Gloat and dilemma

A stanley #5 with lots of blade, a type 19 with the rounded cutter top, rosewood handles, nickel plated forked lever, and vertical characters on the lateral adjust. Looks like it was only used a little, and I think the factory milling marks are still on the cutter bevel.

Cost me $10 and about as much to ship.

I'm very happy with the plane. Except for one thing. During shipping the toe was chipped and the iron deformed around the chip such that I'll have to lap the sole a bit to get things right. There's a smile on that end of the box where the plane punched through it, and the only packing is some bubble wrap wound around its long axis (ends were exposed) and some popcorn.

Doesn't bother me.

But now, do I take one for the team and leave bad feedback? 'Cause it's still a good deal. I made a huge error not checking this guy's feedback before bidding and now I notice it is awful, he doesn't give feedback unless the seller gives it first, and he's retaliatory. I can be assured of getting bad feedback, but I'm also reasonably sure no one would take it seriously. His bad feedback would have kept me from bidding... had I looked. Maybe that's why it was so cheap?

Because now I'm faced with my own principles: I rate shipping speed, packaging, and match to description. That's always what I said, and I've always given good feedback because I never thought I had a problem with any of those. But this time, I think the packaging was bad, even when the other criteria are good, this one was bad.

So I could give a neutral. He'll (I'm sure) give me a negative, and I'll have to clarify in the followups and hope people read it.

I could give a negative. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

er

Reply to
Enoch Root
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No reason to be negative. Be honest. Good price, good product, packing could have been a little better. He may have felt it was packed pretty good and handling may have been excessive no matter how well it was packed. You can't blame the seller if that was the case.

Meantime, enjoy your new toy.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Nice

Not bad.

AAAAAAaaaaaaow!!!!!

You could message him and ask if he would give you a credit or co-operate with you in some other way. If he has another #5, maybe he could send you another one for a heap big discount. If no co-operation, THEN SLAM THE HE** OUT OF HIM!!!

Tom in KY, been ripped on the 'bay more than once. They just don't care, was the package insured?

Reply to
Squarei4dtoolguy

It's an auction. Sellers don't control the price, they do control the packaging. I'd neg him.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

I sometimes leave a negative comment inside "positive" rated feedback.

Reply to
dnoyeB

As much as I love your sig,

I believe that if you score them a positive and slam them in the comment, you run a risk of a full out negative retaliation.

Tom in KY, but I'm just a poor man and no-one listens to me.

Reply to
Squarei4dtoolguy

I don't care what other people rate me. It won't affect how I rate them. I don't buy from people with shady ratings and I pay attention to the replies to ratings when they are negative.

Reply to
dnoyeB

I do something like that: I will mention deficiencies that I don't think rate a negative.

Yes. If I were to leave a positive, it would only be after he left his feedback. I think he should be rating my purchase: normally I wouldn't have bid on his auction because it is clear he doesn't give feedback until the buyer does, holds feedback over his buyers head, and invariably wields it when the buyer finds something wrong (hint for sellers: There is a very nice and positive way to deal with negative feedback. Don't break the sh/pk/description rules and always be helpful and solicitous and responsive to criticism--you'll get me every time even with your "bad" feedback.) I saw the auction at the last minute and had no time to check him out.

But if I were determined to leave a negative, I might do that in spite of his not having left feedback.

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

It doesn't sound like you were scammed. It doesn't sound like the seller made no attempt at packing it correctly. It sounds like they screwed up, and now that you realize you screwed up by not checking their feedback first you are freaking out and want to neg the guy without giving him a chance to work something.

In my book at this point if anyone deserves a negative it's you.

Check the auction listing to see if the seller has any information as far as how they handle problems. Contact the seller and explain there was a problem with the packing and that you are willing to keep the item but you're going to have to do X amount of work to get it functional. See what they say.

-Leuf

Reply to
Leuf

Yes, I'm running up against my principles as you can see, and now have to act (or not) on them. :)

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

Now that's reasonable, even while it is against my principles. :)

I've already dinged myself, believe me. Look at me: I'm in agony here.

That's why I think an email clarifying the problem, and that I'm still happy, would be valuable to him if he weren't such a "negative" guy. :)

My email to him (when I send it) has to be very a carefully drawn one.

I'll disappoint CW if I do that, though. But I think it's possible the seller'd respond well enough for future buyers. Dunno if it's probable, however.

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

Some people just don't know how to pack. This is also true for some companies. I would first tell the seller about the shipping damage and find out if he wants to do anything about it (maybe a discount or a replacement if he has another). If he doesn't know his items are being damaged, I would not expect him to improve his packaging. Afterward, I would leave positive feedback saying something like "nice item but packaging could have been better".

Reply to
AL

It's not worth much if I'm a buyer. Based on my observations a seller need be much more concerned with feedback and his behavior with it than a buyer. Of course that's influenced by my own ideas of good sellers, right or wrong. A buyer only has to worry about being a niggling prick. But I don't want that to influence my decision.

Yes... some even ask that you email them before bidding if you have bad feedback. If you don't you risk... what do you risk? Bad feedback, blocked auction, the sellers ire.

No I think you can sell or not sell to whomever you please.

You may be right. But this person has no experience with handplanes either.

Well, unless he gives me feedback first he'll only get a negative. I didn't state that right. I've stated it elsewhere, though.

Reply to
Enoch Root

I like that response. I would like that he packed his stuff better, even if I'll never buy from him again. :)

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

Whenever I have a problem on ebay (admittedly not many so far) I take a perhaps naive but so far effective approach. I simply state the facts as I see them and see what they say, sort of like leaving feedback. The losers will hang themselves. I had one guy say he mailed it the day before, and then it shows up priority mail with the day after post mark. What the heck was the point in lying in the first place, and something that was obviously going to be proven to be a lie.

-Leuf

Reply to
Leuf

*looks up*

Nope. Not me talking. But sounds like something I said recently.

Note to self: Not so many Ebay related posts, ferchrissakes.

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

If he's got bad feedback already, is adding another going to help much?

(I dunno; it might.)

My opinion is this: don't give anything other than a positive without giving the seller an opportunity to make it right. If he's rude, that at least adds to your sense of him deserving a less-than-positive feedback.

Also, I'll note that the option of leaving a positive feedback but commenting on the problems really doesn't help, in my opinion -- I look at the numbers, and if they're less than stellar, I look at what the negatives and neutrals say. If the seller has more than a dozen feedbacks, it's just not worth reading the positives. I think that just not leaving feedback would be a better statement.

- Brooks

Reply to
Brooks Moses

It does, near as I can tell: it generates more willingness in subsequent buyers to give negative feedback.

It also gives prospectives a chance to see how he behaves.

Yep, agree with that.

Doesn't help you, but others do scan the positives especially when feedback is marginal.

And in my case, at least, not leaving feedback just means he hasn't. Anyway (and more importantly) not leaving feedback is the least information, and defeats the feedback system.

Perfect information is the best conditions for capitalism, or so they say.

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

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