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As a seller I've always left positive feedback right after shipping.I never felt is was right to do "feedback blackmail" like most sellers have done.Now,with Ebay's new policy I think it makes sense for all sellers to leave positive feedback ASAP to encourage positive feedback from the buyers.
FB is voluntary...stated in Ebay's own help pages. Some leave it right away, some leave it in batches once a month, and some never leave it at all. I think (JMHO) it's a little harsh to call it 'blackmail' to want to wait and make sure the buyer is happy first. Everyone has their own way...
Buyers are aware sellers can not leave a neg. I had 1 "claim" minor damage. They asked for a discount/partial refund in exchange for positive FB. When I asked them to send a photo of damage (they said they could) they SUDDENLY decided it was "not worth worrying about".
WHO is doing "feedback blackmail"? If eBay wants a FB system like the "River" they should set they're fees like the "River".
Use either annonomus DSR's or a Mutual Feedback system. The current system is designed to remove all but "Power Sellers" off of eBay.
WHO is doing "feedback blackmail"? If eBay wants a FB system like the "River" they should set they're fees like the "River".
Use either annonomus DSR's or a Mutual Feedback system. The current system is designed to remove all but "Power Sellers" off of eBay.
Feedback is only part of it now. Anonymous Ratings can damage your record more. Malicious ratings of say 1 in all sections can knock your average hard particularly if you have not got a high number of ratings. As it is impossible to identify the culprit difficult to report to Ebay.
I am very frustrated with the change in feedback, and vigorously opposed it in my emails to Ebay (as if it matters!). Like Carlos, my feedback score changed, although only slightly. I really depended on the negative feedback withdrawal because virtually 100% of my negatives have come from buyers who never notified me of a problem before posting! How could I fix a problem when I didn't even know of it? Ebay doesn't care about this kind of situation.
One thing that is not clear to me--are we still able to RESPOND to negative feedback within a negative from buyers? Losing that would be an enormous loss. Has anyone tried it?
One thing that is not clear to me--are we still able to RESPOND to negative feedback within a negative from buyers? Losing that would be an enormous loss. Has anyone tried it?
My thoughts on the negative feedback yes negative not neutral which I had two in the past 6 years that I have been on ebay. When I got up that morning and sat in my working chair and went to ebay to see what they had done to me it was like they had hit me very hard right in the middle of my stomach. I was 100% feedback and was knocked down to 98.7% it hit hard for all of my hard work. I no longer sell there anymore. I am one of the most honest people you will ever meet, and a very nice person to deal with. Going the extra mile if thats what it takes to make sure all is understood. My good feedback tells you that. I agree with all of you on leaving feedback after the buyer does. This is my way in knowing you have recieved your item. And, I told that in my listings. Check me out. I could say so much more but, I will bow out gracefully. Collectable-tyme, Patricia
I have always had really good feedback (I worked at keeping it that way). Then I get a customer, who leaves good feedback in writing, but hits the "neutral" button, several times. Now eBay says my "scale" is dropping, and I have to get better, to receive the 5% discount. This customer won't answer my emails, so we can work it out. And now ebay buries my items deep in searchs, and I answer email after email, as to where did my items go. This feedback thing can cause more problems then its worth, and it seems to be a gimick to get you to buy more things from eBay, to help "improve" your site.
I don't like this kind of policy. I'm seller and buyer. In seller's point of view, I think feedback should leave after our customer left it to us. Because positive comes from many ways (not only pay fast). So after payout we must ship after shipping we must see the buyer is good or not? I just found one buyer withdraw money from paypal after the item reached her house. I'm Thai seller, so I have no protection from Paypal. If you want to see bull shit email from Paypal I can show you. I lost my money in item and shipping cost. Who will take this responsibility????? And now I can't leave any "Negative" Feedback to this kind of bad buyer. I'm Buddhism. This kind in our land call lack of "Hiri" and "OhTappa" Hiri means the shame to do bad. and Ohtappa means the afraid on the sin which you made. I think you all will understand what I say. Now I will leave Ebay for a while after last listing end. I will quit. Please listen to me, because we are human. all of us can make cheating (not only seller). If Ebay see only seller can make bad thing. Ebay will end soon.
Iagree with YourAuctionNews: the new feedback system works fine for people who have already established good habits on eBay through some time of use.
Right now I am faced with a new buyer (fb 8, I think) who has been telling me that the check is in the mail and, with a non-paying bidder dispute opened, apologized "for the delay" and again, the check was in the mail.
This buyer, like many new eBayers, does not like to use PayPal, and opted to send a Money Order rather than use PayPal.
Tomorrow, it will have been three weeks since the close of the auction.
Today I am applying for a final value credit and relisting the item; if the check finally arrives, I will have to send it back, postage paid on my end. I suppose I could deposit it and send it via PayPal, thus encouraging the person to establish an account....
