No Feedback for you!
Help me understand why, as a Seller, there is reluctance to give a Buyer feedback after they have paid?
As a Seller (not that I sell much) I always give Feedback when my buyer pays. They did their part by paying, so why not give them Positive Feedback?
As a Buyer, I will NOT give Feedback until I get Feedback from the seller. Even if everything is great and deserving of a Positive.
In the last few years, as a buyer I have not received at least 20 - 30 Feedbacks from Sellers. Just trying to understand why.
32 comments
steve_stuff
·3 years agoI copy and paste this in every post about leaving feedback.
We used to leave funny feedback - 'looked-liked-bid-won & paid-what more can a seller want, a tip?'
We stopped leaving feedback for our buyers the day ebay took away the star rating reports. And we know ebay says the stars aren't used for any ratings but I can't believe that if we started getting only ones for shipping ebay wouldn't 'notice'
With that being said, the real reason for no fb is the boss hates two face buyers - check our replies back in the report days - a buyers would leave glowing feedback and then a one for as described or shipping. Now you can disagree with our description or grading, BUT the shipping cost was shown before you bid/bought - Too high? then don't buy and complain later to mama ebay behind our back with the stars. If you have a problem with our item then tell us - don't call our 'landlord'
And as our stars still aren't 5/5, people are still 'dinging' them. So no feedback for them.
southern*sweet*tea
·3 years agoFeedback is voluntary. Nobody has to leave it.
Here's how I do it:
As a seller, I leave a thank you feedback when I ship. What happens after that is irrelevant since buyers can only receive positive feedback.
As a buyer, I leave feedback after I receive and inspect the item. I will NOT leave feedback if the transaction was not that great, but not bad enough for a neg or a neut. An example would be receiving a breakable item that was shipped with no packaging. (that happens far too often)
Since seller feedback is about the transaction, receiving the item intact was a positive thing, but receiving it carelessly packaged was a negative thing, but not bad enough to soil the feedback of a seller who may have just been having a bad day, so I do nothing. Negs are reserved for only the most egregious of events. On my buying account I've only left four negs ever over a twenty year period, so egregious events don't happen that often.
nramemberrick
OP3 years agoFor all of you Sellers that are saying that just because the Buyer paid, the transaction is not over. And that it's really over after the Buyer is satisfied and leaves Positive FB. I'm starting to agree this way. I will amend my Buyer FB position and leave FB when I receive and everything is as described.
Thank you all for your responses. Great conversions.
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoI agree.
Also since eBay doesn't use feedback to assess member accounts, and since I rarely track (international tracking is expensive from here in Canada to the States) I use it to tell my buyer when I shipped and how.
My standard FB would be "Thank you for your prompt payment. Shipped Canada Post Air Mail 31/1/23."
If the buyer did not pay immediately I drop the "prompt".
And it is my hope/belief that mentioning Canada Post will remind buyers that there is a border to cross between us . Using the international standard date format is probably too subtle to be useful as another reminder.
gemcitypawn701
·3 years agoWe leave positive feed back as soon as the buyer has paid. Yes this has lead to some cases where the buyer turns out to be a pain, possibly not deserving of the positive feedback, but for the most part we are able to resolve the issue and move on. Neither the buyer nor the seller really has any control of the shipping companies so as soon as they have paid we like to leave feedback. We have it set up to be automated so it doesn't take any time.
movieman630
·3 years agoBut your 'preemptive" false positive feedback is now pumping up their stats illegitimately. That's what I object to. If someone has 500 feedback but 400 of them were given before that person was a nightmare to those sellers those 400 feedback shouldn't have been there in the first place. (I know that's an exaggeration but you catch my drift).
atlasesattic
·3 years agoI leave well enough alone, when it comes to giving feedback to buyers, why remind them that they might of been meaning to do a return on that item and totally forgot until we reminded them by giving them feedback, I never give feedback until they give me feedback, I have given feedback in the past right away and gotten burned in the process, so no more of that for me.
mr_lincoln
·3 years ago@nramemberrick Ahhh, the psychology of eBay's Feedback system!!! Like you I leave FB for Buyers at the time of purchase, then its done and I don't have to deal with it later. As a Buyer I leave it when I have received and inspected the item(s). If there are any issues I message the Seller and we work things out, then I leave Positive FB for them (this of course is rare and if memory serves only happened a few times over many years).
I know Sellers who play the FB game and refuse to leave FB for Buyers until the Buyer leaves it for them.
In 2008 eBay stopped letting Sellers leave less than Positive FB for Buyers so ALL pure Buying accounts have 100% Positive FB ... what that decision did to the FB system was make it 1) unbalanced, 2) subjective and ultimately 3) unfair. That decision by eBay was extremely manipulative and many Sellers to this day hold that decision against eBay. It is possible that those same Sellers NEVER leave FB for their Buyers and on a certain level I can't blame them.
