Private Feedback? What's up with that?

[goldguy22k]

So I ran across a bidder, who when I went to "check out," has no feedback visible at all!  Fedback score in the thousands but clicking on it and I get this:

Private Feedback - This member, ABCDEFG, has decided to make his/her Feedback comments private. Feedback can still be left for this user and the Feedback ratings left are shown above in summary format. Learn more about private Feedback.

Guess it is not an option to me:

Top Takeaway

To sell on eBay, your feedback profile must be public.

So wondering what is up with that?  Why would someone make their feedback profile private?

[transamcc]

Both are important!  Without buyers, sellers have to use their own money to pay Ebay fees whether or not they sell anything. It would all die quickly.

[7606dennis]

Buyers are permitted to set their feedback to private.  Sellers are not allowed to do that and sell at the same time.  Personally, I cancel any bids from bidders that have their feedback set that way if I catch it before the auction closes.  I also put them on my BBL.

If I, as a seller, can't hide my feedback why then should the buyer be able to hide theirs?!  I assume that a bidder with their feedback set that way has something they don't want me to see so I don't want to do business with them.

[7606dennis]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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@goldguy22k wrote:

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 ... I thought a seller could check a box which made the item's name and/or the name of the item private?...  do I need to stop buying from sellers who do not make their listings private? Or email the sellers to update/change their listing?

Yes you can set up your listings to Private, and I see that you use that option.

But many potential buyers are suspicious about auctions that have private bidding. They suspect that the seller is hiding shill bidding. Which is why so many sellers won't use the Private setting for their listings.

The most effective way to hide your purchases is to set up a separate ID just for buying, and don't tell your family members and snoopy neighbors about it.

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There is a big difference between feedback being set to private and a private listing.  In a private listing, all the bidders ID's are hidden from the other bidders.  The seller and each individual bidder can see each other's ID and feedback pages.  It is only the other bidders that can't see each other's ID's.

[soh.maryl]

Buyers can never be given anything less than positive feedback, so not sure why we are all fired up about not being able to see a buyer's FB.  It gives no clue as to their reliability as a buyer.  

[tamaralea]

But you can see feedback they have left for others, if not blocked.  I think that is why many block.

[18704d]

" I assume that a bidder with their feedback set that way has something they don't want me to see so I don't want to do business with them."

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Yes,

they may not want you to see that their other purchases were private items

like adult diapers or other embarassing things.

Why would you need to see their prior purchases?

Thanks.

and fwiw,

my buying account has public feedback.

Lynn

[7606dennis]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Buyers can never be given anything less than positive feedback, so not sure why we are all fired up about not being able to see a buyer's FB.  It gives no clue as to their reliability as a buyer.  

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Actually, while it is true buyers can only receive positive feedback,  their feedback page shows other information as to how many retractions they've made and the feedback left for others.  

[7606dennis]

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@18704d wrote:

" I assume that a bidder with their feedback set that way has something they don't want me to see so I don't want to do business with them."

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Yes,

they may not want you to see that their other purchases were private items

like adult diapers or other embarassing things.

Why would you need to see their prior purchases?

Thanks.

and fwiw,

my buying account has public feedback.

Lynn

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That is a possibility but they my also have made 2k bid retractions.