Would you leave negative feedback if...

[weddlec]

I don't know how to do a poll so I will just ask. This has happened to me once before but it has been a while.

I recently purchased TIE fighter collection set off of ebay and the listing did list that the box had light wear. The seller charged me $15 for shipping and handling. The problem is that he used the set box as the shipping box wrapped in paper. On top of all of this he had wrapped the entire box multiple times in multiple directions with packing tape UNDER the paper,so it took me an hour to get it all off and I lost many patches of printed materiel where I couldn't get the tape off better. Also, due to it being wrapped in paper there was a large hole punched in the top of the box by the post office.

Am I being too nitpicky to assume that part of the sets value is the box? I am a collector and I have ample space to store the boxes. Is it really the normal expected operating procedure to advertise that the box is present with the set and has minor wear and then ruin it by being too lazy to ship it properly?

So I received my item, it was complete, but the box will now be going in the trash despite my best efforts. Would YOU leave negative feedback.

[Andi]

Is neutral feedback still available at ebay? If yes, I would do this. It's not complete negative, because you got it and the set is complete. But the box is not like described anymore.

[bigospedros]

I would talk to the seller first and see if you can get a partial discount or refund if you're entirely unhappy. If you don't get anywhere, then I would raise a dispute and take that to it's conclusion.

Leaving negative feedback isn't gonna get you anywhere in reality ... all it will do is reduce the sellers rating, which doesn't solve your problem or your dis-satisfaction with the product you received.

[BrickSith206]

Am I being too nitpicky to assume that part of the sets value is the box? I am a collector and I have ample space to store the boxes. Is it really the normal expected operating procedure to advertise that the box is present with the set and has minor wear and then ruin it by being too lazy to ship it properly?

$15 in shipping and they did not even put it into a box??? Considering it was marketed to you as "light" shelf wear, but upon it's arrival (solely due to the laziness of the seller) the box is basically destroyed, it's a far cry from what you purchased. I'm honestly surprised it even made it through the postal system. Does the seller have a long reputation (MANY positive feedback) for selling Lego? STEP 1: Open a dialogue with them and explain exactly what you thought you were purchasing and consequently what arrived. Remember, it's all in the delivery, so a carefully worded email is key, then see what happens. If you can not obtain an acceptable resolution... STEP 2: File a dispute with Paypal. Step 2 will most likely lead to your resolution. However, if through the course of the investigation, Paypal sides with the seller, then you always have Negative Feedback.

Of course, if a partial refund does not interest you, or you decide it's not worth the effort. Just move to Feedback. For me personally, I would have no problems leaving Negative Feedback for the above transaction. Nothing riles me more than when sellers charge fabricated shipping costs, and then throw your item into a bubble mailer for it to be destroyed (own recent experience).

An aside to the post that occurred while I was authoring this one: Leaving Feedback (whether good or bad) IS ESSENTIAL to the trading community. It lets other buyers know that you had a problem, and it could not be resolved. Conversely, positive feedback is the same, people want to know why you had a good experience, and they can trust that their transaction will be handled the same.

[Daz Hoo]

I totally agree with BrickSith206 and what everyone else mentioned above. IMHO, selling online involves shipping, and shipping includes making sure the item sold arrives at its destination in the same condition than if the buyer pick it up at your house (or warehouse, or store).

First and formost, you need to let the seller know that you're not entirely satisfied with your purchase. As a Bricklink seller, I personally know that I would much rather work something out with an unsatisfied customer than getting a negative feedback without even having the opportunity to set things right.

But, I'm the kind of seller that would rather take a lost to save his reputation, and unfortunately, not all sellers are like that. So if your seller doesn't want to hear your complain, the next step is to file a dispute with Paypal. And IMHO, if you have to file a dispute, than a negative feedback is in order, no matter how Paypal settles this one. If you had read in the seller's feedback a story like yours, would you have bought from him? If the answer is no, than let others know that they shouldn't deal with this person.

My two cents.

[bigospedros]

An aside to the post that occurred while I was authoring this one: Leaving Feedback (whether good or bad) IS ESSENTIAL to the trading community. It lets other buyers know that you had a problem, and it could not be resolved. Conversely, positive feedback is the same, people want to know why you had a good experience, and they can trust that their transaction will be handled the same.

Note : I never said that leaving feedback wasn't necessary, I said it would get this person anywhere in terms of resolving his issue!

Mind you, the way an ebay's seller reputation is now calculated, negative feedback will only stay on their record and harm their % rating for 1 year anyway.

[BrickSith206]

Note : I never said that leaving feedback wasn't necessary, I said it would get this person anywhere in terms of resolving his issue!

