Why don't all sellers use the same guidelines for Leaving Feedback?

[phanoto]

Many buyers like to know what to expect when buying on any website.    Therefore, it would be best if buyers knew what to expect about getting feedback from sellers.

Just about all sellers know that feedback for buyers is not useful for letting other sellers know that a buyer acts fairly and is honest, or that the buyer is unfair and dishonest.  Therefore, it is logical that sellers would want to leave feedback in such a way that displeases the smallest number of the seller's customers. 

Sellers can use the following facts to decide when to leave feedback and what to say in the feedback in order to displease the smallest number of customers:

1.  Fewer buyers are displeased by the seller leaving feedback before the buyer receives the item. 

2.  Fewer buyers are displeased by the seller thanking the buyer in the feedback or by saying something nice about the buyer.  Other sellers know that the good things said about a buyer in feedback do not indicate how fair and honest the buyer is. 

3.  When more sellers leave feedback soon after payment is received, buyers will leave feedback for a larger percent of their purchases from other sellers. 

Comments that are often made which are true but have nothing to do with what is the best way for sellers to use the feedback program for buyers:

1.  Leaving feedback is voluntary.

2.  Buyers do not need more feedback after they get enough to cause sellers to be comfortable selling to them.

[southern*sweet*tea]

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is for feedback to be done away with. It's voluntary and one-sided, so it's practically useless. Working DSL  would also be a plus, because typing on my phone is near impossible.

Yours truly, 

S*S*T

[phanoto]

Someone said that feedback for buyers is not useful for anything. 

If feedback for a buyer causes the buyer to be more satisfied, wouldn't that be useful to the seller?

[a_c_green]

@phanoto, you overlooked this when responding to questions from @soh.maryl recently:

> Just one question for you, Phan -- why do you focus, somewhat obsessively, on feedback?

I think we're all kind of curious to hear your answer to that one. Do you ever post on any other topic?

[phanoto]

"Do you ever post on any other topic?"

Almost never.  The reason is that I do not have time to keep up with all of the newest information about other subjects.

The best way for people to use the feedback program seldom changes.  The last change was in May 2008.  There are still many people who either do not know about that change, or who are not doing it the best way after it  changed.

[chapeau-noir]

It seems kinda strange to me to regulate something that's supposed to be voluntary.

[1786davycrockett]

Don't you think that, since May of 2008, most eBay sellers are far more concerned with nearly all the HORRIBLE changes that eBay has forced upon sellers, rather than whether or not to leave feedback for buyers? Leaving feedback for buyers is WAY, WAY down the list of issues that most eBay sellers find noteworthy.

[7606dennis]

The fact that feedback is voluntary is not, as you seem to think, irrelevant.  Since 2008 sellers have had the choice of leaving positive feedback for buyers or none at all.  Many have chosen to do the latter and leave none at all.  That is their prerogative.

Personally, I check a buyer's feedback left for others and their retraction record if there is time before the listing ends.  Other than that I don't find buyer's feedback very useful.   

[iaintdoingit]

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@phanoto wrote:

...

You have made a good point which I failed to mention.  Yes, buyers can see that a seller leaves feedback for other buyers.  So, when the seller does not leave feedback for a certain buyer, that buyer will often wonder why he/she did not deserve a feedback as much as the buyers who received feedback. 

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What?  Really?  How do you know what the buyer that didn't receive is thinking?  Put you crystal ball away and go play some golf or take a hike.  Your so overthinking the whole Feedback thing.

[karthok.of.daolodus]

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@phanoto wrote:

"Do you ever post on any other topic?"

Almost never.  The reason is that I do not have time to keep up with all of the newest information about other subjects.

The best way for people to use the feedback program seldom changes.  The last change was in May 2008.  There are still many people who either do not know about that change, or who are not doing it the best way after it  changed.

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Maybe shifting your attention off feedback would free up a little time? 

[b86fiero]

Sorry, but your #3 is not true for my account.

For years I have had my account set up to immediately leave a thanks for shopping at my store type feedback when the buyer pays for the item.

I have fewer and fewer buyers leaving feedback over the years.  Maybe 25% actually leave feedback these days.   

[7606dennis]

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@iaintdoingit wrote:

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@phanoto wrote:

...

You have made a good point which I failed to mention.  Yes, buyers can see that a seller leaves feedback for other buyers.  So, when the seller does not leave feedback for a certain buyer, that buyer will often wonder why he/she did not deserve a feedback as much as the buyers who received feedback. 

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What?  Really?  How do you know what the buyer that didn't receive is thinking?  Put you crystal ball away and go play some golf or take a hike.  Your so overthinking the whole Feedback thing.

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Of course, when it comes to not leaving feedback for a certain buyer, I am reminded of my late mother's "If you can't say something good about someone, say nothing at all." 

[phanoto]

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@18704d wrote:

"Buyers do not care about getting more feedback once they get enough to make sellers not afraid to sell to them. "

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Yet we've seen sellers here with valid complaints about bad buyer behaviors..

and those buyers have had feedbacks from 0 to over a 1000.

So it doesn't appear to me, based on 10+ years of being on this board,

that there Ever is a fb number, which causes sellers to relax.

Thanks

Lynn

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Thank you for showing me where I did not explain it well enough. 

Yes, it is impossible for a buyer to get enough feedback so that no seller would be somewhat concerned about the buyer doing something wrong. 

This is the accurate statement I believe:

"Buyers do not care any or not as much about getting more feedback once they get enough so that the buyer thinks  most sellers will be less afraid to sell to him/her."

[phanoto]

Of course, when it comes to not leaving feedback for a certain buyer, I am reminded of my late mother's "If you can't say something good about someone, say nothing at all."

Yes, that is good advice for most social situations.

In business situations, such as when applying for a job, or when saying something about a customer, I use the advice that most people use in those situations, which is:  "If you can't say something good about someone, say something good about something the  person has done, or at least say something pleasant."

[phanoto]

"I, as a seller do not see a buyer's feedback before they purchase. I do "fixed price, IPR listings. I do not do "offers".  Why would I be afraid?"

I am not much afraid to sell to a buyer with a low feedback score either.  

I feel slightly more comfortable selling to a buyer who has 10 feedback than selling to a buyer who has only 2 feedback, but I realize that I probably should not be concerned about it. 

I suppose sellers who feel that a buyer who has more feedback would be more likely to know thinks like, Don't leave bad feedback for the seller because the buyer ordered the wrong item by mistake.

Does anyone else prefer to sell to buyers who have more than 2 feedback?

[phanoto]

"I wish they would just remove the word 'honest' from the 'leave feedback for buyers' message, since in some cases you can't."

Since May 2008, sellers have been able to leave honest feedback for every one of their customers. 

If the seller leaves feedback before the buyer does something bad, the seller can leave honest feedback.  The seller will probably say something like "Thank you" in the feedback.   But ,even if the seller says something like, "Valued customer",  that will still be honest feedback at the time it is left even if the buyer later does something bad.  

If the seller waits until the buyer does something bad before leaving feedback for the buyer, the seller cannot leave honest feedback about whatever the buyer did that was bad.   That is just one of the reasons sellers want to leave feedback quickly.