posted on November 18, 2000 06:35:28 AM
This is what I do.
Maybe someone knows a better way!!!
I ship 30-40 items per week, and on the day of shipping I leave feedback for all the people I shipped to.
Then I email each person and let them know that the item was shipped and feedback left
was left for them, and I thank them.
I find this easy because I don't forget to leave feedback for anyone this way.
Some of my customers get real mad, they say,
"I sent my payment, I want my feedback NOW,
so I explain to them the way I do it. They
don't want to hear it, so I go and leave them feedback when there payment is received.
Then when I email them that I shipped their item, they get mad and say, where is my feedback. Now i spend lots of time explaining that I left it when they asked me to and we go back and fourth with emails, which is a waist of my time. Then they say,
Oh, your right I'm sorry,
Do you have a better way of doing this???
posted on November 18, 2000 07:04:07 AM
Quite frankly, I leave feedback once per week, on Fridays. It just works better for me. That is when I do my books, and I just get all the paperwork out of the way then. I have had people ask for their feedback, and I tell them that I do that paperwork on Fridays, and that their feedback will be done then. Of course, if it was paid by personal check, feedback gets delayed by 2-3 weeks. I was burned one too many times by a bounced check after leaving a pos.
This is YOUR business. You can run it as you see fit. I don't even e-mail that their item has been shipped any more. I normally ship within 48 hours anyway, and found it was more of a hassle then it was worth.
In your contact letter, you can always state that you will contact them when their item is shipped, and feedback will be left at that time.
posted on November 18, 2000 07:10:27 AM
Just MHO, but if you have a schedule and stick to it, you shouldn't be bullied by your customers.
The basic transaction (from the bidder's view) is win bid/pay/get item. While feedback is part of the eBay process, providing a good product and good customer service is really more important.
I have this problem sometimes with customers who want to know why I hold checks for 10 business days. I calmly tell them that to call my bank each day to see which checks have cleared is not feasible or efficient for me, but if they want to check with their bank each day and email when the check clears their bank, I'll be glad to follow up on that. (No one ever has - I guess when its their time, they understand.)
You might want to do up a form email that explains that in order to perform in the most professional manner possible, you've had to set up a schedule based on your time constraints. Veering from that schedule takes you from the most important task (to them), i.e. getting them their item quickly.
posted on November 18, 2000 08:18:58 AM
My suggestion is, don't leave them feedback, what they going to do? Leaving or not leaving a feedback is optional, and eBay doesn't force anybody to leave feedback, also you can tell your buyer you can't leave feedback because is for any reason you (him) decides to return it, so have to claim eBay for credit fees. You can scaring them also by saying, if the item is returned I have to be obligated to tell ebay that the transaction was not completed at all, and you need to get your money back for listing it. I'm a little bit tired to explain step by step, but I think you get the idea.
When somebody insist in feedbacks, definetely they'll give you hard time, not necessarily will neg you, but probably neutral you, the real buyer, the real one is just ancious for the item not for the feedback. But I think you also wait to much time to deliver their goods, you should schedule your listins with the day you ship, you can not tell them wait until this day because it's the day I ship, that's not good, that's why they get upset.
posted on November 18, 2000 08:29:08 AM
My husband leaves feedback the day the payment is received - which coincidentally is the day before the item is shipped (he doesn't hold for checks to clear). It's an integral part of his tracking system....
posted on November 18, 2000 08:55:09 AM
When I receive payment I email that their item will ship the next day. I tell them in email that if they are satisfied with the item to either email me or leave feedback, I will then leave feedback and we will know the transaction is complete. I also tell them if there is a problem with the item to let me know and I will make it right.
posted on November 18, 2000 09:48:42 AM
I routinely leave feedback on the day payment is received, and have only gotten burned by this method a handful of times (when buyer's check bounced) over the last 3 years. I put the ship date in the feedback, which helps resolve those "when did my stuff get mailed?" queries.
posted on November 18, 2000 09:49:26 AM
i have purchased over 500 items on ebay and have paid for all of them immediately. i have received under 300 positive feedbacks! i feel that i should get positive feedback as soon as the seller has good funds (not necessarily the same day, but before the goods are shipped). POTON- what does returning an item, assuming that there is a valid reason acceptable to the seller, have to do with feedback? the buyer's only obligation is to pay for the item promptly. if every seller waited weeks to first see if the buyer has a problem with the item(assuming that they care) i would think that 90% or more of the sellers would forget by that time to leave feedback! by the way, i have left feedback for every seller upon receipt of the item, but i will no longer do it unless i receive feedback first.
