posted on December 16, 2002 05:39:23 PM new
Well... I think this is an issue I get a lot... especially with buyers. About 50% of my buyers dont leave feedbacks. doh! I have had over 63 transactions, and only have 34 recorded feedbacks...
I think I understand why, most buyers I got were new users, and they just want their items... the regular ebayers will leave feedback definitely, but most new users wont bother with (or know how)...
the surprising factor would be half.com buyers who leaves feedback... I think most of them do. I'd expect buyers on ebay to leave feedback, since ebay is a bit more indepth than half.com
anyway, I'm not really complaining, its fine with me if they dont leave any feedbacks, I like the fact that for the ones that do leave feedbacks, they give me unique feedbacks (ie: not a generic "A++++ good seller" they actually say something... different, or even mentions my name...
anyhow, I wonder whats the average feedback ratio you guys get? And in what ways do you encourage feedback?
I always have a "thank you" letter in each of my sales... but I never really mention anything about leaving me a feedback.
a little bit of this probably has to do with the fact that I leave feedback once I recieve payment... although I agreed that feedbacks should be left when the entire transaction is completed (ie: both party is satisfied) I think I have this preference to leave feedback once I recieve the money. (I mean, I got what I was going after...) there's some clear drawbacks to this that I should consider though.
posted on December 16, 2002 05:50:35 PM new
I have left 511 total feedbacks.
Have recieved 349 feedbacks.
68% of my buyers have left feedback for me.
I also leave feedback as soon as the payment clears and the item has been shipped. I never ask for feedback. I just send a note when I ship that states: "Thank you for your payment. Your item will be shipped on xx/xx/xx. Positive feedback has been left to your username. Once you recieve your item and are satisfied please take a moment to leave feedback."
posted on December 16, 2002 05:51:57 PM new
Be happy with a 50% ratio, it is very high compared to feedback you'd receive with your own site or B&M.
I'm surprised anyone really cares that much about receiving it. I get buyers that hound me daily to leave feedback. One today said, "Come on, it takes two seconds. I expect you to leave me feedback today."
No, it doesn't take two seconds, it takes me 45 minutes a week, and feedback is not an expected part of a transaction. Lat time someone did this to me, I left them a neg because I felt it was harassement.
Lately, the average percentage I receive is about 20%, but it is the holidays so people may be busy.
I'd like to see the current feedback system abolished so no one will receive fb from me.
posted on December 16, 2002 09:45:16 PM new
Now that you brought this up I computed my feedback ratio - I have given 2624 feedbacks and have received 1811 = 69%. I also give feedback when I ship the item (though if for some reason shipping will be delayed, i give feedback and acknowledge receipt of the payment and advise of delay). I use the AW "Sales Manager" but do WBN through PayPal (don't like the AW WBN system)..I log in payments received, date item shipped, send shipping notification and give feedback all at one time - i think the AW sales manager is the greatest thing since sliced bread! The post-sale search engine is awesome - it searches by auction title, digits in auction id ( i just use the last 4 digits to find my items) and by email address! I have edited the shipping notification to state : "I have left positive feedback for you and hope you will do the same for me when you receive your item." I make sure that the auction number is listed on the packing slip so it is easy for them to leave feedback when the item is received.
I think the feedback system is what makes eBay work so well. It motivates both sellers and buyers to keep their end of the bargain. I see no reason to delay giving feedback to the buyers once they have paid - they have fulfilled their side of the transaction! I don't know what I would do without AW though - feedback does not take me 45 minutes/wk and I ship about 150 items/week.
posted on December 16, 2002 10:11:11 PM new
You may change your mind when a few new buyers have their item get lost or damaged in the mail and instead of telling you about it they leave an unwarrented negative or neutral feedback while you have a nice glowing positive feedback left for them. Now no one at ebay knows that they are unresponsible boobs because they got a glowing positive instead of the rightful feedback they deserved. There are many other scenarios beside lost or damaged items in the mail one I just mentioned. The transaction isn't over until the buyer receives the item and agrees with the condition of the item versus the auction description and reports to the seller either via email or leaving proper feedback.
posted on December 16, 2002 10:13:48 PM new
Hi
What I do is when I ship out there item, I send an email saying......(Your item was shipped today. Please contact me by email or feedback and I will respond either way.
Thank you for making this a great Ebay transaction)...............
I never leave feedback first I have always waited till my buyers do so, then I go and leave them there feedback. I never worry about the ones that don't leave feedback, but sometimes I do get a buyer who says, Please leave me my feedback first, because most of the times when he leaves his feedback first the seller don't leave him feedback. So I make them happy and do as they ask, but take a guess as to what happens after i do that...........Yep., they dont leave me my feedback.....lol
But thats ok also.
According to my feedback, out of 1500 transactions , I have received and given 1399FB.......
I dont ask for Feedback to be left for me, I only suggest, the rest is up to the buyer.
I'm sure a lot of you will not agree with me, but this has been working for me for a long time now and Im comfortable doing it this way.
posted on December 17, 2002 12:26:25 AM new
I always leave feedback as soon as item is shipped. For the past year I have been selling in spurts...take a few months off and then list around 400 items and ride those out.
I don't have time to worry about whether they have left me feedback. I do tell them to be sure and let me know if they are unhappy with an item. I have refunded 3 items out of a couple of thousand. I would rather refund that get a neg.
And, I too only have a 56% feedback compared to always leaving it for buyers. But, I have to admit, I am bad about not leaving feedback to sellers. It is just easy for me to leave it for my buyers because I can do it when I send the notice item has been shipped. It's not so easy to sit down and leave it for sellers...I have to go in and find the transaction, etc.
