Bad experience with eBay seller.

[Black Tiger]

I bought and immediately paid for this auction from U.K. eBay seller gamezone-stc on December 24th-


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140067565694


The deatils of the auction include:

Domestic Handling Time
Will usually dispatch within 1 working day of receiving cleared payment.

PAYMENT TO BE RECEIVED WITHIN SEVEN DAYS OR ITEM WILL BE RELISTED, AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK LEFT. SYSTEM COMPATABILITY IS NOT OUR RESPONSIBLITY

On January 10th I received this message from the seller:

PLEASE NOTE ALL OUR GAMES ARE UK PAL FORMAT AND WILL NOT WORK ON AMERICAN/CANADIAN NTSC CONSOLES
THATS WHY NOT POSTED IT
DO YOU STILL WANT GAME?
CHEERS AID

I replied saying how I was aware of what I was buying and still wanted what I'd paid for. I finally received the game a few days ago, but today I received an official request for me to leave feedback with the following message:

Please leave feedback for me on eBay and I'll do the same for you.  Take this opportunity
now and help build a better eBay community.

Since he's trying to get me to accept blackmail feedback I haven't left any yet, otherwise I would've left a positive or neutral with a brief summary of my experience.

[Joe Redifer]

I do not understand what is the "bad experience" here.  If I get something that was as described, shipped as stated with no hidden charges and works, I leave positive feedback right away.  Sometimes it takes people awhile to leave feedback, but they usually do.

[termis]

The seller basically took his sweet-ass time sending the game, as opposed what he said he'd do on the auction (sending it next day).

[Black Tiger]

I do not understand what is the "bad experience" here.  If I get something that was as described, shipped as stated with no hidden charges and works, I leave positive feedback right away.  Sometimes it takes people awhile to leave feedback, but they usually do.

Other than the auction stating that it'd be sent within a day, it also says that if payment isn't received with 7 days, they give negative feedback.

Payment was received within 1 minute, but he gave no positive feedback, he waited 2 weeks before asking me if I really wanted it and then said that he'd only leave me positive feedback if I did for him first.

The auction said it was my responsibility to make sure I could play the game, but then he used compatibility as an excuse when he later asked if I really wanted it.

He also saying that his feedback blackmail is my opportunity to help build a better eBay community. But it's what bad sellers use to keep their ratings up.

Someone once took my money for an expensive MOTU auction and stalled with regular e-mails until just after the PayPal and eBay recourse period passed. Then they stopped responding altogether. Weeks/months later, I just happened to find him posting on the He-Man.org forums and enjoying a public rep with his baby as his avatar. I checked his eBay history and saw he'd been bidding on stuff in the meantime as well. So I got to hold him accountable to his 'peers', which aparently meant something to him, because after posting what happended I eventually I got him to send me the item. So yeah, I did get the item 6+ months later without any hidden fees because I was able to bend his arm. But that doesn't mean it's all hunky dory.

[guyjin]

give the bastige bad feedback anyway. sure, he will respond in kind, but at least people might think twice before bidding on his stuff again.

[GUTS]

Just wait until the last day and leave it, then by the time he notices it'll be too late to leave you any.  It's just tough remembering to do it that way, but it works awesome.

[Michael Helgeson]

Anytime I buy a item,I leave positive feedback first because I believe its up to me to let the seller know I'm satisfied with the item,and the transaction. When I sell items I also expect the same from my buyers,because I believe its up to them to let me know first they are completely happy. I learned to do this early on because as a seller leaving feedback first I found that a couple of buyers right after became very rude and demanding,threatening me to pay extra on my part for faster shipping,or for me to pull other auction items they noticed I had for sale and sell it to them directly for cheap in order to make them pleased with the current purchase.

The seller your talking about has a feedback number of 43604. I don't think hes trying to black mail you,because at that high a feedback number yours is pretty meaningless in the large scheme of things. Even if you left him a negative it wont affect his overall percentage.

Also,the only thing I see he really did wrong was send your item late. Sometimes when a seller sales over 3000 items a month mistakes happen,and in the end he shipped your item,and he did keep open communications with you.

As for his payment/feedback instructions,heres mine:

Seller's payment instructions
Please make payment by Paypal only.Paypal only if located outside the USA. My shipping times are between 5-8 working days on average.All used computer items sold as is,but insured by shipping service against damage or loss. Please make payment by 4 days of auction ending or item will be relisted and negative feedback left for not following payment policy.

What he list is pretty normal,and I bet you never thought that he may mostly deal with people in Europe,and seeing your from a NTSC/Canada area may have trew him off too just a tad,so he may have just wanted to make sure your aware you purchased a pal item.

I'd say leave him a positive feedback because after contacting you to make sure you still wanted the item,he sent it. I would just state that the item arrived fine,but arrived very late. If you want to go into better details to explain,you have that follow up option you can do on his feedback.

[akamichi]

There's too much grief on ebay.  I don't use ebay that much, only once actually.  I usually leave good feedback as long as I receive the item in a reasonable time though.  I haven't had to leave a non-positive feedback yet.  It sounds like the only thing the seller is guilty of is not following his own shipping schedule. 

FWIW, I don't "feel" any hostility or blackmail.  From what you wrote, sounds like a positive transaction overall.

[Black Tiger]

There's too much grief on ebay.  I don't use ebay that much, only once actually.  I usually leave good feedback as long as I receive the item in a reasonable time though.  I haven't had to leave a non-positive feedback yet.  It sounds like the only thing the seller is guilty of is not following his own shipping schedule. 

FWIW, I don't "feel" any hostility or blackmail.  From what you wrote, sounds like a positive transaction overall.

Sellers who tell you that you must leave them positive feedback first are using it as a means to deter buyers from leaving negative feedback and in every case I've encountered it, will leave retalitory negative feedback if you leave them anything less than a positive. Even though the buyer did everything right. Even when there's a paypal history, sellers will leave a comment like 'no payment no emails".

I sell more than I buy and I always leave positive feedback after receiving payments.

[Digi.k]

or you can just don't bother leaving any feedback.