posted on October 3, 2000 06:52:33 PM
I've been on ebay for a little over two years both buying and selling. I always get feedback when I'm the purchaser but it seems very few of my bidders will ever leave feedback. I know the items are good so that's not the problem. I have even had customers email to say how much they love their purchase and they will leave feedback but nothing ever happens. I always leave feedback on auctions whether buying or selling. Is there some method that works to receive feedback from bidders? Thanks for any help!
posted on October 3, 2000 07:17:06 PM
What I do is this. When I send out the product, and it is always within 24 hours of receiving payment unless it comes in on Saturday and I have to wait until Monday, I write them an email and I say...I just wanted to let you know that I shipped your XXX this morning and you should be receiving it in a few days. Thanks for making this an outstanding auctio! I would appreciate positive feedback and I will do the same. Please note. By my receiving your feedback, this assures me that you have received your product and are a satisfied customer, which is my goal as a seller! Feedback is about 85% and I think that is pretty good, isn't it? (hmmmmmmmm now I don't know about that...is it?)
posted on October 3, 2000 07:21:36 PM
I usually just say "I'm shipping tomorrow" and don't even mention that I've left my buyer FB. I expect they'll notice it eventually. I haven't run the numbers but it seems like the majority (definitely more than half) leave me nice FB once they get their item. Maybe used-book-buyers are more into leaving FB?
posted on October 3, 2000 07:23:50 PM
I send out the same type of email when I ship, and then a follow-up email 2 weeks after DC shows delivery, if I don't hear anything from the buyer via feedback or email. The follow-up basically says "just wondering if you received the XXXXX OK. Please drop us a line when you get a chance." Usually that prompts the buyer to either leave feedback or send a "Yes, I got it OK." email. If the reply comes via email, I reply with "So glad that you got the XXXX ok. We've left positive feedback for you and would appreciate it if you'd take time to do the same." My feedback runs right at 90%.
posted on October 3, 2000 07:35:18 PM
Trick there is a trick dam I wish I knew it I been selling on ebay nearly a year now and still have 0 feed back have sold plenty of things left feed back for all buyers receive loads of postive comments in email from buyers but no feed back.
well over 400 sucessfull sales on yahoo in a year and only 83 feed back from 27 different buyers and two as a buyer my self.
this is a blessing and a cruse on the bad side im sure my Items would get more bids and maybe end with higher prices if I had the feed back .
on the pluss side I am selling which is good and no ones saying anything bad
posted on October 3, 2000 11:13:10 PM
I am a buyer, but mostly a seller,
What I do is the day of shipping I leave feedback and the same day I email the person and say,"Your item was shipped today and your feedback was posted. Thank you for a good transaction it was a pleasure.
This has been working for me. And to tell you the truth, I feel I am doing the right thing and if the buyer doesn't leave me feedback I don't get upset. We deal with so many different people that it doesn't pay to get upset, because there is alway going to be someone who don't really care about feedback. My feedback average is about 97%
posted on October 3, 2000 11:59:33 PM
When I get paid I leave the buyer feedback. When I return from the post office I'll email them the delivery confirmation number and tell them "I've received your payment, and I've left appropriate feedback, I hope you'll return the gesture". I guess maybe 75% do return the feedback... some are just too lazy to take the effort. I shipped one item to a buyer recently before payment arrived, he was very impressed and grateful for that, but no feedback, when I looked at his feedback record it was 0/144. He's received 144 positive feedbacks and left zero!
The part that really sucks, is some of these buyers that never leave feedback for sellers are using the sellers feedback to determine if the transaction's risks are acceptable.
