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FeedBacks for Buyers
I am constantly getting messages form eBay advising me this= Leaving feedback is an important part of buying and selling on eBay. I wonder if eBay notify the Buyer to leave the Seller feedback?
I am constantly receiving automated messages from eBay stating that 'leaving feedback is an important part of buying and selling.' However, I find this one-sided and unfair.
I provide exceptional service for every order: I offer significant price reductions, provide gift wrapping, include handwritten thank-you cards, and ensure same-day shipping. Despite these efforts, many of these buyers never leave feedback. Even when I follow up politely to confirm they received their order, my messages are ignored.
It feels 'mean-spirited' for eBay to constantly pressure me to leave feedback for buyers who do not reciprocate, especially when eBay’s policy prevents sellers from leaving anything but positive feedback. This system protects 'problem' buyers while offering no recourse for sellers who go above and beyond. Because of this, I have decided to block any buyers who ignore my communication after receiving these extra benefits. They do not deserve my feedback; they deserve to be blocked from my shop.
4 comments
inceptions
Mentor5 months agoHi @pinacolotta
Feedback is optional - no one has to leave it. If you leave feedback first, you'll receive more than if you wait to receive it.
eBay doesn't pressure you to leave feedback, they remind you to. Buyers also receive feedback reminders.
Please don't retaliatory steps against your buyers. This will backfire and reflects on you, not on the buyer. The only thing your buyer owes you is a payment for what they purchase. Receiving feedback from them is merely a bonus.
On most receipts you get in a store, restaurant, or website there is a solicitation for feedback. Do you leave feedback for every purchase you make, no matter where you make it? Should you be banned from buying or eating there again if you don't leave it? You might be interested to know that the response rate for these solicitations is around 1%. On eBay, you amount of feedback you receive is about 60% of the amount you leave for them. Most sellers would be thrilled with that.
I have a buyer who has regularly purchased from me for many years and has spent a lot of money. She has never left feedback, but always sends me nice messages. That's fine with me. Receiving positive feedback is appreciated, but I'm not here to sell feedback...I'm here to sell items.
mr_lincoln
Mentor5 months agoHI @pinacolotta
-I don't get those reminders as a Seller because I leave FB for Buyers before they ever receive their item.
-Buyers get a reminder from eBay to leave FB about a month down the road.
-On September 3, 2025 eBay launched their Auto-Feedback feature which automatically posts a Positive Feedback for Sellers if a Buyer does not leave FB within 7 - 10 days of delivery confirmation (exact time period is still questionable).
When Auto-FB is left for a Seller the transaction will still show that the Buyer needs to leave FB. Your FB count will go up and on your FB History page there is a check box on the right to see the Auto-FB. Buyers can overwrite the Auto-FB within the normal FB time frame of 60 days but failing that the Seller will retain the Auto-FB and the increased FB count on their ID. Auto-FB is NOT visible to anyone looking at your FB history.
I liken this to "No news is good news" and Sellers are rewarded accordingly.
pinacolotta
OP5 months agoThanks for your comment . I have been selling on eBay since 2007 when I get an order it is usually only orders I have reduced for the buyer mostly huge reductions and free ship I instantly ship thru eBay with tracking insurance and I always gift wrap ever gift nad send a handwritten Thank you Note this is how I was trained in 2007. I am not sure when you joined and how you were trained I was trained never to leave a feedback in advance due to eBay policy of favoring Buyers and they can leave a negative feedback at any time for any reason and eBay will back them that is what happened on this eBay site. If you look at my account I leave feedbacks and some time I take a chance and leave a feedback in advance but I have noticed that buyers ignore sellers that give them discounts that Thank them and also that same day ship their order with tracking. eBay need to focus on contacting BUYERS and ask them why have they not left feedback for the Seller who went 200% over the hoop of kindness for them reducing their order gift wrapping their order and same day shipping their order with tracking + Sending a handwritten Thank you note. Things was different back in 2007 how sellers were trained and respected. I will start blocking all Buyers who have not left me a feedback when I went an extra mile to give them what they wanted I think they are selfish and malicious and harmful and eBay have given them the power to destroy a good sellers account. Instead of asking me about the feedback ask them why have they received the item in 2-3days and not left the Seller a feedback Be fair all around . I speak for me I have gone out of my way and tired of being kicked in the butt by these ungrateful buyers. Then getting a message from eBay telling me to leave them a feedback. what a huge insult.
mr_lincoln
Mentor5 months ago@pinacolotta
We opened an account in 2007 to buy for our kids. In 2015 I added Selling to the account and at one point we had three accounts here. Many Sellers have complained over the years that Buyers don't leave Feedback and that is for various reasons. In 2008 eBay stopped letting Sellers leave Neutral or Negative FB for Buyers. However, I have always handled FB the same way since I started Selling. I basically thank Buyers for their purchase, after that I have no control over what happens. For what I sell Buyer FB for me has ALWAYS run between 50%-60% and that is in over 10 years of Selling. I firmly believe Buyers in different categories leave FB differently. What you describe (as you were "trained") is what I call the Feedback game, meaning a Seller won't leave it for a Buyer until the Buyer leaves it for them. To me that doesn't make sense if a Seller is confident in what they Sell and provide excellent service, which is sounds like you do.
I have also never printed a packing slip and that applies to over 13,000 shipments in just over 10 years from multiple accounts ... and not a single customer has ever commented on that.
Buyer Feedback will tell Sellers what they are doing right and the following three themes have been repeated over and over,
-Fast shipping
-Packed securely
-As described
The Auto-Feedback eBay launched last year to me points to the fact that Buyers simply don't want to be bother with leaving FB like they once did BUT, I think the Buyers of today in many instances are different from the Buyers in the earlier years of eBay. Couple that with how much eBay hand Feedback has changed over the years the system has morphed in to something they never intended. I mean there are SEVEN (7) eBay Help pages on Feedback (screen shot below) ... sorry, but that seems like a lot of what was intended to be a simple feel good type of system.
So, ANY system or process that has to address things like abuse, extortion, misuse, manipulation, retaliation, etc really needs to be revamped or canned in my view.