Ebay feedback question

[cinmell]

Do you have to leave feedback for the seller/buyer? I left feedback for my seller and they haven't left any for me and I know they received the package due to delivery confirmation. I'm just wondering if it's required or what the time limit may be to leave feedback.

Thank you!

 

[JacquiBee]

You are not required to leave feedback on eBay, but most people do. And I think you have up to 90 days to leave it. You can always email them and remind them to leave you feedback.

 

[JerJan]

I, as the seller, usually will not leave feedback for anyone until they have left feedback for me after they have received their purchase. I usually leave feedback for the seller (if I made the purchase) as soon as I have received my item. I sell alot on eBay and at times it can take me up to 10 business days before I leave feedback, I generally only do that 2 to 4 times a month.

 

[lmountford]

Do you mean you left feedback for your buyer? I just wondered because of the reference to delivery confirmation. Leaving feedback isnt compulsory. Many traders, mainly sellers, don't leave feedback until the trading partner has done so first so they can be sure the partner was satisfied . They then retain the ability to give negative feedback regarding any disagreement etc.
Hope this helps a tiny bit

 

[cinmell]

WOW, you guys are quick! Thank you for your responses!

 

[swilshire]

I confess to often being very slow to leave feedback. I'm often away or just busy and sometimes the package will sit for a while before I have time to open it. I do leave feedback when I get around to it, but I'm not usually very quick to do so.

A seller recently ask me to leave feedback and I have not bothered to look up the auction and do it. That wasn't the highest item on my priority list that day.

If a seller inquires as to whether I have received the item and all is in good condition, I'll answer honestly if I don't know yet and explain why. If I get time, I'll try to figure out the answer.

Sheila

 

[pyrxtc]

It really irks me when people don't leave feedback. If you are the seller, you should leave feedback as soon as payment is received. That IS what you're leaving feedback on anyways, how quickly they paid and how communicable they are. So not right to wait. I have a buyer right now who has not left feedback and one who finally lefyt feedback after me contacting them twice to make sure they got item. i'm still waiting on the other even though I know it was delivered.

 

[mom2lilandem]

I HATE sellers who don't leave buyer feedback immediately after receiving payment. You know the ones... the ones that wait to see what kind of feedback you leave them? It drives me absolutely bonkers. They should be leaving feedback based on how quickly they received payment not waiting to make sure you say something nice about them first.

 

[christinadei]

I HATE sellers who don't leave buyer feedback immediately after receiving payment. You know the ones... the ones that wait to see what kind of feedback you leave them? It drives me absolutely bonkers. They should be leaving feedback based on how quickly they received payment not waiting to make sure you say something nice about them first.

Me too! When I sell stuff, I leave feedback as soon as I'm paid. Sellers are supposed to leave feedback based on how the buyer communicated adn paid, not based on what the buyer left for them.

 

[welovedis]

Well, I'm one of those sellers who doesn't leave FB until I know you received the item & are pleased with the transaction outcome. I used to leave FB immediately after receiving payment, but honestly, that is not the end of the transaction, IMO. I don't wait for buyers to leave FB and then leave it, but if that is the way that they communicate that they received the item and the transaction is done, then I do leave FB afterwards.

In my packages I include my card and state the following:
"Thanks for your purchase of the following item(s):
eBay #
I appreciate your prompt payment and hope you are pleased with your purchase. Once I know the transaction has been completed to your satisfaction, I will be happy to leave feedback on eBay.
Sincerely,"

I've heard from many sellers (on the eBay discussion boards) who leave positive FB and then feel as though the buyers can then hold their FB hostage, trying to demanding partial refunds or other things that can be a pain to deal with. While I've been lucky in that regard I do feel that the transaction is over when the buyer says "I'm pleased with what I got" or "we need to work something out in regard to a refund" or whatever.

I know others feel differently, but that is what I do personally. I don't hold FB over someone's head, but I am aware that there are many scammers out there who would think nothing of damaging a seller's good reputation.

eBay also acknowledges that FB is not mandatory and no one is required to leave it for any transaction.

 

[graygables]

I agree with Karen. The transaction is NOT complete until the item has arrived in good condition and the buyer is satisfied. The feedback is related to the entire transaction, not just the buyer's payment. I've had a few situations that I'm certain I would have received negative feedback (postal issues that were eventually resolved) if I had already left them positive, but the potential of them also receiving negative feedback from me was enough of a deterrent. Some people just are not reasonable to deal with, or downright cheat, so as a seller, I wait until it's all done and good.

 

[paladin]

Not to hijack this thread, but I have a question. Let me start by saying that I have never bought or sold on Ebay, however I do read all of the Ebay threads here on the board. Since I see so many threads about feedback and people holding off or adding retaliatory feedback or giving good feedback because they are afraid not to, how can you trust any feedback that you see? It makes me leery about starting to buy because it appears that even good feedback doesn't mean what it says. Is there anything to look for when first starting out?

 

[kelleigh1]

I HATE sellers who don't leave buyer feedback immediately after receiving payment. You know the ones... the ones that wait to see what kind of feedback you leave them? It drives me absolutely bonkers. They should be leaving feedback based on how quickly they received payment not waiting to make sure you say something nice about them first.

I could not agree more!!!!