I think eBay needs to post a person's feedback left/received instead of just recieved when you look at the persons feedback page. That zero would start embarrassing some, and some sellers would look ridiculous when they had lower feedback left numbers than feedback received numbers.
posted on October 4, 2000 03:40:45 AM
feedback takes time and also people forget.
what i do is if i sell you something (lets say its priority mail) it takes about 3 days.
so i wait three days and post a feedback for them and they get a feedback and a package within the same 24 hours.
it seems to work
its harder with regular mail but you can guess.
this way its still fresh in there mind.
it works for me. the customer gets what they paid for and a great big thank you. and they should. they just gave you money.
think of them as if they were you.
posted on October 4, 2000 04:49:38 AM
I will tell you a good way for you not to get feedback from me if I was your buyer. Early Monday morning I won an auctiom, total with shipping was $301, paid by Paypal within 15 minutes of auction close. Get an email from the seller saying even though you paid me so much money I cannot ship until Tuesday and he won't be leaving me any feedback until I leave it for him first. The whole tone of the emails were condescending and rude. I asked him about his feedback policy and he sent me some big long involved story about being held hostage with feedback in the past, and that if I was smart, "if I ever started to sell" that I would do the same thing. Now, the account I used to bid on this is closing in on 500 feedback, he has around 275 or so, and I had 40 auctions listed.
Does not really apply, I know, but God, he ticked me off. People like that leave it open so they can get you back should you have a problem and cannot resolve it. Oh well, guess he won't be getting anymore money from me. Heather
posted on October 4, 2000 04:57:52 AM
When you figure it out, perhaps we can work on getting feedback from sellers. I am mostly a seller but as a buyer, I can't get feedback from other sellers. I won 6 auctions last month, paid with Paypal same day or next day and I got no feedback from any of them!
As a seller, I e-mail the bidders when I receive payment and let them know that I received it and that I would be mailing their items out and give the date. Usually its next day. Then I put a letter into their packages letting them know that I appreciated their bid, congratulating them, telling them I hope they enjoy the item and good luck with future bidding. I also mention that a good way to let me know that they received their item was to leave feedback and that I always leave feedback myself. Am not saying it always works. I have 389 feedbacks and I have left 538.
posted on October 4, 2000 05:12:54 AM
I think the key answer here is that some people are just too lazy and rude to leave feedback. I've decided that, for buyers who can't even hit the reply key and type "Yes, I got it", it's not worth my effort to leave feedback. I also usually look at feedback left--if it's a big fat ZERO for a user that's been Ebaying for a while, then I definitely don't leave any. Maybe some of these people will get a clue, if they no longer receive feedback on their transactions. I recently had a transaction where the buyer had a 20+ rating, but had only left 2. She did respond by email, so I did leave feedback, although I wondered how hard those other two sellers had to beg to get the feedbacks she left........
posted on October 4, 2000 07:08:08 AM
Click on their feedback rating to bring up feedback left FOR them. Then move the cursor into the Address box on your brower and insert the word "left" in the URL after the words "ViewFeedback". It will look like this:
"....ViewFeedbackleft&userid...."
Hit enter and VOILA!!! You'll either see the comments they've left for other users, or a message that says "No feedback has been left by XXXXXX"
posted on October 4, 2000 08:27:53 AM
I leave feedback if people leave me feedback or if they request it. If they are happy to let it go so am I. It is one less thing to take up my busy day. I get maybe 1 FB in 10 sales and I am still coming up on 1,000 FB real soon. Some people do not value FB - why argue with them? If I had such low FB it might cause loss of sales I would ask as some people here indicate works or even offer a bonus coupon or rebate to get them.
posted on October 4, 2000 08:48:17 AM
I leave feedback for my buyers either when I receive payment or on the day I ship. I send an email when I ship saying, "XXXXX item has been shipped today 10/3/00. I've left feedback for you, and appreciate feedback from my satisfied buyers. This also lets me know that you have received the item safely."
This seems to work pretty well for me, here are my stats:
I have left 333 feedbacks, (I think 5 of those were negs for no pay) and received 249 positives with a net of 242. I have 1 neutral and 0 negs. So my % is about 75%, which I think is pretty good.
posted on October 4, 2000 09:57:24 AM
I both buy and sell on Ebay. One thing that always has gotten me to leave feedback as a buyer is when the person puts a note in the package that has their username, auction #, etc. Sometimes they ask for feedback (i.e. "I have left you positive feedback and I would appreciate you doing the same for me." ) I always put those little notes by my computer and will eventually leave feedback.
