The last few purchases I've made did not receive feedback. I always wait until I receive an item and feedback before giving any, but it's just not happening lately. Is it just an odd run or are things changing?
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The last few purchases I've made did not receive feedback. I always wait until I receive an item and feedback before giving any, but it's just not happening lately. Is it just an odd run or are things changing?
I've left over 100 to folks who didn't reciprocate. Most do but some aren't wired that way. :shrug:
Hart to you mean in the classifieds here or eBay? I've been guilty before on this forums' classifieds from just not remembering, no harm intended. I'd forget on eBay too if I didn't get a reminder.
I've had people remind me to leave feedback and I've done the same. I actually appreciate the reminder cause I just forget.
I have the same problem on the bay. People just don't leave feedback. I sure would like to know if they are satisfied with the razors I sell.
I will send them a message asking if there is a reason they had not left feedback. I also do not give feedback until they do so for me.
It seems to work well for me
From an occasional seller's point of view ....... used to be if the buyer left a neutral or negative the seller could respond in kind. Then, because that feedback policy discouraged buyers from leaving a negative, for fear of reprisal from the seller, ebay changed it to where sellers can only leave positive feedback regardless.
My philosophy has always been that the deal, from the seller's point of view, isn't complete until the buyer expresses satisfaction with the item, either by message or by feedback. At that point I'd leave feedback. I know some feel that if you've paid you've done your part, but to me, when the item is accepted as satisfactory, only then is it a done deal.
As a buyer I used to just leave feedback. After over 100 non reciprocated positives I began checking the person's "feedback left for others" and if it wasn't as many, or more, feedbacks left as received I don't leave feedback initially.
Finally, until I get a positive from a buyer I'm not inclined to leave feedback for fear the buyer will leave a negative/neutral following my positive. In over 300 sales and many more purchases I've never had a negative or a neutral BTW. So I'm paranoid maybe but that is my policy.
Never having sold anything I had no idea this was the case. It surprises me so, I have to ask again, if this is indeed the situation, that as a seller you can't leave negative feedback? If so, as a buyer the feeling of being at a feedback standoff, is pointless. When we are satisfied we should give positive feedback regardless of receiving it.
Yep it's pretty annoying when someone doesn't leave feedback, I have my own policy on this and I've been buying and selling with an Ebay account and using Paypal since 2004 with 100% feedback, my policy is as a seller if you make a purchase and a instant payment to me I leave you instant positive feedback, but whenever I make a purchase I expect the same from the seller, we all have no control over the postal service so I always use signed for then, If the seller doesn't leave me feedback first even if the item arrives and everything is OK I will not leave them feedback, this should be one of Ebay policies to explain to sellers it's your duty to leave feedback first If they have received an instant payment.
I don't worry too much about it. I will give an additional reminder and then I walk away. As a buyer and seller I try to leave feedback irregardless of what the other person does. That's just me.
I think most see it as a waste of time. I always try to leave feedback, I figure if I received what I thought I was getting, and as described they deserve good feedback weather I'm happy or not with it. I consider it my duty as a buyer. I look at it this way, if you had a good experience you should let other potential buyers know that, and when you have a bad experience you should let them know that too. I base who I buy from on their feedback. As a seller I would think it would be very important information for my continued success.
As a buyer on ebay I've given 100% feedback, as a seller I'm lucky to get 50%. Same or less on Etsy or here
We all come to our own conclusions on ebay etiquette. I have 1,754 positive feedbacks on ebay since 1999, no negative/neutrals and 327 as a seller. I have left 1,856 for others, so 102 buyers or sellers did not reciprocate. That became enough for me to wait for the feedback before I leave one. As many as I have, I no longer care if I receive any more. At least from the point of view of establishing credibility.
If a buyer pays for the item that is only the beginning of the transaction AFAIC. I have to fulfill the rest of my part by packing the item well, and by shipping it expeditiously. The buyer's remaining part to complete the transaction is to express satisfaction. They don't have to leave feedback but they do have to let me know they are okay with it. I'll not leave a positive only to receive a negative in return. I'd rather receive none at all.
