Too many sellers/buyers will just exchange a bunch of garble that looks like they are flexing their "beer muscle" after 1 or 42 - not a pretty sight.
The main reason you can't it is and eBay policy states you can't and you signed the User Agreement that states it. Once upon a time a eBay allowed mud slinging between buyer & seller - but that was yesterday and yesterday is gone.
Ebay is protecting buyers from leaving. If a seller leaves a buyer bad feedback after they paid they will take there money elsewhere. Ebay doesn't want that. If a buyer has a issue they get a refund. They shouldn't be penalized for that. Ebay does remove cancellation feedbacks and feedbacks which don't follow policy.
Why can't us sellers leave neutral or negative feedback to buyers?
Here are a few likely reasons:
1) Because eBay values buyers more than they value sellers. When a buyer leaves, they lose any future sales that buyer would generate. But when a seller leaves, buyers generally buy a similar item from a similar seller and eBay does not lose all of the sales they would generate.
2) Because eBay knows that a buyer who accumulates negative feedback can simply create a new account in a few seconds and wipe any negative feedback away. A big part of eBay's business is ability the track buyer behavior quietly over time, and if buyers have an incentive to jump from account to account that is much harder to do.
3) Because eBay knows that in the past, sellers tended to use negative feedback as a weapon to intimidate and retaliate against buyers wih a legitimate gripe. I was subjected to this repeatedly as buyer here in the early 2000's.
As a longtime reader of this board, I can't count the number of times a seller comes here furious and outraged about how he was wronged by a buyer. Then after a handful of questions and responses, it becomes abuntantly clear that the seller was the real problem, not the buyer. but you can tell his anger and behavior that the seller would have negged the snot out that buyer immediately if he had the power.
4) Because eBay knows that true "fairness" is expensive impossible, because virtually every dispute ultimately comes down to a "he said/she said" situation. eBay cannot afford to assign an investogator to every dispute, and even if they could they would still get it wrong. So eBay seems to have taken the stance that if a seller is running into fraud, it is the seller's job to figure out why and adapt their business model. If they can't, it is cheaper in the long run to lose the seller than take a chance on driving good buyers away.
5) Because over the past two decades, sellers have very clearly indicated they are willing to sell here without the ability to give negatives to buyers.
@inhawaii wrote: "Let me ask you a question...If a buyer left you a negative feedback (for whatever reason), would you leave them a positive feedback? I didn't think so."
No, I wouldn't and I haven't. I wouldn't leave them any feedback at all (but now eBay is leaving it on my behalf whether I want it left or not). In fact, if someone leaves me a bad feedback, I do not have any further communication with them.
But back to OP's question. I still think a lot of eBay stopping bad feedback left for buyers was because so much of it was retaliation.
I think one of the reasons was that too many sellers were using neutrals and negatives as retaliation, i.e. you left me one so I'm going to leave you one in return. It served no purpose.
Besides, eBay wants happy buyers and by not being able to leave buyers bad feedback helps keep them happy.
johnrj1226
·10 months agoToo many sellers/buyers will just exchange a bunch of garble that looks like they are flexing their "beer muscle" after 1 or 42 - not a pretty sight.
The main reason you can't it is and eBay policy states you can't and you signed the User Agreement that states it. Once upon a time a eBay allowed mud slinging between buyer & seller - but that was yesterday and yesterday is gone.
bonanza125
·10 months agoEbay is protecting buyers from leaving. If a seller leaves a buyer bad feedback after they paid they will take there money elsewhere. Ebay doesn't want that. If a buyer has a issue they get a refund. They shouldn't be penalized for that. Ebay does remove cancellation feedbacks and feedbacks which don't follow policy.
meme6253
·10 months agoI completely agree with pickapaper!
bashort
·10 months agoIts really simple,
1. Buyer leaves a negative FB for a seller
2. Seller leaves a negative FB in retaliation
3. Buyer never buys another thing on ebay
This is why that sellers leaving negative feedback for buyers was stopped many years ago.
luckythewinner
·10 months agoWhy can't us sellers leave neutral or negative feedback to buyers?
Here are a few likely reasons:
1) Because eBay values buyers more than they value sellers. When a buyer leaves, they lose any future sales that buyer would generate. But when a seller leaves, buyers generally buy a similar item from a similar seller and eBay does not lose all of the sales they would generate.
2) Because eBay knows that a buyer who accumulates negative feedback can simply create a new account in a few seconds and wipe any negative feedback away. A big part of eBay's business is ability the track buyer behavior quietly over time, and if buyers have an incentive to jump from account to account that is much harder to do.
3) Because eBay knows that in the past, sellers tended to use negative feedback as a weapon to intimidate and retaliate against buyers wih a legitimate gripe. I was subjected to this repeatedly as buyer here in the early 2000's.
As a longtime reader of this board, I can't count the number of times a seller comes here furious and outraged about how he was wronged by a buyer. Then after a handful of questions and responses, it becomes abuntantly clear that the seller was the real problem, not the buyer. but you can tell his anger and behavior that the seller would have negged the snot out that buyer immediately if he had the power.
4) Because eBay knows that true "fairness" is expensive impossible, because virtually every dispute ultimately comes down to a "he said/she said" situation. eBay cannot afford to assign an investogator to every dispute, and even if they could they would still get it wrong. So eBay seems to have taken the stance that if a seller is running into fraud, it is the seller's job to figure out why and adapt their business model. If they can't, it is cheaper in the long run to lose the seller than take a chance on driving good buyers away.
5) Because over the past two decades, sellers have very clearly indicated they are willing to sell here without the ability to give negatives to buyers.
pickapaper
·10 months ago@inhawaii wrote: "Let me ask you a question...If a buyer left you a negative feedback (for whatever reason), would you leave them a positive feedback? I didn't think so."
No, I wouldn't and I haven't. I wouldn't leave them any feedback at all (but now eBay is leaving it on my behalf whether I want it left or not). In fact, if someone leaves me a bad feedback, I do not have any further communication with them.
But back to OP's question. I still think a lot of eBay stopping bad feedback left for buyers was because so much of it was retaliation.
inhawaii
·10 months agoBecause...
"If you leave me a negative feedback, i'll leave you a negative feedback right back."
What will that accomplish?
Let me ask you a question...
If a buyer left you a negative feedback (for whatever reason), would you leave them a positive feedback?
I didn't think so.
pickapaper
·10 months ago@speedystarnotes
I think one of the reasons was that too many sellers were using neutrals and negatives as retaliation, i.e. you left me one so I'm going to leave you one in return. It served no purpose.
Besides, eBay wants happy buyers and by not being able to leave buyers bad feedback helps keep them happy.
iamalwaysright
·10 months agoBecause...