I believe I read in the eBay notes on the new policy that the recourse for sellers would become turning people in as non-paying bidders and issuing strikes against them. When a dispute is opened and the buyer keeps saying the check is in the mail, how long does eBay expect us to wait for payment??
The options for applying for the FVF refund have changed; I can't say the buyer never contacted me, one of the options.
The feedback for buyers was helpful in establishing the good habit of paying promptly as well as that of leaving seller feedback. Those of us who have been with eBay for some time were "trained" under that system and it stays with us.
With the new system, buyers have no encouragement to do the right thing, only the punitive non-paying bidder strike, which is avoidable with the "training system" of two-way feedback in place.
Of course leaving negative feedback for a buyer who paid, no matter how long it took, is not something sellers would do. On the other hand, non paying bidders are not always reported -- sometimes just a negative feedback is left.
The negative feedback option was useful for buyers who were a huge problem or whose attitudes were something that should be appended with a caveat, and the red dot helps to draw attention to it when another seller has a problem with the buyer, so it had its function beyond simply being an encouragement to do the right thing in a timely manner.
Anyway, if I read the brief correctly, eBay is encouraging the use of non-paying bidder strikes and not that of the option of possible negative feedback.
Commentary within a positive feedback will not serve its purpose as a warning to other sellers, as it will be buried in all the other comments.
Maybe I'll just stop leaving feedback.
eBay should learn fairly quickly that after perhaps 50 positive feedback points as a buyer, the new positive only feedback policy could be put in place.
below is original passage by YourAuctionNews 28 May 2008 to which the above is a response (and on which the above is an expansion):
Right now I am faced with a new buyer (fb 8, I think) who has been telling me that the check is in the mail and, with a non-paying bidder dispute opened, apologized "for the delay" and again, the check was in the mail.
This buyer, like many new eBayers, does not like to use PayPal, and opted to send a Money Order rather than use PayPal.
Tomorrow, it will have been three weeks since the close of the auction.
Today I am applying for a final value credit and relisting the item; if the check finally arrives, I will have to send it back, postage paid on my end. I suppose I could deposit it and send it via PayPal, thus encouraging the person to establish an account....
I believe I read in the eBay notes on the new policy that the recourse for sellers would become turning people in as non-paying bidders and issuing strikes against them. When a dispute is opened and the buyer keeps saying the check is in the mail, how long does eBay expect us to wait for payment??
The options for applying for the FVF refund have changed; I can't say the buyer never contacted me, one of the options.
The feedback for buyers was helpful in establishing the good habit of paying promptly as well as that of leaving seller feedback. Those of us who have been with eBay for some time were "trained" under that system and it stays with us.
With the new system, buyers have no encouragement to do the right thing, only the punitive non-paying bidder strike, which is avoidable with the "training system" of two-way feedback in place.
Of course leaving negative feedback for a buyer who paid, no matter how long it took, is not something sellers would do. On the other hand, non paying bidders are not always reported -- sometimes just a negative feedback is left.
The negative feedback option was useful for buyers who were a huge problem or whose attitudes were something that should be appended with a caveat, and the red dot helps to draw attention to it when another seller has a problem with the buyer, so it had its function beyond simply being an encouragement to do the right thing in a timely manner.
Anyway, if I read the brief correctly, eBay is encouraging the use of non-paying bidder strikes and not that of the option of possible negative feedback.
Commentary within a positive feedback will not serve its purpose as a warning to other sellers, as it will be buried in all the other comments.
Maybe I'll just stop leaving feedback.
eBay should learn fairly quickly that after perhaps 50 positive feedback points as a buyer, the new positive only feedback policy could be put in place.
below is original passage by YourAuctionNews 28 May 2008 to which the above is a response (and on which the above is an expansion):
quote:This is why I really dislike the current feedback system. I'm not woried about the veteran buyers. I'm more concered about the new buyers. The veteran buyers do the right thing and try to contact the sellers prior to leaving any feedback.
Often opening a dispute will trigger the immediate arrival of the payment, I would normally raise the dispute by 14 days after the win date if no response or repeated promises are broken.
The odds of getting negged now is so high it is hardly worth worrying about as everyone is in the same boat.
If they do not respond to the dispute within 8 days they forfeit the right to leave any feedback and you can close it and get your credits straight away.
Also if they respond with garbage to avoid their forfeit or further excuses flow forth I would close and claim after another 14 days at the most whilst keeping dialogue purely within the dispute consul.
No point in leaving any feedback unless it is willingly positive, unpaid strikes will get bad repeat offenders suspended but now sellers will increasingly not be able to tell a good buyer from a bad buyer regardless of the number of sellers they timewaste.