With regard to Buyers leaving FB for Sellers I think the other phenomenon is the nature of the Buyers in various categories. In all the years I have sold Buyers have left FB for me between 50%-60% of the time ... it has been extremely consistent. I don't ask for it, I don't put little notes in packages about it, etc. If it happens great if not then great again, I'm not selling FB. eBay sends a reminder to Buyers after a certain amount of time and what I have noticed is that Buyers will leave FB several weeks after they have received their item.
The other aspect is this ... I think many Buyers ONLY go on eBay when they want to Buy something and do not spend the same amount of time logged in as Sellers do. I think a lot of Sellers "camp out" on eBay for a large part of their day OR check on their eBay account numerous times a day. Or if they have new inventory to list they are on it for hours at a time ... Buyers don't do that so they might get something delivered but not get on eBay for days or weeks ...
sextons-sweet-deals
·3 years agoI have an easy 100+ buyers that have yet to leave feedback. It's a 2-way street of curtesy that is disappearing these days.
As nobody's perfect stated: Because some of us have regrets about leaving feedback saying, "Great buyer" for a buyer who later turned out to be demanding and horrible.
I will not leave feedback as a seller until I receive feedback. As a buyer, I leave feedback within 2-3 days.
djvp53
·3 years agoBut what about all the buyers who think, "why should I leave feedback for the seller; he didn't leave feedback for me?"
movieman630
·3 years agoThey need to check their egos and realize that It's up to them to let the seller know they're satisfied and "END THE TRANSACTION" with feedback stating as such!
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoI know that many here disagreed but the feedback must be posted first by the buyer telling the seller that all is well. The seller should put a thank you note inside. If there is a problem, then the buyer contacts the seller and both parties work it out. Anyway, feedback is now practically useless for buyers. ALL buyers have 100% feedback. Even the ones that steal parts of the item and return the remains, wear the dress to a party and return it, claim that the seller sent a rock, etc. It's useless. I look at your feedback as a buyer and I don't know if you have scammed any seller? When you look at a seller's feedback, you know if they sold a counterfeit item, etc.
I can also tell you that some sellers do not like feedback because their families/spouse/girlfriends can track what they sell. So those sellers probably won't post it at all. I have had a few buyers who will immediately email and tell me to NOT post a feedback because they do not want their spouse/girlfriend to know that they bought another collectible toy.
Remember, feedback is voluntary. If you want more feedback as a buyer, post it first and send the seller a quick email telling them that you are happy and would like to remember their EBAY name so will they please post a feedback. That often will get me the feedback as a buyer. Even this does not result in feedback sometimes.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoThat doesn't make sense. Anybody who knows your eBay ID can easily see what you've sold in the past 90 days.
partfinds
·3 years agoI don’t give feedback for buyers who make false claims , borrow item to diagnose and those that don’t communicate before hitting return button .
I usually wait 30 days to leave feedback. If buyer leaves feedback earlier , I do the same.
gemarakop_trading
·3 years agoFeedback to buyers is meaningless if you can’t give bad feedback what is good feedback
varebelrose
·3 years agoWhen I was an active seller, I always left it when finalizing the shipping process, just as a simple matter of saying "Thank you for your business". Once the buyer has paid, their part of the transaction is completed. I never understood why some sellers want to play games over this.
movieman630
·3 years agoNot true. Their (the buyer's) part of the transaction is over when they are satisfied and don't try to return something. NOT when they simply pay. This isn't a cash transaction where you're face to face and the money is in your hand and you watch them walk away with it. There's shipping time, and when they get it to ACTUALLY look at it.
fern*wood
·3 years agoI don't feel this is something that can be deemed true or not true. It is merely a difference of opinion. One camp feels like you do and the other doesn't.
movieman630
·3 years agoIt's not over just because the buyer pays. That's a fact not difference of opinion. If they pay, you ship and it never arrives can you say "Well that's it, they paid so the deal is done?" If the answer is No, then paying wasn't the "end" of the transaction.
The END is when they receive the item and are happy with it.
fern*wood
·3 years agoIn my mind when the buyer pays, they are done with what they are required to do. So I thank them. They are not required to do anything else. I didn't say anything about my obligations being over, but it doesn't change or hurt anything to thank them for paying.
movieman630
·3 years agoIf thanking them right after they pay is so important thank them with an email. Save your feedback for when the transaction is complete. I've gotten emails from sellers in the past thanking me for the order and telling me what they plan to do next. I don't read them and think its a frivolous waste of time for them to confirm what I already know but they do it anyway.
