A few words about feedbacks... Again...

[luxe_auto_parts]

Ok. At first, I'd say I'm not new to eBay and selling as well. I've been operating on the market quite long time. Yes, I have had some hiatuses on my "road", but I'm back and ready to sell (already do).

Let’s think together what eBay made the most important feature (or standard) here for the sellers? High-quality service? Reasonable (read: ridiculously low) Prices? Naaah, I'm talking about feedback. What is the first thing except price, you notice as a buyer when you surf all around ebay with the view to buy something? It's a seller's feedback score, the percent of positive feedbacks received, and what’s even more important (based on my own observations) how many negative feedbacks has the seller received. Buyers want their items and want the best service in exchange for the money they pay. Seems fair, isn't it? I’ve read somewhere here a few comments from sellers and all they state: leaving feedback is up to buyer/seller, it's absolutely voluntary. I don't question those statements. Some of sellers ask a rhetorical question: how many of us ever left a "Tell Us What You Think" notes while travelling or how many of us left a word to a restaurant manager with our thought about service and etc. Ok. I have to admit I've done it a couple times and have skipped this "part" much more times. That's what we have on the one hand, but what we have on the other? We all were customers at least once in our life. What do we do when we had a great meal and had spent a few hours listening to a good music while having a dinner in a restaurant? Yes! We leave a tip! That's what the restaurant receives in addition to the paid check. Isn't it the same as feedbacks here, on eBay? We, the sellers, work hard, provide the lowest possible prices, the highest possible service and what do we get in exchange? Buyers pay for item, they might contact you a few times and ask where the f-ing item is now/ or ask you to change the shipping address right after you sent it. Also they can open a few different types of disputes in which you'll probably lose your money. I should say I appreciate and respect those buyers who leave a feedback. But more of them don't...  

I've had 31 orders last 2 months and only FOUR (4)! buyers left their feedbacks for me after I literally almost begged them to did so. I want to ask you what do I do wrong? What should or should not I do to make them leave a feedback? I provide the lowest possible prices for parts I sell, I do answer all the questions as soon as I get them (even if it's a holiday or a day-off), I try to do my best and appease my customers with different kind of Sales I start from time to time, but it's not enough...

How do you treat your customers? What do you usually do to make them leave a positive feedback for you?

P.S. Sorry, I got emotional while writing my thought, but I'm sick and tired of "dancing" around buyers with no effect from these dances.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

You have over 20K feedbacks, how many do you need? Are you here to sell items for money or are you here for pats on the back from strangers?

The important metrics Ebay uses to evaluate sellers are based on your number of transactions not on your feedback count. 

BTW the items you sell would appear to sell to the type of people who are not warm and fuzzy and do not need penpals. They want their item sent quickly and as described. Then they move on and go about their day.

[dtexley3]

Read the thread on the changes to the buyers feedback screen.  eBay changed it, it takes much longer to leave feedback for one person and they can no longer leave multiple feedback in one session. 

Expect fewer sellers to jump through more hoops just to leave "A++ Seller, Will buy again!"

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

I left about 30 feedbacks to sellers in one session the other day. Worked fine.

[the_fancy_fox]

Feedback is meaningless and does not give an accurate portrayal of either buyer or seller.  

most buyers don't leave it... unless they are unhappy. About 30% leave it for me.

Ebay needs to add a successful transaction score to feedback (transactions where after 30 days were items were not returned). If you saw a seller with 97% feedback you would think not so good but if you saw that they had 900 successful transactions 😊 And 3 not successful 😞 You would see the true performance.  

Buyer performance should also be Displayed to see the true number of unhappy transactions they have had.

[nawlinsron2]

I'm gonna go out on a limb...you sell auto parts. I surmise that 99.5% of your buyers are male.
Not much emotion in parts...you get it, install it, and get on down the road.
I don't call NAPA after getting home to say thank you after buying a battery.
As was mentioned....you've got 20,000+ feedback. Enjoy that.

[castlemagicmemories]

It is never a good idea to literally beg for feedback.

Board Wisdom has always said, never poke the sleeping bear.

You might get something that you really don't want.  There could have been a minor issue that the buyer would have let go, but since you asked for feedback, they will be all too happy to give it to you.

OR you could get HERE"S THE FEEDBACK YOU NAGGED ME FOR!  I understand this has actually happened.

I have read around 30% left is the norm.

You can't do anything to MAKE buyers leave you feedback.  Feedback is voluntary for both seller and buyer.

Stop dancing.  It will come.  Good Luck.

