eBay

tiny0 · ‎07-09-2019

I have sold 25 items in the last two months and only 8 have received any feedback (all positive, but still...) Is this just the trend on eBay nowadays? Feedback used to be the best way to keep people in line. Am I just an old fuddy-duddy?

soh.maryl · ‎07-09-2019

I won't insult you by reminding you that feedback is entirely optional/voluntary for both buyer and seller.

And that buyers can only be given positive feedback, so some sellers don't bother.

You have 2161 feedback. What could you accomplish with 2162 that you cannot achieve currently?

And I'd be interested to know how feedback was ever the "best way to keep people in line".

fern*wood · ‎07-09-2019

Feedback was important when ebay started, but it's usefulness has waned. It started evolving more into a way to blackmail, than to be helpful. Ebay has plenty of rules to help keep sellers in line and protections for buyers. Some still use it for it's original purpose and others just don't bother.

dabunk2000 · ‎07-09-2019

You are actually lucky you got that many.

myjunqueyourtreasure · ‎07-09-2019

It also seems to depend on what you're selling to an extent.
One of my IDs get consistent FB, another one barely gets any back.

Reality is the leading cause of stress.

lightlily_arts · ‎07-09-2019

I checked my numbers and only 13% of my buyers left feedback in the past year. Previously it was closer to 30% of my buyers leaving feedback. I think that most of them were newer buyers that didn't leave it. Looking at their I could see that it was the newer buyers t\hat weren't leaving feedback. I assume that people are just here to buy and feedback isn't important to them. Nonetheless, I prefer no feedback to neutrals or negatives.

byrd69er · ‎07-09-2019

Well, you can always NOT provide feedback to buyers. I often don't bother. It's meaningless and useless anyway, since it can only be positive, even for the worst of buyers.....but you knew that.

m60driver · ‎07-09-2019

Yes, that is about average for me, between 30-50% with high variability between any two month period. I still always leave feedback upon receipt of payment as it can't hurt. It makes some buyers feel good and more likely to work with the seller if there is a problem. Think of giving feedback to buyers as preemptive goodwill.

luckythewinner · ‎07-09-2019

Feedback used to be the best way to keep people in line.

It plays no part when eBay calculates the seller rating.

Am I just an old fuddy-duddy?

Probably. What benefit would having 2178 feedback give you over your current 2161?

tiny0 · ‎07-09-2019

I mean, you're all mostly correct. I don't have anything to gain by having a slightly higher number next to my user ID, but that isn't really the point. I guess there is no point then. It just makes me sad, in a way. Feedback used to be how buyers and sellers policed themselves, until more people started screwing each other over, I guess. And let's face it, if you happen to go above and beyond for another user, it was nice to know that some recognition was probably coming.

Oh well. I might as well stop leaving it, too eh?

tiny0 · ‎07-09-2019

I get what you're saying, but in my experience, saying "I won't insult you" is actually kind of insulting. So, thanks?

ednkarens · ‎07-09-2019

8 out of 25 is actually very good. I have seen over the years a declining of feedback left. I look at it as if there was a problem with anything someone would let me know.

Also, maybe some of your buyers don't buy a lot so they don't log into eBay on a regular basis.

I wonder if many buyers are now purchasing on their phones and maybe leaving feedback in such a small display window is too much of a pain?

murphy71605 · ‎07-09-2019

Most of the comments you get when discussing feedback are who cares, it's meaningless, it's voluntary and so on. As a seller it is very disappointing what this site has become. I remember when 75% - 90% of buyers left feedback. Now, thanks to retaliation, and just plain bad people on both sides, we are in a place where there is little motivation for MANY sellers to keep going. I may be in the minority on this but getting feedback was once unique to the site and it gave you the satisfaction that you were doing something right. This is now just another internet selling venue where everything is business and nothing personal.

luckythewinner · ‎07-09-2019

Feedback used to be how buyers and sellers policed themselves

Or how they blackmailed each other, depending upon your experience.

until more people started screwing each other over, I guess.

It lost most of its relevance as soon as eBay required sellers to only leave positives. (That happened a decade ago.) Any remaining relevance was lost when it stopped being part of the seller rating calculation.

Oh well. I might as well stop leaving it, too eh?

Not if you are a seller. Just because it is meaningless for buyers does not mean that some irrational buyers might still get upset and take it out on the seller.

A seller has an incentive to take prudent steps to protect his selling account - and IMHO leaving feedback is one of those prudent steps.

A buyer, on the other hand, has no incentive to leave feedback.

soh.maryl · ‎07-09-2019

Sorry to hear you were insulted. What I meant was that you are an experienced seller, so my telling you that feedback is entirely voluntary would be superfluous, as opposed to your being a new seller/buyer. They are sometimes surprised to hear that FB is not mandatory.

My plan was not to offend.