posted on August 25, 2002 08:41:14 AM new
I just checked my feedback left today. I have 3126 feedback and I have left 4920. That is pathetic...over 1000 transactions with no fb left but no complaints either...sorry, just a bit surprised..
posted on August 25, 2002 08:47:16 AM new
Actually, I think having 60% of your feedback returned is pretty good.
There are ways to raise the percentage if it is important, but frankly, you have more than enough to be a credible buyer and seller.
You could switch to only returning feedback. However I think feedback is another tool to encourage repeat customers. And with the multiple feedback options ebay offers, it is easy enough to do.
posted on August 25, 2002 09:45:25 AM newYou could switch to only returning feedback. However I think feedback is another tool to encourage repeat customers. And with the multiple feedback options ebay offers, it is easy enough to do.
I, for one, am a strong supporter of what caffitalia calls "feedback extortion". Since I started this practice, my percentage of feedback given to feedback left has been 100%.
Before that, I was running about 75% (which is still good, but not good enough).
posted on August 25, 2002 11:55:20 AM new
One potential issue is that on Feedback Left, it counts EACH of your feedback as 1. At least I am pretty sure it does. So if you leave 3 comments for the same buyer, it counts as 3. But if you receive 3 feedbacks from the same person, you only get 1 on your feedback. If you check your Number of positives versus your feedback rating, the disparity might be less. Probably not by 1000 (*gasp*), but maybe a couple hundred.
I would love to see the numbers after you take this into account...
posted on August 25, 2002 09:48:20 PM new
What revvassago states is true. It is feedback extorsion if as a seller you do not leave feedback before the buyer does. However on the same note, it is not how many feedbacks you get, it is the quality of the feedbacks that you get that is important. If you give great service, and a receipt with the product which also asks for the feedback, you will have a high percentage of feedbacks left anyway. Holding your feedback is not good business and should be left as soon as the item is shipped.
posted on August 26, 2002 08:56:00 AM new
I don't call it feedback extorition. I call it smart business. Why set yourself up for a negative you do not deserve and why waste your time that you could have used starting auctions to leave feedback for someone that will not take the time to do it for you.
Before I quit leaving feedback first I had left over 2,500 and recieved under 1,000 I think feedback is a waste of time anyway 90% of the sellers are afraid to leave a negative because of retaliation.
posted on August 26, 2002 11:41:31 AM new
Jeez, some of you are really paranoid about feedback. I am not a big time seller (10-20 auctions per week). I leave a positive feedback as soon as I receive payment. If the buyer wants to give me a neg, so be it. I usually reeceive a positve within a day after the buyer gets their merchandise. Most with high praise for packaging & prompt delivery. If I don't get any feedback, well thats better than a neg.
posted on August 26, 2002 04:16:55 PM new
revvassago,
That is not an opinion but a fact. You constantly try and protect yourself from getting deserved negs for the poor seller that you are. If a buyer completes there part by bidding and sending payment in a timely manner, that is when they deserve positive feedback. You don't go to Walmart or McDonalds and get your product or food, go home and write them a letter thanking them for there service before they tell you thank you. It is very clear what you are doing and I pitty the fool who should have the misfortune of bidding on one of your auctions.
posted on August 26, 2002 06:57:11 PM new
[i]That is not an opinion but a fact. You constantly try and protect yourself from getting deserved negs for the poor
seller that you are.[/i]
Maybe on Planet CaffeItalia that's a fact, but nowhere in the rational universe.
posted on August 26, 2002 07:12:15 PM new
Like revvassago, I also wait till the customer receives his/hers package(s) and informs via e-mail or even better by simply posting a comment regarding my product and service. Only then, will I be more than happy to respond with the appropriate feedback.
Too many variables are involved, quick example's, a package while it's in transit may take too long, an item(s) could arrive damaged or misplaced, or perhaps a customer has buyers remorse and wants a full refund issued.
A minority of bidders will be more than happy to pull the trigger and neg for any stupid reason.
posted on August 27, 2002 08:49:08 AM new
I dunno, though, slabholder. You're looking at feedback as though it's some kind of legally binding statement of fact and it's not.
As long as anyone can say (practically) anything in feedback and there are no consequences for same, does it really matter what anyone says? I think not.
After five years and more transactions than I want to think about, I've found the only people who reference feedback are those soreheads who are trying to prove their point about how rotten you are: "I should have read your feedback to see what the five other people you cheated said about you!"
Nyah-nyah may be emotionally satisfying to your sorehead but shouldn't impinge on your business one iota. I spend 10 minutes once a week on feedback...and I think that may be too much time devoted to it.
On a related note, it keeps surprising me how many people believe that real-world businesses have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and thus, eBay sellers should follow suit. I can't think of any business what will give the customer whatever he wants just to make him happy.
There's a chain of restaurants here in the Bay Area, Max's, run by a guy named Dennis Berkowitz. He gets complaint letters from customers and, instead of trying to soothe the ruffled feelings, POSTS the letters in his restaurants with his comments in red ink. Some of the letters complain about the quality of the food, yet Berkowitz notes that the letterwriters did eat the entire meal instead of sending it back. THEN they complained.
We never see anyone like that on eBay, do we?
Berkowitz is also the guy who puts a "No Critics" sign on his front door. He thinks restaurant critics are ignorant and malevolent.
