I Got My First Customer Complaint eBay Reselling as a Beginner (Here's What I Learned)

I got my first proper complaint this week.

Nearly 160 sales in.

When you put it like that, I don't think I'm doing too badly.

But I'm not going to lie.

It knocked me.

I'm not going into the ins and outs of what happened, because I don't want to make a whole thing about one buyer or spiral over something that's already done.

But I did learn a few things.

So here's what happened when I got my first eBay customer complaint as a beginner reseller, the simple check I've added to every order, and why I'm never handing out a 50% discount code again.

The Complaint: An Item That Smelled

The complaint was about an item smelling.

And I'm ridiculously careful with my stock.

I have severe OCD. For me, it's a disability.

One of the ways it constantly shows up in eBay reselling is checking things.

And checking them again.

So when somebody messaged me unhappy with something I'd sent, it really got in my head.

Was there something I missed?

Do my clothes smell?

Does all my stock smell?

You can imagine where my OCD brain went with that.

One Complaint Against Nearly 160 Sales

This is where I had to remind myself of a few things.

I've sold nearly 160 items.

I've had lovely feedback.

I've had repeat customers.

I've had people go out of their way to tell me they're happy with what they received.

And I've had one complaint like this.

So rather than letting one message turn into me questioning my entire business, I asked myself a better question.

Is there anything practical I can learn from this?

And there was.

The Outdoor Sniff Test

Most of my stock lives in boxes.

I steam it, check it, smell it, and then it goes in a box.

But the item I'd sent came off one of my clothing rails.

So I tested it.

What I did

• Picked three completely random items off the clothing rail

• Packaged each one exactly the way I'd package a normal order

• Left them for a while, just as they'd sit in the post

• Took them outside, opened them in the fresh air and smelled them

Nothing.

They smelled absolutely fine.

And doing that was actually really helpful.

Because your nose gets used to your own home.

That nose-blind thing is real.

So from now on, every order gets an outdoor sniff test before it's sent.

It takes seconds.

Admittedly, I now stand in the garden sniffing clothes like a bit of a creeper.

But it means I can say with confidence that I checked it, and I was happy with it, before it went in the post.

My People-Pleasing Reaction (and the 50% Discount Code)

My immediate reaction was pure people pleaser.

Fix everything.

Make them happy.

Apologise.

Would they like the deeds to my house?

I gave them a full refund.

I told them they didn't need to send it back, because it was a fairly inexpensive item, and dealing with the return would have cost me more.

Wash it, keep it, donate it to a charity shop, whatever works.

Then, because I felt so bad that someone was disappointed with something they'd bought from me, I gave them a 50% discount code to try my shop again.

We're not doing that again.

I won't go into what happened afterwards.

Let's just say I've learned to be a lot more careful with discount codes.

Next time, maybe 5% or 10%.

Definitely not 50.

Calm down.

Growing a Thicker Skin With OCD

The other thing I've realised is that I need a thicker skin.

I don't mean becoming rude or not caring about my customers.

That's absolutely not me.

I mean learning that someone being unhappy with one thing I've sold doesn't automatically mean I'm terrible at this.

I'm neurodivergent, and things stick in my head that other people could drop instantly.

I'm constantly thinking, "What did they mean by that?"

Just to make myself feel better, I had a look at the bad feedback some of the resellers I watch have had.

And they get it too.

Generally, they read it, deal with it and move on with their day.

For an OCD brain, it gets stuck.

So it's something I'm going to have to learn to manage as the business grows.

Why it's bound to happen more

If I want 1,000 listings, 2,000 listings and thousands of sales, statistically, not everybody is going to be delighted with me.

• I'm going to make mistakes

• Buyers are going to make mistakes

• Some people will try to take advantage

• Things will happen in transit

• Some people will just dislike what they bought

And eventually, there will probably be negative feedback on my account.

I can't run a business where every unhappy message feels like a personal attack.

What I've Noticed About Experienced Resellers

I watch experienced resellers completely differently now.

Something goes wrong, and they basically go, "Refunded. Anyway, moving on."

And I'm sitting there thinking, how are you so calm about it?

Then you watch their early videos.

And they're different.

They took it a bit personally the first few times too.

But they've put in the years.

They've had the returns, the weird messages, the complaints and the parcels that disappeared.

Eventually, you realise it's just part of selling things to hundreds or thousands of strangers on the internet.

I'm not there yet.

I'm still a beginner, and I need to put those years in.

What I'm Proud Of

Internally, my brain was doing complete cartwheels.

But the buyer didn't see any of that.

I was professional.

I was calm.

I was polite.

I apologised that they weren't happy, refunded them, and moved on.

Well, I'm writing a blog post about moving on.

So we're nearly there.

I've also realised I need to stop obsessing over keeping a perfect 100% feedback score forever.

Of course I want good feedback, and I'll keep doing everything I can to give people a good experience.

But I can't control every person's reaction.

What I can control

• What I send out

• How carefully I check it

• How honestly I describe it

• How I react to things

• How professionally I behave when something does go wrong

That's my bit.

Lessons From My First Difficult Customer

• Do a smell check outside. Your nose gets used to your own home, so fresh air gives you an honest answer before an order goes out

• Don't panic. Don't start throwing enormous discounts at people because you feel guilty or you're scared of negative feedback

• Keep screenshots and records. If something does happen, you'll have everything in one place

• Stay professional. Even when you're upset

• Keep it in proportion. One complaint shouldn't outweigh loads of successful sales

I think the thick skin will come.

I just haven't grown it yet.

Living with OCD makes it harder, but that's something I'll keep working around.

In the meantime, I've got around 260 more listings to get on to reach my 1,000.

One complaint.

Nearly 160 sales.

And one reseller sniffing clothes in the garden.

A Little Note About My Images ♡

You'll notice that the images across my blog are a mixture of my own photography and AI-generated images.

I'm a one-woman band running this little corner of the internet, without a team of photographers, designers or editors behind me. Living with OCD also means I can be particularly careful about things like copyright and image permissions, so I sometimes use AI to help bring my ideas to life without those additional worries.

Where possible, I love sharing my own photographs, especially glimpses of my cottage, garden and everyday life here in Scotland. Other times, I'll use AI-generated imagery to illustrate an idea or provide a little creative inspiration.

I believe in being transparent, so I wanted you to know that you'll find a mixture of both throughout my website. The words, experiences, opinions and ideas are my own.

Thank you for supporting my little one-woman blog! ❤️