Feedback

I wanted some inexpensive sedum to plant in my backyard during the summer, so I looked at listings on Ebay. I found a couple with the right plants at the right price, but being cautious, I looked at the feedback. I was particularly interested in the negative feedback.

This one seller had 6 negative comments. Three were from the same guy, all identical. His response each time was to ask the guy for an address, since he didn't know where to send the purchase. Seems like a sensible request.

The next was someone who had bought a $1.50 watch. The response was that the watch looked cheap. Surprised much? The seller suggested he try the $25 watch offered.

The next was clearly a misunderstanding. The seller had advertise small children's toys. The buyer thought they were toys for small children instead of small toys. It's easy to see how that could happen.

On the same item was a negative from a man who complained because the toys were small. Since the offer stated the toys were small, he may have misread the ad, too.

I've been a member of Listia for more than 2 years, and I've seen how weird people can be. One lady gave a negative because she wanted her toy mailed to her the same day of the auction to use it at a birthday party. The seller wasn't inclined to change the mailing date so she got it a late.

I won an auction on Listia and contacted the seller the same day. And a week later. After more than a month, I tried again. No response. The day the credits would go automatically to the seller, I filed a no response dispute. Nothing. Months later, she leaves me feedback that she would give me a negative if she could. I was thoroughly irritated. I did everything possible to complete the transaction, while she did nothing for months and I'm to blame?

I've always felt sorry for people in retail situations. There are some people who are extremely difficult and demanding. It's one thing to expect the product you purchased to be as advertised, it's another to demand special treatment. These people often ruin it for the rest of us. Sellers give up. My grocery store used to sell leftover rotisserie chickens for $2 after 9 p.m. People started lining up to buy them at the bargain price. But a few people starting demanding employees mark them down as early as 7:30 p.m. and complained to the manager. The manager stopped offering the discount. It was easier to throw the leftover chickens away than deal with complaining customers.

I know some people on Listia won't bid for an item when the person has even one negative feedback. I encourage everyone to read the feedback to see if it's significant.