If the seller is exceptional I will do so immediately, but unless they have attached some letter or invoice with ebay number on it I sometimes never get around to it. Why? Because I buy in spurts as well. I will buy 15 to 20 items at a time and then buy nothing for months. And, they are usually very similar items from same categories so unless the seller reminds me exactly who they are and the item number of this purchase, I would have to do a lot of research to figure it out. Most sellers just send item with nothing else inside.
[ edited by lindajean on Dec 17, 2002 12:27 AM ]
posted on December 17, 2002 03:37:23 AM new
I don't leave feedback for my buyers until after they've left it for me. I got burned early on when I used to leave glowing fb upon shipment. The buyer with 2 positives and 2 negs lied and gave me my only neg. He wanted a refund but wanted to keep the item! Sheesh! I offered the refund if he'd send it back but he negged me instead. It wasn't long before he was no longer a registered user. I wish ebay would remove that joker's comments from my record! I too, have a lot of buyers who don't bother to leave fb. My invoice asks them to do so if they are satisfied. Is there a way to tell how many actual transactions I've had to get my percentage? I haven't kept up with it.
posted on December 17, 2002 09:29:44 AM new
I don't think there is a way to get the total transactions. I know mine because I always post feedback as soon as item is shipped, without fail.
I too received my one and only neg early on--in fact it was my first month on Ebay. But, I didn't see any reason to cause myself more trouble and time by waiting and after 4 years it hasn't happened again. I'm sure it will at some point, but like the other person in the other thread said...it just isn't that important to me anymore.
Since I have always left feedback when I ship I can look at feedback left to others and then see how many I have received in return to get my percentage.
posted on December 17, 2002 09:36:37 AM new
In the real world, companies that send out "how are we doing" surveys are happy to get even a small percentage of them back.
It is not your customer's job to leave you feedback, or tell you how you are doing.
Oh. I see why you are concerned with this. 63 transactions, total. Believe me, when it gets to 630 or 6300 or 63,000, you won't care...just as long as their money is green.
posted on December 17, 2002 10:33:24 AM new
I just thought I should add that I am NOT lindajean on Ebay. There is one there with only 81 feedbacks.
People are quick to think someone has a lot of opinions without a lot of experience. I have a feedback of 1370 on one ID and 380 on another and have been selling since 1998.
I agree with Fluffy. Feedback ceases to be such a big deal after a while. But, I still hate those 4 neutrals and that one neg!
posted on December 17, 2002 12:44:40 PM new
Aw, lindajean, if you know you're doin' good that's all that matters.
If the neg was deserved and you have remedied the problem that caused it, don't beat yourself up any more. You're already ahead of 90% of the human race (people who don't change for the better).
posted on December 17, 2002 12:54:04 PM new
It wasn't deserved. It was retaliatory for a neg I left a non paying bidder before I got smart and stopped doing that! Now I just file NPB and help get them kicked off.
posted on December 17, 2002 12:58:50 PM new
But then again, if I hadn't been in such a hurry (I read all the rules like most newbies and decided there was only one way to do this) I wouldn't have had the neg.
When I didn't receive payment in 14 days I left a neg. Buyer wouldn't return emails. Then of course, he sent me a scathing one saying he had sent a MO and I was cheating him using lots of profanity and threats and scaring the daylights out of me. I almost quit selling over the emails. I finally started deleting them without reading them.
His neg stated I took his money and didn't ship. Of course, I only had a couple of feedbacks at that time so it looked bad but didn't hurt my sales because back then I sold 100% of anything I threw out there. Boy, those were the days!
Anyway, a couple of weeks later he had the MO returned to him. The postage had gone up in January and he had not added the penny postage. We couldn't even respond to feedbacks back then so there it sits, along with that ugly red 1 forever and ever
Of course, it will probably be joined by others someday as I keep reading how the newbies today seem to love to leave negs and neutrals. I've just been lucky with getting great buyers for the most part.
posted on December 17, 2002 02:34:30 PM new
I have left 4852 and have 3677. I don't have a feedback rule, sometimes I leave it first other times last. Just depends on when I get to it.
posted on December 17, 2002 10:02:16 PM new
The less said the better,,,,,,,I was well over 200 before I even knew what feed back was,,,,,,had no problems, then someone begged for feed back and told me about it.......just sell,,,,,,that feed back is nothing but a knife in the back or an ego game......what is your Mission on e bay,,,feeds or sales? Sales! who cares if you ever get a feed back? they bought from you with a 0 and shades,,,,right? less IS better.
posted on December 18, 2002 06:23:59 AM new
I'll chime in on this.
I've left 517 feedbacks. I've received 339. So that's 66%, roughly.
I always leave feedback to buyers as I ship, and I do it through AW. I basically fire off options 5, 6, and 7 all at once; it's too easy not to. My shipment notice suggests feedback if the recipient is happy with the purchase, but I don't nag about it.
And if someone stiffs me, I ALWAYS neg along with the NPB. If they neg me back, I'll respond to the neg. I don't stress it. Only 2 negs, none in the past six months, so it doesn't bother me. I do think the system is useful, and if I am buying I ALWAYS check the feedback of the seller. If someone negged the seller, I check the feedback of THAT person, to see if there's a pattern.
If I was a retailer, I'd never get this kind of information from my customers. I value it. If I'm doing something wrong, I want to know about it. If I'm doing something right, I want to know too.
they actually say something... different, or even mentions my name...
