New item rating when leaving feedback should not be mandatory

[abbibrodie]

The newest change on the iOS app has introduced a mandatory “How would you rate this item” option when leaving feedback. I’m not sure if this is across platforms.
My feedback is that making this mandatory is a poor user experience, as this is not a suitable field when you have not received the item. I now can not leave feedback for those sellers, as I don’t think it is fair to give them 1 star if I have never even seen the item E.g. it was lost in the post. This means the item will sit in the feedback section and trigger reminder emails, even though I can’t do anything. Can this please be changed to an optional field, or something like a check box added to make it conditional on confirmation that you received the item? 
Thanks 🙂

[karmacutioner]

I am guessing this has to do with eBay strong arming users into providing them FREE marketing data for how buyers “rate” items we receive and have purchased, which imo has ZERO to do with all the other details of the buyer transaction experience and the whole purpose of leaving feedback for sellers.  If the item is one eBay considers “rate-able,” I literally cannot leave feedback for the seller until I rate the item itself from 1-5 stars. This is a HORRIBLE practice, and as long as eBay requires it, I unfortunately will not be providing seller feedback, which is a shame. 

[dark_jaguar]

A good chunk of my remaining feedback requests are now forcing in the "what did you think of this item"? style of review.  I can't leave feedback for the seller in those listings!  This is NOT fair to either me or the seller!  Stop forcing this on us, you are a FLEA MARKET!  Accept that!

[williamg1916]

Spot on! Thia is ridiculous! Just an attempt to strong arm "ratings" of an item when there are so many circumstances which might keep us from rating it (lost, a gift, a one of a kind item, a collectible), or we don't have enough experience to go on. I have ignored these "ratings" as a buyer since they first started. When you buy on eBay you usually know what you are looking for, and the ratings are meaningless. I go to eBay for specific items, not so I can decide what to choose. I frankly don't give a hoot about the ratings. It's like seeing nails at a building supply listed as a "top seller", just **bleep**. My decisions are much more guided by the seller feedback; I might pay more to buy the identical item from a more highly rated seller. Forcing me to "rate" an item will just keep me from leaving feedback. Or here comes the flood of one-star ratings.

[clockshoptoday]

It's across platforms, and it's a terrible idea.  

[dark_jaguar]

I'm already seeing the results of this change, and it isn't pretty.  Not only are a number of my own reviews missing any description of why they liked my service, I'm starting to see very bizarre "product reviews" when I'm searching for things to buy.  For example, a one star review indicating "Package arrived crushed on one side.".  Am I to understand from that user's product review that every single copy of that product "arrives crushed on one side"?

eBay, once again, you are a flea market.  If you really want to offer a set of product reviews, fine, but they should be completely independent of the seller/buyer review system, in it's own window.  I don't care what your "engagement algorithm" suggests, that people are using it makes no difference if it's ruining both seller and product review scoring.