posted on January 29, 2001 07:16:28 AM new
It's been like pulling teeth to get people (both buyers and sellers) to leave feedback!!!
With our buyers at best we get 1-in-3 to leave us pos feedback even though we left pos for them. And yes, we send them notice that we've left them feedback and as for it in return.
But even sellers aren't leaving feedback! We've done several purchases recently and none have left us feedback. We communicated well, sent good payment quickly, and left pos feedback for them. But they don't return in kind. When we've emailed them to ask for the feedback, half never replied (ignored?). Of the other half, some said they would but haven't yet and a few claim to be quote "...just too busy to deal with feedback."
posted on January 29, 2001 07:31:27 AM new
I am mostly a seller, but I buy a little bit too. For me, leaving feedback is "Part of the Dance" of the entire process.
I just had two payments come in this past Saturday. Both were really speedy pays, and leaving those buyers feedback stating that is something I enjoy doing.
Yes, I'm a small seller right now. But even when I was listing more, I always left feedback for both my buyers, and those I buy from.
I understand your frustration with those who don't use feedback, but I'm not sure there is a solution. I don't ever email and ask anyone for feedback though. Right now my % is 72%. I've left 385, and have a net of 278.
posted on January 29, 2001 07:39:24 AM new
Yeah. I'm still getting somewhere around 64% return FB and that's not bad, not great, but not bad. But some people won't leave FB even when they are happy with the transaction. One guy emailed me to say how thrilled he was with his 300.00 item he bought, but no FB was given to me. Best to get used to it 'cause that's the way it'll always be.
posted on January 29, 2001 07:53:08 AM new
As a seller we agree it's part of our duty to leave pos FB if the purchaser made good payment in a timely manner.
As a buyer we expect the same in return. We can understand one or two FB's falling through the cracks for a busy seller. But to have sellers tell you things they don't have time for FB is total BS!
posted on January 29, 2001 09:23:43 AM new
As a seller I always leave feedback. I admit though after I got my first negative back in November, I was hesitant to leave feedback because it seems when you do, a bidder can neg you without trying to resolve a problem first (unhappy with item, damage etc..). A lot of times I will also check the feedback a bidder has left. It is an easy way to see if they actually leave feedback. I have seen folks with 100 feedbacks and yet they have never left any in return.
As a buyer, I noticed I have a hard time receiving feedback from sellers. Many times I pay by Paypal from minutes to an hour after an auction ends. I e-mail seller, am prompt all around and leave them feedback but rarely see any in return.
It is something you definitely have to get used too. You'll find times too when you get a feedback from a sale that happened a couple months ago. You just never know.
posted on January 29, 2001 10:00:31 AM new
Sometimes it could even be a hint that your customer service isn't quite what you think it is- for example, I just got a package last week with a baseball card. $4.50 was the postage charge, and the postage was 76c. Add for a bubble envelope and top loader, MAYBE 50c more.
Now I realize that the seller didn't state priority postage, and I bid anyway, so I accept some responsibility. I won't post a neg or neutral. But will I post a positive? Heck no.
Are you following up on bidders receiving the package? Do you notify them when the shipment is made? Do you thank them? Do you post feedback?
Most bm businesses that come up short customer service wise don't deal with screaming customers all day. Their customers just don't endorse them, and don't come back.
Don't take it the wrong way, you may be doing a great job, but then again you may not, and feedback ratio is one way for you to be able to find that out. Check out other sellers in your category. What is their ratio? If yours is the same, that's the way it goes. If yours is better, great job! If yours is much worse, well maybe the problem is you.
posted on January 29, 2001 10:54:44 AM new
For what it's worth, I have had buyers (especially newbies) leave glowing feedback for me....but as a RESPONSE to the feedback I had left. Of course, it only accounts for a very small precentage.
I never have found a way to educate them without making them feel like a *maroon*.
posted on January 29, 2001 11:06:53 AM new
We ship with in 24-48 hours of receiving payment, post pos FB at the time of shipping, charge a flat rate for shipping that's clearly spelled out in the auction, and even send a notice to the buyer to let them know the item has been shipped.
Not saying it couldn't be a service problem but short of free shipping and overnight white glove hand delivery can't think of anything that could possibly be wrong.
posted on January 29, 2001 12:39:50 PM new
Seems to be a trend!
I also check to see what feedback bidders leave , for a variety of reasons , and this last fortnight have had a cluster of bidders who rarely leave FB , or who never have . Great! (not) It had run about 2/3 leave it , on average , but now 50/50.
I never ask for Fb , but mention in my "payment received/item sent" e-mail that I've left FB for them , (and hope they'll take the hint.)
