RockMyAmadeus

I am endlessly amazed at the gargantuan levels of bad advice that certain people on this board are capable of giving. Total cluelessness, while believing they're giving someone "good advice." It's....it's breathtaking, really.

I didn't say it was impossible. I said it took a herculean effort and it still may not work. I said it was not at all about "knowing how to talk to people."

Oh, and by the way...this little gem, here, was immortalized in another thread. You DESERVED that negative, because you cancelled a legitimate sale because (as you stated) the price was too low AND you then created a thread asking how to get GPA to remove it from its record. If you got that negative removed, you did it with subterfuge, or found somebody who didn't know what they were doing and got lucky. Which, by the way, is an example of the corruption and ineptitude of eBay, as I have said. "Lying" and/or "hoping to get someone who doesn't know what they are doing" is not valid advice.

You folks are wrong, CAK, because you simply do not understand eBay or how it operates, but you imagine your limited encounters with them has given you some insight. Long, bitter experience with this company over two decades says otherwise. Do you think I haven't tried every tactic in the book with this corrupt-to-the-core company? Do you think I haven't asked, begged, charmed, persuaded, conspired, cajoled, threatened, yelled at, argued with, pleaded with, cried to, and done everything else under the sun to convince people in a country 8,000 miles away to do what is right? I have, all of that, and more. My God, if only it were as easy as just "knowing how to talk to people"! I'd spend 5 minutes on the phone sweet-talking some nice Filipino CS rep, and that would be that. Problem solved! But by all means, believe what you wish and I hope, for your sake, you never run into the corporate facelessness that is eBay with a real problem. Further discussion is fruitless. As for the rest of your advice....I truly don't know whether to or ....or both. It's impossible to take you seriously, CAK. Truly.

Looks like it. Also, how do you get in and out of that thing? I suppose one section swings out but for maximum coolness, you'd have to be lowered in from above. Ropes attached to the rafters, Indiana Jones style.

Your awesome X-23 confession is just....gone. Poof.

It doesn't sound "unbelievable." It sounds like either there are details missing, or someone at eBay screwed up. It has nothing to do with how "miraculous" you may be, Kav. Either there are details missing, or someone screwed up. I speak from long, bitter experience.

That is in violation of eBay's feedback removal policy. "Giving you a neg without contacting you first" is not a valid reason to remove feedback. I suspect there's more to this than you've said.

Why have whole chains of posts been deleted?

Why have posts been deleted? I didn't report anything. RES didn't report anything.

And what were the circumstances, Kav....? I'll hang up and take your answer on the air.

Not with people who are reading from scripts. They will sympathize with you endlessly....while telling you no. "Ohhh...I'm so sorry about that. How terrible! I can't imagine how you feel. At the same time, we can't remove that feedback. I'm so sorry for you!" You guys think you're dealing with people who have any authority. They do not. They cannot do anything for you. Their job is to get you off the phone, as quickly as possible. That's how it works. So you can play "wounded bird" with people without any authority to help you...it's a grand waste of time. Such an act WILL work...with people who have the authority to do something. That's not how eBay is set up.

Let me try this one more time: Feedback is handled by the Feedback department. That department is the ONLY department that you can speak to that will handle feedback. Nobody else at eBay is allowed to deal with feedback. You can try to talk to the buying department (which is in the Philippines), or the seller limits department (which is in the US), or the billing department (which is half and half), or any other department you want....but none of them, American or not, are going to be able to do anything about removing feedback, because that's not how eBay works. You can explain all you want...and they'll listen...but then they'll transfer you right back to the Feedback department. And the eBay feedback department is under orders to deny every request, period. Unless it is a clearcut violation of their rules...profanity, threats, "negative" comment left for a buyer...it's not going to be removed unless you get a stupid rep (not difficult) who can be bamboozled into thinking a situation is not what it is. My advice to you: stop trying to give advice about things you clearly don't know.

I don't see where I made it sound like he was lying about that. Where do you see that? In any event, if that's the case....which I don't doubt; it's eBay, everything is possible...then that's not something over which I have any control, and, most importantly....it's not material to the end result. This may not be clear, but I re-sent the invoice immediately on Sunday night, 3/27....but was not notified there was a "problem" until 3/31, four days later...after the rest of the correspondence had occurred....had he been interested in paying it right away, instead of angling to defraud eBay and the state of CA, we could have resolved it in a timely manner.

Yeah, but I would still say that if you called again....and got some of ebay's outsourced talent, ask to speak to a manager. Did you know there are FOUR levels that you can speak with in most departments at eBay? No...? There's the initial rep, then a floor supervisor, then a managing supervisor, then a department manager. Were you aware of that....? eBay's customer service is outsourced to the Philippines, not India, so you would only hear voices with a Filipino (not "Phillipino") accent. Ask me how I know.... Ohhhh.....I see. That's all it takes, huh...? Silly me. Rrrrright.

