posted on April 17, 2002 04:06:48 PM new
I could never come to a conclusion as to whether as a seller to leave feedback when payment is made, when transaction is completed or after the buyer has left the feedback. I now have the definitive answer....After dealing with a very trying buyer who claims her item is not as described (it is), I have the answer. Never leave feedback until the buyer does!! I had not left feedback for this buyer yet, thanks goodness, but in my research, I have descovered that this person has 6 positive feedbacks that were left by unsuspecting sellers when she paid for the items only to discover that she wanted refunds, etc. They left follow-up comments that made it clear that if they had waited, they surely would have left negatives, but now it was too late. I'm convinced. I just had to vent!!
posted on April 17, 2002 04:41:33 PM new
I don't know about definitive, I am sure there are those who will argue. However, this works well for me as well. I switched a few months back, and let me tell you, no problems after I made the switch. I think once you leave feedback, some buyers feel this is an opportunity to be unreasonable. I would rather not get negatives, and I guess they would rather not either.
posted on April 17, 2002 05:12:58 PM new
I actually advertise in my auctions that 'if you want feedback, give me some. I respond to all feedback, same for same.'
I was doing the, okay they paid, so now I should leave feedback ritual as well for a while, but I had 1 neg from a really unreasonable customer. I had to think about the future and changed my policy. Since then I have only received 1 neutral (no negs) and no negs. Of course the Neutral should have been a neg, the war it caused, but I stopped her accusations. She actually tried to say that the item I shipped her was broken, yet none of the indicators of a broken oil bottle were present in the packaging. Yeah, no fly zone here....
posted on April 17, 2002 06:40:43 PM new
I have 413 positive feedbacks, 1 neutral because that was the way ebay did it when a person left and I have No negatives. I always leave feedback after the package is in the mail. I also never ask for feedback, that is a personal thing and if someone doesn't want to do it I don't care. I also never look at feedback on my buyers. I give every one a fair chance.
posted on April 17, 2002 07:09:53 PM new
"I also never look at feedback on my buyers."
I only check the feedback when the first indicator is that the customer is slow pay or a problem. I owe it to myself to do that. I also check the feedback when I receive a personal check. I have a policy that any checks under a certain amount constitute immediate shipping UNLESS the bidder has 10% or higher negative feedback. (1 in 10, 2 in 20, you get the point.) I do this because i don't go to the bank every day and I don't run to the bank with a $10 check because it isn't cost effective. I hit the bank on my time, unless I have a larger amount of money in the check, then there is the standard hold.
But I digress, I don't appreciate getting neg'd as the first contact with a buyer, and if I have already left a feedback, AND they understand how feedback works, then they know I can't really retaliate. (yes, retaliate, if I deserve it, that is one thing, but I always work in order to not deserve it.)
If life is a bowl of cherries, why are all the pits on ebay?
posted on April 17, 2002 08:00:23 PM new
I used to do the same thing, post feedback, as soon as I mailed the item, now I have 1800+ and 4 negs. I am just not going to leave a positive and then be threatened with no recourse because the positive has already been left. I have seen too many buyers take advantage of the situation if they know they have nothing to worry about. Just my opinion.
posted on April 18, 2002 07:58:12 AM new
Why do buyers leave negative feedback if the sellers are doing everything they said they would? The reason I leave feed back after I leave the package at the postoffice is because I have a description that is accurate, a great guarantee, fast service and as close to actual shipping as I can get. No matter how long it takes a buyer to get their money to me I make sure that I mail their package according to the terms in my WBN. If they want to give me a negative for that, that is something out of my control. I feel I have done everything right.
posted on April 18, 2002 08:17:49 AM new
I switched recently from leaving the positive feedback upon payment to leave like feedback from what is received. Only 15% of the buyers were leaving feedback while I gave EVERYONE that paid a nice positive. If the buyer wants a feedback, he has to give a feedback. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
posted on April 18, 2002 08:43:18 AM new
if more people take up this method they should just scrap feedback becomes useless if everyone scared to take first step....just my opinion.
posted on April 18, 2002 08:53:51 AM new
Mrfoxy, Feedback is useless. However, it isn't a scared thing, it is a 'when is the transaction over' thing. When the buyer is happy, it is over. Not when I think they have completed their end of the bargain. Part of their end of the bargain is receiving and accepting the item as it was described, not as an unruly.
posted on April 18, 2002 09:12:44 AM new
I would be quite happy to get rid of feedback, I don't find it that worthwhile. Leaving feedback after is not because I am afraid to do it, for about 5 years on Ebay I operated that way. What I've noticed is that by not leaving feedback, it gives the seller more leverage in dealing with an unreasonable buyer. Seems that buyers do not want negative feedback either (though I don't know why they care personally unless they get it a lot) so by not leaving feedback, they just might act more reasonably. I've received bad feedback after I left positive feedback. In one case, the item was lost (it was an international shipment) - I refunded way before I even filed a claim with the USPS, and still got zinged. What more could I do there? I don't think I would have gotten this if I did not leave feedback already.
posted on April 18, 2002 10:15:55 AM new
seems like these days buyer will not leave until seller does and vice versa therefore making feedback in my view useless.....specially because if their is a problem transaction it will more than likely not be posted in feedback for fear of a retaliatory neg/neutral.....so problem sellers/buyers are not pointed out like they should be
posted on April 18, 2002 11:15:50 AM new
I am sure it can be viewed as retaliatory, but because of the way that I mention my feedback policy, and ebay auctions being a contract, I am 'contractually' required to leave same for same feedback.