Wouldn't you receive a negative either way? If so why not leave a positive based on the others merits instead of waiting? I'm not trying to disagree here only understand. I leave positive for positive experience and negative for negative experience and if they want they can do the same. If someone was unhappy with me as a seller but I received promt payment and they were a good buyer wouldn't I expect to to receive negative feedback while giving them positive feedback? What am I missing here?
Another depressing aspect of eBay feedback is those who wait until they have a dozen-or-more feedbacks to leave, before leaving any -- and then do so all at once... and each one is always a duplicate of the others. If someone is going to use "canned feedback", at least have a variety from which to choose, and use all of 'em! (and be creative, too) :)
The way I see it feedback is a courtesy and not an absolute requirement.
I am mostly a buyer and I never check as to whether the seller has left feedback.
I go into Ebay about once a week or so and catch up on any feedback that I haven't left.
I choose to be courteous but I also understand that this isn't a perfect world and not everyone will return a courtesy.
I refuse to let the indifference of others be an excuse to be indifferent myself.
Not necessarily. One reason I've never received a negative is that I've never left anyone 'holding the bag.' Once I sold a collectible Case XX knife and truly didn't notice the hairline crack at the center rivet. The buyer emailed as soon as he received it and I immediately told him to return it for full refund + shipping both ways.
I always pay for what I bought promptly and always stand behind what I sell. So no reason to receive a negative. However, someone new to ebay might have a hair trigger and leave one before they notify a seller of any dissatisfaction. Anyway, as I said before, paying for the item is supposed to be a given, AFAIC it ain't over until it is over, and that is when both parties are agreed that it was a satisfactory transaction. YMMV.
I tend to sell in spurts separated by years. I used to think once a buyer pays that's the end for them but I have learned to wait a bit if I'm selling because I've had instances where folks have claimed non receipt where they have received it and instances where weeks later some have complained about this or that. So I'll wait a "reasonable" amount of time before leaving feedback. Of course with a razor you know right away if it's acceptable. I also sell watches and it's gets complicated with them.
On the other side I've had plenty of instances where they buyer did not leave feedback. I'd be willing to bet there is a pretty consistent percentage. With me it's been around 15%.
Maybe why, if both of you are waiting for each other :<0)
I only buy (and pay within seconds) and I leave feedback when I get the item. I also send a note to the seller letting them know I got it and thank them. The sellers pay from e-bay can be delayed, from what I understand, due to too much negative. This may also cost more in percentage unless those were old comments I read about the good ole' Bay. I am buying and could care less about the feedback I receive and I also refuse to do business with sellers that hold feedback until they get it.
I have started to look for feedback from sellers before I leave mine. I never leave bad feedback. Wouldn't unless the item was misrepresented and the seller refused to take it back.
If I went into a store to buy something and the cashier said I had to leave positive feedback before he bagged my item, I would leave them holding the item.
After reading this I had to go check my eBay account
I have never sold on eBay but
In 8 years I have never missed giving feed back but have not received from 8 sellers looking at the stats
I wait until I receive the item and if all is good leave my feed back if an issue I can't act the seller via email and work it out.
I have only had 2 issues in this time, 1 was a cracked blade last year that the seller discounted when I informed him so I left the same "AAA+ Easy eBayer" response as I do for all
The other many years ago I had to go to dispute res as the seller only sent me half of my order then denied it so my response was negative and that half order was received refused communication
There is no reason not to leave feed back I believe
I also dis agree with the you must leave pos feed back as a buyer, if I didn't pay or messed a buyer around I would expect the feed back to be true for other sellers as well as buyers
Been a bit fumed this week about this exact issue! I always pay within hours of winning an auction. I get the emails on my phone an can do paypal also. This past week I won an auction. Paid immediately an upon safe arrival an inspection I left positive feedback. Been almost a week an no reply feedback given. It is frustrating an I think I will start using the once it is left I will leave method if need be. For the most part I haven't had this issue. Its just bad business IMHO to not have it work both ways.
I haven't bought off ebay for a long-ish time now. But to be frank, the feedback system seemed a bit forced. All I ever got from sellers was the generic "great ebayer A++++++++++++" basically. On the odd occasions that I actually looked at a seller's feedback before I bought, it was generally the same thing: a generic "good seller A+++++" or whatever.
Not that I'm saying the feedback system is a bad idea, just that maybe people are a bit over the fairly uninformative nature of it on standard (no screw-up) transactions.