I've tried to do the same as a seller, but at the time had an old Canon printer that printed 1 page a minute and I couldn't stand to waste my time with that, so I gave up on it. I don't really recall whether it worked for me as a seller or not but as a buyer it did!
Gina
Edited because they put a winky where I just wanted a parenthesis!
[ edited by GinaD on Oct 4, 2000 10:00 AM ]
posted on October 4, 2000 01:38:11 PM
Hello everyone! I just thought I'd jump in here! I also have problems with people not leaving feedback, although I know they got the item and are happy! I noticed alot of you say you post feedback for your buyers as soon as you recieve payment. I dont do leave it until I know they got the item, maybe I'm ticking people off by doing this. My concern is that what if I leave feedback when I get paid, and send the item and they say they never got it or I have some sort of problem like its been damaged in shipping etc...? What are your thoughts on this? All I know is that I dont feel I should have to nag people into leaving feedback!
posted on October 4, 2000 01:56:51 PMchiquita: In my humble opinion as a buyer, the most common reason a seller waits to leave feedback till after the bidder does is so he/she will be able to leave a retaliatory neg.
If the item was damaged during shipping, it's not the bidder's fault; if the item didn't arrive, it's probably not the bidders fault, etc., etc. The bidder did their thing, paid for the item. You can always respond to negative feedback if you get any - it's not "always" necessary to give a neg 'cause you got one.
Anyway, I don't know of any "trick" to get people to leave feedback. Until a few months ago, my feedback left amount equaled my feedback received amount. Now I've left 20 more than I've received; I dunno why - maybe some of the sellers are repeat purchases and they don't leave feedback in those cases, dunno.
posted on October 4, 2000 02:27:25 PM
Guess I should throw my nickel's worth in too. I haven't really gotten to calculating percentages, but as a buyer, I always leave feedback as soon as I receive the item. As a seller, I guess I have averaged about 95% return on feedback left. When I send out my EOA notice, I always say I will leave feedback when payment is received and hope they can do the same if they are satisfied with their item. My second email tells them I've received payment and when I'll be shipping their win and again, I note that will be leaving feedback. Finally, when I ship and I sell mostly women's clothes, my itmes are wrapped in tissue and ribbon and a preprinted stickum label is attached thanking them for their winning bid, yada, yada and also a reminder to leave feedback. Yeesh, I know it sounds like a lot of work, but not really. My EOA email is waiting to be copied and pasted, my shipping notice is waiting to be copied and pasted and my insert cards are already printed out. Really only a few extra minutes for all of that and it does get results.Rita aka ATIREUS
posted on October 4, 2000 03:28:25 PMIsn't it just a little tacky to ask someone for positive feedback?????? As with everything, there will be multiple viewpoints about that.
For those who think of feedback as a "thank you," then it probably is. For those who think of feedback as a rating referred to by future customers to help determine if they bid on an item, it's probably not.
posted on October 4, 2000 03:37:55 PM
The whole issue of Ebay Feedback leaves me sick to my stomach. I have run into two certifiable psycho's who have emailed me threatening emails. I am a buyer and a seller and I believe in being honest. As a Buyer, I do not like having to whince when i open my email after leaving someone DESERVED negative feedback. As a Seller, I do not like feeling like I ought to "hold feedback hostage" until the buyer leaves feedback. When i first started selling I would post as soon as I received payment, as that IS what the seller should be leaving feedback for...but as time has gone on and I have learned to distrust a good portion of the Ebay population, I see now that waiting to post feedback can shield oneself from those out there who enjoy being cruel. I think my only mistake is that i collect WWII memorabilia and tend to run into some pretty nutso folks. Enough said .... all I know is that I live by my own honest code of ethics and just because I have a transaction with someone, it does not mean that they know me and it does not give anyone a right to hurl negative and cruel words. ok...i'll stop whining now!
