Dodgy seller rating

[ibell1234]

I recently bought a digital thermometer from a seller who claimed it was in Manchester, but it arrived 2 weeks late in a package with a UK postage label pasted directly over a Chinese one. And it didn't work.  So I've started the returns process, and I've raised a complaint with Ebay that I think the seller is breaching their location policy - and I'm not the only person complaining about this in their feedback.

But having looked at the seller's feedback a couple of times I think a load of negative feedback has suddenly and magically disappeared - about 30 out of 60 negatives , including my own, and their feedback score has jumped from 98% to 99%.   How is this possible?  Nobody asked me if I was willing  to change my feedback, which I wouldn't have done.  And if seller feedback can be manipulated what's keeping sellers honest?  My personal experience is that Ebay is increasingly weighed down with people selling cheap rubbish at inflated prices on the basis that it looks ok in a photo, and that it's becoing pretty much a waste of time and money for buying smaller items.  And this doesn't exactly increase my confidence.

I asked this question in my complaint to ebay about the seller, but it seems like they won't reply.

[plpmr]

it depends on what is said in feedback comment that can get it removed, for example, in another neg you left you said 'reported to eBay'.

If the seller has asked that neg would have been removed.