Feedback System Question

[David Wile]

Hey folks,

It was just barely more than two months ago that I first purchased anything on E-Bay. My first experience was the winning of two auctions a few minutes apart for two lots of Pachinko balls from Walter at GoldenStateTraders. It was late in the evening, and it took a half hour or so for me to figure out how to pay via Paypal, but I did pay for both auctions at the same time. Next day, I find my E-Bay Summary shows that I have positive feedback for both purchases - citing quick payment. Three days later I received my packages from Walter, and the balls were excellent. At that point, I posted positive feedback for Walter.

That seemed to make sense to me: I won the auction and paid for my items - the seller immediately provided positive feedback for me; I received the items with no problems in a very timely manner - I provided positive feedback for the seller.

Since then, I purchaced about five music CDs from individual sellers, and I purchased about eight CDs from one vendor. With all of my purchases, I paid for the items immediately. With the individually purchased CDs, I received positive feedback shortly after my payment, and I provided positive feedback shortly after I received the items and verified they were working properly. With the vendor from whom I purchased eight CDs, however, I did not get any feedback even though I paid him immediately just as I did the others. His invoice stated he would provide positive feedback after I provided positive feedback. I checked his feedback and found a few customers who provided negative feedback. In each case, the vendor then provided negative feedback about the buyer and in a fairly nasty way.

I was very happy with the CDs I got from this vendor and would buy from him again, but I decided to not provide any feedback on the transactions even though I was satisfied with the product and service. I just could not accept his terms for providing feedback. To me, it just does not seem right. Today I noticed another vendor indicated in his E-Bay ad that he would provide positive feedback only after the buyer provides positive feedback. Does this practice bother anyone else?

I understand a seller can withold providing feedback until the buyer does so first, but the buyer can also do the same thing. If both the buyer and the seller wait until the other party provides feedback, the whole feedback system fails.

When I sold some things a few weeks ago, I provided positive feedback for the buyers as soon as I received payment for the items, and I received positive feedback from each of the buyers shortly after they received the items.

Is this a problem for anyone else here?

Best wishes,
David Wile

[Tulsa]

Last summer I wrote a book to sell on ebay on how to buy a pachislo on ebay. In it I stated many different things about quarter conversions, bandit arms, vendors to deal with and what to look out for when you see a knock-off machine and how to spot it. Basically it was public service book for people to stop getting scammed.

Well one seller on ebay (slottechusa) who sells machines and a quarter conversion book apparently didn't much care for my take on the quarter thing. So he purchased the book under an assumed ebay id and shot me a negative as soon as he received it.

Up to that point, I had left a positive for everyone, (including him) when payment was made. I learned a little lesson that day. Some people can and will buy items for the sole reason of leaving the negative to try and hurt your business. The only protection from that as a seller was to wait for them to leave feedback.

So you see, it's a double edged sword. Or your damed if you do and damned if you don't. Either way, the ebay feedback system sucks.

[doodude]

This is just so weird.
I was just on EBay & was noticing a few sellers that stated they would not leave a positive feedback ( deserving or not) until the buyer left a positive feedback (deserving or not).
I think the 1st post is correct in that a seller should recognize quick, easy payment 1st.
Then the buyer has an opportunity to inspect his goods & delivery & then give the appropriate feedback.
THEN, the seller has an opportunity to rebutt if need be.
If you get clown buyers ( or genios as we like to call them) that screw you just for the sake of it, well, unfortunately thats the price of doing business.
But if you take away that implied threat, whats to make a seller do the right thing?
Isnt there a forum with PayPal to correct inapproriate feedback?
I think a seller just has to take the risk if its to be a fair system. Forcing a positive feedback just makes a joke of the feedback system. You might as well do away with it.

[Tulsa]

There is a forum through ebay, square trade and I used it. Paid $20 to use it. All the guy had to do was respond to their question and that was that. What a rip-off that was as well. He even responded and said it wasn't him, it was his father. Didn't matter to them. He responded and the only way they'd remove it, if someone didn't respond.

I got slottechusa kicked off for a couple of weeks for shilling and his alter-ego banned permanently but that was hardly enough satisfaction.

[minnesotabrad]

David, your right. I pay for all the auctions I have won within a day via paypal. It drives me crazy when a seller does not leave you positive feedback until they receive a positive one from you. If you want to give them a negative for poor service or bad item you are putting your feedback rating in jeapordy. I am proud of my feedback rating and will not leave feedback for a seller that retaliates in that manner, negative or positive.

[luckydog]

i leave feedback soon after payment or soon after i have got items.

many people don't even bother with returning feedback or wait months to post it.

i don't know if they got the item or are happy until they leave feedback.