That means, good for good, neutral for neutral, and bad for bad.
Even my iffy customers, will get a positive rating if they leave me a positive rating. What does this mean? Check out the link that says, read feedback this ebayer has left, to read what the different levels of good mean? Nah, it means feedback is useless...
posted on April 18, 2002 12:30:29 PM new
Since I never look at feedback I think it isn't necessary, but since it is there I will leave feedback and leave it according to how the buyer fullfills his end of the bargain. I never ask for feedback, but in my letter that I send with the package I say, "It was a pleasure doing business with you and if you have a spare moment drop me a line and let me know that your item arrived safe and sound." I almost always get that email. I really don't care about the feedback.
posted on April 18, 2002 01:37:05 PM new
I have a feedback of 518 pos, 0 neutral, 0 negative, and I always give it as soon as the check/PP/m.o. comes in. It's easier that way. I don't obsess about fb and don't really care if I get a few negs, BUT I will do almost anything to satisfy a customer.
It's the Golden Rule, donchaknow.
Maybe I have just been lucky in getting 518 good customers in a row.
posted on April 18, 2002 02:08:34 PM new
Maybe that is the fundamental difference for me. I don't see them as customers, I see them as auction winners.
What is the difference? One orders my stuff off of my catalogue site at full price, the other bids to get a great deal on my stock at an auction site. One is entitled to be picky, return unwanted things, and to get quantity discounts. The other buys as is and doesn't get any special treatment because it is a special price.
You want full service? Order from a catalog...
You want a great price? Check out ebay...
posted on April 18, 2002 06:14:14 PM new
Libra "Why do buyers leave negative feedback if the sellers are doing everything they said they would?" I guess you've never had the misfortune of dealing with an outright shister or dim-wit?
I have had 2 crazy customers. Both customers complaints showed that neither took the time to read my descriptions. In one instance, I had listed "Old Vintage Shabby Chic ROSES dishes". The description and MANY pictures could not have been a more accurate & truthful representation. MANY times in the description I stated that the dishes were OLD & VINTAGE. She emailed me after receiving the dishes, complaining that " These are not Shabby Chic, they do not say Shabby Chic anywhere on them, these are nothing but old dishes" DUHHHHHHH, Yeah! Another instance? How about a " Vintage Hooked rug" She emails me about how this is not a NEEDLEPOINT rug. Another genius! She wants a refund, she wants her postage refunded, and she wants me to refund her for having the rug cleaned!!!! I NO LONGER LEAVE FEEDBACK FIRST. IF YOU CHOOSE TO LEAVE FEEDBACK FOR ME, I WILL RECIPROCATE, BUT I DON'T CARE IF FEEDBACK IS LEFT FOR ME. Wait until someone holds your good name hostage for feedback, then see how gracious you feel.
posted on April 18, 2002 06:47:33 PM new
inot,
I could not have said it better!! I have run into some real characters. Some are downright lairs, others have had "Buyer's remorse" when the see a similar item going for less than they paid on your auction. At least if I wait to post feedback until after they do it one less thing for them to threaten me with.
I always RECIPROCATE feedback, I will no longer initiate it.
posted on April 18, 2002 11:50:42 PM new
eBay's feedback system has been through many changes. At first it was anyone leaving anyone else any number of feedbacks for any reason. Remember that? LOL
A couple of major changes I can recall:
1) Feedback was made "transaction-related only."
2) Leave Feedback page was changed, making it much more complicated and time-consuming.
3) More business-savvy sellers joined, and realized that by leaving negative feedback they might harm their own business. This was part of eBay's evolution from community to marketplace.
4) eBay's Non-Paying Bidder Policy made leaving negs less necessary.
posted on April 19, 2002 05:44:23 AM new
Hello
I have reasonably changed my policy. I intend to only issue FB after received. I received a neutral from a good buyer for a frivolous reason. However the biggest reason is FB has become a post sale job the way I was doing it. My post sale e-mail contact explains. Will see how it goes.
posted on April 19, 2002 09:32:08 PM new
AS a seller, I find the only way a buyer can legitimately earn a negative is to not pay. I generally ship without waiting for a check to clear, although I have exceptons to this rule based on amount of check, buyers feedbck, or other indicators that only i know that warn of a bad check.
As I wait plenty of time for checks to clear, usually the buyer has either had time to leave feedback first or let me know his complaint, if he has one. I have enough confidence in myself and my service that I don't worry about negs.
Now, if I sold something like computer parts or some other high return item, I might do it differently.
posted on April 19, 2002 11:13:40 PM new
I don't leave positive feedback if the transaction is a problem transaction UNLESS they leave it for me. I just want to leave my options open. I think there are ways a buyer can earn a negative even if the pay, though I don't leave negatives for buyers (unless I were to get an undeserved negative)
Basically, feedback is useless because it is not often honest. However, it is not in my interest to obtain negative feedback, so I will play the game this way unless ebay makes changes. It really is a game...
posted on April 19, 2002 11:23:31 PM new
Hi! My TOB (terms of buying) as relates to feedback is that I give what I get. After all, I completed my part of the transaction first.
And while it may be kind of a game, it's the only game in town. Bear in mind, if feedback is useless, then all of you have just become (0) rated sellers. At least in the tech area, that's going to cost you 10 - 20% right off the top.
posted on April 19, 2002 11:27:36 PM new
I have over 1700 positive feedback, I really don't care if a buyer does not give me feedback anymore. Many don't, don't really care. All I am trying to do is prevent buyers from trying to threaten me with getting a negative, or think that since I already have left feedback, they can leave negative feedback.
