Why can't I leave negative feedback for a buyer?

[cdreiss]

I know that I am not able to leave negative feedback for a buyer, but I would like to know why.

I recently sold an item but didn't get paid until I opened a case with eBay, even after I sent two very friendly messages. The process took a couple of weeks. This buyer has nothing but glowing feedback, which is so misleading because some of the comments from other sellers say they struggled to get paid.

What is eBay's reasoning on not allowing Sellers to warn other Sellers?

[emerald_door]

It's all about creating a positive "buyer experience." 

[dhbookds]

Because some sellers left nasty feedback.  Would you come back to buy where sellers were insulting people? 

[rosemary6525]

because on ebay, only the buyer counts !!!!!!!!!!!!!     buyers can NOT pay, can try to cheat & extort you as a seller  and there is NOTHING you can do.  You cannot leave Neg feedback for buyers regardless of what they do.   ++++++++++ all cases are decided in the buyers favor , regardless of what has happened

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

It is totally not true that only the buyer counts. Only the buyers MONEY counts. eBay has made some anti-buyer changes lately. If it made eBay more money they would totally support sellers and throw buyers under the bus. That indicates it’s not the buyers themselves.

[mr_lincoln]

@cdreiss 

While I agree Sellers should be able to leave the same type FB as Buyers the sad truth is that the sandbox we are playing does not allow that.  While I use the FB system as it is set forth my personal opinion is to can it and replace it with something else.

I allow up to one week before processing the Unpaid item claim in the Resolution Center but would NEVER need to leave neg FB because the Buyer either changed their mind, had an accident and can not pay or was called away and unable to pay.

If UPIs are happening to you on a regular basis what % of your sales are we talking about?  If its only occasional just process the UPI and move on ...

As far as messaging Buyers, I do it Sunday evenings on weekend sales (auction of course) to let the Buyer know it will ship first thing monday AM if the order is completed that evening.  If no response I wait until Wed then message asking for an update on the payment for the item they won the previous weekend.  After that, if the following weekend comes with no payment I process the UPI.  Some Buyers have messaged back asking if they can pay later ... no problemo and I thank them for letting me know.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

The privilege was taken away because sellers negged paying buyers like you want to do.  The buyer paid. Move on. You can file and close a UID in six days if you like.

Those sellers who left bad comments made themselves look bad. I would never buy from a seller who thinks they are above the rules. They also violated for no benefit since sellers rarely get a chance to see buyer feedback in time to make a difference.

[lintbrush*]

Feedback for buyers is obsolete.  What merchant do you know that does it?

Rather than remove buyer feedback entirely, likely resulting in an uproar from many, they took away the ability to neg one 10 years ago.

[lewisburggold]

There are a lot of bad sellers and buyers out there.  However that does not mean that we should be treated different.  So many forget that we are all equal and should be treated the same.  Best regards

[robot-hands]

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@dhbookds wrote:

Because some sellers left nasty feedback.  Would you come back to buy where sellers were insulting people? 

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Yes.

[house*of*paws · Accepted solution]

Hi @cdreiss

It's been 10+ years since since buyers could receive feedback.  It's obsolete.  No other website leaves feedback for buyers.  It's a leftover from an older eBay when members could 'trade' items of equal value ... meaning the trading partners could be both a buyer and a seller.

When eBay took away the buyer's ability to receive bad feedback ... they gave sellers the following:

1. The buyer is unable to leave feedback for the seller as soon as an 'unpaid item' (UPI) dispute is filed against them.  Sellers don't have to worry about retaliation for filing a dispute.
2. Sellers now have a way to block buyers with 2 or more UPI strikes (within 12 months).  It's done automatically ... so no need to read buyer's feedback (except to see how they've rated other sellers).

[virtualwhimsy]

Ebay removed sellers ability to leave negative or neutral feedback in May of 2008.

The reason was due to many sellers leaving retalitory feedback.  A buyer would leave a seller a well deserved neg - and the seller would turn right around and neg the buyer.  It was a mess.

[cdreiss]

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the topic. Now I understand. @house*of*paws made it clear.

I can actually vividly remember being trashed by a seller because I left him a bad review for a poorly packed item. I was so upset and it was completely undeserved.

[pburn]

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@virtualwhimsy wrote:

A buyer would leave a seller a well deserved neg - and the seller would turn right around and neg the buyer.  It was a mess.

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And I've noticed some sellers still do it by responding to negative feedback with some of the most vile comments imaginable. It makes the seller look so unprofessional, angry, and, frankly, juvenile. So often, they've received negative feedback I would probably overlook, but they respond with some vicious, over-the-top statement that makes them look even worse. I never buy from a seller who has inappropriate responses to negative feedback.

[gvs]

What good is a feedback system that only allows positive feedback?  Seems to me the system is really meaningless and a waste of my time.