UPDATE to Another ebay WWYD

[kristenk]

Update:

I received an email from the seller (hereinafter referred to as "she" b/c "the seller" is bogging me down) yesterday apologizing for the delay in answering my email b/c she was out of town. The seller said that she put the wrong picture in the photo by mistake and offered to take it back and refund me the item or replace the set with a different set in blue. I'm happy keeping the aqua set (although I was *very* tempted to see what else she had in blue!) and will be on the lookout for her upcoming auctions in blue. Thought I'd let everyone know how this whole thing turned out. Thanks for all of your advice! :)

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I purchased a Keedo outfit from someone on ebay. Here's a link to the auction: http://tinyurl.com/qsqdu

I received the outfit last week and it's actually aqua, not blue (like in the picture). Here's a link to a different Keedo outfit where you can see the difference between aqua and blue: http://www.keedousa.com/product_p/215008.htm

I've emailed the seller twice within the past week, asking if there was a shipping mix-up, but I haven't heard back from her. I thought I was bidding on a blue outfit, not aqua, but DD has an aqua dress from Keedo that looks great on her, so I'm okay keeping the aqua outfit if it comes to that.

I guess my question is just what do I do? I've tried emailing the seller, but that didn't work. I don't want to risk getting negative feedback b/c it would hurt me a whole lot more than it would hurt her. I don't want to just ignore the whole thing b/c what if the same thing happens to another ebayer who really *does* care what color outfit they receive? So, I'm stuck. Do I just wait another week to see if she responds? I'm just starting to buy more on ebay and I want to handle this situation correctly. Help? Oh, I guess my final question is, do you think the auction was for a blue or an aqua outfit? Thanks

[MayB]

I may not be looking at the right place or the complete listing, but I don't see the outfit described as blue, although it does look so in the picture. That said, the picture looks a bit fuzzy in general so it may be tough to tell. If she didn't describe it as blue, I would just let it go, especially if you're worried about negative feedback.

[JacksMommy]

I agree with PP, since the seller didn't describe it as blue, I wouldn't certainly give negative feedback. The picture isn't very good and it certainly doesn't look aqua (at least on my screen) but the onus was probably on you to clarify what color it was prior to buying. You might leave neutral feedback to let people know that the seller wasn't responsive to your concerns, but that's only if you're really into it, which it sounds like you aren't. I don't think you have an obligation to other buyers though, since this is more a mistake due to a badly written listing that didn't have enough specifics for you to really know what you were buying.

HTH,

Laurel
Mama to Jack 6/02 and Maddy 12/04

Babywearing education in Napa, CA

[kristenk]

The seller definitely did not say "blue" - it just looked blue in the picture. I guess I just expected it to look like the item in the picture and it really doesn't.

What would you leave as feedback? I'm okay with the outfit, although I wish the seller would return my emails. I just don't know what to write as feedback b/c none of my standard stuff fits (as in, it didn't ship quickly, I don't think that the item is exactly as described, and I might not buy from the seller again). I do like the outfit, though. Thanks for your help!

[kristenk]

I didn't see your post before my last response. I agree that I should have definitively asked about the color. I also checked and the seller doesn't have any current listings, so maybe they haven't received the emails I sent... I guess I'll work on a neutrally-positive wording later this afternoon!

Thanks for your response!

[dules]

Just my opinion so take with a grain of salt, but this is a case where asking before bidding would have been in order, if it were important to you that it be blue and not aqua. The description doesn't say blue and the two colors are somewhat close.

I'm sure the seller will try to make it right but on eBay you can't always trust people's cameras.

I usually get a lot of questions from people about color, inseam, shoulder width, etc. during auctions and I try to answer them as quickly as possible. Once the auction ends, though, the item belongs to the buyer unless I grossly misrepresented in some way.

Good luck and I hope she has the blue set for you (although, looking at both, I like the aqua better!).



Best,
Mary

[kozachka]

I have to agree with MayB, the listing does not state the outfits colour so I would just drop it if I were especially since you don't care either way.

[Momof3Labs]

If I feel so-so about an eBay win but not enough to leave a neutral, and not enough to articulate it in feedback, I sometimes leave a positive feedback that just says "Thanks!" It kinda conveys the so-so feeling without starting a feedback war, kwim?

[kristenk]

I think I'm just going to say something like, "The outfit's great! Thanks!", b/c that's definitely true.

My other concern is that it is a true mix-up and there's a blue set somewhere that I was supposed to get. What happens if the seller says that there was a mistake and I got the wrong thing? I almost feel like I can't wash the outfit until I hear back from the seller that the auction was, indeed, for an aqua outfit.

[Momof3Labs]

You've given the seller adequate chance to say that there was a mix-up. Go ahead and wash and use the outfit - if she ever comes back, you can just forward one of your e-mails and say "when I never heard back from you, I assumed that I had the right outfit."

[1964pandora]

Hi Kristen. It seems pretty clear that the seller posted a photo of a blue outfit and mailed you an aqua outfit. She definitely made a mistake, unless you can see ANY WAY that the garment that you received could look like the item in the photo under certain lighting. Seems to me, though, that it's not the same item and that she had a blue outfit and an aqua outfit.

As for feedback, I would never DREAM of leaving negative feedback in a situation like this. I can appreciate that you're just trying to figure out the way things work on ebay and whether it's helpful to others to leave negative feedback in a situation like this one. I think the best way to think about it is whether you would want someone to leave YOU negative feedback if you made an honest mistake as a seller. The other main thing to consider in whether to leave negative feedback or not is whether or not you are satisfied with your purchase, and you say you are. I could never leave negative feedback for someone after receiving an item I am happy with. It's a "no harm, no foul" situation.

This situation simply calls for a note to the seller stating, "FYI, you sent me an aqua item, but your photo showed a different outfit. Fortunately, I am pleased with the item, but I thought you should know..." blah blah, you get the idea. Can't finish this post like I'd like to, but that's my 1 cent. As a final thought, I have NEVER left negative feedback on ebay, even though I have had some difficult situations. I find that it is definitely best to leave NO FEEDBACK at all, because if the transaction is negative in any way, if you leave feedback there is nothing stopping the other party from leaving feedback, whereas if you leave NO feedback, the other party will often resist the urge to give you negative feedback if they want to, to keep you from giving them negative feedback. I'm sure those last three or so sentences don't make sense because I'm rushing.

[brittone2]

ITA. I think people learn as they go from their mistakes sometimes...they don't know or think to clarify every detail, right or wrong.

I personally ran into a situation once where I sold a bunch of collectible items, and one of them had a flaw that I missed (I had checked them all carefully, but a small flaw still snuck by me). The buyer had already left positive feedback, then emailed me to tell me what happened once she realized it. I was really thankful that she handled it the way she did...I honestly never meant to mislead her, and I *thought* I was being careful, kwim?

I ended up giving her a choice of a refund or me sending one of several other items from the collection I had (let her choose), and she opted to take an additional item. She was sooooo nice and so thankful and thrilled to pieces that we had worked this out, and it really made me believe that most people out there want transactions to go well.

Had she jumped to negative FB right away, I never would have had a chance to make it right, and now I try to approach people the same way. Ebay can be a pain, but I do believe most people want a transaction to go smoothly.

[DanielleGuidry]

Thanks for the update. My experiences with ebay have generally been positive.