When I buy something I forget about it and wait to get it when I get it. If for some reason it doesn't show up in a reasonable amount of time over the projected DOA I'll look at the tracking and see what's up. I don't get "offended" when they don't leave me feedback. I could care less.
livelifebeautiful
·3 years agoIn my opinion, if eBay made the process more user friendly and not such a process to find the correct place to leave feedback for both purchases & sold items at the same time, then more people would probably leave more feedback on both ends!
On a buyer & seller perspective, I usually leave feedback the day that I happen to stumble across the "leave feedback" button at the bottom of the main feedback page. Unfortunately I haven't found an easier way to access the page to leave all feedback at one time.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoSince FB is voluntary for either party, it's safe to say that anyone can handle it in any way they please.
The fact that buyers can only receive positive FB is probably a contributing factor in the reason some sellers don't bother.
kensgiftshop
·3 years agoI don't leave feedback until the transaction is complete.
It's complete when the buyer has received the item and is happy with it.
movieman630
·3 years agoQuite simply stated. When conducting a face to face transaction it's usually customary for the buyer to hold out their hand first when the deal is done.
Feedback is a virtual handshake. In my opinion the transaction isn't complete until the buyer states they're happy with the transaction. That's feedback. Once they leave feedback the deal is done. So I have mine set up to automatically leave positive feedback once I receive it.
If the buyer isn't happy with the transaction or there is a problem to resolve it isn't done yet. If they leave you negative or neutral feedback why should you leave them a positive one? Mostly this philosophy applies to the buyers who are regularly problem buyers, people who will never be happy. Serial Negative Leavers. I don't want those buyers reputations being pumped up falsely by preemptive and "empty" positive reviews when they are a nightmare to deal with. We can't leave them Negative or Neutral FB so why should I leave any at all?
As a seller I have no problem with a buyer who pays and never causes me an issue. So they have no reason to worry about me not leaving them a feedback. They just need to do it first. It's that simple.
It's up to the buyer to decide they are happy with the transaction and initiate FB.
fab_finds4u
·3 years agoFeedback is voluntary.
To say I'm not leaving it until the seller leaves it first is
▪︎ requiring the seller to know that's how you feel (they're not mind readers), and
▪︎ it's not voluntary if one party tries to put conditions on the feedback.
Some sellers do not leave feedback when the seller pays because the buyer could turn out to be a nightmare not deserving of positive feedback.
Feedback should be left at the end of the transaction.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoBecause some of us have regrets about leaving feedback saying, "Great buyer" for a buyer who later turned out to be demanding and horrible. Buyer feedback is meaningless anyway since sellers aren't permitted to say anything negative. Why do buyers even care about receiving feedback? What difference would it make if you had those 20 or 30 extra positives?
nramemberrick
OP3 years agoIt really doesn't matter to me I guess. I was just curious from a Seller's point of view why you wouldn't just give a positive. Knowing that, that's all you can give anyways.
stainlessenginecovers
·3 years agoSince @nobody*s_perfect gave you the best response- do you now understand why some don't?
I do automatic as seller just to keep the peace- but I actually had a repeat buyer give me grief over leaving them feedback and they said the exact same thing:
"I paid so I did my part!!"
I gave it and then did the 'Auto' thing.
2 weeks later, he returned an item.
I wanted to send him a message that said
"paying is only half the transaction- you have to actually KEEP the item for it to be successful from my side".
Now, I just do automatic at time of purchase. Easier as I don't have to wait for it or do it. One less thing in my life that is NOT necessary.
s.scharmu0
·3 years agoHi!
I use to do this also "As a Buyer, I will NOT give Feedback until I get Feedback from the seller. Even if everything is great and deserving of a Positive." However, I do give feedback now even if I do not get any from them, some write me TY messages which is ok then. Just cause they are rude I do not have to be😊
soh.maryl
·3 years agoApplause for the way you're handling FB.
However, since it's not required from either party, why is it rude if someone does not leave it?
kalyoth
·3 years agoIt's not a case of reluctance for many - its the business process from end to end being followed. The transaction ends once the purchase safely arrives at its final destination, recorded as delivered to the seller by ebay. Until then, it is not complete & subject to all those legal hurdles for non-delivery. There is further the possibility that there are still issues once delivery occurs. I leave feedback once I can confirm delivery to buyer. This has avoided neutral & negative feedback that item has not arrived etc. & the opportunity to resolve any issues that have occurred with the buyer.
Of course - there is also the loss of value to the feedback system as well over the years. ebay has altered the rules around it's use so much it has virtually no value to many sellers as it is easy to have neutrals & negatives removed - if a buyer or seller never sees the bad, everyone is thus an angel & ebay profits via a successful transaction charge. In the end, it's all about the Benjamins to ebay.