Yes it stinks, pooBay is born
The odds of getting negged now is so high it is hardly worth worrying about as everyone is in the same boat.
If they do not respond to the dispute within 8 days they forfeit the right to leave any feedback and you can close it and get your credits straight away.
Also if they respond with garbage to avoid their forfeit or further excuses flow forth I would close and claim after another 14 days at the most whilst keeping dialogue purely within the dispute consul.
No point in leaving any feedback unless it is willingly positive, unpaid strikes will get bad repeat offenders suspended but now sellers will increasingly not be able to tell a good buyer from a bad buyer regardless of the number of sellers they timewaste.
Yes it stinks, pooBay is born
Is that 8 days after the auction? I wasn't clear about that when I read that from Ebay. That doesn't give the buyer much time to complain!
As for those who say they won't give feedbacks any more, I had a person give a neutral or negative (can't remember) because I didn't give feedback right away! You can't win.
As for those who say they won't give feedbacks any more, I had a person give a neutral or negative (can't remember) because I didn't give feedback right away! You can't win.
This is really the stupidest thing eBay has ever done to their users.
They say it is to improve the seller's performance. But I don't see how it will be improved. Most sellers are just depressed about these changes and do not even will to go on.
Before the changes when a buyer left me a negative I always contacted him to resolve the problem and to remove the negative through Mutual Feedback Removal. No way I will do it now. What's the sense? The negative will stay. I'm sure most of the Power Sellers will do the same thing. So in result there will be more unsatisfied buyers than before.
Also how come the neutral feedback is counted as negative? Who the hell thought this out? What's the sense in neutral then? They should just remove it and leave buyers with 2 options: positive or negative.
And finally there're sellers who have been on eBay for many years now. They have always been honest and have always cared about their customers. The new feedback count just kills all those years and leave them with the last 12 months performance. How dare eBay disrespect those people's work over the years? And again no sense in this, the scammers could still create new accounts, sell 10 ebooks and have 100% positive feedback.
I really think that eBay has done a BIG mistake this time.
They say it is to improve the seller's performance. But I don't see how it will be improved. Most sellers are just depressed about these changes and do not even will to go on.
Before the changes when a buyer left me a negative I always contacted him to resolve the problem and to remove the negative through Mutual Feedback Removal. No way I will do it now. What's the sense? The negative will stay. I'm sure most of the Power Sellers will do the same thing. So in result there will be more unsatisfied buyers than before.
Also how come the neutral feedback is counted as negative? Who the hell thought this out? What's the sense in neutral then? They should just remove it and leave buyers with 2 options: positive or negative.
And finally there're sellers who have been on eBay for many years now. They have always been honest and have always cared about their customers. The new feedback count just kills all those years and leave them with the last 12 months performance. How dare eBay disrespect those people's work over the years? And again no sense in this, the scammers could still create new accounts, sell 10 ebooks and have 100% positive feedback.
I really think that eBay has done a BIG mistake this time.
I honestly believe that eBay is TRYING to run off all the medium to small sellers by their rule changes. I am discouraged, angry, and looking for another site to list. Any suggestions? The feedback change giving us the option of leaving positive feedback only is a slap in the face. I will NOT bend down and "assume the position" for eBay!!
Not only isn't Mutual Feedback Removal worth it anymore, dcdream--it can't be done! That was one of the things they took away from us.
Peg, what do you sell? If it's handmade items, try Etsy.
Peg, what do you sell? If it's handmade items, try Etsy.
quote:Is that 8 days after the auction? I wasn't clear about that when I read that from Ebay. That doesn't give the buyer much time to complain!
Hi, the 8th day after the item is won is the earliest time you can raise an unpaid, (the system does not allow it any earlier). Not sure what the longest time allowed is, may be 60 days, never waited that long
quote:How dare eBay disrespect those people's work over the years?
They have no fear to dare, they can disrespect because they have no equal or any serious competition.
eBay no longer need to have any respect for those that work the hardest - the sellers !
The buyers only have to browse and pay !
quote:Originally posted by Peg:
I honestly believe that eBay is TRYING to run off all the medium to small sellers by their rule changes.
Well I'm not sure if I'm considered a medium seller or not. We have about 25,000 euros monthly sales (about 40,000 USD). The only thing these changes made us to do is to work harder on our own website, list less on eBay and not to contact the customers who leave neutral or negatives without prior contact.