posted on October 4, 2000 07:51:05 PM
Thanks for all your "feedback" on my question. I've tried both leaving feedback after receiving payment and waiting until I know they have the package in hand. I get about the same amount responses. I guess it just boils down to whether or not the customer wants to take the time and do it. I guess from a seller's stand point, leaving feedback is an important aspect of an ebay transaction, with a buyer it's just a purchase. Oh well, at least I know I'm not the only one!
posted on October 4, 2000 07:56:02 PM
AS A seller this holding feed back dont fly with me at all.
I leave the feed back when I get the payment or when I ship as soon as I can. NO matter how the shipping goes I am rateing these people on there comunication and payment record not on the end results.
posted on October 4, 2000 11:17:13 PM
Its not a trick ITS EASY!!!
Sell a good product, deliver it as promised and put in your final email that You leave feedback AFTER the sale is complete and AFTER you leave feedback for me. Works most of the time. Some people need to be reminded with a link in the email and all works well.
posted on October 5, 2000 01:55:39 AM
I don't do anything as far as asking for feedback, but I do try to make sure packages are shipped FAST (like that day or the next day at the latest).
I do enclose a note with my packages giving my ID, e-mail address, address, and a breakdown showing what's included, the prices, and how/when payment was made. (These are 2-part "invoices" purchased at an office supply store - I keep a copy, and the bidder gets a copy) The bidder's copy gets a handwritten "thanks" and a smiley face. In fact, everything on the page is handwritten. Maybe the personal touch helps? (Not that my horrible chicken-scratch writing is anything to speak of! LOL!)
The only time feedback is mentioned is on insured packages, where I have a stamp that I use that explains the insurance (I use U-Pic) and mentions that positive feedback has been left. Otherwise nothing is said about it. 80% of my packages aren't insured.
Also, I leave feedback within a couple of days of the receipt of the payment -- sometimes there's a slight delay if I get behind, but I do at least try to leave feedback before their package has time to get to them. In a way, I think the slight delay actually helps, because the feedback is "fresh" when their package arrives, and (maybe?) kinda encourages them to leave a comment for me as well.
I personally would feel kinda funny asking for feedback. I just try to do a good job and let it happen.
(edited to add) Just my opinion, but I personally don't think it's fair for a seller to withhold feedback until after the bidder leaves a comment first. It gives the impression (at least to me) that the seller isn't all that confident with his product and/or service, and perhaps feels the need to reserve the right to leave a neutral or negative if a bidder leaves him one. Now, don't jump on me or anything (LOL!), but that's just my personal opinion. I do understand the viewpoint that the transaction isn't "complete" until the bidder is confirmed as being happy, but I can't really say as though I agree with it. IMO, the transaction is complete on the seller's end when the bidder's payment is received. But that's just my 2-cents.
posted on October 5, 2000 10:33:06 AM
I agree with <b>dpgendron</b>. After the item has shipped, I schedule an e-mail through Outlook to be sent about the time I expect the package to arrive at the buyer's location. I construct a link in all my feedback requests like the following below:
posted on October 5, 2000 11:46:13 AM
I'm guilty of being slow to leave feedback for an item I've bought, but I eventually always do. But I always leave feedback for something I've sold. I've been selling on Ebay for about 18 months and my brother just told me about feedback forum. You can go there and go to #2 to see ALL of your pending auctions--buying and selling. I left several feedbacks in just 3-4 minutes the other night. I'm going to let my buyers know about it to maybe save them some time and get my feedback. I've tried the notes in the pkg and the follow-up reminder, but some just don't care.
Rita aka ATIREUS
I do understand the viewpoint that the transaction isn't "complete" until the bidder is confirmed as being happy, but I can't really say as though I agree with it. IMO, the transaction is complete on the seller's end when the bidder's payment is received. But that's just my 2-cents.