Freaking eBay. My perfect feedback since 2004, lost.
Buyer said artwork was missing on a game even though I said it was included. It was included. You can clearly see it in the pics. I contacted the buyer to ask about it, he thought artwork included meant map, too. I never said it included the map. The map was never in the pics.
So I relay this to eBay in a feedback removal request, and it's denied.
Now I look like a lying, garbage seller.
The feedback removal request option is very specific, so unless it happens to be a clear violation, you're essentially wasting your time.
This is what you should do: maintain communication with the buyer to try and work things out, especially seeing as this was a mistake from their part, which is something you should reiterate. Just point out again that by artwork you meant the cover (or whatever it was in this case), and since the map is absent in the pictures provided in the listing, as well as it wasn't mentioned in the description it therefore wasn't included. Tell the buyer that if they're not satisfied, to return the game for a refund, but be specific in telling them that it will be at their expense given the circumstance. Also, politely tell them that the feedback that they left you was completely unfair considering they clearly overlooked information. If they reply not wanting to work things out, simply tell them politely once again that this is all due to their own mistake and that their response is unfair. In the event the buyer agrees with you that they made a mistake in regards to the feedback they left you, which they already did according to your post, tell them that you will send a feedback revision request and go from there.
You should take this situation as a learning experience to always specify what an item you're selling has and doesn't have. It may seem like an exercise in futility when you provide detailed pictures of the item you're selling, but in the eBay ecosystem this is mandatory considering the lack of common sense most buyers seem to have.
Now, with that said, if your communication with the buyer goes nowhere, contact customer support, and if possible during the morning before 12PM. Unfortunately, eBay did away with telephone support, so support now goes through chat due to the pandemic, but you can still get about the same results. Once you get an agent to chat with you, explain your situation and tell them you tried working things out with the buyer, and ask them to see your private conversation with the buyer so that they can see this. Express to the agent that your listing was clear in specifying what it included and didn't include and that the buyer by their own admission expressed to you that they confused one thing with the other, and that if they were in doubt they could've easily contacted you prior to purchasing the item to clear any confusion they could've had. Express that you believe the feedback you received from this buyer is completely unfair and does not represent the item you sold given the feedback they left is entirely about something that was never advertised in your listing, as they overlooked information, and as such you—respectfully—believe should be removed. Bring up that you've been selling for X amount of years and this is the first time you have to deal with something like this; however, don't belabor this and just mention it once and be done with it.
Keep in mind, and let the customer support agent know that you know that a buyer has to keep feedback relevant to the item they bought, and that in this case you have the right to contact support to refute the feedback you were given. If you're unfortunate to get an agent that proves to be unhelpful, I would recommend to just thank them for their time and contact customer support again until you get an agent that is willing to actually look over your case/claims—this is the reason why contacting customer support during the morning before 12PM is preferred.
Reference links:
Seller performance and feedback policyReplying to feedback you received for an item you soldHandling feedback disputes with sellersAs long as you reply to the negative feedback in a good way, people can go and read it. What is your pct now? I wouldn't worry about it if you are below 99.0%. That's my cutoff for buying from sellers that are not in SEA. I'm sure other people have different tolerance levels regarding a seller's feedback.
I've bought from sellers with a feedback rating as low as 78% before, all you have to do is read the feedback they've received and judge from there. Many sellers receive negative feedback that's warranted, but others do get the kind that's out of this world stupid.
Sounds like a headache. Thanks for the heads up. So far I havent had any issues with people who have bought my stuff but you hear these horror stories that are a bigger headache than they ought to be.
Eventually he'll lose his MBG privileges, but it'll be too late before that happens given how long eBay takes to reprimand these type of people. It's also unfortunate that most sellers tend to give in instead of putting their foot down and defend themselves.
Lastly, since we were on the topic of germs, I received a package today, and gross is an understatement...
I reckon this is how I was brought up and not everyone is the same, unfortunately; but honestly, if you're going to sell something, whatever it may be, is it too much to ask to be a sensible person and clean whatever you're selling before shipping it? While I've received dirtier, outright filthier packages before, it still was a gross experience to handle and clean these games.
Anyway, sorry for the wall of text.