James.
Yes, that is the case. Ebay sellers can only leave positive feedback or none at all. If the buyer doesn't pay for a certain peiod the seller can open a non-paying bidder case, get his ebay fees back and can relist the item again. I think ebay puts a black mark on the buyer and if it's a pattern they could kick him out, though I suspect it takes a lot getting to that point since ebay wants more buyers bidding to higher prices resulting in higher fees.
I think it's best to simply recognize what that feedback system is and isn't and one wouldn't worry too much about it.
Ditto that. I left feedback for a guy who bought an escher one time, I noted its issues and when he got it he said he was very happy with it for the price (it wasn't falling apart or anything, just a couple of hairline cracks).
About a week later, he sends me a message and tells me that he was happy with it but his wife wasn't. I left him feedback initially because he paid right away. He said he was going to be lenient and not leave negative feedback until he checked with me to see if I'd give his money back. I did, but thought it was a real d--k move to be OK with something and then use your wife as an excuse because you didn't want to spend the money.
After that, no positive feedback.
There's one thing that's true about ebay, you could be selling to someone who is crazy or has no judgement, and you won't know until after the sale when they bring up stuff like that.
Still, that's one in about 50 for me on selling stuff (I've probably only sold 50 things).
They will eventually nail people who don't follow the rules.
The feedback system has been engineered now to make sure the maximum # of sales are made, at least the rules around it. So you're right, it's a tool for them to foster sales and not system. It's been tuned up by the marketing department, I guess.
Truth is, with ebay/paypal rules, the buyer has 45 days to open a dispute. I usually leave the $ in there at least until I hear from the buyer, through feedback or direct message, that they are okay with the transaction. Still it is a hassle. A lot of stuff now I'm just going to Craigslist, or for firearms, Florida Gun Trader. I'd rather do stuff face to face and not worry about fees, disputes opened weeks later.
Ebay reminds me of the scene in "The Magnificent Seven", where Steve McQueen is telling about the guy who says he is going to the poker game. His friend says, "The game is crooked." His buddy replies, "I know, but it's the only game in town."
So ebay isn't quite the only game, but for most things close to it. I look upon the fees, the hassle of occasional returns as the cost of doing business. Twenty thirty years ago selling "used" stuff was almost always at a loss. Since the computer, the WWW, now we are selling "vintage collectibles." ;)
I always provide feedback.
Given I have received one first.
This as I am always the buyer, never a seller.
My job as a buyer, as I see it, is that I need to do one single thing, namely pay promptly.
Once that is done, I expect feedback as swiftly as I did my part of the job.
Furthermore I am a bit more prone to giving neutral and even negative feedback than most it seems.
If shipping is slower than agreed upon, or priced higher, neutral it is.
Same with issues of the product.
Even minor ones.
On occasion I have even declined a full refund just to be able to leave my honest feedback of a seller.
Those incidents gave me a feeling of people trying to sell down or even minimize an actual problem just to close a deal.
That when they should, and most likely did, know the products had issues.
Loosing a few pennies in those instances was well worth it, just to try and perhaps make them be more honest in their presentation of their products in the future..
B, the idealistic socialist;)
I've sold and bought on eBay and always receive and send feedback. I haven't seen a "no feedback" trend.
If I'm the buyer, then I send feedback after receiving the item. If I'm the seller, then I send feedback after the buyer sends feedback.
I sometimes get e-mails from sellers (companies) thanking me for the purchase and requesting feedback on the transaction. This is something that I would probably do if I sold something and didn't receive feedback from a buyer.
Not to beat a dead horse .......... :deadhorse: but ........... how does paying for the item immediately, or within the time the $ are due as noted in the seller's listing, deserve a positive feedback when the transaction isn't complete until the buyer accepts the item ? I just cannot wrap my mind around that. Seems to me the transaction is incomplete until both parties are in agreement. YMMV obviously. :chapeau
Buy what you please from whomever you please. My 327 + sales have all been satisfactory and I've never received a negative. We agree to disagree. I understand a buyer's perspective that all they are required to do is pay for the item. That is a given ........ indeed they are, and from a seller's experience I can say that they don't always do so. AFAIC a deal is a deal when it is consumated. Both parties having fulfilled their part of what ebay calls a contract. From my perspective the deal isn't consumated until both parties agree that the contract was fulfilled on both ends.
