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When did they become complicit in fraud?
Summary: james-t91 expressed frustration over eBay’s policy that makes only positive feedback for sellers permanent, sharing an experience where negative feedback against a seller was removed. They described poor communication and misleading practices by the seller and encountered unhelpful support from eBay staff. papso22 and *vyolla* contributed to the discussion, with the latter stating that the removal of feedback doesn't necessarily constitute fraud. john1297576 suggested feedback strategies, while red_magpie explained eBay’s policy changes aimed at preventing retaliatory negative feedback.
I am curious when did ebay implement the objectively moronic change so that for sellers only positive feedback is permanent?
I had a negative experience with a seller, who lied about sending the item, provided fake tracking details, ignored communication requests, ignored my request for a refund when enough time passed to open a dispute, sent me an item I no longer needed and even then sent a different item than was advertised. I left negative feedback and within days it has been scrubbed from their account so now they are promoted as a "100% positive feedback" seller. Nothing said in my review could even be argued as being against any terms, all I did was tl'dr the facts that I started this paragraph with
So the already risky site is now literally worthless because the company themselves not only condone, but actively partake in false advertising and intentionally misleading selling practices, meaning the entire site has gone from being risky but potentially good value if you do your due diligence to being a casino where the house is an active participant in outright illegal selling practices by misleading and scamming you.
Edit: Guess my ebay days are done, 17 year old account but I can't see any justifiable reason to use the site any more, out of sheer curiosity I have been in touch with the wrongly titled "support" staff where I got through to "Ayush", I asked for explanation on scrubbing the feedback since in no way,shape or form it violated any terms, they asked for details, I provided item url, order number and dispute request ID. After about 20 minutes Ayush replied with
"just to confirm is it Elliot Brown Bloxworth Chronograph Quartz (44mm) Matt Black Dial Ref 929-019-B07?"
Which is something I never bought and the reference ID is completely different to the one I provided, then within mere seconds, before I had time to type anything they sent
"As I haven't heard from you, I assume you've left the chat. We’re always here to help, so please contact eBay Live Chat again if you need anything. Take care."
Kicking me out of the chat, didn't even put me back in the queue, dumped me in the chat box with the AI saying
"eBay Assistant: Try asking your question in a different way, or select one of these options:"
Ebay has never been a moral bastion, but this so scummy that even if you snag a deal it doesn't balance out the risk or the support of a company blatantly breaking the law at our expense.
red_magpie
Mentor1 month agoYour question about why sellers are only allowed to leave positive feedback is one we used to dread, because it was asked so often!
In short, some sellers abused the feedback system to leave retaliatory negative feedback against blameless buyers who had left it for them. eBay responded by preventing sellers from leaving anything other than positive comment - or none.
Sadly many of eBay's most frustrating policies including payment holds and the ban on providing contact details came about because previous freedoms were abused.
john1297576
Mentor1 month agoPresumably you opened a not received case, then received something which would close the case.
This is the only time when a buyer can open a second case for Not as described, so long as still in the 30 days.
No doubt there was something in your feedback which is not allowed. I think ebay’s idea for leaving long feedback defeats the object as more chance for saying the wrong thing. Brief feedback “ Unsatisfactory transaction “ would be safe and then mark down the star ratings, which are taken into account with a sellers account.
Unavailable member
OP1 month ago"No doubt there was something in your feedback which is not allowed"
No, as I said, I abbreviated the most important parts
Seller provided fake tracking details
Seller ignored communication attempts
Seller ignored dispute request for refund
Seller eventually sent item, which was not the item listed or paid for
Everything I said was true, provable with the tracking details and images of the box contents provided to ebay and in no way,shape or form violated any guidelines
*vyolla*
Mentor1 month agoI'm failing to see any criminal activity here; the removal of a feedback rating isn't a fraudulent act, but if you were out of time to claim a refund via an eBay return then it would be possible for a seller to apply to have any negative feedback removed.
Unavailable member
OP1 month ago · EditedCensoring valid critiques to not only allow but actively facilitating false advertising with misleading information is the epitome of false advertising..
I was not out of time, as I said, I contacted the seller, they ignored me, as soon as enough time elapsed for me to open a dispute I did so, providing the fake tracking number they had given me and requesting a refund, the seller ignored this and eventually sent an item, which even then, was not the item that was described in the listing. So by every possible metric the seller was in the wrong
*vyolla*
Mentor1 month agoI don't understand how you lost out here - if the item turned up within 30 days you could have opened an eBay return and selected 'Doesn't match description or photos', returned it at the sellers expense and got a full refund. You'd also have been able to leave feedback.
papso22
Mentor1 month agoIt is a mystery how some sellers seem to get negative feedback removed while ebay refuses to remove it for others when it clearly breaks the rules.
However as negative feedback exists on many seller's accounts there is clearly no intention for only positive feedback to stick.