Last summer I sold some brand-new navy blue trousers from Next on Ebay.
The buyer requested a refund as he claimed they were black, not blue.
I had kept the purchase order which said the colour was navy, and also checked the barcode with a local Next store to confirm. I told the buyer this and urged him to open a dispute with Ebay if he was still unhappy.
I had stipulated no returns, meaning I didn’t have to pay him back unless the item wasn’t as described.
I then received a private message from the buyer intimating he would leave negative feedback unless I refunded the money. I perceived this as a threat.
The buyer did not open a dispute but left negative feedback on my profile saying I had misrepresented the colour and that my actions were disingenuous.
Offending item: Despite the seller having listed the trousers as navy on Ebay, the buyer says he thought they were black – in a situation reminiscent of 2015 internet phenomenon ‘the dress’
This affected my 100 per cent seller rating and was a slur on my character. I sought legal advice and was told as it was posted on a public forum it could be viewed as libelous.
I contacted Ebay to get the feedback removed as I felt it breached its policies. These state users can’t make personal attacks and that feedback should be factual and fair.
Ebay’s stance is that the buyer is entitled to his opinion. Whilst respecting this, the issue to me is that I have not misled him or been deceptive.
I am able to support my stance with proof and yet the buyer can make totally unfounded accusations with no repercussions.
Although this is a relatively minor issue, I hope you can appreciate the wider implications to sellers if Ebay do not police their site correctly. M.V
Harvey Dorset of This is Money replies: Blue and black, or white and gold?
A decade ago, an image of a dress became a national debate as people perceived two different coloured dresses from the same image, splitting friends and families over what colours they saw.
No doubt most remember this strange phase of internet virality, but it is unlikely you’d expect your Ebay listing to face a similar fate.
When you listed a pair of trousers on Ebay as ‘navy chinos’ with an image that contrasted the item of clothing with a black t-shirt, you wouldn’t have expected the buyer would contact you soon after receiving the item complaining that they were black.
Unfortunately, reasoning with the buyer didn’t prove fruitful, as your provision of a receipt showing that the item was listed as navy was rebutted as a lie.
Eventually, the buyer decided to leave a review on your Ebay profile suggesting that you had misled them with your listing.
A 100 per cent rating is coveted by many Ebay users, as it shows you are a trustworthy and reliable seller.
It shows you communicate well with buyers, send items on time, and that they arrive as described in your listing.
A poor rating can impact your ability to trade your wares, and even mean that some sellers won’t be willing to sell to you.
I asked Ebay why it allowed this review, as you could prove the buyer’s comments weren’t truthful.
A spokesman for Ebay said: ‘We have zero tolerance for misleading reviews because we know that reviews are crucial for buyers to make informed choices on their purchases.
‘If sellers receive a review that they believe is misleading, they can contact Ebay and ask us to investigate it. If our investigation concludes it is misleading, we will remove it.’
I’m glad to say the site has now agreed to remove the offending comment from your page.
However, it did not remove the negative rating, meaning that your previous 100 per cent feedback record was sill damaged by this exchange.
Ebay initially said the rating will remain unchanged because it cannot be considered defamatory in the same way that reviews can.
As you later told me, this meant one seller’s item you wanted to purchase was off limits to you, with the item’s description reading: ‘FEEDBACK MUST BE 100, TIRED OF SCAMMERS!’
Ebay said it does not recommend sellers restrict their sales in this way because most Ebay users act in good faith.
After I informed them of this later experience, Ebay said it would remove the negative rating as a gesture of goodwill.
It said feedback is based on a buyer’s opinion and therefore is normally not removed unless it violates Ebay’s feedback policy, and the sellers should ask the buyer to revise their feedback if they feel it is inaccurate or unfair.
The site’s feedback policy does not specify in what cases it will remove ratings left by buyers.
However, it says written feedback will be removed when it includes ‘personal attacks that could harm the reputation of the seller or their business and could not reasonably be viewed as constructive criticism.’
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