There is the option to respond to feedback after the fact, so there is no need for a seller to insist that a buyer leave their feedback first. If you know that you did everything accordingly and the buyer paid in a timely fashion, then leave feedback to that effect. As a buyer, if something was wrong during shipping, I'm not likely to just leave negative feedback, I'm going to contact you to work it out first. If negative feedback is left for you after that, then you have the chance to comment to it.

 

[DianeV]

The follow up wont help if there is a real problem because it just gets lost in the feedback. I also dont leave feedback until I know the buyer has received the item and is happy with it and has left mine. I have been burned by leaving it first and then having a nut buyer leave a negative for a stupid reason.

Feedback is voluntary in the first place and I personally dont feel the buyer is only obligated to pay to get good feedback

 

[graygables]

I could not agree more!!!!

There is the option to respond to feedback after the fact, so there is no need for a seller to insist that a buyer leave their feedback first. If you know that you did everything accordingly and the buyer paid in a timely fashion, then leave feedback to that effect. As a buyer, if something was wrong during shipping, I'm not likely to just leave negative feedback, I'm going to contact you to work it out first. If negative feedback is left for you after that, then you have the chance to comment to it.

Even if you leave a comment, your feedback score is still damaged and cannot be repaired. It's not just about the buyer paying, it's about the complete transacation, payment, communication, etc. The buyer needs to be the one to acknowledge the completion of the transaction with their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The only time I leave feedback first is when there has been a NPB.

To answer the validity of feedback, you can often tell by reading how the transactions were (not everyone uses a canned response). One of my potential negatives finally left me positive feedback, but her comment was "OK". If I see a comment like that, then I know that there were likely some issues with the transaction, but they were eventually resolved. She also received feedback from me, that was positive, but the tone indicated that she was a picky buyer.

My Rules when buying/selling on eBay: use PayPal if at all possible, always buy insurance, always use delivery confirmation, and be VERY careful when shipping internationally (customs forms).

 

[kelleigh1]

I still don't understand why you would wait until after the buyer posts feedback first.

I was going to post an example, but since I've never left negative feedback, it's tough for me to come up with one. It just really comes across as though the seller wants to make sure I'm going to leave them positive feedback first.

If you sold me the item and I did everything you requested as far as payment goes, then that's what I should be judged on.

And for the record, I've been both a buyer and seller on ebay.

 

[welovedis]

As a buyer, if something was wrong during shipping, I'm not likely to just leave negative feedback, I'm going to contact you to work it out first. If negative feedback is left for you after that, then you have the chance to comment to it.

You may not be likely to leave negative FB but there are many people who wouldn't think twice about leaving a neg and then emailing the seller to work it out. Either they don't know better, or who knows what but that would be troublesome.

Responding to a FB has no effect on your overall score so there is no recourse to a "nut" buyer (as some of us have had them) that there is no pleasing after the fact.

I do think the FB system is severly flawed, but eBay is no hurry to fix it. As a seller I look at my buyer's FB to see if there is a pattern of non-payment that I need to be aware of. As a buyer, I read plenty of my seller's FB to make sure they are someone that I would do business with. I often read "me" page and even look at the tone of the pos FB to see if there are issues. Also, I ask a question (if necessary) and see if I even get a response and what the tone of the response is. That is how I base my decision to purchase/not purchase.

IMO FB is left (on both sides) when the transaction is done. Just because a customer pays doesn't mean the deal is finished. When the package arrives and they are pleased, or not pleased an a "meeting of the minds" takes place, then it is completed. A buyer can easily initiate a chargeback or file a complaint with PayPal and as a seller I would be remiss if I prematurely labeled someone as a "great buyer" if they were not after they received the item. Many people on the eBay boards talk about those who complain about an item after the receive it--sometimes just because they didn't bother to read the description thoroughly or didn't like that they had to pay a handling cost--even if it is spelled out in the auction. If someone decides to leave a neg for a seller over an item like that and the seller has already left a pos FB then it makes the seller look bad thru no fault of their own.

 

[welovedis]

And just to clarify I don't wait until they leave FB, I wait until I know they received their package and are pleased. If the way I find that out is by them leaving pos FB, then that is their choice If I found out by a quick "got it, love it, thanks" email, then I will leave my FB and hope they do the same.

Obviously you have you interpretation of the end of the transaction & so do I. GL with your eBaying!

 

[lmountford]

There is more to being an acceptable buyer than just communicating / paying. Some buyers , like some sellers, can be genuinely unfair / dishonest.
The opportunity to respond to a negative feedback doesn't raise a traders positive feedback percentage again and this is a particularly important figure to sellers because it affects buyers willngness to bid. However I also think part of the problem with the feedback system is that I am tempted to accept a poor deal quietly rather than be totally upfront in my feedback and risk losing my 100% to retaliatory . It's a bit of a conundrum really.

I also often think responding to feedback can turn into pointless because unprovable claim and counter claim. I also find I tend to disbelieve the side with the crude language

 

[tlbwriter]

I still don't understand why you would wait until after the buyer posts feedback first.

Because that is how they officially notify you, and eBay, that the transaction is finished and they are satisfied. The buyer has the last word when it comes to the transaction being complete. That's why no one, buyer or seller, should leave feedback until the last person in the chain, the buyer, officially says everything went as expected.