No feedback from buyers. Are they just lazy?
Summary: The discussion revolves around why buyers often don’t leave feedback on eBay. theydontfitme and other participants express frustration over the lack of feedback from buyers, noting that it feels like 'talking to a wall' and wondering if it's due to laziness or reliance on automated feedback. imac7065 shares their experience with a vast number of transactions and limited feedback, noting that the landscape has changed over the years. Other contributors, such as stainlessenginecovers and duffy4444, suggest that the overwhelming number of feedback requests across platforms and a lack of incentive for buyers contribute to the issue. There is advice against messaging buyers directly for feedback as it might lead to negative outcomes, and some participants acknowledge that feedback is no longer as crucial as it once was.
Why don't buyers leave feedback?
Lazy? They know automated ebay ones will be left?
Even if I leave one first, they won't reciprocate and they don't respond to messages either.
It's like talking to a wall.
I don't get it.
ruby_c_took
·1 week agoI have buyers who've responded to my polite, friendly requests for input a month after a sale. One told me that they thought 'feedback was automated now' and I told them that I just wanted to know how I did, if I did anything right or wrong, and they were kind enough to leave manual feedback for me. I've had people just give me feedback in a reply to my message, which honestly works fine for me since it's less about the numbers for me and more for my own information.
All that said, I don't really sweat it when I don't get feedback, since it's always been that way. I send one follow-up message and leave it at that. I don't actually use the word feedback, either. I don't want them to feel harassed or pressured; I want them to share their experience if they have time, and I feel like that's the response I get when I get one. If I don't get a response, they're busy, have nothing to say, etc, and I move on.
I did have two lifetime neutral feedback but they've cut the feedback history so that no longer shows up; I think this is a sign that they're letting go of the feedback system. Sadly, feedback is really tailored to a more personal experience with individuals rather than large businesses, and this is clearly not what eBay is working towards at the moment. As someone else said, too, the online environment that gave rise to the idea of feedback is changing and shifting away from it.
I recommend letting it go. As others have said, you also have to be very careful when messaging about feedback as it can backfire. Be happy if someone leaves you feedback and be satisfied with the automated numbers you get now.
grann-4629
·1 week agoI have had some really great transactions on eBay, and I have left feedback for them because it's there and sellers seem to like watching the number going up. In a few cases, I have emailed the seller personally and thanked them for the great item and service, and in one case I received a 'you made our day' response.
I don't think everything should be done on eBay ... they already control what you can list, how it can be shipped, and all the money. I really like the folks I buy from 😎
cityslickercreations2004
·2 weeks ago"Order delivered on time with no issues" is great feedback IMHO.
asset_liquidators
·2 weeks agoI find that only about 10% of buyers leave feedback. But I don't really care. It is their choice if they want to leave feedback or not. If you are asking them for feedback that is not good and you if you keep bothering people for feedback you may get it, just not the type you hoped for.
You have plenty of feedback so getting more doesn't really mean much anything.
albertabrightalberta
·2 weeks ago@theydontfitme
Are you selling items or feedback? Personally, I've never cared whether a buyer leaves feedback even before ebay began leaving auto-feedback.
In my mind, no feedback is a good thing because it tells me that the buyer isn't complaining about their item - no news is good news.
It's NEVER advised to ask buyers for feedback. Doing so might result in the kind of feedback you don't want.
Plus, feedback is voluntary and no one is required to leave it.
In fact, I've seen the following as well as other similar ones.
onefootflipper
·2 weeks agoWhy would you care given your feedback total? It becomes fairly meaningless after 100 and totally meaningless after 1000.
I switch me primary account from my 8000 feedback account to this one a couple years ago with a second thought, that number means nothing once it is large.
inhawaii
·2 weeks agoEvery single one of my buyers leaves me feedback.
grann-4629
·1 week agoI haven't had the pleasure of buying from you yet, but you get a great feedback from me anyway 😎
luckythewinner
·2 weeks agoI think it is because they get no benefit from it, so they have no incentive to do it.
grann-4629
·1 week agoHere"s a thought: If feedback is important for buyers and sellers to vet their trading partners, why not change the system so that only negative feedbacks can be left ... for buyers and sellers?
mam98031
·2 weeks agoYou are assuming that sellers know that automated feedback is eventually left if a buyer doesn't leave feedback. That is a newer rule and I'm confident that there are MANY active buyers that don't know about this change and likely most don't even care.
Buyers on most sites like this do not leave feedback very often. I sell on three sites and have for years. On the other two I may get 1-3 feedback a YEAR and I have far far more transactions than that on those sites.
Lazy has nothing to do with anything. It simply is not normal practice anymore.
