Ebay - feedback for buyers?

ellay864

Just wondered, if you are selling something on Ebay, would you leave feedback for a buyer. I don't mean if there's a problem, I mean generally. Or if you buy would you expect/want to receive feedback?
I buy more than I sell on Ebay, when I win I pay promptly and I always leave feedback for sellers, but it seems that lately many sellers don't leave feedback. I know that as a potential buyer it's probably feedback to a seller thats more valuable but it does bug me sometimes that my score nowhere near reflects the fact that I have had many successful transactions on Ebay.
I'm not sure which annoys me most - people who just don't leave any feedback, or the sellers who have asked me to leave feedback on the item with the added note that once I've done that they'll leave feedback for me. Sorry but if I bid properly and pay instantly I've carried out my bit of the deal regardless of whether I like the item and am pleased with the service from the seller.
Sorry - just needed to vent a little!

donnac2558

I have never sold on ebay, but always leave feedback. I have always received feedback, but sometimes its a long time coming. I just notice my number counter has suddenly gone up ages after I bought anything.

kermitfrog

As a buyer and seller on ebay, my rule is that the buyer should always leave feedback first.

If the buyer is satisfied with their purchase, the transaction is finished for them and they can leave feedback. The seller doesn't know the transaction is successfully concluded until they receive the feedback.

I always operate by this rule whether I'm buying or selling. I've had my fingers burnt in the past as a seller when I've left positive feedback first, and then been held to ransom by a vexatious buyer threatening feedback extortion.

Azari

kermitfrog wrote: »

As a buyer and seller on ebay, my rule is that the buyer should always leave feedback first.

This is a 'rule' made up by sellers in the days when sellers could leave -ve feedback for the buyer.

It created a 'cheat's charter' where buyers did not dare leave a rogue seller a -ve because they knew they would get a retalliatory neg themselves.

Fleabay would never bother to police the system (i.e. take the trouble to remove unwarranted -ve feedback by bad sellers) but after a great deal of complaining from customers removed the ability of sellers to leave -ve feedback.

This effectively means that a buyer's feedback is worth little as any bad behaviour on their part won't show up. It just demonstrates that they've completed a certain number of transactions to the various seller's satisfaction.

If the buyer is satisfied with their purchase, the transaction is finished for them and they can leave feedback. The seller doesn't know the transaction is successfully concluded until they receive the feedback.

Yeah, that was the mantra trotted out by sellers whenever anyone complained about them not leaving feedback until they had seen what they were getting. It's not a wholly unreasonable stance from good sellers but it did act to protect and shield the rogues which is why fleabay changed the system.

I always operate by this rule whether I'm buying or selling. I've had my fingers burnt in the past as a seller when I've left positive feedback first, and then been held to ransom by a vexatious buyer threatening feedback extortion.

This, of course, is the other side to the problem.

vyle

I usually leave feedback for my buyers....but sometimes do forget, but it's not like feedback actually affects buyers now.

As a seller, because some idiot once left me intermediate feedback (because (as per feedback) "it arrived on time in good condition, as advertised" it didn't warrant positive) it means that I can't sell vehicles should I need to in future.

Crowqueen

Nowhere else other than eBay is there anything like a serious system of customer references, so buyer feedback was always meaningless - as a social experiment it failed badly. However, its existence means buyers like it, so anything to please the customer .

There's very little a buyer need do other than pay so any 'policy' is stupid. Feedback is based on what they think of the transaction, so if your items and service are good you needn't worry about 'extortion' or whatever. Fraud happens anywhere and you can deal with it without having to get dirty with feedback. It helps no-one to leave buyers poor feedback because by the time any other seller sees it, they have to deal with the buyer - they can't refuse to sell when an item ends with a winning bidder, and certainly if a BIN is purchased and paid for a seller cannot refuse to send.

eBay have now taken away the item description from buyer feedback and IMO should now go the whole hog and remove it totally. It would be better just to show a transaction count, but even that IMO is not really necessary. The sites without buyer feedback have a much better culture where the seller knows their role and knows the buyer's role - eBay just messes with people's understandings of that and makes it look as if a buyer has much more responsibility to a seller than they really do.

As a seller, because some idiot once left me intermediate feedback (because (as per feedback) "it arrived on time in good condition, as advertised" it didn't warrant positive) it means that I can't sell vehicles should I need to in future.

You can get that sort of comment removed by CS if you pester them enough.

ar85

I always leave feedback for buyers as soon as they have paid for their item. I only used eBay to buy things until recently, and I always appreciated it when the seller left feedback first so I make sure that I do the same. I once had a seller leave me feedback before I'd even paid! Not sure if that was by mistake or if they were trying to hurry me into paying(although it was only about 12 hours after the auction ended)

lindseykim13

I know some will not agree but from my own experience i have found if i leave feedback for my buyers before they have left mine I always get a chancer who then suddenly realises that their item didn't arrive or they have a problem with it. It's happened on every occasion that i have left a big batch of feeback for all transactions in a period. Since i stopped doing it and only leaving feedback in return for buyers who had left mine there have been no problems in the last year or so. Maybe coinsidence or bad luck but i don't take the risk anymore.

Crowqueen

lindseykim13 wrote: »

I know some will not agree but from my own experience i have found if i leave feedback for my buyers before they have left mine I always get a chancer who then suddenly realises that their item didn't arrive or they have a problem with it. It's happened on every occasion that i have left a big batch of feeback for all transactions in a period. Since i stopped doing it and only leaving feedback in return for buyers who had left mine there have been no problems in the last year or so. Maybe coinsidence or bad luck but i don't take the risk anymore.

Well, given your responsibilities and theirs, you need to address these problems probably independent of whether or not feedback is or has been left. Simply withholding feedback would not have made those problems go away or absolved you of responsibility for them.

There is nothing that changes in the relationship dependent on when you leave feedback - so as I haven't had much issue leaving feedback first or in bulk, I think it's just coincidence.

lindseykim13

Crowqueen wrote: »

Well, given your responsibilities and theirs, you need to address these problems probably independent of whether or not feedback is or has been left. Simply withholding feedback would not have made those problems go away or absolved you of responsibility for them.

There is nothing that changes in the relationship dependent on when you leave feedback - so as I haven't had much issue leaving feedback first or in bulk, I think it's just coincidence.

I always address any problems but don't like to 'encourage' them so I like it this way and suits my business. If a buyer leaves feedback then I know they are happy and the transaction is complete and i will leave them theirs in return out of politeness.
Buyers don't need feedback from sellers in the same way as sellers need their buyers feedback.
After all i'm not leaving a buyer +fb if they took 8 days to pay and i had to open a case.

durham_girl

I very rarely leave feedback for buyers. It's meaningless and doesn't count for anything. I'd much rather spend my time listing the next lot of items.