eBay

nramemberrick · ‎02-03-2023

Help me understand why, as a Seller, there is reluctance to give a Buyer feedback after they have paid?

As a Seller (not that I sell much) I always give Feedback when my buyer pays. They did their part by paying, so why not give them Positive Feedback?

As a Buyer, I will NOT give Feedback until I get Feedback from the seller. Even if everything is great and deserving of a Positive.

In the last few years, as a buyer I have not received at least 20 - 30 Feedbacks from Sellers. Just trying to understand why.

fern*wood · ‎02-03-2023

I don't feel this is something that can be deemed true or not true. It is merely a difference of opinion. One camp feels like you do and the other doesn't.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎02-03-2023

I know that many here disagreed but the feedback must be posted first by the buyer telling the seller that all is well. The seller should put a thank you note inside. If there is a problem, then the buyer contacts the seller and both parties work it out. Anyway, feedback is now practically useless for buyers. ALL buyers have 100% feedback. Even the ones that steal parts of the item and return the remains, wear the dress to a party and return it, claim that the seller sent a rock, etc. It's useless. I look at your feedback as a buyer and I don't know if you have scammed any seller? When you look at a seller's feedback, you know if they sold a counterfeit item, etc.

I can also tell you that some sellers do not like feedback because their families/spouse/girlfriends can track what they sell. So those sellers probably won't post it at all. I have had a few buyers who will immediately email and tell me to NOT post a feedback because they do not want their spouse/girlfriend to know that they bought another collectible toy.

Remember, feedback is voluntary. If you want more feedback as a buyer, post it first and send the seller a quick email telling them that you are happy and would like to remember their EBAY name so will they please post a feedback. That often will get me the feedback as a buyer. Even this does not result in feedback sometimes.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎02-03-2023

@ms.rodriguez* wrote: ... some sellers do not like feedback because their families/spouse/girlfriends can track what they sell....

That doesn't make sense. Anybody who knows your eBay ID can easily see what you've sold in the past 90 days.

sextons-sweet-deals · ‎02-03-2023

I have an easy 100+ buyers that have yet to leave feedback. It's a 2-way street of curtesy that is disappearing these days.

As nobody's perfect stated: Because some of us have regrets about leaving feedback saying, "Great buyer" for a buyer who later turned out to be demanding and horrible.

I will not leave feedback as a seller until I receive feedback. As a buyer, I leave feedback within 2-3 days.

mr_lincoln · ‎02-03-2023

@nramemberrick Ahhh, the psychology of eBay's Feedback system!!! Like you I leave FB for Buyers at the time of purchase, then its done and I don't have to deal with it later. As a Buyer I leave it when I have received and inspected the item(s). If there are any issues I message the Seller and we work things out, then I leave Positive FB for them (this of course is rare and if memory serves only happened a few times over many years).

I know Sellers who play the FB game and refuse to leave FB for Buyers until the Buyer leaves it for them.

In 2008 eBay stopped letting Sellers leave less than Positive FB for Buyers so ALL pure Buying accounts have 100% Positive FB ... what that decision did to the FB system was make it 1) unbalanced, 2) subjective and ultimately 3) unfair. That decision by eBay was extremely manipulative and many Sellers to this day hold that decision against eBay. It is possible that those same Sellers NEVER leave FB for their Buyers and on a certain level I can't blame them.

With regard to Buyers leaving FB for Sellers I think the other phenomenon is the nature of the Buyers in various categories. In all the years I have sold Buyers have left FB for me between 50%-60% of the time ... it has been extremely consistent. I don't ask for it, I don't put little notes in packages about it, etc. If it happens great if not then great again, I'm not selling FB. eBay sends a reminder to Buyers after a certain amount of time and what I have noticed is that Buyers will leave FB several weeks after they have received their item.

The other aspect is this ... I think many Buyers ONLY go on eBay when they want to Buy something and do not spend the same amount of time logged in as Sellers do. I think a lot of Sellers "camp out" on eBay for a large part of their day OR check on their eBay account numerous times a day. Or if they have new inventory to list they are on it for hours at a time ... Buyers don't do that so they might get something delivered but not get on eBay for days or weeks ...

