my personal ebay policy

[Titan]

I'm wondering what people think about how I go about leaving feedback on ebay. Over the past 4 years, bought probably 200+ items, and have 64 feedback. I have never sold anything. My personal rule is to not leave feedback unless the seller first leaves it for me. I feel that it's only fair, if I am going to take the time to leave a seller feedback, they should do me the same courtesy after I pay them. I have had sellers contact me to see that I recieved the item fine and i told them of my personal policy on feedback and I am always polite and then they leave me some.

Now, I have always been fair, and even exceedingly so on occasion. One time the seller comepletely spaced my order but it was nothing urgent, and it took me like 6 weeks to get my item, and I still left positive feedback. I know that many sellers are worried that their buyers are going to burn them after they leave positive feedback. But as a buyer, i just don't bother leaving feedback cuz there's a good chance (i'd say 70% from experience) that the seller won't leave me feedback regardless. My opinion is, that if you are so damn worried after someone pays you that they will burn you later, do them the courtesy of verifying they are happy with the order, and once comfirmed, then leave feedback. Otherwise just give them positive feedback if they deserve it for paying you.

Thoughts?

 

[HOWITIS]

i don't even bother leaving feedback anymore, and couldn't care less if hey leave it for me. i only buy stuff on ebay so i don't need much of a rating

 

[ggavinmoss]

My opinion is that sellers are afraid to leave feedback because any non-positive feedback will result in an automatic negative from n00b eBay-ers.

-geoff

 

[KarenMarie]

As far as I know feedback is left at the end of the transaction.

Seller lists, buyer pays, item ships, is delivered, tested by buyer, and confirms all is well. Then they both leave feeback. Sellers have been burned by buyers so often, that many of them want the buyer to leave first.

My Ebay = 356-0-0 and there are about 40 that no feedback was left for various reasons.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

I always leave feedback based on my satisfaction with the transaction. Then again, I've always worked out any issues with sellers/buyers via email, so I haven't had any ultimately unsatisfactory transactions (although clearly some have been smoother than others).

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

I ususally jsut go ahead and leave feedback regardless of the seller/buyer, it's just simpler for me and many times feedback will come trickling in for me long after the transaction is over.

 

[trevinom]

If you never leave feedback for a buyer/seller, as your personal policy, and you meet up with someone who has your own policy, how will either of you ever end up helping each other out? The whole thing with ebay is to have a thriving marketplace where buyer and seller acknowledge positive outcomes. If it stops functioning in that fashion, then the whole model will suffer.

 

[GRIFFIN1]

Every auction I have won has resulted in me leaving negative feedback. Packing wasn't good enough, overcharged on shipping/insurance, item wasn't shipped the day the seller received payment, item wasn't as advertised, item smelled like smoke, hand written shipping label, and about a thousand other things that irritate me.

 

[Tom]

"My Ebay = 356-0-0 and there are about 40 that no feedback was left for various reasons."


on the one hand that looks great; on the other hand it is impossible so a rational person is going to wonder how useful feedback is if it doesn't reflect reality.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: trevinom
If you never leave feedback for a buyer/seller, as your personal policy, and you meet up with someone who has your own policy, how will either of you ever end up helping each other out? The whole thing with ebay is to have a thriving marketplace where buyer and seller acknowledge positive outcomes. If it stops functioning in that fashion, then the whole model will suffer.

It would be a lot more useful if it reflected real outcomes, since everyone knows it is a fantasy it isn't all that useful.

 

[Epoman]

If you want a debate head over to the ebay forums people will debate and scream about this for weeks.

I've been in a few, its get real hairy "Hairy Balls Hairy"

 

[KarenMarie]

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch
"My Ebay = 356-0-0 and there are about 40 that no feedback was left for various reasons."


on the one hand that looks great; on the other hand it is impossible so a rational person is going to wonder how useful feedback is if it doesn't reflect reality.

I am not sure what you are trying to say here... but in three years of buying and selling on ebay that is my feedback.

 

[TitanDiddly]

If everybody has the policy.... then nobody gets feedback. For me, buyer always leaves feedback first.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: KarenMarie

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch
"My Ebay = 356-0-0 and there are about 40 that no feedback was left for various reasons."


on the one hand that looks great; on the other hand it is impossible so a rational person is going to wonder how useful feedback is if it doesn't reflect reality.

I am not sure what you are trying to say here... but in three years of buying and selling on ebay that is my feedback.

Not denying that, but it's the result of a quasi-engineered practice of avoiding actual feedback that is typical of most such ratings systems.

Are you saying you have conducted 400 transactions without ever having ANY problems of any sort ? That is very hard to believe.

I'm not picking on you, just pointing out that that is how the game is played, and the game makes the feedback not very useful.

 

[Sluggo]

When I get payment, I send the buyer a note telling them when their crap will ship.

In this note I ask that when they receive the crap and are pleased with it to leave me a positive feedback, when I see that feedback posted I will know that they are satisfied with the transaction and consider it complete. I post their feedback after they post mine.

 

[KarenMarie]

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch

Originally posted by: KarenMarie

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch
"My Ebay = 356-0-0 and there are about 40 that no feedback was left for various reasons."


on the one hand that looks great; on the other hand it is impossible so a rational person is going to wonder how useful feedback is if it doesn't reflect reality.

I am not sure what you are trying to say here... but in three years of buying and selling on ebay that is my feedback.

Not denying that, but it's the result of a quasi-engineered practice of avoiding actual feedback that is typical of most such ratings systems.

Are you saying you have conducted 400 transactions without ever having ANY problems of any sort ? That is very hard to believe.

I'm not picking on you, just pointing out that that is how the game is played, and the game makes the feedback not very useful.

I am saying that in 400 transactions, I have never ever been the cause of any problems. Granted only about 175 of those have been sales. I have had four bad transactions. Two no pays, one late pay, one bounced check (sucked cause i was out the item for $100.00 and the fees, and my bank charged me $25.00 for the bounced check). As far as buying, I said previously, I ask Q 1st, no misunderstanding. I recently bought a fendi bag, for a couple of hundred dollars, and paid $12.00 shipping. Arrived in a paper envelope and the entire box was crushed. Seller got a neutral. Bought a coach product, paid extra for overnight, seller shipped media mail and it arrived 2 weeks later. Poorly packaged and damaged. I b*tched, seller refunded every penny and told me to keep the item as well. I returned the item anyway. Since seller did the right thing, no neg, no positive. no feedback at all.

Is it a foolproof system? No! but it is less open to abuse then heatware. At least on ebay you have to prove you actually had a transaction. And now they let ppl mutually remove negs, so hopefully it will be used more honestly. But in any system, there will be fooling around. I mean, hellfire, enough bad feedback and ppl will just open a new account. Nothing is foolproof.

I don't take it that you are picking on me... this is a good topic. I am just saying that there are those that take their feedback reputation seriously.