[jbbowers12012]

there is nothing that you can do to intice a buyer to leave feedback for you. / as a seller you do the very best that can at every turn for your customers because that's good business. / EXPECTING anything from your buyer other than an ontime payment is just unrealistic./ although we all always like to see nice positive feedback, it should be considered a generous gesture as it is voluntary./ as a seller i always leave feedback & NEVER ask for it./ as i buyer i always leave feedback & have never left a neutral or a negative./ i think that leaving feedback is the proper thing to do, but realize that some folks just dont' & that its their call not mine.......try not to let it bother you. sometimes no news is good news.

[luxe_auto_parts]

I know it's not smart to ask or beg someone to leave a feedback, but as I said buyers want to see how "successful" I am as a seller and feedback score is the measure/standard for them. Since they want to see high percentage of Positive Feedback left, and since it has direct influence on my sell, I can't help, but ask them to leave one for me.

[luxe_auto_parts]

That's what I'm talking about! I wish we had something like that, but we don't... As I replied earier today, since we can only count on feedback as a "measure of success", what else can we do except asking them to leave them for us...? I realize there are a lot of buyers who doesn't care about feedback score of seller rank, they only came to buy something and leave, but we have seen those who make "a research" before make a purchase. And we have to do our best to satisfy the second type of "researchers".

[goldschmidtcompany]

Aloha

Ive been buying and selling on ebay for around 15 years and I must say this is a constant problem ive had as well, I think the problem is that we all forget, and now with the ebay app its easier to forget to send feedback.

The best we can do is just keep in contact with the buyer, and first of all leave sincere thankful feedback to each individual, if we grow accustomed to use an automated (Example. Thank you.) repetitive feedback, then we lose that "mom and pop" store feel to our seller account and people view us sellers as robots.

Thats just my 1/2 cent

[castlemagicmemories]

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@luxe_auto_parts wrote:
I know it's not smart to ask or beg someone to leave a feedback, but as I said buyers want to see how "successful" I am as a seller and feedback score is the measure/standard for them. Since they want to see high percentage of Positive Feedback left, and since it has direct influence on my sell, I can't help, but ask them to leave one for me.

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Yes, you can help.  Just don't do it.  It is not hard.  

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

It is never a good idea to literally beg for feedback.

Board Wisdom has always said, never poke the sleeping bear.

You might get something that you really don't want.  There could have been a minor issue that the buyer would have let go, but since you asked for feedback, they will be all too happy to give it to you.

OR you could get HERE"S THE FEEDBACK YOU NAGGED ME FOR!  I understand this has actually happened.

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It looks like OP already got one of those ... strange to complain about not getting any FB if they aren't leaving any.

Sorry to see the Seller can't leave the Buyer "Positive Feedback" so I can't

@luxe_auto_parts If you have a premium store ...Have you thought about automating your buyer feedback to be left at time of payment? Or if you don't ... leaving feedback at time of shipment?

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/sm-pro-preferences.html

Personally, with 20K+ feedback, I wouldn't be sweating this ... And I wouldn't worry about "accidentally" leaving "premature" feedback for my buyers (buyer FB received can only be positive anyway, so ...)

[odditiesandantiquities1]

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@penguins_dont_fly wrote:

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

It is never a good idea to literally beg for feedback.

Board Wisdom has always said, never poke the sleeping bear.

You might get something that you really don't want.  There could have been a minor issue that the buyer would have let go, but since you asked for feedback, they will be all too happy to give it to you.

OR you could get HERE"S THE FEEDBACK YOU NAGGED ME FOR!  I understand this has actually happened.

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It looks like OP already got one of those ... strange to complain about not getting any FB if they aren't leaving any.

Sorry to see the Seller can't leave the Buyer "Positive Feedback" so I can't

@luxe_auto_parts If you have a premium store ...Have you thought about automating your buyer feedback to be left at time of payment? Or if you don't ... leaving feedback at time of shipment?

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/sm-pro-preferences.html

Personally, with 20K+ feedback, I wouldn't be sweating this ... And I wouldn't worry about "accidentally" leaving "premature" feedback for my buyers (buyer FB received can only be positive anyway, so ...)

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I had a customer call me yesterday to tell me how much she liked her ring and wanted to leave me positive feedback, but couldn't figure out how to do it. Love these changes.

[nawlinsron2]

If I wake up to a day without new feedback, that doesn't set the tone for my day.
If I get 30% (normal), I'm OK. If not I'm still OK.
But, that's me. I'm here for the money, not to build a fan club.