Interestingly, we had a bad experience at one Max's location last Thanksgiving. It took nearly an hour for our order to be taken and when the food finally arrived, it was not what we had ordered. We called the manager over (who said their computer was down), and he comped us the meal.
If we had eaten the dinner without protest, paid for it, and written a complaint letter, I doubt any action would have been taken. That's what feedback is like. The time to complain is when something can be done to resolve the issue. More importantly, the vendor (hey, that's ME!) has sole discretion in choosing a course of action to solve the problem. Customer doesn't like the action? Fine, leave a neg. But I'm not going to waste a heartbeat on it.
posted on August 27, 2002 09:00:44 AM new
I got to get my two cents in on this one. I ALWAYS leave feedback upon receipt of money and mailing of package to the buyer. A lot of times I don't get a feedback from the buyer, but I don't even keep track anymore. In the beginning they didn't seem to leave many feedbacks, but now as my feedback number has grown considerably they do seem to be leaving feedback as soon as they get their item. I like to have the feedback count, but I'm not going to worry about it. I had one buyer recently who loved the item, but wrote that I could improve on my rapport! She gave me a neutral. "Improve on the rapport" meant that she fussed terribly over the WBN sent out when she won. She got thoroughly confused over that form and sputtered awful. Really sent me an awful email. So in her mind - I needed to improve on my rapport! Sobeit. There is always one in the crowd somewhere.
posted on August 27, 2002 09:09:27 AM new
The reason that I do not leave feedback first is because I had a few buyers that threatened to leave me negative feedback if I did not return between 25% and 50% of there money. I had already left them positives. The reasons they wanted money back were made up stuff like one purchased a 125 year old wood working plane and said the bottom was not true off by 1/1,000".
In all of these cases I offered full refunds but they would not take that. the only think they would take and not leave me a negative feedback was the partial refund and they keep the item. After talking to other tool sellers I found this was not just happening to me. I quit leaving the feedback first and have never had anyone ask for a partial refund since.
posted on August 27, 2002 09:23:11 AM new
I sold a pin to a gal in England. My first venture with the international. She said the pin "fell apart during the night while she was sleeping." She came downstairs the next morning and it had fallen apart. I immediately refunded her money minus postage and blocked her from bidding on my auctions again!!! I only need a first time - after that they won't get another chance.
posted on August 27, 2002 11:40:32 AM new
Boy, you got that one right. I am one of the few, I guess, but I won't hesitate a minute to put a negative feedback on someone's account. If I don't hear from a buyer and they don't pay me in three weeks, they get a negative - no hesitation at all. As a seller, I look at my buyer's feedback from time to time. It's helpful to see if someone has been having a problem with that particular person. I used to be soft - not any more! eBay'ing has conditioned me I guess.
posted on August 27, 2002 07:05:29 PM new
Pat: Good for you. I wish I had more time to check out my buyers. I cancel the bid of anyone who has -1 or worse feedback, but I'm really wishing I could pull up contact info on some folks before they were allowed to bid on my stuff.
There's a long story involving a husband and wife team who get their jollies harassing eBay sellers...they've got at least 12 eBay ids between them. I've dealt with four of their ids and it wasn't until I started comparing notes with other burned sellers that I put it all together. I've pulled contact information on those four and it certainly appears that part of their contact info is false. The city, state, zip code and the first name is consistent, but there are blatantly fake last names.
Oh yeah, the harassment. The husband emailed me 24 times in one day after his item had shipped and before he received it. If an email wasn't responded to in five minutes it was followed by another email doubly abusive and strident.
At the point where I was genuinely concerned that I would have a stroke, I wrote back to tell him all future email would be ignored and negged him. So they started the harassment by fax. I unplugged it. They started calling. I let the machine answer it. Finally, they gave up...for the moment.
They're back again using a new set of ids.
I can't go to eBay with this since no one knows their real first and last names for sure. They always pay by postal money order, and the order is always sent to a business named p.o. box.
posted on August 27, 2002 09:24:46 PM new
Fluffy....Lordy, Lord! Unbelievable. I had one scammer awhile back - bid - won - never paid - never contacted me. I got an email from another gal telling me who this person was and that they had bid on their items, too. Guess they just kept using all kinds of different ID's.
Harrassment: Gads, I truly feel for you. I would have had a stroke. I don't put my phone number on eBay. We have an unlisted phone number and there is no way that any one is going to be able to call. I give eBay a phone number but the last 2 digits are wrong. Sorry, I guess you would call that falsifying information, but there is no possible way that I am going to give my phone number to eBay when they will give it to these deadbeats so freely and not really knowing who they are giving it to. Anyone that wins a bid from you can get your phone number from eBay. I just can't go along with that. I honestly think I would have my number changed. That is terrible. I sell jewelry so I haven't run into too much of that kind of problem. I'm not saying I won't though. Scary thought. Hope that it ends soon for you. PatR
posted on August 27, 2002 11:22:12 PM new
I started a new selling ID for little stuff. My first feedback came from another (1) rated person. Hey, cool, I thought, another new user. Turns out, my winner had nine positives and EIGHT NEGATIVES (for non-payment). Funny, she was pretty easy to work with and left me good feedback first. There's probably a moral here somewhere, but I'm not sure where.
Sobeit. There is always one in the crowd somewhere.