Thoughts on eBay feedback

[Bernie]

Ok, a lot of us here use eBay for getting some of the things we want, selling the stuff we no longer want/need, ect...  I use eBay quite a bit for buying, and from time to time I will list things for sale.  I have found, as a buyer, that many sellers will not leave feedback until you as the buyer leave feedback first.  Now, is that not ass backwards?  If you as the buyer pay as you should have, should not have the seller left feedback directly afterwards?  When I do sell things, I always leave feedback once payment has been made.  The only reason I can think of that I wouldn't is to be sure I am left positive feedback, before I will post in return.  This may seem like a small and trivial issue, but think about it a second.  Say there is an issue with the item.  Now we have to get through that process.  If for whatever reason a solution cannot be reached, the buyer just lost out on feedback that he/she deserved.  I am not saying that this is the only reason sellers don't leave feedback immediately, but I am sure there are a portion that do wait til feedback is left.

Now, my whole reason for this, is I got something today from eBay.  Its in great shape, and works perfectly.  I couldn't be more pleased.  I paid as soon as I purchased the item, and it shipped the following day.  So, why has the seller not left feedback in this case?  Part of me wants to refuse to leave feedback until I am left feedback first.  Another part of me says, hell with it.  I guess its the point of it that bothers me.  Anyone else here share the same feelings?

[SuperDeadite]

Well these days ebay sellers have like zero protection from buyers.  I'd assume if you instantly left good feedback for a buyer and then he decided do to the old "not delivered as described" scam, the seller is fucked.  If you wait to get good feedback from a buyer, you are probably safe.

[Bernie]

Well these days ebay sellers have like zero protection from buyers.  I'd assume if you instantly left good feedback for a buyer and then he decided do to the old "not delivered as described" scam, the seller is fucked.  If you wait to get good feedback from a buyer, you are probably safe.

Yeah, I didnt think of that.  I guess I should also consider that sometimes the buyer is a cheat as well.

[NecroPhile]

Right, S.D. - the seller's only recourse is to withhold feedback when some clown gives 'em unfair feedback or tries to run a scam.

[kamiboy]

I only leave feedback when I receive the package. I actually use that feedback icon to keep an eye on which of my purchased items are still on their way to me whenever I buy a lot of things.

[Ji-L87]

I only leave feedback when I receive the package. I actually use that feedback icon to keep an eye on which of my purchased items are still on their way to me whenever I buy a lot of things.

This pretty much. I give feedback when I get the packet and can inspect it. I don't mind if the seller waits for me leave feedback before he/she leaves theirs. That way, it should be easer to solve troubles as well. Before anyone leaves any feedback :p

[roflmao]

As a seller, I try to leave positive feedback as soon as payment has been received.  I've never had someone try to scam me, so don't put much thought into it. 

When I list something, though, I usually take multiple large pictures of the item(s) listed and also leave a fairly detailed description and reason why I'm selling, so people don't think I'm just trying to unload junk.  Of course, when I'm unloading junk, I make sure that's clear in the message too.

Still, there are a few buyers who never get around to leaving any sort of feedback.  I guess that just comes with the territory.

[VestCunt]

Still, there are a few buyers who never get around to leaving any sort of feedback.  I guess that just comes with the territory.

I'm one of those. I haven't bothered with feedback for years unless the buyer/seller requests it or it was an unusual situation.

[PCEngineHell]

Right, S.D. - the seller's only recourse is to withhold feedback when some clown gives 'em unfair feedback or tries to run a scam.

Basically yeah. As a seller I don't leave feedback when the person pays. I wait until the item has been delivered, and the buyer leaves me feedback letting me know the item has arrived fine and nothing else is needed of my services. The transaction does not totally end for me until I know the customers goods arrived and they are pleased. Even back in the day when I did leave buyers feedback when I got their payment, half the time they never bothered to leave feedback in kind anyway, same as now. Ebays current feedback system is broken at any rate, in regards to sellers when they have to deal with problematic buyers and scammers. When someone does leave me feedback, I simply reply with one acknowledging they paid, A+++ and leave it at that.

If I buy anything on there, its usually me as the buyer leaving the feedback first after the item arrives and checks out ok, which is how I prefer it since its the policy I go by as a seller. Like myself, I'd rather the seller wait until I know the item has arrived and checks out ok. If not, then we both can wait to leave feedback until we have worked together to resolve any problems.