BTW, I recently paid for an item that cost $50.00 USD to ship. It was not as described. I notified the seller, who allowed returns, buyer pays all shipping, and said I expected a full refund including return shipping. Paypal will stick with the buyer on the intitial shipping but not on the return. The seller refunded the full amount + the $50 return shipping. I left them a positive feedback. The transaction was complete.
As someone who buys 5 for every 1 that I sell, I never leave feedback until the buyer is happy solely because of the flakey buyers who think that a no-return auction somehow translates to amazon's return policy via ebay seller. As a buyer, I always do my feedback in bunches. when I notice i haven't done it for a while, I go and do it. I always eventually leave positive feedback for anyone who holds up their end of the deal.
While that seemed like a win win and everyone walked away happy, I think that it might be a tad short-sighted.
And most definitely not the place to leave positive feedback at all.
After all, you tried to buy something you wanted and payed 50 bucks for it.
In the end you had to box the thing up, send emails or claims or whatever, head down the post office to return what you bought.
And sit there left with nada..
With the right seller, all you have achieved is give him the opportunity to find another sucker for that product.
I've seen that happen first hand.
It's not possible to change the world single-handedly, I know.
But if we all leave positive feedback left, right and center, we will always have the ebay we have today where every experienced user will warn almost all new people to stay away.
Not ideal imo.
Most any seller on the bay has 100% positive feedback.
On paper then it seems like the only place in the entire world that has such wonderful and standup people.
It feels safe to say that we all know how true that is..
Thank you Birnando, from Oslo, Norway.
All of which the buyer has paid for. Of course you have to fulfill that part as agreed upon or there is no transaction. I understand you have sold a lot and feedback is important to you but in my mind once the money and product are exchanged that is the end of the transaction. Anything else is a nicety. Cashiers and store managers don't wonder if people are satisfied with their products after they get home and use/open them. They don't have to because the buyer will either try to return the item or not.
Personally I would be much more inclined to leave feedback if I wasn't required to write something. As has been mentioned; most of the written feedback is generic because you have to write something. I think leaving a rating should be enough unless something unusual happens. Unusual meaning something unexpected. If an item is paid for and received; that is what is supposed to happen and is not unusual. As a buyer I am fine with not receiving feedback. It doesn't matter to me because I don't imagine the seller is looking at my feedback in order to decide whether or not to send the item that I have purchased.
That being said I wouldn't leave negative feedback without contacting the seller first to try to resolve the issue.
I don't mean any offense to those of you who hold the opposing view.
Just my take,an eBayer for around 14 years, with a 100% rating. One or the other has to go first with feedback. How to decide who goes first? Hmm, I say the first to complete their part of the bargain gets the first feedback. In my humble view when the buyer pays he has fulfilled his end of the deal, unless like some EBay sellers the fine print says they have to kiss my RRA before I leave feedback.
When I sell something the buyer gets my positive feedback just as soon as they have paid. When I buy and the item is received in good shape, timely, I check to see if the seller has left me feedback for promptly fulfilling my duty as a buyer - that is, pay up. If the seller has not, they. get none. And if their 'bot sends me a message demanding feedback, they get a carefully worded neutral.
I agree that feedback on both sides should jot be a requirement. I saw one seller who threatened repercussions to anyone leaving negative feedback. Really? If you are a pain on the groin then you should expect negative feedback and to avoid that you should try to do the best that you can. As a buyer and a seller. Don't demand that I leave you positive feedback. Remind me yes but it's not a requirement. Of course that's my opinion. I still do business with people who have 90% positive anyways. One or two bad transactions out of a thousand does not mean much to me. Two bad ones out of ten? Yeah I am not even looking any further.
I bought a Microscope for 450 dollars, and paid 50 for shipping and insurance. It arrived in a thin walled cardboard box, with a single strip of low density foam on the bottom for cushioning.
Scope was broken off at the base, and the optics were broken in 3 places too. Not only that, but the seller never bothered to insure the package.
No deal is done, until the merchandise is in the buyers hands, and in the condition expected. Plain and simple. Care to take a wild guess what kind of feedback I gave them?
Did you contact them? Did they refund your money?