I refuse to leave feedback for high FB users who never leave FB. It's obviously not important to them , so why should they build their good reputations soley on the time and effort taken by others? If they e-mail me to let me know they like the item , I e-mail them a thank you , but no FB. I've just had 2 bidders this week with FB over 400 who don't or wont leave any; also some who only leave for newbie buyers , and some who really bug me , and decide to stop at a certain number or date. (It must be a New Year's resolution this year! ) I always want to know why?
posted on January 29, 2001 12:51:09 PM new
Feedback is no longer important to me, but I realize it is important to some, so when they leave me feedback, I leave them feedback as well. For those who it isn't important I don't leave them feedback. It's a way to streamline and save time for me.
I usually wait when I have lots to do at one time and when I'm bored, and I can get them all done at once instead of going back and forth.
posted on January 29, 2001 12:56:31 PM new
I leave feedback for every single transaction, buying and selling.
Sometimes my own feedback count will sit at the same number for what seems like forever and then all of a sudden I get 10 or so in a matter of a day or 2...for items that are a month or more gone.
I am always happy to get feedback but I don't make a point of not giving it if I don't get it. I just do it and move on.
posted on January 29, 2001 01:51:10 PM new
I use bribery and my feedback runs at around 90%. When we leave feedback for bidders, we send an email thanking them for their business. We add this line to the end:
"We have left positive feedback for you on this auction. All customers who take a moment to leave feedback for us receive a free gift as a "thank you"."
I have someone who periodically checks for new feedback left for us. She emails a short "how-to" guide that I have written to the bidder. This is the free gift promised earlier. Most bidders are impressed by this and bid again (a good thing lol).
Very little work and expense on our part. Very big results in the feedback received area.
posted on January 30, 2001 02:34:47 AM new
To me leaving feedback is like saying 'thanks again'. I consider it bad manners not to leave feedback. Mind you sometimes it is hard to think of what to say when the transaction hasnt been all the flash.
posted on January 30, 2001 02:56:49 AM new
Hi Everyone,
I think one of the reasons that feedback is not being left is the number of newbie bidders that seems to have grown an awful lot lately. So many of my bidders are in the under 10 category. I think they just don't get the feedback function.
After over two years buying and selling on eBay, there are still functions that I didn't know existed!
I don't worry about it too much. As long as I have enough to make a bidder confident - that's fine.
posted on January 30, 2001 03:45:08 AM new
Your problem is that you leave feedback first. By doing this, any Buyer/Seller concerned about getting feedback has already recieved their feedback and they either do not have time to leave you a feedback or simply do not care to since they already got theirs. Also, the Buyer/Seller who does not care about feedback is not going to leave you one whether you leave them one or not.
I used to have a problem not recieving feedback.
I used to leave feedback right when I recieved payment, but I no longer do.
My new method has been a wonderful success and I have never recieved as many feedbacks before !
I am a very fast shipper (over 90% of all of my feedback makes reference to that). So, when I ship an item out I always, ALWAYS email the buyer and let them know their item has been shipped out to them. I do this the minute I come back from the post office.
My shipment notification includes the following lines :
Hello XXXXX,
Thanks for your payment! Your
item, XXXXXX, XXXXXXXXX has
been shipped and should
arrive shortly.
I would appreciate a positive feedback when you recieve your item. Once I recieve your feedback I will immediately leave you a similar feedback.
It was a pleasure doing business with you.
Enjoy,
By doing this, anyone not concerned about feedback will not recieve a feedback neither AND those who are concerned about it, will recieve a feedback.
Once I have recieved feedback from a user, I leave them feedback immediately (sometimes within a few minutes). This way, if anyone wants to verify my promise, they can check the feedbacks in my profile and see for them selves how fast I respond to feedbacks. All feedbacks have the time on them and all they have to do is check the difference in time that it takes me to leave a feedback once I have recieved one.
This truly does work ! And I can proudly say that since I implemented this method 100% of users I have left feedback for, left feedback for me as well.
posted on January 30, 2001 06:13:22 AM new
And by threatening to leave retaliatory feedback, you can eliminate those nasty negatives as well....
That may not be what you are trying to say, but if I were a buyer, that's how I would read it. When I buy items, I try to be conscientious about communication and prefer to pay as fast as possible. I think my feedback should be based on that and resent being blackmailed. I believe in leaving feedback but sometimes it may be a couple of weeks before I actually try out the parts and see if what you've sent is good or a piece of junk. I have gotten replies similar to yours from sellers, I leave the feedback, but I won't do business with that seller again.
posted on January 30, 2001 06:22:18 AM new
I think Cix has a good idea here, but when I put it forth in another thread sometime back, I was flamed, saying that this was blackmailing the buyer for feedback. I really don't see it as that. The business transaction is a two-way street. So is the feedback process.
I still feel that the buyer should post first to indicate their satisfaction with the sale. If dissatisfied they should contact the seller to resolve matters. If the seller has already left feedback, they could get the bad end of the deal, and possibly even negative feedback due to poor shipping, miscommunications, etc.
Yet contrary to my thinking, and following the trend so evident here, I leave feedback upon receipt of payment, and ship same day or next day. The last two months of 2000, my feedback was < 30%, in spite of rapid shipping. This year, I'm running about 50% with no change in protocol.
