eBay etiquette

[ausproofs]

Hey Folks,

I was going through my eBay feedback and noticed something that is interesting. Normally if I sell and item, when the buyer pays for itI leave positive feedback. In my books they have completed their part of the deal. This is however not everyones view.

What are your thoughts ? As a seller should I wait for the buyer to leave feedback ? But why ?

[r9453]

I leave positive feedback. In my books they have completed their part of the deal.

When I get back from the P.O. - I mark the item as posted / add tracking number and leave feedback. If the buyer pays at the same time they agree to buy, I say immediate payment. Sometimes people wait a day or two before paying in which case I say fast payment.

I'm not sure why you would wait for the buyer feedback, in fact I rarely look at mine.

EDIT: I should say that I don't read what people say. I often check that I'm still at 100% +ve.

[ausproofs]

I leave positive feedback. In my books they have completed their part of the deal.

When I get back from the P.O. - I mark the item as posted / add tracking number and leave feedback. If the buyer pays at the same time they agree to buy, I say immediate payment. Sometimes people wait a day or two before paying in which case I say fast payment.

I'm not sure why you would wait for the buyer feedback, in fact I rarely look at mine.

EDIT: I should say that I don't read what people say. I often check that I'm still at 100% +ve.

Totally agree ! This my point..

[LooseChange]

I seldom sell anything on ebay, but i am a frequent buyer. And 99% of the time i use pay-pal so pay at commitment to buy...unless requiring an adjustment to total postage.  
If i buy an item and i haven't received feedback from the seller, i do not give them any feedback. Even if they send some spammy email requesting i do so.
I totally agree with you that as a buyer paying for the purchase is the end of my part of the transaction, if im not given feedback at this point i don't see any reason to give feedback to the seller... even if gthe transaction was a good one.

In the earlier days of eBay... often i noticed sellers not leaving feedback as a tactic to be able to use the feedback system to retaliate to negative feedback... or reply to negative feedback etc.

[Basil]

In the earlier days of eBay... often i noticed sellers not leaving feedback as a tactic to be able to use the feedback system to retaliate to negative feedback... or reply to negative feedback etc.

Yeah,lots of Blackmail from dodgy sellers.I joined shortly after Ebay started in Oz,(late 1999?) and had several running battles with sellers,the con artists were early adopters of Ebay and often the Coins/Notes/Stamps would not turn up or would be different to the ones listed.
I had lots of negative FB and didn't worry too much until it came to selling items on behalf of Family or Friends then reality set in during the early 2000's,i had to open new Accts. and start again.The seller not being able to leave -FB is a much fairer system overall but Ebay itself is still a Jungle.

[trout]

A transaction on eBay is not over until the buyer receives His/Her goods.
Leaving positive feedback for a buyer before that time leaves the seller vulnerable to Bogus "Item not received" claims.

Lets use a Buying a pie and sauce in a cafe example, This is how this transaction is usually done.

Buyer; May I have a pie and sauce please.
The seller then hands the pie and sauce over and is paid.
Seller; Here you are, enjoy.
Buyer; Thank you.
Seller; You are welcome, Have a great day.

As you notice the etiquette used in a shop is that the buyer gives feedback first "Thank you" and then the seller responds with "You are welcome, Have a great day".
Why should it be any different on eBay :angel:

[ausproofs]

Thanks Guys...I have had instance where seller not leaving feedback and try to get me to give them positive feedback. 99% time they get no positive feedback from me...

Sorry Trout, totally disagree. Seller has to say thanks first as the BUYER purchase something from the seller and paid for it in my opinion... I am is missing something ?

[JeffH]

I am is missing something?

Yes, the fact some ratbag buyers lodge, as trout said, a bogus "not received" claim.
Some also immediately lodge negative feedback for some perceived problem without contacting the seller first. Any decent seller will do whatever is necessary to rectify any real (as opposed to imagined) problem. Once the negative feedback has been lodged it stays regardless.

Different sellers have different policies and that should not be a problem as long as the buyer is informed. We include a printed slip with the item(s) asking buyers to give feedback if they are happy once received -otherwise to contact us first so we know what the issue is. Seems to work well. We give feedback once buyer feedback is received (and none otherwise). We very rarely receive actual feedback (that is direct contact) and almost always it is complimentary.

Personally I think the eBay feedback system is not very good and should be simplified*. Perhaps a one to five rating and no comments. Asking for comments just encourages meaningless nonsense most of the time; you only have to read comments on anyone's feedback to see that.

*EBay is very good at introducing "improvements" that just add more layers of complication.

[Unicorn]

I'm totally in agreement with Trout & Jeff. (Especially the serial "non receivers").

I use the buyer's feedback to determine that the buyer has received the item and are happy with it, I will always then leave feedback.

I also await the buyer's feedback before leaving any just in case the buyer doesn't wish it to be shown as a purchase on their account. Eg: The buyer bought a present for their wife who also uses the account. Or perhaps the buyer got a bargain and wants to "flip it" immediately and they may not wish people to know what they've bought. Having immediate seller feedback negates those options.

[ausproofs]

Thanks for your opinion.. I still feel I am missing something... Buyers can leave positive feedback and file a case ? Also feedback as ransom for some reason doesn't seem right to me.

[ausproofs]

It seems there are some variation in thoughts.. Love it... good to understand the other side of the story...

[trout]

Many sellers wait for the buyers to leave feedback before they reciprocate to make sure that the item has been received safely.
If the item has been sent without tracking knowing that it has arrived safely is very important to the seller and waiting for a buyers feedback lets them know that it has arrived and that the buyer is happy.
As a buyer it doesn't bother me when or even If I get feedback from the seller, as long as the item is posted quickly and I receive what I have paid for all is Good :ok:

Also feedback as ransom for some reason doesn't seem right to me.

It is impossible for a seller to leave a negative feedback so what you are saying cannot happen.

[r9453]

So, if I wait for my buyers to leave feedback do I have to keep checking al the time. I don't sell a lot, maybe 2 or 3 per week but I do like to get it over and done with. I must admit I've wondered about bogus not received claims (never had one) and never thought that not promptly leaving feedback was not a good idea.

[Unicorn]

.... do I have to keep checking al the time.

I just have a mental note of what my feedback count is and if it's changed I go through my sell list to see who's added to it.

[r9453]

I have learnt something new and I will give it a go from now on.