why do leave feedback appear on items that have not arrived and even ones that were not paid for?

[leurus8]

Why do leave feedback show up in seller's messages with items that have not arrived yet or were never paid for? I have been doing  this for over 30 years and within last 2 years have gotten the least amount of feedbacks

ever. People don't even send feedback on graded items? Used to be after the person paid you would receive feedback- not now- lucky just to get at all.  My suggestion is to have buyer give automatic feedback at least

on third party grading.. I had a MS-70 returned that not a thing was wrong with but they found one cheaper; so they returned mine and bought one cheaper; now how does this individual get chance at feedback or that its 

even listed. People are not leaving feedback even on perfectly graded third party graders. They made up a reason to return that was not true. Happens more and more not cutting back on any of the slackers; just not fair to those of us that do it the right way..

[mam98031]

Leaving feedback is a voluntary thing.  Buyers and sellers can decide for themselves when they want to leave feedback on eligible transactions.

You are correct.  Most members don't leave feedback anymore.  I think for myself I get about 25% of my buyers that leave feedback.

[johnrj1226]

IMHO sellers should be proactive an leave the buyer FB  first as soon as  the item is paid for and/or the shipping label  created - the buyer did their job.  Anyone (seller) leaving FB for an unpaid item seems to be premature and in reality is not  a sale, it is just a booking.  And a sale is not completed until the  items has shipped and/or delivered.   Selling basics 101 

[johnrj1226]

Looks like you've been on eBay 11 years and you have been doing this for either 30 or 40 years

Your eBay Profile

About

Since 2013. Selling mostly: Coins and Currency; Also Collectibles in general.. I have been in the business of selling these items for over 40 years..

Location: United States Member since: Dec 12, 2013

[fashunu4eeuh]

It’s there because, like you, some sellers choose to leave feedback for their buyers right after remittance. (That has been my practice too for many years.) 

As noted, feedback has lost a good deal of its importance in the eBay community. It’s waning, certainly. As buyers can only be left positive feedback now by sellers, leaving it sooner rather than later is a way i show appreciation for the buyer’s remittance and business.

I agree feedback could use an update, but automatic feedback would not paint an accurate portrait —because it is wholly subjective, arbitrary and voluntary. No way to fairly measure it against all competing interests. Which is why it is no longer used in seller performance metrics.

As it is waning, most bother with it less and less. eBay has other methods now to establish a seller’s standing in the community. You have a strong feedback score and a solid reputation as a seller. Is getting the green donut still worth the energy?

[soh.maryl]

If you are implying that leaving FB is doing it the right way, then may I remind you that leaving FB is optional/voluntary, not required? 

[mam98031]

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@johnrj1226 wrote:

IMHO sellers should be proactive an leave the buyer FB  first as soon as  the item is paid for and/or the shipping label  created - the buyer did their job.  Anyone (seller) leaving FB for an unpaid item seems to be premature and in reality is not  a sale, it is just a booking.  And a sale is not completed until the  items has shipped and/or delivered.   Selling basics 101 

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That is one method, but not the only method.  There are others that work just fine too.  Some sellers leave FB after the buyer leaves FB.  Others will leave FB once the item is delivered.  Some as you suggest leave FB after the buyer pays.  

I disagree that the buyer  "did their job" just because they paid.  The buyer has other responsibilities too.  Providing a safe place for delivery is another one.  If they have the desire to open a claim after they received the item, they have the responsibility to be honest.

Sellers need to do what they feel works best for them.  Ebay offers a couple options for doing automated feedback too.  You can leave it after payment is received or after the buyer has left FB for the seller.  The automated version will then post the FB.

Leaving feedback is a great way to say thank you to buyers, and it encourages them to leave feedback for you.

An easy way to leave feedback for buyers is to use the Automate feedback setting. With Automate feedback, you can “set it and forget it”, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your selling activity.

