I've been chugging along, doing really well selling my old Commodore 64 and Vic 20 collections on eBay. My auctions end every Sunday, and this week I was the victim of a vicious attack by - well, by something I cannot comprehend.
A buyer named katsup123, registered back in April and with no feedback yet, was bidding on seven of my auctions. With no feedback, I'm a little wary, but I have to allow it - everyone has to get started on eBay somewhere. He or she ended up winning seven items with a grand total of over $400. Shortly after the auctions ended, I sent that person an invoice, and as soon as I returned to the main summary screen, the nightmare began.
The buyer katsup123 had marked all seven items as "payment sent", which buyers can do, even though in truth no payment has been made. The worst part was the seven nasty, distinct, negative feedbacks left for me, full of lies. Keep in mind that there has been no communication between myself and this buyer at all other than the invoice I sent, and that this negative feedback was posted immediately after the end of the auctions while I was putting together that invoice:
*WILL NOT GIVE SHIPPING DISCOUNT NOW!!! SENT E-MAIL THREATS !!! WHAT A JERK !!!!!
*WARNED BY OTHER BUY THAT GAME DID NOT WORK !!! DONT BUY
*DISHONEST SELLER !!!! BIDS ON HIS OWN ITEMS !!! HAVE CLAIM IN !!!!!!!
*THIS GUY BIDS AGAINST HIS OWN AUCTION TO DRIVE UP THE PRICE!!!!!
*CHANGES TERMS ATER SALE !!!! THIS GUY IS DISHONEST !!!!!!!!!!
*SOLD ITEM TO SOMEONE ELSE AFTER I WON AUCTION !!!!! BAD SEL:LER !!!!
*SELLER BACKED OUT ON SHIPPING DISCOUNT !!!!!! DONT TRUST !!!!!
Shortly after leaving these negative feedbacks, katsup123 closed out his eBay account. It should be noted that I have an email address and a shipping address for this person, because my auctions require PayPal, although I must consider the possibility that both could be faked somehow.
None of these things he said are true. He has successfully wrecked my perfect feedback rating. He has cost me hundreds of dollars in lost sales, because he outbid my regular, dependable buyers. He has cost me in the fees I paid.
I contacted eBay immediately after this happened. First, I talked to someone on a live chat, who basically said to send it in through email. I am awaiting their judgment and mercy, which I was told could take up to a week. In the meantime, I have refrained from contacting this person myself nor from responding to his feedback or leaving my own for him. I want to hear from eBay first. I want them to delete the feedback and refund my fees.
This buyer also did this to one other seller, a person who sells, of all things, praying mantis eggs. He only did it to one of his auctions, though. I've been in contact with them in hope that together we can both urge eBay to correct this mess. This seller did not hesitate to respond to katsup123's negative feedback with a reply to the negative comment, and by leaving his own feedback for katsup123. katsup 123's feedback rating is now -1. If I leave seven negatives, it will be -2.
I cannot comprehend why someone would do this. Is this an act of adolescent cyber-vandalism? Is this some disgruntled person who could not bid on one of my previous auctions and has set up an elaborate revenge? All I know is that I am pissed off. Between this and the ruining of the movie Pirates of the Carribean : At World's End last Friday by four unsupervised teenage girls last Friday night, my ever-simmering hatred of humanity is at a level I haven't known in years.
So I await eBay's response. I was about two weeks away from finishing off the current batch of items I'm selling, but thanks to this jackass it's going to take up much of the summer.
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