If for any reason the item is returned, it is considered a transaction not completed, it doesn't mean that it's your fault or my fault, there's thousands of things that it can happened during the trip of the item. I don't want to sound rude but, I never leave feedback before the transaction is completed, no matter what, if the buyer keeps insisting in his/her feedback I would explain them why I don't leave feedback, also I never ever put my feedback first, I always let the buyers to insert their comments first, and I always leave a similar one.
Many people talk about customer service, personally I don't think that customer service apply to eSellers, customer service is for eBay itself, for AOL, Microsoft and those type of companies. If the buyers got what they expected they will be happy and will understand why I didn't leave feedback before, they just will realize that's my method of doing business on eBay, and if they got what I advertised they will come again and again and I don't have to risk my business profile, and I will keep it that way, perhaps that's the reason I have 780 positive feedback and zero 0 negs.
When I started on eBay I used to leave feedback first, then I hear about customer service, then I was afraid about being rude to my buyer, then I was scare to death when they treated me with a negative feedback if I don't do what they say, NO MORE!!! That's history. And I do everything opposite what I did in the past. If my buyer bothers me for no reason, I'll be rude as hell, and if they don't like that way and talk me about customer service, I say, listen I'm not eBay or something like that, if you pay you will receive your stuff, if you don't like it return it and you will get your money back and everybody happy, but don't ask me to leave you a nice feedback, when I know that I will not give you your money back if you don't like the item. My sales are not final, if you don't like it, return it, BUT let me tell you this, if you return it, I will have to inform eBay (FVF) that the transaction was not completed and I want my money back for the listing, after that whatever happens is between you and eBay. Basically I say that because I don't want to receive back 90% of the items I send. Why? Because there are thousands of kids out there that want me to send the stuff just to see how it looks.
At the end what I leaned is this, be always ruder if someone is rude for no reason, if there's a reason, well make it right.
posted on November 18, 2000 11:57:55 AMthe buyer's only obligation is to pay for the item promptly.
No, the buyer also has an obligation to work with the seller in a reasonable manner to help resolve any issues that may arise during a transaction.
Feedback is transaction related, not payment related. Shipping on the seller's part and paying on the buyer's part are but two small parts of an overall transaction.
This of course has nothing to do with the old argument over who should leave feedback first. I routinely leave feedback first in a transaction but only after the transaction is completed.
As a seller, I'm not concerned only with how quickly a bidder pays. I also want to know how they helped to resolve any problems that came up. Did they work with the seller in a reasonable manner or did they neg first and ask questions later? This is an important part of the entire transaction.
IMO if I give feedback upon receipt of payment I'm doing a disservice to other sellers who might not be made aware via feedback of any problems with the bidder that pop up later in the transaction.
posted on November 18, 2000 12:17:01 PM
Thanks to all of you who took an interest in
my question.
I feel all of you have a good way of doing it. It's a matter of which one to use.
I agree with, wait till the transaction is finished, like you said, who knows what can happen, Like I left feedback when I shipped an item and today I find out he needs to return it to me, well now the fun begins with ebay. When I receive the item, and I send his money back he might just leave me feedback becaused I worked with him and I also paid for shipping one way plus the price of the item was returned to him.
In that case should I ask ebay for a credit of fees?? (it was a 90.00 item)
Thanks again for all your great information, I will be useing it in the furture...
posted on November 18, 2000 12:53:25 PMabingdoncomputer: No, the buyer also has an obligation to work with the seller in a reasonable manner to help resolve any issues that may arise during a transaction.
Yes, the buyer does have that obligation. But I think that most sellers who don't leave feedback until the bidder does, are waiting to see if they get a negative, so they can leave one in return.
I haven't formed this opinion lightly, by the way - I've been on eBay since late 1997, and have been on AW and other auction-related message boards for a couple of years.
Having read your posts for quite some time now, it's quite apparent that you are very experienced in the ways of ebay. Your judgement, recommendations, and opinions as given on these boards are rock solid IMO and any newcomer (myself included) would be well served to pay attention to most anything that you may have to say.
I agree that failure to leave feedback upon receipt of payment can possibly be perceived as holding the buyer "hostage" to feedback. But IMO that is all that it is, a perception, and in my case an incorrect one. As I stated above, I am almost always the first party in the transaction to leave feedback. I do not wait to see if I'm going to receive a neg before I will give a positive. It just seems like basic commom sense that feedback for a transaction should be based upon the entire transaction, not just the payment and shipping phases of it.