The Automate feedback setting is available in the All listings and orders section of the Selling preferences page. Here’s how to enable this setting:

1. Select Edit next to Automate feedback.
2. Select Automatically leave positive feedback.
3. Choose one of the two options for when feedback will be left – either after the buyer has paid for the item, or after the buyer has paid for the item and left you positive feedback.
4. Select Save.

This feature comes with a number of default positive feedback comments that the system uses randomly when leaving the automated feedback.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/leaving-feedback-buyers/automatic-feedback-settings?id=4101

[fbusoni]

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@fashunu4eeuh wrote:

As it is waning, most bother with it less and less. eBay has other methods now to establish a seller’s standing in the community. You have a strong feedback score and a solid reputation as a seller. Is getting the green donut still worth the energy?

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I am not sure it is entirely accurate to say that feedback is "waning" and that "most bother with it less and less."   

I have found over the years that feedback varies in importance as a function of the category that one sells in.

I have a few dozen repeat customers for whom feedback is vital because it helps them make an informed choice about their purchase.

Take for example buyers who often receive broken porcelain and crystal items, solely because the sellers are too cheap to package delicate items properly.  These buyers often make clear in the negative feedback that they give the seller that the seller did a lousy job preparing the item for shipment.  They are right to be frustrated.

I know for a fact that there are buyers who -- before dropping $500 for Limoges or Mikasa -- will look at feedback BEFORE making a purchase; they will opt to buy  from the seller whose feedback shows that the seller takes care to ship properly.   These buyers are smart to do so in my opinion.   (I am one of them.)

The fact that feedback does not figure into seller metrics does not mean that it does not play a role -- even in 2024 -- in helping careful buyers choose among different sellers.

[fbusoni]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

If you are implying that leaving FB is doing it the right way, then may I remind you that leaving FB is optional/voluntary, not required? 

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In my estimation leaving feedback for buyers (automatically, as I do) is smart.   It has nothing to do with right, wrong or anything else. 

I leave such feedback for me because its in MY interest to do so.

I want eBay to know that I cherish and adore eBay buyers.  They are always right!!   🤢

For the simple reason that THAT is what eBay's computers want to hear.  

If eBay's computers did NOT want to hear that, then sellers would not be pestered and harassed over and over and over again to leave said feedback.

I'm too old to have pride about such matters.   Nor do I wish to spend a single nanosecond debating whether, when, and under what conditions I should leave feedback.   

And heaven forbid I should waste a fraction of a gram of effort deciding whether a buyer "deserves" feedback.  

The ONLY thing that matters to me is that eBay thinks I play well with others.  

[mam98031]

Ebay is about the only site left, if not the only site left in this type of market that even has feedback for buyers.  All or most other similar sites did away with buyer feedback years ago.  The ONLY value buyer feedback has is to the buyers feelings.  Beyond that it means nothing.  Sellers aren't allowed to leave honest FB, they must leave only positive remarks.

I am NOT suggesting that sellers should be able to leave negative or neutral fb on a buyer.  I'm firmly against that.  I am saying feedback for buyers is a waste of time and should simply go away like so many other sites have determined isn't an important feature.

[johnrj1226]

Am with you on giving FB when I buy the shipping  label - always shipping within 1  day or  less and even on Saturdays.  Shipped 1665  item and received FB on 64.5% of them - all positive  except one.  Plus my listing  pics and description were really descent not studio proffsionl.  Sold mainly pre owned items always understated the descriptions. Lots of  pic and  described any issues via photo and in words  Never used the term like new.. and minimmized  marketing  jargon - like AWESOME, heavy duty - never heard some one  say the stuff is light duty

[kennys-kollectibles]

2 decades ago you could leave feedback in bulk.  

then some where along the way, it was made more time consuming and

you could leave feedback in semi-bulk. 

Now the most recent, you have to leave feedback one at a time. 

I am no longer to even bother leaving feedback because ebay

can't bother to use modern technology and keep it efficient.  

It's just a waste of time at this point.