NOT a good idea to message a buyer to give you feedback. That could backfire on you big time. I've known sellers that poke the bear and they don't like it, then reflect it in the feedback they leave. You have lots of feedback. This is just not a good hill to die on. Just leave the buyers alone.
sfau
·2 weeks agoNot necessarily lazy - may be they had to prioritize doing other things - work, taking care of kids, chores, etc. And there is no incentive to leave feedback as time is money.
max-list
·2 weeks agoPositive feedback makes a big difference. If you get 1 negative and 5 positive your percentage it shows your feedback is 83% positive feedback.
If you get 300 pos and 1 neg, it shows your feedback is 99% pos. That's big in my opinion.
max-list
·2 weeks agoBut there's nothing you can do about getting more feedback. Like they say that may make it worse if you ask. On my receipts i send with my orders I say on the comment at the bottom "Feedback would be greatly appreciated. 5*s really makes a difference. Thank you!" At least makes them think about it.
vdfn5_77
·2 weeks agoIn my opinion, the important thing is that they remain satisfied with the deal. If the negative attitude is absent along with the response, that is already a positive fact.
ten_o_nine
·2 weeks agothey won't reciprocate and they don't respond to messages either.
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Sending direct messages asking for feedback often backfires. Buyers find it annoying. You may irritate some into leaving a negative or neutral review. I would stop sending messages.
dhbookds
·2 weeks agoEvery site and their brother asks for feedback......waste of time.........
fern*wood
·2 weeks ago"...they don't respond to messages either."
That's an excellent way to get feedback, but not the kind you want.
adamcartwright
·2 weeks agoFB is important to sellers because it lets others know the kind of care you take with your descriptions, packaging, shipping time, etc.
So I really enjoy getting FB, and I leave it for other sellers 99 % of the time , except when I'm unhappy about some aspect of the transaction, such as packaging.
But let's face it, most people do NOT treat others as they want to be treated.
hartungcards
·2 weeks ago"Why don't buyers leave feedback?"
Because what's in it for them? Nothing.
lakefor94
·2 weeks agoFeedback is a thing of the past. Don't worry about it, you have plenty of feedback.
bashort
·2 weeks agoa buyer leaving feedback is absolutely not necessary
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 weeks ago · EditedLeaving feedback is unnatural for the vast majority of buyers.
I always thank the cashier at Walmart. When I am waiting online to pay, most of the people in front of me do not thank the cashier.
The number of buyers who leave FB has also decreased due to more buying using an app, which is even less suited toward interaction than a website.
Ebay's automatic FB is an effort to mask the irrelevance of FB to many buyers.
duffy4444
·2 weeks agoYup, you got it -- They're too often lazy.
I always automatically give +FB to the buyer at the time of shipment, and have learned not to expect it in return.
You've got thousands of FBs. Just let it go. Except perhaps to new sellers, FB is not that important anymore in the great scheme of things, not like it used to be.
Cheers, Duffy
kandf_vintage_finds
·2 weeks agoWait...your messaging buyers trying to get them to leave feedback? You better be careful...you may end up with a red donut.
grann-4629
·2 weeks agoWhy don't sellers leave feedback etc. ...
imac7065
·2 weeks agoI have left over 240,000 feedbacks as a seller.. what are you talking about? Sellers can set it to auto feedback.. what you should be asking... is why sellers can't leave negative feedabck
grann-4629
·2 weeks agoI agree that not being able to neg a buyer is a stupid policy ... the answer to this and all of our feedback issues and battles is simple ...
albertabrightalberta
·2 weeks ago@grann-4629
Many sellers don't leave feedback for buyers because feedback as a buyer is useless. Buyers can only receive positive feedback so it gives no indication of a bad buyer (unless sellers violate feedback policy and leave contradictory feedback).
A better indication of the type of buyer a seller is dealing with is shown by their feedback left for others. Soft positives, multiple negative feedbacks indicating problems, feedbacks that refer to seller offering a partial refund or "handling bumps in the road efficiently" are all indicative of a potentially difficult buyer.
grann-4629
·2 weeks agoSo a buyer can now no longer achieve one of those 10,000 plus ratings like a seller can, hence no bragging rights. Shucks 🤓
stainlessenginecovers
·2 weeks agoWhy? Simply because it is NOT 2002 anymore.
Buyers that were 10 are now 30+ and there are 100's of websites wanting feedback.
Heck, if I left feedback everytime I purchased something online I would be spending 2 hours a day doing it.
Notgonnahappen.....
imac7065
·2 weeks agoI've been doing this for nearly 30 years... I have over 260,000 transactions... I have less than 100k feedback. Ebay has started doing automated feedback that helps this... but just a fact of the business
grann-4629
·2 weeks agoDo you think that having a high feedback number (approaching 100 K) was the reason you have made a large number of transactions, or would you have been just as successful without the feedback?
imac7065
·2 weeks agono lol... maybe 10 years ago it would help.. I now have to point out my selling history and 100% positive feedback whenever a customers questions my integrity (which happens to all of us)