Can buyers leave negative feedback because seller did not leave feedback for them?

[productpier]

I recently had a buyer leave me a negative feedback. His reasoning for this was "Does Not leave Feedback". So, he gave me negative feedback because I did not leave any for him. I was pretty shocked! So, I called eBay asking them to remove it, because its an unvalid reason to give me negative feedback. The eBay assistant, however, told me that they will not remove it. That is very unfair. Do note that the buyer did not  contact me at all.

What do I do?

[soh.maryl]

So why not respond to that feedback something like:  Apparently buyer's reason for leaving a negative FB was because the seller failed to leave FB for the buyer.

[missjen831]

Unfortunately it’s not against the rules. That’s not to say a sympathetic eBay rep won’t remove it though. 

[mebuck1234]

I think it makes the buyer look bad as its obvious that you do leave feedback.

I would try calling again to see if you get a more sympathetic rep.

[annasunicorns]

As a buyer, that would make me laugh and go back and buy from you anyway. Sorry some people are high maintenance!

[wpt05]

@productpier 

Try calling again.  That is so rediculous.  They could have messaged you first, if it was that important.  

[dhbookds]

One of the reasons it's ALWAYS best to leave feedback, as soon as you can after a transaction.   It is SO important to some buyers that they WILL leave a neg......  This has been happening since Ebay started. 

Takes so little time to do preventive maintenance. 

[futuretomorrow]

@productpier

This to me falls under the "insane and utterly ridiculous" bucket. When this type of feedback is left I've asked eBay for years now without a solid response "how exactly does this feedback help the eBay platform, buyers and sellers?"

Leaving feedback for a buyer doesn't help anyone better describe their item, ship it faster, provide fair prices etc. What if the seller was out of town for a few days? 

I would call and ask to speak to a manager and escalate this. Hopefully your outcome will be better than my last call when I tried to get a Neutral with "Thanks" removed and couldn't. Because as we all know a single "Thanks" tells others the depths of what they can expect as a buyer shopping with me. (clearly sarcasm)

[futuretomorrow]

@dhbookds

"This has been happening since Ebay started"

You have any evidence to support this claim? If it's that rampant of a problem wouldn't we see more posts discussing this problem? I'm not aware of it being an issue that was this big but something changed for a LOT of buyers in my categories between 2017-2018.

Now for every 15-20 sales, and believe me it's more frequent but I'm purposely undercalculating here, I get a message from a buyer asking me to leave them feedback. Pre 2016 it felt like 1 in every 50 or 60 sales would ask for feedback.

[18704d]

We have seen many sellers come here, over the years,

and complain they got negged for the same reason.

It's the main reason I give all my buyers, Positive fb upon payment,

thanking them for their payment.

Why not?

Seller fb is meaningless anyway....

Lynn

[18704d]

In fact, the old Feedback discussion board used to be filled with complaints like this.

Buyers screaming they Earned their positive feedback, at Payment, because their job is then Done.

Savvy sellers countering that therefore,

Buyers should give Them Positive fb when the Ship,

because at That point, Their job is done.

Neither is valid of course...

But an old problem.. and an old debate here.

Lynn

[buyselljack2016]

I do hope that you have increased your BBL by 1

[bigdeals.etc]

I can see why some agents wouldn't remove it, but I can also see why many agents WILL remove it.

It's also interesting that the buyer has 793 feedback score. I would expect someone with that high of a score wouldn't care as much... they must've had to chase down majority of that 793. OP, can you see if they left other negative feedback for the same reason as yours?

[dhbookds]

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@futuretomorrow wrote:

@dhbookds

"This has been happening since Ebay started"

You have any evidence to support this claim? If it's that rampant of a problem wouldn't we see more posts discussing this problem? I'm not aware of it being an issue that was this big but something changed for a LOT of buyers in my categories between 2017-2018.

Now for every 15-20 sales, and believe me it's more frequent but I'm purposely undercalculating here, I get a message from a buyer asking me to leave them feedback. Pre 2016 it felt like 1 in every 50 or 60 sales would ask for feedback.

---

I've been here since 2004, Better Half since ebay started.  Because of the way Ebay feedback evolved....there has been a constant tension between buyers and sellers about who "should" leave feedback first.  Briefly......buyers think as soon as they pay, their part is done and they should receive feedback.  Sellers have thought until the buyer has indicated happiness with the transaction....gotten the item and left positive feedback......they won't leave feedback because the buyer might still stiff them in feedback. When sellers could leave negs, they were frequently given to buyers in retaliation for whatever buyers did that sellers didn't like.   Obviously generalities here, but that has been the thinking of some and you can see where that leads.....buyer leave negs because the sellers don't leave feedback.  That has ALWAYS been a part of feedback problems, especially when feedback actually counted for/against a seller.  I didn't say it was rampant, but it has existed.

I think many sellers have caught on/learned by receiving negs,  that it's self serving/less dangerous to leave the feedback first.  There are "feedback collectors" here that won't "beg" for feedback, but will throw you a neg if they don't get one.  There are also newbie buyers who want to build up their feedback, thinking it will do them some good......that may be the reason you've gotten more recently, I don't know.  But I can tell you the old feedback board was quite a thing to read (and run from)......it was scary about how much people "cared" about feedback. 

[annasunicorns]

Ahh the old dayswhen only newbies or the very nice people left feedback for buyers before getting that positive. Feedback hostage games, blech. But sellers cannot give a negative, so thats over. The news hasnt reached everyone though, as evidenced by the weekly, "why cant I leave negative feedback" questions on the boards. Its one of the ways ebay has evolved for the better, would make a good commercial actually. " Buy your way, no more feedback games, no seller negatives. Only buyers can leave both positive and negative feedback". It might make buyers less anxious about getting feedback if they were all aware.