Why eBay can be frustrating for sellers

[Sandblaster]

As many of you know, I have been selling on eBay since March of 1998.
I have sold many thousands of parts there and had many many happy customers.
But not all have been happy
Why?
Simply put, I am not perfect, my customers are not perfect, and eBay is FAR from perfect
Take for instance this latest negative feedback from a unhappy customer.
"Part was blasted and has a very textured feel.Disappointed!"
So let's take a look at this in depth.
Here is the title: YZ125 YAMAHA 1996 YZ 125 96 FRONT BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER

Here is the description:
Good Usable Condition.
This part is not Painted, Sand blasted, Soda blasted, or acid dipped. It is very clean raw aluminum.
FITS 96-99 YZ125 YZ250, 97 WR250, 97-98 YZ80, 98-99 YZ400F - 4SS-W2587-00-00
Guaranteed for 14 days after you get it

Here is the pics taken from eBay

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[Sandblaster]

So you have a 20 year old part that the customer has had in their possession for two months and they don't like the texture of the part
They say the part was blasted... And yes, it was Vapor blasted.
Vapor blasting does not pit or embed into the surface aluminum.
All it will do is clean using a honing process that lightly polishes the part.
So, if the customer was unhappy with the texture, they would have been even more unhappy with the factory finish
People send me their parts from all over the US to get their parts Vapor Blasted because of how good they look but another side benefit is the parts clean easier...

Further, the customer did not bother to contact me and tell me they were unhappy, they simply left negative feedback.
So here is what I sent them the day I received the negative:

Hello.
I'm sorry that you are disappointed with the condition of this part.
You know, if you are that unhappy with it we will gladly take it back even though you are a month and a half out of warranty.
My number is BLA BLA BLA if you would like to call.
Or just let me know if you want to send it back.
Best regards, Mike

So here we are, stuck with a negative feedback and waiting for the customer to reply... More later...

[Sandblaster]

Update.
The customer never bothered to reply which isn't really surprising
So I jumped on eBay and requested their contact information which includes a phone number.
After receiving the info by email I called the customer and explained who I was and that I would be happy to take the part back.
After a few minutes of talking he agreed to follow through and remove the feedback.
I sent him a link on how to a video on how to return a part but since it was so far out of warranty I had to pay for everything.
No problem.
I just want the negative off my account.
So I'm eating all the fees, as well as the shipping to the customer and back.
And, even though he has not shipped the part back to me yet, I have already given him a full refund.
So he has the part, he has a shipping label that was sent to him, he has a full refund, and he has a email from eBay to remove the negative feedback.

At this point I still have a negative feedback....

[Sandblaster]

Finally, he changed the feedback...

Very easy to deal with..

Great... it only wasted several hours of time

[Sandblaster]

Here is another beauty...

From one of my adoring fans in Australia 10secondsneak: That is not a 94 case get your facts straight before you list it is a 84 model and you know it

My response:
Lol...
Thanks for the heads up.
Yeah, I've been selling on eBay for 20 years.
Been riding bikes for 50 years.
I spend countless hours every week on the forums giving away free tech advice.
I have spent thousands of hours making and posting for free interchange info.
You would think that with 100% feedback, a stellar online reputation, and a willing spirit to help others to have fun, I would be more careful and make sure that I don't have an opps moment.
After all, for a few hundred dollars and a momentary lapse of concentration, would it be worth it to ruin everything I have built up in my lifetime?
Again thanks for your positive contributions to the riding community.
Best regards.

[Markee757]

Those stories are crazy but really comes with the territory of used parts! I worked in a shop for about 12 years. When we had a unreasonable customer, the boss would do what he could to make them happy and hope to never do business with them. I would ask him why he didn't tell them to piss of and pound sand. Like your first example, he said the "what I loose, is a worth never doing business with them"

That being said, wonder if someone gives bad feedback, can you block them? That would be great

[Sandblaster]

Oh yes, you can block them from buying again.
In fact, I have a few buddies that also sell on eBay and we share our block buyers list
Some people we are lucky to block before they buy.
If they come off with an attitude before they buy I block them.
Nothing funnier then when they come back wanting to buy and wonder why they are blocked
There are many more stories that I have not posted due to lack of time..
But selling used parts on eBay there will always be someone waiting to be blocked...

In fact I have a under age kid buy from me and completely ripped me off.
But I can't do diddly about it because of his age and where he lives.
But his Dad told me he would take care of it..
He hasn't after several months.
I hope he does not apply for a new job any time soon... Social media can be quite revealing... Oh yeah... it's coming