Hi and this evening I am on yet another ebay rant! As many of you are aware, ebay, in their infinite wisdom, banned the sale of  digital downloads some months ago.
For those of you that are unaware of the term ‘digital download’, this is an item, usually an ebook or software, that could be sold and sent to the buyer by email or  automated delivery software.
To help get round the ban, we digital product sellers are still allowed, by ebay, to sell our digital products as long as we put them onto CD.
So now all my ebay items are CD products. This is fine, I have adapted and have sold quite a few CD’s.
Just over a week ago I sold and shipped an item to a customer. A couple of days later, the customer sent me a message, through ebay, saying that ‘the CD had arrived today but it is a copy, not the real thing’!!!!!!!!!!!
Bear in mind that the CD didn’t exist until I created it, so there isn’t a ‘real thing’ !
To cut a long story short, I replied that if they were  unhappy or disappointed with their purchase, I would refund the cost of the product and postage and let them know that they could keep the CD, saving them the expense of posting it back to me.
The customer replied accepting the refund etc. and said they were happy to let the matter end there.
In fact they were so happy that they proceeded to leave me negative feedback!
To say I was flabbergasted is a bit of an understatement! After bending over backwards, refunding and telling them they could keep the item, they left a Negative!
After the initial shock, I regained my composure and thought well, this is the opinion of the customer and a reflection of their shopping experience with me (must be hard to please) so fair enough, I have a Negative.
What I do object to is the comment that was left. The comment started with ’sells copies’, now correct me if I’m wrong but this is potentially damaging.
If I saw that comment on someone else’s feedback I think I would avoid purchasing anything from them. I think that the comment infers that I copy other peoples work which is unethical and something I would never do.
After several emails to the customer, asking them to leave a follow up comment, retracting the ’sells copies’ part of the original comment, they refused to budge stating that ‘that’s how I see it’.
This suprised me as they also sell on ebay and should know the effect a negative and a damaging comment can have on an ebay business.
The most frustrating part of the whole thing is that ebay will not remove the comment!
I explained that the Negative Feedback doesn’t concern me but the potentially damaging comment does (I haven’t sold anything since the comment).
They are all very sympathetic but they cannot remove any comments left buy customers unless I think the comment is Defamatory in which case I have to download and fill in a Notice of Claim of Defamation Statutory Declaration. This has to be signed in front of and signed/witnessed by a Solicitor, Barrister, Commissioner for Oaths, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace or a Judge.
L.M.A.O.!
The other options are:
1. Make your Feedback private, so the comments will not be publicly displayed.
2. Add a reply to the Feedback

I try really hard to love ebay and just as I’m getting there, I get slap in the face with a wet fish! I do wish that they would look after their sellers a tiny bit instead of concentrating all their efforts on the buyers!
I have decided to leave a reply to the Feedback, then, if sales don’t improve, I will make Feedback comments private.
What do you think I should do?
Colin