Feedback

[shellmailitems]

Feedback is such a waste.  I've decided to stop sending feedback until I receive positive feedback. I'm not boosting anymore buyers accts when they don't have the common courtesy to do the same.  The reason is 5 out of 10 buyers who have 100% feedback and buy on a regular basis refuse to send feedback to the seller regardless of the level of communication, quality of item, super fast shipping or 5 star feedback you leave for them.  If you send them a friendly reminder after a few weeks they ignore it.  I've seen other sellers who post in their description that positive feedback will be offered in return for positive feedback. I won't post that in my listing but from today forward I will not send feedback unless it is received. What are your thoughts about that and how many of you sellers out there have this same issue and how do you handle it. I take it personally. I strive to make sure everything I send it as described and quality.  I also don't appreciate a buyer sending an offer that I cannot accept and they buy it anyway and send negative feedback yet wont return the item for a full refund, and e-Bay allows that to happen, or a buyer says 2 weeks after getting their item that it was missing a button when the button was clearly visible in all photos provided and they are allowed to leave negative feedback and affect my rating.  Tell me what you think??

[mikedybus]

I am a Carbon Copy of you in every aspect of your feedback guide lines!
Nice to see I'm not alone.
In my opinion Ebay should automatically add generic positive feedback for any transaction not disputed after a realistic waiting period. 
Just goes to prove that: "When you are the only game in town it does not matter what your customer base thinks of you or your policies." Seems to me that monopolies used to be illeagal?????

[chrysylys]

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@mikedybus wrote:

In my opinion Ebay should automatically add generic positive feedback for any transaction not disputed after a realistic waiting period.

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In my opinion, people should understand the word 'voluntary'.

However, I also feel they should eliminate the current system and implement one that automatically updates a seller profile page with completed sales, on-time shipments, late shipments, seller initiated cancellations, returns, complaints filed, complaints resolved and unresolved, etc.

[mikedybus]

Chrysyles, Your Idea is a very good one. 

What I do not understand about the word "Voluntary":

"voluntary" it may be but if you are a small time seller Ebay uses this "voluntary" feedback to withhold a small time sellers money for over a month until a seller reaches a certain amount of sales and proper feedbacks or if after hitting the magic mark the feedback scores fall beyond a certain level. I fail to understand how voluntary can count for enforcement and an excuse to withhold funds.

I lived in eurobe for 25 years and had an excellent sellers record , no neg. After moving back to the States Ebay made me a probationary seller and punished me by holding on to "MY" Money! Not ethical, again IMO. btw I an still using my original account opened in Europe here in the states

[*help_no_brakes*]

" and proper feedbacks or if after hitting the magic mark the feedback scores fall beyond a certain level. "

Feedback has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with your funds being held.

"I lived in eurobe for 25 years"

That must have been uncomfortable...

@mikedybus

[mikedybus]

I beg to differ with you.  That is unless ebay has changed it's feedback policy for sellers again. New , provisional,  sellers according to what ebay informed me have their funds withheld until conditions are met . Believe me when I say this did happen to me. What I am more upset with is I have the exact same account with account name and password the only changes were to make me a provisional seller and cut a few years off my membership start and start the counting over since coming back to the States.

Still don't believe me? 😉 read this: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Archive-Selling-Manager/FUNDS-WITHHELD/td-p/2998093

[thatsallfolks]

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@mikedybus wrote:

I beg to differ with you.  That is unless ebay has changed it's feedback policy for sellers again. New , provisional,  sellers according to what ebay informed me have their funds withheld until conditions are met . Believe me when I say this did happen to me. What I am more upset with is I have the exact same account with account name and password the only changes were to make me a provisional seller and cut a few years off my membership start and start the counting over since coming back to the States.

Still don't believe me? 😉 read this: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Archive-Selling-Manager/FUNDS-WITHHELD/td-p/2998093

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Differ all you want. eBay uses transaction count, not feedback, to determine when to stop holding a seller’s funds.

[myboardid]

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@akg55 wrote:

So I have read all the replies here.  What I do is leave fedback right after I print my shipping label.  I use to send reminders, but found it to much work for to little result.

Here is what I have in all my listings about feedback, it has been there for 10 or more years.  What are your opinions of it?  Should I leave it?  Alter it? completely take it out?

Thank you in advance for your help.

I hold an excellent POSITIVE customer feedback rating, so please buy from me with confidence. One way of my knowing you have received your shipment is for you to leave me feedback. It is important to both eBay Buyers and Sellers to leave feedback. Therefore, I hope you will leave me POSITIVE feedback please. In keeping with suggestions from eBay and common courtesy, if you find something wrong, please talk to me before leaving negative feedback or feedback with anything less then 5 DSR's. eBay considers 1, 2, 3 or 4 DSR's as bad scores and will take away discounts or privileges from Sellers. If you do not email me to let me know about your feelings and allow me to try to correct the problem, then I have no way to improve my service. I am sure we can work out a solution. Please feel free to email me if you have any problems, questions or suggestions.

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DEFINITELY get rid of that message.  Do NOT mention feedback AT ALL in your listings. 