I also disagree with the new feedback system on eBay. Since the new system started, I've had to open more Unpaid Item Disputes than ever before. I guess since buyers do not have to "fear" receiving negative feedback, some of them feel they can pay when they wish, instead of following the terms stated within the auction. I now open all disputes on the 8th day following the auction, if I have not heard from the buyer. So far, all disputes haved closed in a positive manner, but I still feel the increase in non-payment disputes are resulting from the new feedback rules. I used to immediately leave positive feedback for all customers when payment was received, but I have changed my "feedback policy". I leave my feedback once I've received feedback from the buyer. I did this not to "blackmail" buyers, but to encourage them to leave feedback, since only about 60% were leaving feedback. Now it's about 75%. I think waiting to leave feedback will still encourage buyers to contact me if there's a problem before they leave feedback. I post my feedback policy in every listing, include it in every e-mail I send to the buyer & it is included on the packing invoice as well. I'm still at 100%, but with the new rules, I'm sure my 100% will not last. My theory is you can not please everyone 100% of the time. There's always someone out there who will be unhappy no matter what you do. I sell mostly vintage & antique items, so 99% of the time the item will not be "perfect". So I feel my risk of receiving a negative is higher based on the items I sell, even if I take lots of photos and provide a very detailed description. Most of the questions I receive about the items I have listed, can be answered within the description, if the potential bidder would take the time to read it. That's just another problem I think some bidders have, reading the description! As far as the DSR's go, I really think the last question about shipping & handling charges is unfair to the seller. With USPS & UPS raising rates on a yearly basis, as sellers we can only try to keep shipping costs reasonable by offering the cheapest shipping methods, which of course are the ones that take longer for delivery, so now the buyer can be happy with the shipping cost & unhappy with the delivery time. When I print shipping labels with PayPal, I choose to have the postage cost displayed on the label, to prove to the buyer I only charged what the shipper charged me, but I still only average a 4.7-4.8 over a 30 day period. I refund any over charge back to the buyer, which I now do on every purchase since we get the online discount with the post office. I've had a buyer or two complain about the post office's delivery performance in the feedback they are leaving for me! Now do they believe the post office is reading my feedback profile & will see their complaints? I think eBay should restructure the shipping questions to emphasize to the buyer they are rating the SELLER'S performance, not the shipping service. All my listings state I will ship within 3 BUSINESS days of cleared payment. I work outside of my home, so the 3 business day promise works well around my work schedule & the post office's schedule. Most of the time the package is in the mail the day after payment clears, with the exception of payments clearing on Saturdays. Every buyer receives by e-mail a delivery confirmation number, so they can track the package if they wish, so I don't think the shipping time question is really fair to the seller either, since of course we can't control delays with the shipper. I'm beginning to feel my honesty & extra effort I'm putting in to trying to be fair about shipping costs is not going to be much a benefit to my eBay store since I'm just barely meeting the DSR requirements for the power seller discount. Maybe eBay should add on a link for buyers to complain directly to USPS & UPS about rates & delays. (Yeah, right!) My eBay store is not a "big" business, it's really for fun & I can earn some money to buy the things I like. If eBay continues to increase FVF's & continues the new feedback policies, it won't be long before the "little" eBay sellers quit because they can't make a profit & will look for another avenue for selling.
Thank you for taking the time to read my posting!
Thank you for taking the time to read my posting!
Sympathise with you, the Royal Mail in the UK puts up its rates every year too. Last year it added volumetric pricing which makes selling small items that when wrapped become thicker than 25mm difficult, as it now costs nearly twice as much to post them.
I always add in cost of packing materials into the p&p, well I have to buy boxes, bubble wrap and bio-degradeable loose fill just cannot scrounge enough from the local supermarkets.
So my p&p DSR settled at 4.7 the others at 4.9 and I have had many UK and international repeat buyers which just goes to show they were happy with my p&p wrt to the standard of packing.
I wasn't prepared to compromise packing so I kept on doing it as I had done before DSR's, it's paid off so far but no doubt someone will neg me for it sometime.
That's life on eBay now, can't avoid DSR trashing or reds now, not sure its worth the effort anymore. Presently I am taking my seasonal breather but watch the shenanigans with a sad eye and will consider very carefully whether to restart in the autumn.
Beginning to doubt Auctiva's view of their own e-commerce facility happening with the current ebay is wonderful high speed spin articles.
I always add in cost of packing materials into the p&p, well I have to buy boxes, bubble wrap and bio-degradeable loose fill just cannot scrounge enough from the local supermarkets.
So my p&p DSR settled at 4.7 the others at 4.9 and I have had many UK and international repeat buyers which just goes to show they were happy with my p&p wrt to the standard of packing.
I wasn't prepared to compromise packing so I kept on doing it as I had done before DSR's, it's paid off so far but no doubt someone will neg me for it sometime.
That's life on eBay now, can't avoid DSR trashing or reds now, not sure its worth the effort anymore. Presently I am taking my seasonal breather but watch the shenanigans with a sad eye and will consider very carefully whether to restart in the autumn.
Beginning to doubt Auctiva's view of their own e-commerce facility happening with the current ebay is wonderful high speed spin articles.