Advice wanted from Ebay sellers....

[nuisance26]

~I mentioned in another thread here that I bought a sewing pattern on Ebay. It was listed as "from a smoke free home" but when it arrived it reeked of smoke. I complained to the seller and she refunded my money saying she'd actually bought the pattern at Goodwill.
I'm happy she did the right thing by refunding my money but I'm really annoyed that she claimed it was from her home with the way it smells. It's really bad!
What feedback should I leave? Can a seller give me an opinion from their perspective?

And in the meantime the pattern is in a bag of baking soda. I think it's a lost cause though.~

[Michelle]

Neutral. Just write what happened -- pattern smelled like smoke but seller (promptly?) refunded your money.

As for the pattern...could you hang it outside to air it out?

[savvy_sniper]

What does the seller's feedback look like? Have there been other similar problems noted in the feedback? Does this seller sell a lot of patterns or just a variety of things?

Maybe she bought it from Goodwill and never used it. Since the seller refunded your money, I would leave a positive and state in the feedback something like - Had a problem, seller made good (or something like that).

It is possible that the seller made an honest mistake. I try to believe that people are honest.

You should ALWAYS look at a seller's feedback before buying from them. Negative feedback and low stars can put an eBay seller out of business. Since I am a seller, I am sensitive regarding neutral/negative feedback.

eBay encourages buyers and sellers to work out the problem between themselves. Since the seller made you whole (refunded your money), I would not leave a neutral or negative or low stars.

[Molemommy]

I agree with savvy... The seller made it right... if they have no other feedback saying otherwise maybe she just didnt notice it.

[Contrary Housewife]

Smoke is particles... have you tried wiping it off? Use a barely damp cloth and wipe down the envelope.

I'd agree with a neutral feedback as Michelle suggested.

[khaski]

I sell often on eBay, I agree with a neutral- be SURE to mention she made it right promptly. I just bought, in 2 auctions, some costume jewelry from the same seller. Took her over a week to ship, one item CLEARLY had a piece missing but was listed as 'good condition', she photo'd it in a way you couldn't tell, the other piece was listed as 'glass stones' but was very plainly plastic beads. I left her 2 negs- she really jerked me around about refunds, and was sloppy in her listings- had she been honest I never would have bid. Point of the story- looking at her feedback (brand new seller) others are having the same issue. So be honest, let others know the issue, but don't leave a negative- she did the right thing, but others have a right to know she might 'mis-list'. Honestly, if her home is 'non smoking' she should have picked right up on a smoke odor- non smokers always can! It's good she fixed it (some sellers are not so easy to work with) but mentioning it in your feedback may alert others to a pattern with her.

[Imarachne]

As a seller and buyer on Ebay ( in the past ) the smoke smell is not easy to get out but I also had the same thing happen and the seller was gracious and refunded the money. Mistakes happen.