Humpty Dumpty

On 8 Feb 2007 at 20:12, Cameron Kaiser wrote: The business with feedback isn't symnetric. When a seller gets my money, that should be good enough. Prompt payment is the extent of your responsibility as a buyer. However, a seller has a duty to get the goods to you as represented in a timely manner and in good condition. A buyer's opinion of a seller carries much more weight than the converse. I once had a problem with a seller; the item he sold me was stated to have a capability that it didn't. When I asked for a refund and return shipping, he stated that it wasn't his problem--that he was just a carry-in seller and posted what he was told. When I asked for the name of his customer, he refused. When I told him that if I were stuck with the item, he'd get negative feedback. He countered with saying that if I gave him negative feedback, he would return the favor. I asked eBay about this and they stated that this was not "feedback extortion" and was completely legit. I was also told that many sellers open new accounts when they acquire a certain amount of negative feedback and this was completely okay with eBay. I was surprised at the cavalier attitude. Had I known about the 90- day feedback limit, I would have used it. Someone needs to set up a feedback sniping service, IMOHO. Ebay rules seem to be capriciously enforced. I've received some great deals from courteous sellers who have had their account terminated for a minor infraction of the rules. OTOH, there are big sellers who hide behind Square Trade and routinely deliver bad service without so much as a twitch from eBay management. Ebay is a shark tank and you do yourself a favor by playing the game with an appropriately paranoid attitude. Cheers, Chuck