Maybe instead of relying on totally on the feedback system, eBay should implement a counter that shows the number of transactions carried out.
posted on January 30, 2001 07:29:38 AM new
Feedback is only a secondary (meaningless) transaction.
I did my part as a seller by sending the buyer their item. I have no further obligation to leave kind words for anybody.
If the buyer wants feedback, I am more than happy to leave them feedback once they have left me feedback. Feedback is outside of the actual transaction.
How many of you sellers out here (with the exception of OneCentCds) send a winning bidder their item before recieving payment ????
So if I hold an item until it is paid for considered extortion ??? I do not think so.
So buyer sends me money, I send buyer their item, buyer leaves me feedback, I see the buyer left me feedback and I in turn leave buyer feedback.
Where does extortion come into play here ???? Is it because I asked for feedback first ???? I also asked for payment first didn't I ????
If a bidder wants my item, I want to get paid for that item first. Same thing on the feedback.
posted on January 30, 2001 07:34:05 AM newCix writes: I would appreciate a positive feedback when you recieve your item. Once I recieve your feedback I will immediately leave you a similar feedback.
No way would I post feedback for a seller who sent me that. I understand what you are trying to do with this, but I find it a turnoff as a buyer.
edited to fix ubb
[ edited by nefish on Jan 30, 2001 07:35 AM ]
posted on January 30, 2001 07:37:03 AM new
I always leave feedback as soon I receive a instant payment (Pay Pal/Bill Point/Money Order). The bidder has done their part. It is up to me to get the item out to them. I hope the bidder is pleased and will leave me positive feedback. Most cases I receive feedback. I try not to worry too much about feedback.
posted on January 30, 2001 08:29:14 AM new
I'm both a buyer and a seller. When it comes to feedback, I feel that the seller has completed his or her end of the transaction when payment arrives (or personal check has cleared). I enter positive feedback then. From then on, it's up to me as a seller to make sure I complete the transaction to the seller's liking, and I strive for that.
Yeah, lah de dah, right? I know that some sellers are never happy and doing what I said above might leave a seller open for a neg you can't return. But I still operate that way.
As a buyer, the letter I include with payment includes this line:
"I appreciate sellers willing to leave feedback when payment arrives. This shows good faith and will be reflected in feedback I leave in return when the item arrives."
I usually get feedback from these sellers. Others wait until I get the item to be sure I'm happy with it; then they leave me feedback. This is fine too.
Under NO circumstances do I EVER enter feedback for a seller before they leave it for me. If they don't leave feedback first, then the transaction goes without it.
posted on January 30, 2001 09:08:27 AM new
cix, a question for you... and I'm not trying to antagonize, I'm just trying to figure out process.
How do you keep track of whom has placed feedback for you? Do you have to constantly check your feedback profile or have you found a streamlined way to follow this. I leave feedback when I am ready to mail item, and don't plan on changing that. I've just been trying to figure out the process that you (and others who do it this way) use.
I have just recently put a note in my shipment notification email about the ease of leaving feedback by using the feedback forum. Frankly, I used to think that was some kind of discussion board and never looked at it. One day I checked it out and found about 4 auctions that I thought I had left feedback for but were without. I too have noticed an increase in bidders with less than 10 profile, perhaps everyone got new computers for the holidays.
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posted on January 30, 2001 09:44:02 AM new
Feedback average is pretty much the same as I see reported here. I did have one customer who purchased 25 individual pieces of china which took me longer than I'd like to remember to wrap. As great of a job as I did, she left no feedback other than pieces arrived. Out of curiosity, I checked and she had left NO feedback for anyone ... with 78 positives to her credit. So I asked her. Turns out she didn't know how. Really. "next on my list," she says. I sent the URL for feedback forum; wonder how many others there are who don't know either.
I also don't leave feedback first, (as a seller), but I don't expect it either.
My 'shipped' email states that 'feedback will be posted for you when you recieve your item and are happy with it'.
I don't ask for the feedback in return...if they leave it fine.
I agree with Cix that it's best to go 'second' where feedback is concerned. I offer a full refund, but that's still not good enough for some people. It's easier for buyers to leave that 'neg' for no good reason when they've already recieved positive feedback.
I've taken this approach for the past month or so. I've noticed a BIG slowdown in the amount of Positive feedback left first, but that's fine...I'm over 300 now, and that's plenty to offer buyer confidence.
posted on January 30, 2001 05:10:50 PM new
Dear XXXX, Your item, Sparkly Shiny Widget #333333333 was shipped today, January 30. I've left feedback for you, and appreciate feedback from satisfied buyers. This also lets me know that you received the package safely.
Thanks again,
The Seller.
This works for me, 73% of the time. I don't beg, or blackmail. As a buyer, I would not leave feedback if I recieved the email CIX mentioned. I don't like having my arm twisted behind my back. Just IMHO.
I know that some sellers are never happy and doing what I said above might leave a seller open for a neg you can't return. But I still operate that way.