You got me.

Daz_Hoo and I are similar in our beliefs that an online retailer should be willing to take a beating to save reputation. Our BL store just received it's first neutral feedback...and we would have had a chance to resolve the issue before they posted the feedback, had they just contacted us. However, they did not even extend us that courtesy, so now we're left with a permanent mark on what was once a flawless record.

Cliff notes: Yes, it still pays to communicate.

I'm curious to see how Weddlec's experience plays out.

[weddlec]

Thanks for all of your feedback guys. The communication that I have received from the seller was that it was listed with light damage to the box. My main gripe is that the damage that I am most concerned with was the packing tape that was used to laminate (exaggeration ) the box. The unfortunate thing is that there is really no way to resolve this the way I would want. I don't really want a discount, I want the box to be in good condition. The seller does not have another one, he isn't a store, just a private seller. I have in the past had pieces missing or something broken and in those cases have formally disputed it with Paypal. In this situation I will be leaving Neutral feedback. I is as lenient as I am going to be. Unfortunately most private sellers on Ebay act as though as long as all of the pieces are there that is all that matters. I also realize that the feedback route won't get me what I want, but it is the right thing to do. I would hope that rather than future buyers avoid him that he instead change his habits. I really think that in this case it was ignorant negligence and not apathy. I tend to over-package stuff, but that is because I really care about condition. A lot of people out there still see Lego as a toy and not a collectible. I see it as both.

Again, thanks for all of your input. At the end of the day, when it comes to Ebay, let the buyer beware. Luckily I have only 1 more rare set that I will need to probably get off of Ebay.

[LL918]

I had a similar experience in my early days of eBay. The stamps and address label were stuck directly to the original box and then the whole thing wrapped in clear sticky tape. I was completely dumbfounded. Being a non-confrontational person and more naive about eBay back then, my approach was do nothing. I just let it go, no dispute resolution, no feedback. I would be more proactive if it happened now though.

My approach now would depend on the type of seller. If they are a serious LEGO dealer on eBay, (ie a history of selling LEGO, ongoing auctions) then I would expect much higher standards, if they are just an average person selling off the kids' old sets then perhaps they deserve the benefit of the doubt. In either case open a dialogue and politely raise the issue. With the current eBay feedback system here in Oz sellers cannot leave negative feedback for buyers, if that is so where you are then you are in a good position to bargain. (In the bad old days sellers could give retaliatary feedback if you complained about a legitimate problem of theirs.) So decide on your feedback after talking to them. And if it is a dealer then in the feedback comment I would mention the problem and how it was resloved, so that other buyers know what is going on.

And you just posted an update while I was typing... The best you could have hoped for was a partial refund. If he is just a private seller but isn't offering a part refund then neutral feedback sounds fair to me.

[banthafodder]

To be honest at this point I would leave a negative feedback. If the seller was a private seller and not a store then he may not of known about the value of the box. IMO if he stated that the box had light wear and not just stated that the box was included then he probably knew that it would increase the value of the set and his price.

[bigospedros]

So it was listed as "light damage" but he used the box as a packing tool and his preparation of said box caused MORE damage to the box. Therefore, technically, you have not received it in the condition it was listed as.

Did the listing mention how it would be packed for shipping? What was the comparison between the shipping amount you paid and the shipping amount spent ?

If this was me, I would either send it back for a full refund or expect a partial refund, based on the amount of value you place on the box. Looking at Bricklink, only 1 original box in used condition has been sold via there in the last 6 months and it went for $4.75!

I would also leave negative feedback on completion of your issue. They can only leave you positive or no feedback due to ebay rules, so you've got no worries about your own record. Used words like "Very poor packaging which damaged item in transit. Bad comms to resolve" or something like that.

Whether this is a shop or a private seller they need to learn that good packaging and charging a fair price for packaging is just as important as anything else on ebay. I re-use old packaging, but my P&P charges only cover the cost of postage NOT the cost of packaging to make it fair.

[RocketClone]

The REAL question for me is that did you get all the tie fighters?

[Daz Hoo]

So it was listed as "light damage" but he used the box as a packing tool and his preparation of said box caused MORE damage to the box. Therefore, technically, you have not received it in the condition it was listed as.

I totally agree there. It doesn't take a genius to know that, with any discontinued item, the original box adds value. If the box was listed with "light damage", that's the condition you should have received it. From what you're describing, that's entirely not the case here.

Personally, I would have asked to get a refund for the entire cost of shipping, since the seller obviously didn't have a clue about what he was doing (or just didn't care).