buyer falsely accuses me of sending wrong item and then left negative feedback

[decor-mate]

Hi, i have had a buyer falsely accuse me of sending the wrong item to them and then they left negative feedback.

I had asked them to send me a phot of what they received, and the image was not of any item i owned or sold.

they swiftly moved on to suggeing i was calling them a liar and that they would contact ebay if i didnt sent them another item.  i told them to start a claim, but they just left negative feedback and ive not heard from them again.

I emailed ebay about this.. even telling them to read the messages... its obvious the buyer was trying to scam me, but ebay refused to take the feedback away.

Is there any way i can rectify this situation with ebay?

Thanks.

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

its obvious the buyer was trying to scam me

Actually, it isn't. EBay would tell you that as they never saw the item you sent, they don't know who has the valid case.

If your buyer had claimed a refund eBay would have found in their favour, which is their default policy when they can't determine that the item matched the description. Because of this, buyers almost always win disputes. Fair or otherwise, this is the reality for sellers on eBay and we have to live with it.

You haven't helped things by presenting yourself as a private seller when all the items you're selling are new. Private sellers can only sell their own, unwanted possessions; buying to resell is a business activity. You clearly need to register with eBay as a business seller, pay business seller fees, display your trading address on your listings and accept returns for any reason (your current no returns policy illegal for business sellers.)

Buyer complaints are a fact of life for all sellers. If you had made yourself familiar with eBay's money back guarantee policy, and your responsibilities as a business seller, you would have handled things differently and probably avoided the negative feedback.

[john1297576]

It isnever worth getting into arguments with buyers, you cannot win. You should have told the buyer to open a Not As Described Case, you supply a reply paid label and on return you refund.

Involving ebay will alert them to the fact that you are a Business Seller and have not yet registered. You should register asap, as this awkward buyer could make trouble for by complaining to Trading Standards or reporting you to HMRC (The Taxman)

Rules of selling and fees are very different for Business Sellers and you are not entitled to Promotional Offers made by ebay to PRIVATE SELLERS or the Free 1000 listings per month.