[Tony Junior]

David, your right. I pay for all the auctions I have won within a day via paypal. It drives me crazy when a seller does not leave you positive feedback until they receive a positive one from you. If you want to give them a negative for poor service or bad item you are putting your feedback rating in jeapordy. I am proud of my feedback rating and will not leave feedback for a seller that retaliates in that manner, negative or positive.

I agree with you and David both. By the same token I understand what Tulsa says, it is a double edge sword.

BUT, I too pay instantly and appreciate positive feedback when I do. According to eBay rules I wait until I get the item, check it, then if it is exactly as the seller described I leave positive feedback.

What really burns me up is when the seller never leaves feedback for me, which has happened several times. Even after I send email several times. To me that is very unfair.

[Utopia1dc]

The Ebay feedback system is stupid and a farse. As a buyer, I feel that the seller should give you a Positive feedback once payment is made. As the buyer you did your part, bid, win, and pay. As a buyer that's ALL that is required to get your positive. Some sellers won't give you a feedback until they recieve it. That to me is rediculous. If I paid as a buyer, that's it, give me my positive that I deserve for paying promptly.

For Sellers, it sucks if you leave the buyer a positive and they burn you with an unwarrented negative, but that's a chance you have to take. If the buyer paid you that's it...give him the positive for paying. I don't like as a buyer having my feedback held hostage when I paid on time.

Ebay needs to fix their feedback system in a big way. It's just archaic in nature and needs a better system. One that protects buyers and sellers and is a TRUE representation of the Ebay member.

Just my two tokens worth.

[d mowery]

As a buyer and seller , I dont leave any feedback any more eather way for all the reasons stated above , unlesss some one leaves me a positive I will respond with the same and for the ones that think a buyer should leave one first i say Phusstand I agree ebay should do away with the whole thing

[Chris V]

Ebay should list the number of auctions you completed. A individual count for being the seller or the buyer. That way people will know how many auctions you actually have been in and even though you may not have a high feedback rating that lack of negative feedback will give people the warm fuzzies about dealing with you.
I dealt with a seller who wouldnt give feedback until he received it. I sent him email and he states that while he tries to do the right thing when resolving issues some people are just too fast to pull the trigger and leave him negative feedback. After that he has very little recourse other than leaving negative feedback for the person, sure he can respond in the 70 character that ebay gives him, but that is not enough to explain a situation. I wound up never giving him feedback and never received it.

Jake

[jwegger]

I primarily use ebay to sell items. In 99.9$ of the cases I will leave feedback as soon as feasible after I receive payment, meaning that if I have more than a few items that have been paid for I will pack and ship the items first and then leave feedback, sometimes that same day, sometimes the next. But I always try to leave it ASAP. On the rare occasion that it appears that a buyer likes to leave retaliatory feedback I will sometimes wait until they leave me feedback before I leave it for them.
My feeling is that if you as a buyer give me my money I'm happy with the transaction and should leave the deserved feedback.

[vgc]

Hello, Feedback is mainly for the seller. I personally return feedback once received and the deal is completely done. Just because the buyer paid quick does not mean all will go smooth. I know what kind of ebayer i am but there are alot of Bozos out there. The feedback system does need some help and hopefully things will be improved in the future. Mike : )

[monaghj]

It would be nice if you could get some statistics such as "time to pay" . However I think the issue is that Ebay does not force you to use Paypal. You could send a cheque or cash which would mean that there is no imperical way to measure this.

It would also be nice if you could link your shipments into this as well so there would be a report of when the item was shipped. Ie Time to ship. After which when the item is known to be recieved you would be prevented from entering into any more auctions until you filled out a form descibing the condition of the received item.

[d mowery]

Filling out forms would be a bad thing as some of us are multi buyers from a lot of dif sorcses , like me , I buy RC stuff , game room equip, Poker chips , Juke box records and parts , You think I would want to fill out a form before I could bid and buy more - Not on your tin type, I would leave Ebay and close the door so fast that my shadow may get left behind

[luckydog]

I just got a neutral feedback because the customer didn't read the ad correctly.

He said I didn't list item properly, which I did.

I gave him a positive as soon as he paid.

Now i have 2 neturals this year that I don't deserve.

[dattia]

Lucky, did you get the opportunity to post an explanation on a neutral feedback?

[luckydog]

yes, but the neutral will still be there. If this guy would have emailed me first, i would have pointed out his error in reading my ad.

I also had an ebay newbie bid on an item, she didn't read description properly, then complained before posting feedback, I told her to reread the ad, then she said it was her mistake for not reading it correctly.

All part of dealing with the public.

[dattia]

Lucky, I don't buy alot from e-bay, but when I see something I like I will bid. I don't think I would be deterred from making a purchase from someone with neutral feedback. Or even a negative feedback or two if this person did a large amount of selling. We all know you can't please everyone all the time.

[ol-pachiman]

Lucky,

I learned the hard way, do not give feedback to your buyers until a few weeks have passed or until they have post your feedback.