Ebay selling newbie question: when to leave feedback

rdp1980

As a seller I leave it as soon as I have received (cleared) payment. Normally by PayPal that is instant, unless you receive a dreaded eCheque.

I think by leaving feedback sooner for your buyer rather than waiting for them it shows you are a good seller who isn't going to mess the buyer around.

As a buyer I leave feedback when I have received the item and where appropriate used it or tried it out. That way I can mention specific positives about the item in the feedback like "exactly as described, dead easy to use, great instructions included" rather than the boring "Thanks A++" that so many seem to leave!

I never worry about being the first to leave feedback. As far as I'm concerned as a seller the transaction is over when I've had my money and sent the item. Occasionally if an item gets delayed in the post and the buyer queries it you obviously deal with it, but most of the time there are no issues. If something really untoward happened and the buyer turned nasty you can always leave a follow-up comment to the feedback you have already left. After all, if you left them good feedback for paying promptly, that will still be deserved even if they then mess you about afterwards.

Also worth noting is that some sellers seem to have a system in place which automatically leaves positive feedback for the buyer almost instantly after the buyer leaves a positive for that seller. For the volume sellers I can see this is a useful tool, however I'm only a small personal seller and I do like that personal touch when leaving feedback rather than choosing a stock comment!

I still love receiving feedback now, and get excited when I see my number has moved up one and love to read the new comment even if it is just a bog standard "Great thanks". Figuring I can't be the only one out there that enjoys feedback I always try and leave it in a timely fashion for the other eBayer I am dealing with.

As somebody else mentioned, eBay guidelines are that (voluntary) feedback should be left once the transaction is complete. That can be pretty hard to define; if a seller wants to return a faulty item a month down the line does the transaction then become incomplete until resolved? You can't wait around forever to leave feedback on the off chance that something may happen.

Well that's my take on it anyway! Everyone will be different, just do what feels right for you.

IWantToBeFree_2

As a seller I used to leave feedback as soon as the buyer had left me feedback to avoid any retaliatory neg's... Nowadays, I tend to mark as dispatched and leave feedback at the same time, get in there before the buyer in the hope that they will actually leave feedback.

As a buyer, have always left as soon as I have received the item.