Time for another change on feedback policy

[gizzme]

I sincerely hope eBay will review yet another old policy about seller's feedback and showing their truly is seller protection in place. I would like to see the time period for reviewing and showing feedbacks received to less than ONE YEAR.  While this isn't a major concern to me, I do think keeping negative feedbacks on for an entire year is not justified especially since eBay disallowed leaving negative feedback for buyers. (There aren't many bad buyers, but when they ARE bad....they are really bad because they are generally newer buyers who do not follow eBay guidelines for filing a return or they are buyers who never give a seller a chance to make things right even though notes are included in purchases thanking them for their purchase and telling them to contact the seller if there is any problem what-so-ever with their purchase.  I have also found that these poor buyers also are not frequent buyers on eBay, so why allow that poor feedback to linger on a good seller's ratings for an entire year?   Just something I have though about for a while and thought I would see if anyone agrees.

[bonanza125]

Unfortunately Ebay will not make that change. It has been around for years. I understand that negative feedback is disturbing but it doesn't always make a difference in a buyers decision to purchase from you. The two negatives you received I look at it as if the buyer was unhappy with what was sent they should return it. So that would not detour me as a buyer from purchasing from you if I were to have shown an interest in any of your items.

[mr_lincoln]

Hi @gizzme 

You have made some good points with regards to new or infrequent Buyers.  They are not immersed in the eBay culture which dates back quite a ways and as pointed out, seem to be ignorant of the purpose of FB and the guidelines that pertain to it. 

The other thing that has happened is that fewer Buyers leave FB and because of that and a few other reasons eBay implemented Auto-Feedback on September 3rd this year.  Depending on the source it can range from 1 in 3 to 1 in 5 all the way up to 1 in 8 to 1 in 10 that leave FB for Sellers.  We are now living in an era where everybody wants to know how your experience was, surveys follow most things we do either online and out int he world.  USPS recently added that silly like three happy face survey you have to complete before hitting the Print receipt button on the card reader unit on the counter.  I guess telling customers that there is a survey at the bottom of the receipt wasn't working, even when circled for you like out clerks do.

Yeh, I'm waiting for rolls of toilet paper to have a survey request every 10th panel with a QR code to scan to go to the survey (yep, because I am sure most people take their phones with them to the bathroom LOL).

I think in general most people are all surveyed out ... 

Additionally, the eBay FB system (Patented by the way) in my view has morphed into something different than it's original purpose.  For many eBay processes there is ONE eBay Help Page ... for the Feedback system they are up Seven (7) ... hmmm, do you think that's a bit too many???

[gone.c-33]

Negative feedback used to affect a member’s score FOREVER. It would take years for a small seller to get back to 100%.

I believe a year is a good compromise.

[roccotacodad54]

   I am an eBay buyer only and am pretty picky about sellers I'll buy from.

   Those two negatives are more than offset by many glowing feedback reviews. I wouldn't hestitate at all buying from you.

   99.7% is not off-putting at all to me. It's the 100%'ers that tend to give me pause. A perfect score always makes me wonder........................

[mam98031]

I certainly can see your point.  However I don't think Ebay will do this.  And it is worse on other sites.  Amazon does it for a lifetime.  Those darn negatives never leave your stats and even fewer buyers there leave positive feedback, so it is really off balance.

For me.  I wish Ebay would go the way most other similar sites have and just stop feedback for buyers.  It serves no purpose except to possibly make the buyer feel something positive.  Which isn't a bad thing, I just don't know that it is worth it.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Pierre admitted that the FB system was created because he did not want to spend what it took to police this site.

The site is now policed to a much greater extent thanks to the Ebay MBG, as well as identity verification.

The reason for FB is lessened or no longer existent. It remains a vestigial remnant of the past. The rational decision would be to replace it with a public version of the Seller Level metrics but there are too many sellers who have nothing going for them but 100% FB who would make a big stink about the loss of this "important buyer safeguard".

Until some other marketplace site dumps FB they will continue to put lipstick on the pig.  And will not risk doing anything which might be accused of undermining this "important" piece of <bleep>.

[kickin.assets]

@roccotacodad54 

It’s been a slow day … Just giving you something to wonder about 😂

[roccotacodad54]

   I meant no offense just that 100% prompts me to look closer to feedback is all. When something or someone appears perfect I tend to look a little closer.................

[kickin.assets]

@roccotacodad54 

Oh, no offense taken 😁 your reply made me actually lol, thinking about a post a few weeks ago that was calling sellers with 100% “shady” 😂

[gizzme]

Interesting point. I am very old-school and the type of person who does my very best to make sure my buyers are happy with their purchases so when I do get poor feedback from an infrequent buyer that ignores my note telling them to contact me if there is any problem with their purchase, it kind of touches a nerve and then I continue to get reminded of it for an entire year. Really not a major concern of mine.  On the other hand, if I receive an offer from a newer buyer I do sometimes check the feedback they have left other sellers and if I see too many negatives, I do not sell to them (rarely have I done this but it can happen.) Guess my striving for the 100% goes back to my Catholic school upbringing....ha! 

[steve_stuff]

How important is fb to some sellers?

Friend has been selling on ebay for two years? Ask him about his first neg. His answer "neg what?"

He had no idea about feedback. No idea what that number after his ID was. Never thought to click on it. 

Showed him his fb - his question - "does that matter?"

Most of the people we know who only buy never check fb. 

[kibble-net]

It's OK to get occasional negative feedback. Not everyone can be pleased, the main thing is that you respond to it professionally to let others know that you are doing your best.

I'd rather buy from a seller like that, instead of one who can't be bothered to respond at all.

[12345jamesstamps]

Why respond to a negative feedback?

It doesn't do anything.

I don't leave negative or neutral feedbacks.

I see what is done is done.

I would block buyer and let it go or never buy from the seller again.

The buyer can respond to your response and escalate the response.

And thus, you yourself have 2 stories that we can read about what happened.

We see sellers who can have 100+ negative feedbacks and these sellers still get buyers.

The feedback can be an issue of a seller who sells very little...that I understand.

But me leaving a negative feedback to someone who has a 100+ feedbacks seems useless where it's not a factor to eBay.

   And trying to read feedbacks of a seller on an iPhone is so crazy...no one will read a seller's feedbacks on an iPhone.

It's too complicated.

And more and more buyers are buying using an iPhone.

[babyers88]

only in a perfect world and with the new consumer protection laws ebay and any other online platform is limited on what they can and cannot do regarding feedback

with some feedback you can no longer kiss and make it better.

maybe some day in the far future when everyone has a chip in there brain and the thought police are monitoring then everything will be hunky-dory 

Otherwise if feedback is a issue DO BETTER

or be proactive and reach out to your buyer ahead of delivery