Regarding the DSR's - what you state is no longer true.  They don't count for anything any more.  That was removed about two years ago. 

As an honest buyer I would refuse to buy from you for even putting that in your listing.  If I were a dishonest buyer, I would see it as a door to blackmailing you because it means so much to you. 

[myboardid]

k-bar - Once you get your store up and running and the first few days have passed, and all your curious neighbors and a some customers have come in, and you have dusted and rearranged for the 100th time, and you have ordered whatever it is that you forgot to order before you opened or didn't know you would need until then, you WILL have time to use eBay.  Why?  Because used tack has a limited market that you will tap at the beginning but you won't have a steady continuous clientel that are in the shop all the time.  You will have plenty of time to stand at your counter or sit at your desk with your laptop/desktop and work on your eBay selling. 

I know, I've been doing eBay for 20 years and running a specialty B&M store for 45 years. 

[myboardid]

I leave feedback after I receive it, within three days.  If a buyer asks for it, I leave it immediately.  I actually wish less buyers would leave it so that I would have less work to do to return it. 

[myboardid]

Chrysalis - I agree with you except I would leave out returns.  Some categories such as clothing get a lot more returns than others.  How the seller handles returns is important but the number of them is not really a reflection of the seller's integrity. 

[*help_no_brakes*]

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@mikedybus wrote:

I beg to differ with you.  That is unless ebay has changed it's feedback policy for sellers again. New , provisional,  sellers according to what ebay informed me have their funds withheld until conditions are met . Believe me when I say this did happen to me. What I am more upset with is I have the exact same account with account name and password the only changes were to make me a provisional seller and cut a few years off my membership start and start the counting over since coming back to the States.

Still don't believe me? 😉 read this: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Archive-Selling-Manager/FUNDS-WITHHELD/td-p/2998093

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A four year old thread with incorrect information has no bearing on current policy.

[2010snowflake9]

What's the point when eBay is watching what is reported and decides what feedback to post

[ebargainsanddeals]

FEEDBACK - SELLERS BEWARE!  eBay ALWAYS sides with a Buyer and NEVER backs a Seller. And you know what people say...Buyers are LIARS!

I have been a Seller on eBay for 9+ years.  I am FED UP with eBay and their inability to stand behind a Top Rated Seller.  My sales during the past 12 months have plummeted more than 50%, thanks to eBay's rigid requirements and standards.  eBay is more focused on changing the program (Seller HUB - HORRIBLE!)  and trying to be "A mason", that they forget, without Sellers they have no business!  Less Sellers = Less Merchandise.  Less Merchandise = Less Buyers.  Less Buyers & Sellers affects eBay's bottom line. It isn't rocket science!  They have lost their market share and are no longer king of  Internet sales.  And, they are doing NOTHING to FIX it!

I recently had a Buyer who claimed the  Brand New sweater I shipped him had a hole in it.  We carefully inspect every item prior to shipping.  This sweater also had a hang tag on it,  like you would find on a retail store item, which he may have tried to yank out and ripped a hole in it.  We always include a 1/3 of a page size note, thanking the Buyer.  The note, like the hang tag, requested the BUYER CONTACT US if they are DISSATISFIED for ANY REASON!  He did not contact us. He did not request a refund, nor open a return.  He didn't even show a photo of the supposed hole!  Yet, eBay permits him to leave NEGATIVE FEEDBACK causing my rating to plummet to 98.9%. This newbie Buyer's 54 feedback score compared to my 5012 feedback didn't prompt, nor question, nor compel eBay to justify the feedback, nor allow the removal of it!  eBay didn't ask him to submit a photo, but I did, and he never replied.  They BELIEVED HIM (not me, a Top Rated Seller with 9 years experience) without him providing ANY EVIDENCE to substantiate his bogus claim!  His negative rating affects my status, my final fee discounts, my ability to sell (who wants to buy from a Seller with such a low rating?...I wouldn't!) and my overall income. AND it will stay on my feedback for a full year!

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?  Why is eBay allowing this to occur and jeopardize my ability to earn a living?  I'm already at 50% less in sales than last year, and had to get a "REGULAR JOB" since I can't survive on this platform any longer.  Why are they kicking me when I'm already down?

I am OUTRAGED and ANGRY by eBay's lack of assistance.  They have lost their market share because of "A mason" and other venues, and Sellers who, like me, cannot comprehend or deal with insane issues like this, that negatively affect our income NOW, and for another 12 months!  Let them stand by the Buyer with a feedback score of 54, and let a Seller who has generated more than 7745 transactions and hundreds of thousands in sales leave.  Stupid....just plain stupid.

I am very willing to share my disgust on other social venues, I am that MAD.

Has this happened to YOU, too?

[garmajo2007]

I left negative feedback on a seller to warn others against an attempted scam by this seller.  The seller sent a number of messages asking me to revise it.  I did not but a few days later my feedback disappeared.  I will not use Ebay again because I have in the past relied on feedback.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

If "they" say buyers are liars perhaps "they" need to find a new business? Most buyers are not liars and the fact that you have now had the same issue twice makes me wonder if you're examining as well as you should. It can be easy to miss a small hole that would become obvious if someone tries on the item.