Just to add to this conversation, I would like to add that as a seller I had a feedback issue with a buyer last week. Before the computer was shipped they contacted me saying it was for their brothers birthday and was checking to see if it had shipped as they need it fast. I explained my shipping time, which was stated in my auction details. They paid for Parcel Post shipping only. I shipped the item out on time and it was delivered in the stated time frame. Upon delivery they claimed a item included with a computer they purchased was defective. It was a brand new and sealed mouse by GE. I offered to replace the mouse if they returned the defective one, which would have been 2 bucks to return to me, or that if they wanted to buy one locally I would cover the cost of the one they bought, and pay for the return shipping of the defective mouse back to me after it has arrived.

They went nuclear over this, demanding over and over again I just send them one no questions ask, also adding I took 11 days to ship the computer out, which I didn't (as tracking proved), then threatened to leave me negative feedback if I didn't on their 5th message back to me. In their messages to me they basically let it slip out that the computer was for them, not some magical BD gift for their brother. After making the replacement offers over and over again, and getting that one message which was basically feedback extortion, I told them I would be publicly blacklisting their ebay id on DP and elsewhere since they mainly dealt in classic gaming stuff and I'd rather no one else goes through what I did with them.

Later that evening I had seen they had set their feedback to private so no one could see it, and left me a negative. I called ebay, 2 reps who handle feedback issues reviewed the inbox messages, saw that I offered two replacement options, both in line with ebays suggested methods for the such, and saw that the buyer was basically just demanding a extra item for free and threatened negative feedback if I did not comply. They chalked it up to extortion and removed the feedback the buyer left me while I was on the phone with them.

Now, I'm not accusing the buyer of lying about the mouse being defective, but I explained to them that they needed to return it so I could replace it and be reimbursed myself for the defective item, as it was purchased new retail. The buyer was going ape shit over what really amounted to a small matter. After the buyer had seen that the negative they left me was removed they opened a buyer dispute at about 1AM, and in it they were verbally lashing out at ebay for removing the feedback, saying they will close up all their accounts, etc because ebay didn't let her give me a negative and because I wouldn't send another mouse no questions asked. As I was typing up a reply to the buyer dispute which I planned to escalate myself, it was suddenly closed by the buyer. A few mins later I received another message from another ebay id whose feedback was also set to private, stating:

"Dear professorprofessorson,

i am apologizing to you for my mom she is ravingpatty she got some mental problems but she had no right to hassle you i made her close case she opened she wont bother you no more computer is fine mouse didnt work but i found another mouse and computer works good shes been making mountains out of mollhills with everything and everyone latly not just i apologize she opened case but we closed it and her feedback was already removed
if she bothers you again please let me know on this account name numisdork
thank you for good working computer and again sorry for her behavior robert

- numisdork"

I didn't bother to reply back to him. Needless to say, this is exactly why sellers should not leave feedback first. Let it be a cautionary tale for the naive, as there really truly are bat shit crazy buyers out there. Eventually when I get the chance I will log into DP and elsewhere and post about it on the ebay blacklist thread, etc.

[Bernie]

Wow.  Some people are just nuts.  Sure has made me look at my point of view differently.  I guess I have gotten lucky when it comes to things like that on eBay.

[rag-time4]

I totally agree with teh Prof that as a seller, the transaction isnt complete until the buyer has goods in hand and is pleased. As a seller, I always wait for positive feedback from the buyer before leaving feedback. As a buyer I try to be very conscientious about leaving feedback, though usually I let it build up and bang em all out at once.

[Tatsujin]

/common-sense.jpg

[SMF]

When i sell on ebay i normaly will leave feedback when the seller does and i list that in my ebay listing. Listing Baby clothes in bulk seem to sell better then one at a time lol but anyways i have sold many items that i get no feedback at all even after i have left them feedback wich is why i changed the way i do it now.

When i buy something i will leave feedback after i receive it and everything seems to be ok. But if they charged me too much monies for shipping i will try to include that in the feedback. Dvd got here quickly works fine but $6 for shipping seemed a tad high for me. Something like that.

[Ji-L87]

I think the fact that anything lower than 5 is bad feedback is a bit weird though. I understand that every seller wants a full 5, and that's usually what I give 'em, but c'mon, a 4 isn't that bad, is it? It feels a bit like how anything less than a 9 or a 10 for a modern game is a "bad" score. Yes, I'm talking about the "hate out of ten"-thing that occurs every now and then...

Of course I understand that anything less than 5 will have a negative impact on their overall feedback percentage but, that's a bit flawed as well.
/rant