Trivia question - people have high rating…. And minimal / zero left for others

[antarit]

Just a trivia question. I sell inexpensive things and leave feedback when item ships. 

I email buyer this message :

Hi!

This is going out today 10/17 from Warren, NJ via the post office

I’ve already left you feedback.

I'd appreciate, after you get this and if you are happy with the purchase, you leave positive feedback.

And if you have any problems or questions, please let me know!

Take care!

David

and still don’t always get feedback.  I know it’s optional for buyer to leave any but:

1) when I buy things I get pestered by eBay to leave feedback.  I’d think people would get tired of those emails & just leave reviews. 

2) ill sometimes look at a buyers feedback. They’ll have 100s and when I look at left for others there might be 0 or a couple.   I guess they buy and sellers leave feedback right away like I do. 

Just surprising. 

[femmefan1946]

I also leave feedback on shipment and give the date in the FB.

But I don't ask for anything in return.

Because eBay doesn't use FB to assess member accounts, I am using it to tell me when the item was shipped and whether the customer was fast or slow to pay.

Thank you for your (prompt) payment.  And prompt is the option for me.

Shipped 26/10/24 Canada Post Air Mail.

Telling the customer that their purchase is going to cross a border. If they are sophisticated they are told twice.

1.) Reviews are not the same as feedback. Reviews are the product. FB is the transaction.

2.)  I agree.  FB from buyers is left much less often than FB from sellers.

The most important FB is Left for Others. Most is boilerplate, but some shows the leaver's true colours.

[eburtonlab]

If you are being pestered by eBay to leave feedback, that is because your Communication Preferences are set to generate those messages automatically. You can change that if you want to.

Feedback is voluntary; not everyone leaves feedback.

[nobody*s_perfect]

As you've noted, the eBay reminders to leave feedback are annoying.  So from a buyer's perspective, a request from the seller is just another layer of annoyance. Never, ever ask for feedback.

As a buyer, I don't understand these messages from sellers who point out the obvious, such as details about shipping.  IMHO the only worthwhile message from a seller would be a reminder that they are eager to work things out.  Even that has its downside, since it might tempt sleazy buyers to angle for partial refunds. Also, by sending the buyer a message you are eliminating the automatic DSR rating of 5 that eBay gives when there has been no communication though of course DSRs don't mean much. I just don't communicate with buyers unnecessarily.

I get better results when I wait and leave feedback only after the buyer does.   If the seller has already left feedback first, that apparently  leaves some buyers a little less motivated to leave it for the seller.

[chapeau-noir]

I leave it when I ship, thanking my buyer and letting them know their item is on its way. That's all. The less said, the better. Leaving FB first also IMHO encourages buyers to leave it for me. This cagey "you first...no you first" is a little strange to me - when we take someone's money and give them the item in person, a good salesperson doesn't wait to thank their buyer, who has spent their money with them, until their buyer has thanked them first. I also don't say "Please thank me". Same here.

[nobody*s_perfect]

---

@chapeau-noir wrote: .... This cagey "you first...no you first" is a little strange to me - ... a good salesperson doesn't wait to thank their buyer ....

---

I stopped leaving feedback first after a couple of experiences where I had said something like "Prompt payment, great buyer" and then they turned out to be a complaining, scheming pain in the neck. Buyer feedback is pointless anyway since we can only say nice things or nothing at all.

[chapeau-noir]

---

@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

---

@chapeau-noir wrote: .... This cagey "you first...no you first" is a little strange to me - ... a good salesperson doesn't wait to thank their buyer ....

---

I stopped leaving feedback first after a couple of experiences where I had said something like "Prompt payment, great buyer" and then they turned out to be a complaining, scheming pain in the neck. Buyer feedback is pointless anyway since we can only say nice things or nothing at all.

---

Exactly why I leave it first - I can't predict the future, but I can decide what I want to do. I only thank them and let them know their item is on the way, so it's pretty vanilla. If they want to be a pain in the backside, well, I deal with that when it comes up.

[mam98031]

@antarit 

Oh I'd stop asking for feedback right away.  While it may not have hurt you yet, one day it will.  There are just buyers that don't like being asked for the feedback.  It is like poking the bear.  It is in your best interest to stop asking for feedback.  It doesn't work like you want it to sometimes and that will hurt you at some point.

You have enough feedback that you shouldn't need to do this.

Buyers can turn off that reminder message from Ebay regarding Feedback if they want.  And you are correct, buyers don't like the reminders from the sellers or from Ebay.

Feedback is optional for BOTH buyers and sellers.

[fbusoni]

"Just surprising."

On the contrary; I'd suggest that its entirely predictable.

Life in the virtual world is purely transactional. 

There are no feelings, emotions, personal psychology or human interaction involved.

Computers run and monitor everything that happens.  

You're expectation -- that other human beings might do the right thing -- is wholly rational but, alas, does not comport with the dismal, barren reality of the online world. 

And perhaps most importantly... now that everyone is living in the fast lane of the generative-AI hyper-accelerated information superhighway, who the heck has time to leave feedback?

(PS: I echo what the others have written.)

[dhbookds]

Couple of suggestions.......if you feel the need to ask for it. 

Ditch the email when shipped......ebay sends a notice and more is just spam.

Develop a message to include in the package.......something like:

Thanks for your purchase!!!  If there are any problems, please let me know, I do want happy buyers!   I have left feedback for you and hope you can reciprocate,  if you have the time.  Thanks again......and, of course, come back anytime........  John  (sign it).......

[jg.mason]

---

@antarit wrote:

2) ill sometimes look at a buyers feedback. They’ll have 100s and when I look at left for others there might be 0 or a couple.   I guess they buy and sellers leave feedback right away like I do. 

Just surprising. 

---

It works the other way also. I just bought something on eBay and while I was checking the sellers feedback, which was 271 on 1200 sales, I thought I'd look at their left for others. It was 1 they sold 1200 items and only left 1 feedback.

[pickapaper]

@antarit  wrote "This is going out today 10/17 from Warren, NJ via the post office"

If you buy your shipping labels through eBay, this information is automatically shown in the buyer's hub.  No need to repeat the information that they can easily find if they want it.   (Same with third party labels when you enter the tracking).

[antarit]

Thank you to everyone!!

I really appreciate the insight!!

have a great day!!!