In fact, I can almost recite their scripted remarks verbatim: "Yes, we understand that you're not happy with this feedback, and you can be sure we've addressed the situation with the buyer, but unfortunately we cannot remove this negative feedback from your account." And if you persist.... "We understand how frustrating this must be for you, but at the same time (that's a favorite phrase of theirs), we aren't going to be able to remove that negative feedback from your account." Said with a charming, soothing Filipino accent, since that's where most of their customer service is outsourced to.

I'm pretty sure they will NOT remove it, not without a multi-hour, knock-down, drag-out fight. Frankly, I don't have the time for that. The highest bidder tried to defraud both eBay and the state of California. You have time stamped emails & messages, that clearly indicate his intent to beat eBay out of their 10% commision....., and to beat your state out of its sales tax, as well. I am 100% sure they will remove that neg. It will take you up to an hour on the phone, at worst.As it stands, you now have a negative feedback and it is unclear if you have gotten your 10% vig back from eBay. I'd ask eBay to repeal the neg through ebay.com, before calling them and also... forward the time stamped messages & emails, along with your appeal. Well worth the investment in your time, and also, in the process, eBay may possibly suspend his account....so he gets what he deserves. Having been through this experience several times over the last few years, trust me when I say that none of this is accurate. That's simply not the way eBay works. Nothing personal.

The seller is in WA, so probably not a tax issue... But here's what he won: http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=121918266922&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2565 Wolverine #1 9.6....now, it ended for $65, which is pretty low...but the seller doesn't seem to mind...there are several books like that, but no other "problems." I think "nostalgiawon" is just a cheapskate who doesn't have a problem with fraud to save a few bucks.

I'm pretty sure they will NOT remove it, not without a multi-hour, knock-down, drag-out fight. Frankly, I don't have the time for that.

nostalgiawon Full disclosure: This was the Star Wars #1 CGC 9.8 that sold for a ridiculously low price. http://www.ebay.com/itm/191833235330?euid=72a4114ea00e454e85e852e56f4b8e90&cp=1&exe=13926&ext=35632&sojTags=exe=exe,ext=ext However, an auction is an auction, so I sent the buyer an invoice immediately after the listing ended. All of my listings state, in big bold letters, that California residents must pay 9% sales tax. Also, all of my listings have, or are supposed to have, that sales tax automatically added to CA addresses when it comes time for invoice. I didn't check the invoice to make sure, because it's always been automatic, and I didn't notice that the buyer was from CA until I looked at the Paypal payment that the buyer sent. Paid that night, not a problem...but then I discovered that CA sales tax wasn't included. So, I refunded the payment, made sure Sales Tax was on the invoice, and resent it...assuming the buyer would pay, and that would be that, especially considering they got such a smoking deal....then the correspondence started: His response: (note: he never supplied a resale number. Not sure if he had one or not, but the state of CA has a mechanism to reclaim sales tax paid when you file your return...IF he had a state seller's permit.) Then this message, sent at 8:35AM on 3/28: Then this next message, sent the same day, at 11:58AM: Up to this point, I was still committed to the sale...so yes, he was trying to get out of paying the Sales Tax....which shouldn't have been a problem at all, if he had a seller's permit...you can just claim it when you file...so all he needed to do was pay the second invoice, and the book would have been on its way. Then, correspondence continued through AOL: The guy just handed me the reason for cancelling the sale on a silver platter, by suggesting we defraud eBay AND the state of CA. And after I outright TOLD him I wasn't happy with the end price. Because, you know...."we can both save some $." So, I ignored that, and waited for him to either resend correct payment, or go away. So he continues: Then, he sends the following e-mail FIVE TIMES: And then this message back through eBay again: So, I look at the invoice, and it shows the correct total just fine...no "seller extra charges"...so I call in to eBay to confirm, and it's fine on their end....so I write back one final time: And then filed a cancellation... And today, I get negative feedback. What a peach. This guy was annoyed that he had to pay sales tax, and also that this sale would be reported on GPA, because it would cut into his flipping profits. He outright says so....then suggests that we ought to collude to defraud eBay and the state. Not smart. Admittedly...and I think I was pretty clear about this....I was hoping the buyer wouldn't pay, or something would happen, and the transaction would be cancelled. I make no bones about that. But, the way the buyer went about it, after I openly told him I would be happy to cancel the transaction, and then to suggest fraud...? I couldn't have scripted that, and I cancel with a clean conscience. Frankly, I'm still amazed this guy tried to get an even better deal than he was entitled to. Beware. By the by....is "nostalgiawon" a CGC board member? If so, I'd like to toss them on the Probation List for this.

You're such a charmer, Bill. "What you post is super needless and dumb semantics, what I post rocks!" What positive have you contributed, Bill....? Anything...?

I just found a new buzzword I guess it's catchier than just calling it 'crappy journalism'. You wound me, Chuck!

This is NOT an example of bullying. REPEAT: this is NOT an example of bullying. Calling it "bullying" DRASTICALLY waters down the meaning of the word, and the actual occurrence, and does an INCREDIBLE disservice to those who are really being bullied; through the fatigue of overuse...ensuring that those who are really being bullied will be ignored, because of chicken little syndrome. It's simply some guy being an a-hole.