Changes in how feedback works

[mustardjo]

My brother and I had a store from 2005 to 2014.  We let the store remain active from 2015 till present...selling very few items. My brother passed away last June.  Now I am trying to get back into selling to make ends meet.  There was one transaction where the buyer left a negative feedback before contacting me.  I had always thought the negative was a last resort if buyer and seller can't work it out.  So I put it out there to the community...and most agreed the buyer's right to leave negative.  I never leave a negative until I contact seller first to work it out.  Don't you think that should be one of the rules on ebay...communicate with seller before leaving negative?

[soh.maryl]

Sellers are not allowed to leave negative FB for buyers ever.  That includes a positive with a negative spin.

And that rule has been in effect for probably at least 14 years.

So no one needs to "revisit FB" except possibly you.  

[mustardjo]

If the buyer had talked to me first before leaving the negative feedback...usually there is not any problem.  That is what I do as a buyer. I would never leave negative feedback to a seller without talking to them first.

[mam98031]

---

@mustardjo wrote:

If the buyer had talked to me first before leaving the negative feedback...usually there is not any problem.  That is what I do as a buyer. I would never leave negative feedback to a seller without talking to them first.

---

That is my personal policy as well, however clearly some do not subscribe to that way of thinking sadly.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Then again, there are those buyers who have found that 'talking to a seller first' just gets them a bunch of excuses and accusations, so the next time they don't even bother trying.

[reallynicestamps]

Feedback is  not used by eBay to assess member accounts.

Feedback is used by unhappy buyers who can't figure out how to open a Claim under the Money Back Guarantee.

So.

If your buyer has a problem, your first move is to suggest they open a Claim. Then go from there. Often the buyer has cooled down, especially when you politely demand the return of the disputed item before refunding.

If you have a problem with a purchase, contact the seller and explain. If you don't get a satisfactory (monetary) response , open a Claim and get your refund through eBay.

Feedback is a legacy of the 20th century internet when buying online from strangers thousands of kilometers away was edgy and scarey, and not how we buy underpants and pizza.

[reallynicestamps]

Then what should a seller do if they have a problem buyer? Do nothing to warn other sellers?

Over 85% of transactions are Fixed Price. More are BuyItNow options on Auctions or automatically accepted Best Offers.

Which means the vast majority of sellers cannot vet their buyers until the purchase has been made.

A lot of buyers use the implied threat of negative feedback to get what they want...like a discount.

This is against eBay rules and the threat can be Reported to eBay.

If the threat is "implied" an eBay employee (NOT the subcontract phone workers) has authority to remove it.

And penalize the buyer.

[robbie31415]

It depends on the individual situation.

Some times there is no way to fix the problem.

If I decide to keep an item regardless of being incorrectly described due to being able to get the job done. Just makes my life harder.

I will leave negative feedback without contacting the seller.

It's against the rules to ask for a partial refund and that would have been the only solution to make me happy.

[mam98031]

---

@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

Then again, there are those buyers who have found that 'talking to a seller first' just gets them a bunch of excuses and accusations, so the next time they don't even bother trying.

---

Most sellers are here to sell their stuff and take care of their customers.  Just as most buyers are here to find stuff they need or want.  The vast majority of transactions go off without a hitch because the buyer and seller work together.

Now yes we have some bad apples on both sides of the transaction.  But to use it as an overall excuse to not try to communicate with your trading partner is just unfair as most members do the right thing if given the chance.