something wrong. As someone who has now achieved the age where others think I'm a dinosaur I'd use a different phrase. i.e. "If it looks like a duck". 

As I've said I eventually got my money back, so eBay's guarantee remains intact. The effort to do so was frustrating and I'll admit irritating. I’ve learned my lesson and won’t purchase through eBay again. My time’s far more valuable than trying to recover a small amount of money using their guarantee. 

But my main concern is, if I'm correct, and hence my verification of the weight of the item, my concern that the seller had claimed they had sold this paper to a lot of people. My feedback has been removed. eBay haven’t even bothered to say why, albeit I don’t have any expectations there. If the seller is continuing to sell 240gsm paper as 260gsm it’s, well where I come from, it’s dishonest. 

Some may think it's not my concern and I should just move on with my life. I got my money back. “I’m alright Jack”. However, I'm me. I have a very strong protective instinct. It's just who I am, warts 'n all. One of the largest problems with getting older, or at least for me, is I’ve found I’ve become more than aware of all of my faults. Trying to raise an issue about something which doesn’t appear to be correct or honest isn’t on that list. 

Thank you all 

Kind regards

I sympathise and, must admit, I'm likely to do something similar myself.

The chances are the seller has never checked the gsm of the paper so I doubt they're overtly misleading. I don't sell that type of paper but do deal in gsm paper occasionally. Some of the better card I've bought has been a lower GSM so it doesn't always infer quality, even though it should be right. I'm thinking of a 280gsm card I buy that is way better quality than a 350gsm card and no one could tell me the difference.

It's always possible you had an odd batch that was incorrect. The probability though is that the vast majority of buyers want some photo card, are happy with their purchase and don't really care about the difference.

Ebay go on feedback, if they get a few more complaints they'll act on it, the chances are that there hasn't been others and it's not a problem for them.

You can try Trading Standards if it does concern you but without the evidence and it not being a particular misdemeanour that anyone will be too bothered about you'll have trouble getting them to do much.