Customer Who Complained About the Packing Materials
By NailTech
@NailTech (6874)
United States
March 17, 2012 7:28am CST
OK, I have been ebaying and selling on there for several years and using almost the same kind of packing materials for most of the while too, unless I happen to get a hold of some nicer stuff for free on occasion which I only use with items that sell for a higher price, in order not to break those items moreso than the cheaper ones. So, I didn't actually read my feedback for some weeks, just that I know they were all positives. Well, I go in the feedback and see they are all still positive , but one lady I sold to has the audacity to complain about the packing materials and that she couldn't handle the shredded newspaper. I think they item was a small figurine. I never had that kind of complaint before even if she still did leave a positive, why did she have to get that one "dig" in there about something so trivial. I realize sometimes that stuff can be messy but like I said, it is cheap and if she wants me to buy the expensive stuff I would have to charge my customers more for this. Don't people realize this stuff? Is it such a big deal to mention when she was probably too lazy to clean anything up. Why not put a newspaper down before opening the small package and catching all the loose paper shred with that and then throwing it all out in the paper. Otherwise she was happy with the deal she got. Now I worry about others reading that and thinking well she has messy packing materials and maybe I shouldn't bid on her stuff. 
I know it's silly but when you make a remark like that you don't know what goes through other buyers heads. 
I know it's silly but when you make a remark like that you don't know what goes through other buyers heads. 2 people like this
7 responses
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
17 Mar 12
So long as she didn't neg you for it,that's the main thing...Me,I like the idea of shredded newspaper as a packing material..it does the job,it's recycling,and it's saving on your overheads that can be passed on to the customer..what's not to like?
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
17 Mar 12
I don't believe that a neg rating would have stood up,anyway,as I'm sure you could have challenged that with Ebay..She'd have had more and better things to vent about if you hadn't packed the item correctly,rather than giving out because She opened the package and let the packing all fall on the floor..
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
17 Mar 12
I suppose yea, at least she didn't give me negative for it, that would have been really, really rude of her. I like people who think of the recycling process the way we do, and it does get alittle messy here as well. I always clean it up and don't complain, though. I guess I expect others to just do that as well.
@ladybugmagic (3978)
• United States
17 Mar 12
I'd be quite fond of people recycling newspaper that way. Maybe she wasn't expecting the shreds to fall on her carpet or something. Maybe she thought it would be whole chunks of newspaper. I have seen people use plastic grocery bags as well, crumpled up.
Maybe put a footnote somewhere in the listing, or on the box, that the packing material may spill out. I would think that is a given, though. Styrofoam popcorn gets everywhere.
I can see how you feel about the dig. Maybe she thought it innocent enough to post. I don't think it will deter any sales or anything.
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
17 Mar 12
I have used plastic bags if I have enough on hand, and in this case they wouldn't have protected the ceramic piece, even with how small it was. I have something to the effect that we don't use just a pizza box and a sheet of newspaper for the packaging. It is humorously stated though. As if I don't expect the packaging to spill out when I receive items, too. I think she was just being overly critical. This week I haven't had any bids on anything so that is why I'm thinking about the comment making others hesitant to bid, for that silly reason, now.
@ladybugmagic (3978)
• United States
17 Mar 12
Is there a way to comment about it somehow? Or ask her to remove it, saying you feel it affected your sales?
@scorpiobabes (7225)
• United States
20 Mar 12
Have you thought about replying to her feedback? Explain that you are RECYCLING shipping materials and sometimes they are a bit messy. And perhaps put that in your auction listing-some people will only buy from someone that is environmentally concious. (sorry I can't spell!)
@cutepenguin (6430)
• Canada
18 Mar 12
Unfortunately, when you sell things in any venue, you are going to get people who think that even though they aren't spending a lot of money they should have everything exactly suited to them. I myself would prefer it if people used recycled materials because I think it's important to not be wasteful and to be environmental, but some people want the nice stuff.
(Although styrofoam packing stuff is also annoying because it floats everywhere and sticks to everything, so you can't really win, can you?)
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
3 Apr 12
Oh yea, that is true too. I have people who try to get me to lower the shipping cost and all the while they are still getting a great deal on the item itself as I list them with a lower starting bid than most on there. I will list an item for $7.99 when others have their items up (the same exact thing) at first bid of $25.99 at first bid.
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
31 Mar 12
The only thing I can think of is that some are allergic to newsprint. Did she say she just didn't like the mess or what was it she said exactly? She could have been offended because she is allergic to the news print and nothing more. Really shredded up newspaper isn't that hard to clean up.
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
3 Apr 12
She just said she couldn't handle the newspaper shreds. In those exact words. If she had told me she was allergic it wold have been a different packing material used but she didn't. I clean it up all the time as I use it, she seems like the type to never clean anything, I guess.
@maezee (41985)
• United States
19 Mar 12
That is annoying! I also have a weird packaging style, but who cares? If the product is intact, which you were using the shredded newspaper to protect it, she shouldn't be complaining at all. The only reason people should give others negative feedback is when the shipping OR handling before the shipping took FOR-EVER, or if the product was damaged or not as it was described in the auction. That's my opinion anyway. I would be annoyed by that. Personally, no one has complained, but what I do, is use a paper-bag inside out and package it like that instead of buying bubble wrap or buying packaging from USPS. It looks a little tacky but it's WAY cheaper and just as efficient. So, it's weird, but no one has complained yet. I'll be pissed if they do too! 'Presentation' of the item shouldn't be part of the grading criteria of getting feedback..Gah..Some people are so dumb!
@honest_efforts100 (1607)
• India
27 Jun 12
You should not worry about a sole or single comment. All your feedbacks were positive. So you should not worry about her comment. Sometimes we cannot please everybody. There are complainers everywhere. So as long as the majority of the feedbacks you received are positive, there is nothing to worry about.
@EwanScarlette (51)
• Singapore
17 Mar 12
What's up with that customer, understanding from your situation, you seem to do well, but it's just because of that dig, i understand, well, perhaps you should put up an indication, "Packing materials may fall out" so as to warn her in advance? Having said this, she may still reply a feedback still about it and wouldn't even bother, Plus points on the shredded newspaper, i like it as its an act of recycling. Or perhaps she's just too excited.
