mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
While I'm confident your intentions are good, you need to be VERY careful soliciting feedback from your buyers. That can so easily backfire on you. It is a voluntary system. Less and less buyers are leaving FB these days. It is just a fact we need to deal with.
I know for new sellers this is a real issue as you need to build up your FB. It is important, I really do understand. But patience is the better approach. You will at some point come across the buyer that doesn't like being asked and they will take it out on your FB. And it is likely you won't be able to get it removed. So then you have to deal with that, which is worse than a low number FB.
You are better served to find more things to sell on Ebay. If money is low and you can't buy things to sell, clean out those closets. Run more listings. Volume is the answer. The more sales you get the more likely a few of those buyers will leave FB.
For me personally about 25 to 30% of my buyers leave FB.
I wish you and the OP great success. Just be very careful about asking for FB. In fact I simply don't recommend it as one day you will regret it.
@theobtainery wrote:I appreciate your advice and also agree that encouraging feedback leaves you open to the potential of receiving a neg from an un-pleasable buyer at some point. However, I would like to also mention that in providing these thank you cards I also allow 60-day returns, take 10 photos of most items I sell from all angles, list any defects very clearly in the listing, pack each item with care and attention to detail, respond to each item question in no less than a few hours of receiving it, while also including an “item issue inquiry” on the card that encourages the buyer to contact me in the case of any unforeseen issues. While most people see an issue in having to bend over backwards for customers, I believe it’s near necessary in today’s competitive market. So while I do provide this small feedback call to action, I also do everything I possibly can to ensure a happy buyer/smooth transaction to begin with. IMO if you’re not doing that, a neg or two is likely at some point regardless of whether you’re asking for it or not. Unless luck is on your side of course. Some buyers will go out of their way to find any issue they possibly can, in my opinion you just have to provide impeccable customer service and hope for the best.
All of that is wonderful and is what part of your job is when you are a seller on Ebay. You have a great attitude. But the best of the well written descriptions and polite professional communications will not always work out for you. We can all only do the best we can. The fact remains as I described earlier and with more time you will find it to be true.
Thank you notes are a wonderful way to put a personal touch on a transaction and most certainly a great thing to do. Just don't mention feedback. There is no need for that and it should not be done.
You can choose to handle your transactions anyway you want. You asked about FB and I gave you my experience and opinion on the matter. You however are free to take that advice or throw it out.
Listings with lots of good pics and a fabulous detailed description are a good thing and how all listings should be written. However you will find that you can get a SNAD Return Request even when you do that. As a seller you will need to honor that return request without delay or it can negatively impact your selling account. No matter what reason the buyer gives, Ebay will expect you to take the return and refund in a timely manner.
