What is the proper time to leave feedback?

[thatboxofstuff]

Hi. I'm new to selling. I've sold three items. Very exciting. But I only got feedback on one of them.

I think maybe it's because I waited too long before leaving feedback for the buyers. For some reason I thought it made sense to wait until they received the item. But maybe it's more correct to give positive feedback as soon as they pay? Or perhaps right after you ship the item?

What is correct and proper feedback etiquette for sellers?

[disneyshopper]

Feedback is entirely voluntary.  Sellers can only leave positive feedback to buyers, so it really doesn't matter when you leave it.  Just remember that you need to leave feedback before 60 days have passed.

[escuintla]

Though a good feedback is a sing of you doing a good service, do not worry too much. 

You can leave a feedback as soon as you ship the item, or when it's received. What you say may not matter, buyers always receive positive feedback, there's nothing else. They on the other hand, can be pretty demanding and will nail you for anything they consider an offense. 

So, to make it simple, leave it as soon as you ship. Then hope for the best. Most of my buyers, even if I lower my prices will never, ever leave any feedback. 

Just do good, and hope for the best. 

[mam98031]

Buyers don't leave FB for sellers as often as they once did.  For myself only about 25-30% of my customers leave FB for me.

I leave FB for my buyers after they leave FB for me.  I only do this to make sure we have a completed transaction.  I never hold FB hostage from my buyers.  If they write me and ask me to leave FB, I go ahead and take care of them right away and apologize for my delay.

I just doesn't much matter when you leave FB.  You just need to find what works for you and run with that.

But DON't write your buyers asking for them to post FB for you.  I know you need to build it up because you are a new seller.  But this can backfire on you big time.  You may end up with some bad FB that you can't get rid of just because you annoyed your buyer with your email.

Good luck and welcome to Ebay.

[aquajoe07011]

Since a seller can only leave positive feedback for a buyer, I leave positive feedback right after I print the shipping label.  As far as receiving feedback as a seller, very few buyers even bother to leave it.  As a seller I would rather have no feedback than a neutral or negative one.

[crimsonred123]

Many people are so absent minded.  I mean if people don't leave feedback for me whatever.  If your items are worth it people will buy thats how the smallest sellers became big.  No need to rely too much on the feedback  system.    

[phanoto]

Sellers want to leave feedback at the time which will displease fewer of their customers. 

It is an established fact that more buyers will be DESPLEASED if the seller waits to leave feedback after the buyer has left feedback.

Also, more buyers will be displeased if the seller waits until the buyer receives the item before the seller leaves feedback.  This happens when the buyer receives the item and wants to leave feedback right after looking at the item, , but notices that the seller has not left feedback. 

Fortunately, the time for the seller to leave feedback which pleases more customers is the same time that is the most convenient for the seller. 

[soh.maryl]

Wow! Have been wondering where you were!

"It is an established fact that more buyers will be DESPLEASED if the seller waits to leave feedback after the buyer has left feedback."

And you know this how exactly? 

[postingid2017]

As a former online Seller (both here and other online venues), I leave once I receive FB - as a buyer, I leave it when the item arrives.  It has been rare for me to leave any seller anything but positive FB, even with me buying less.   I hope I am making sense, if not please forgive me.  Coffee has not kick-started my day 🙂

[fern*wood]

Completely up to you.  One note, though, there are a few buyers out there that get annoyed with sellers that don't give the meaningless positive until they receive feedback.  I think this is a hold over from the time when sellers could give less than positive.  I've never heard of any complaint from a buyer about getting feedback first, but I'm sure it could happen (for instance if they requested no feedback for some reason).  

Feedback is old school, and many simply aren't interested in participating either way. 

[mudshark61369 · Accepted solution]

@thatboxofstuff,

Since leaving feedback is a voluntary action, there is no "Proper Etiquette" for how a seller decides to deal with it. 

A long time ago in an online retail galaxy far, far away, before electronic payments. feedback for buyers was important and meant something.  In those days when everyone relied on paper payments and the USPS, Non Payers were not tolerated.  ebay's suggestion about feedback back then was, since the buyer was the first to know f a transaction went smoothly, they should leave feedback first to signal the end of a good experience.

Since 2008 when buyers stopped being able to receive non-positve feedback, ebay has changed their tune suggesting that sellers should leave it first.  Feedback is still voluntary and paying is still mandatory, but ebay has convinced buyers that it is due to them, just because they did the minimum expected of them as buyers. 

Unfortunately, all of the things a buyer can do to harm a seller, can only happen After a buyer pays.  All of them have a 100% rating even those who; do not pay, try to extort, abuse the MBG, and otherwise violate ebay policies.

I tried ebay's suggestion and I went from receiving feedback for 85% of my sales to about 50%. When I changed my policy to leaving feedback the day after my 14 day return policy ended, my rate went back to above what I was receiving before.  However, it should be noted I sell mostly vintage and collectible items, which these days tend to get much more feedback for sellers than commonly available items.  Things I do not do are, praise people for paying, Thank them, since I send a thank you note with each item, and I never in any way mention feedback to a buyer. 

How you decide to handle feedback will be up to you, but do not expect too much. If you create good listings and ship promptly, you will receive feedback, maybe not as fast as you would like, but the number will grow. Do keep in mind, some leave feedback in batches so not receiving it right away is not anything to worry about.  After 60 days you can consider not receiving a feedback as a positive thing, since it can't harm you.

[creekcoyote]

All my packages have tracking numbers and I usually monitor these numbers.  When the item is shown to have been delivered, I normally leave feedback a week after that.  Of course , if a buyer leaves feedback earlier than that, I will quickly respond to that feedback.

Since I never commend anyone for paying, that is their job, after all, my feedback usually consists of 'thanks for your purchase.'

There are no rules for when to leave feedback.  Each seller has to determine for themselves just what works for them.

[divwido]

I like to leave it right after I ship because buyers seem to like that.

[divwido]

The reason I say buyers like it-Buyers think that once they have paid, they should get feedback since the rest is really all about the seller.

[pink.fish.rule]

@thatboxofstuff 

Don't sweat getting FB, it'll come in time. I'm a relatively new seller and less than half my buyers left FB in the beginning.