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

stainlessenginecovers · ‎02-03-2023

@nramemberrick wrote:
It really doesn't matter to me I guess. I was just curious from a Seller's point of view why you wouldn't just give a positive. Knowing that, that's all you can give anyways.

Since @nobody*s_perfect gave you the best response- do you now understand why some don't?

I do automatic as seller just to keep the peace- but I actually had a repeat buyer give me grief over leaving them feedback and they said the exact same thing:

"I paid so I did my part!!"

I gave it and then did the 'Auto' thing.

2 weeks later, he returned an item.

I wanted to send him a message that said

"paying is only half the transaction- you have to actually KEEP the item for it to be successful from my side".

Now, I just do automatic at time of purchase. Easier as I don't have to wait for it or do it. One less thing in my life that is NOT necessary.

movieman630 · ‎02-03-2023

It's not over just because the buyer pays. That's a fact not difference of opinion. If they pay, you ship and it never arrives can you say "Well that's it, they paid so the deal is done?" If the answer is No, then paying wasn't the "end" of the transaction.

The END is when they receive the item and are happy with it.

atlasesattic · ‎02-03-2023

I leave well enough alone, when it comes to giving feedback to buyers, why remind them that they might of been meaning to do a return on that item and totally forgot until we reminded them by giving them feedback, I never give feedback until they give me feedback, I have given feedback in the past right away and gotten burned in the process, so no more of that for me.

fern*wood · ‎02-03-2023

@movieman630 wrote:
It's not over just because the buyer pays. That's a fact not difference of opinion. If they pay, you ship and it never arrives can you say "Well that's it, they paid so the deal is done?" If the answer is No, then paying wasn't the "end" of the transaction.

The END is when they receive the item and are happy with it.

In my mind when the buyer pays, they are done with what they are required to do. So I thank them. They are not required to do anything else. I didn't say anything about my obligations being over, but it doesn't change or hurt anything to thank them for paying.

gemcitypawn701 · ‎02-03-2023

We leave positive feed back as soon as the buyer has paid. Yes this has lead to some cases where the buyer turns out to be a pain, possibly not deserving of the positive feedback, but for the most part we are able to resolve the issue and move on. Neither the buyer nor the seller really has any control of the shipping companies so as soon as they have paid we like to leave feedback. We have it set up to be automated so it doesn't take any time.

djvp53 · ‎02-03-2023

But what about all the buyers who think, "why should I leave feedback for the seller; he didn't leave feedback for me?"

reallynicestamps · ‎02-03-2023

I agree.

Also since eBay doesn't use feedback to assess member accounts, and since I rarely track (international tracking is expensive from here in Canada to the States) I use it to tell my buyer when I shipped and how.

My standard FB would be "Thank you for your prompt payment. Shipped Canada Post Air Mail 31/1/23."

If the buyer did not pay immediately I drop the "prompt".

And it is my hope/belief that mentioning Canada Post will remind buyers that there is a border to cross between us . Using the international standard date format is probably too subtle to be useful as another reminder.

nramemberrick · ‎02-03-2023

For all of you Sellers that are saying that just because the Buyer paid, the transaction is not over. And that it's really over after the Buyer is satisfied and leaves Positive FB. I'm starting to agree this way. I will amend my Buyer FB position and leave FB when I receive and everything is as described.

Thank you all for your responses. Great conversions.

movieman630 · ‎02-03-2023

If thanking them right after they pay is so important thank them with an email. Save your feedback for when the transaction is complete. I've gotten emails from sellers in the past thanking me for the order and telling me what they plan to do next. I don't read them and think its a frivolous waste of time for them to confirm what I already know but they do it anyway.

When I buy something I forget about it and wait to get it when I get it. If for some reason it doesn't show up in a reasonable amount of time over the projected DOA I'll look at the tracking and see what's up. I don't get "offended" when they don't leave me feedback. I could care less.

movieman630 · ‎02-03-2023

But your 'preemptive" false positive feedback is now pumping up their stats illegitimately. That's what I object to. If someone has 500 feedback but 400 of them were given before that person was a nightmare to those sellers those 400 feedback shouldn't have been there in the first place. (I know that's an exaggeration but you catch my drift).