A customer can participate in a transaction in several ways that may warrant a negative or neutral feedback separate from the promptness of their payment. IMO the feedback system is useless if the feedback in a user's profile isn't an accurate portrayal of the transactions. If I receive payment and immediately leave positive feedback, the customer may try to then return a different item than the one I sent (I've had this happen three times). If I have already left positive feedback, I have nowhere to go. Sure I can leave a follow-up, but that is useless unless a future potential seller takes the time to actually read every feedback comment since it will still show up on the meter as a positive.
After the buyer receives the merchandise and lets me know that he/she is happy with the transaction, I then leave feedback. If he/she is not happy with the transaction, I feel that as a reputable seller that I deserve the opportunity to make them happy with it. I believe this is fair.
posted on November 18, 2000 01:48:50 PM
I've been selling for 2-1/2 years, and have always left feedback upon receipt of payment.
Until a few days ago, a bidder, without even bothering to e-mail me, left a pretty harsh negative feedback comment for me, saying that the item was misrepresented. I've been selling the same thing all this time, so it's safe to say I know what I'm doing at this point!
Nevertheless, I contacted her, pointed out that I have a satisfaction guarantee that's listed in the auction, and that she was certainly welcome to return the item and I'd refund her purchase price and shipping BOTH ways. I also asked her why she didn't e-mail me first, that I would have been glad to work with her to resolve this. (She's a new bidder with less than 5 feedback, by the way.)
I got a rather curt reply stating that I and my e-mails are a "pain and an annoyance", and that she expected the money PLUS an extra amount (huh???) returned to her via PayPal and THEN she would send the item back. I think not! (It's clearly stated in my return policy that items have to be returned first.)
I had left her positive feedback when her payment arrived, but I bet if I hadn't, she would have been more willing to resolve the problem instead of being able to "safely" slap me with a negative.
And no, I wouldn't have negged her back, even if I could have. Most likely I wouldn't have left her anything at all. But I bet she'd have been more willing to work things out if we had been on "even ground".
By her flat refusing to return the item even though I offered a refund and shipping BOTH ways (which is as fair as it gets!), I feel like she was just playing with the feedback buttons, and that she probably wasn't all THAT unhappy. Either that, or she was hoping to get both the money AND the item, or possibly (and I hate to say it, but ...) pull a switcheroo.
posted on November 18, 2000 02:28:44 PMi have purchased over 500 items on ebay and have paid for all of them immediately. i have received under 300 positive feedbacks! i feel that i should get positive feedback as soon as the seller has good funds
Are you a seller as well? If not, why do you care about feedback? I ask that seriously.
posted on November 18, 2000 02:32:19 PM
I guess everybody does what works best for them. I leave feedback the day I ship. The next business day if it's a money order or after the check clears if it's a personal check. If they leave feedback for me fine, if not no big deal. It is nice to know if they are happy or not, but I don't lose sleep over it.
posted on November 18, 2000 02:52:14 PM
I leave feedback and send an item shipped notice the day the item ships. It's a routine I've gotten into and seems to work best for me.
posted on November 18, 2000 05:27:42 PM
It took a little while to find what works for me. I don't feel my part is complete until my customer has his/her package. I send an email stating that I have sent the
item out and will contact them in --- days
to make sure they are happy with the item and it has arrived safely. I also state I will give positive feedback when I am sure they are completely satisfied with the item. And I mean it. So far no problems. [I also give every possible problem or identifying mark so my item cannot be substituted easily.] I am a small business, so I can send emails that are not automated.
A couple customers didn't write back to say everything is okay, so I just went ahead and gave feedback. They may be out of town, sick or just plain don't answer emails much.
I just state in the feedback that I hope it arrived safely and give a positive remark. So
far I like this arrangement. But, if someone pitched a fit and wanted FB right away, no problem--I would give it!
I don't expect the customer to give feedback first. I do state that if they want to email me when the item has arrived that would be great. I don't say anything about feedback on their part and have never ask for it.
[ edited by labrat4gmos on Nov 18, 2000 05:35 PM ]
posted on November 18, 2000 05:58:58 PM
note to amalgamated 2000-i am only a buyer. i get from your question that you think buyers should not care about feedback. although i agree that sellers should certainly have a much greater concern, with me it is simply a matter of principle. if i send you a prompt payment i should get positive feedback.
to those who say that leaving early feedback for a buyer may give other sellers a false sense of security about dealing with a problem buyer, couldn't the same be said with even much greater concern about a seller? the number of "problem" sellers is far greater than the number of "problem" buyers! how long would you wait to consider a transaction complete? when buying autographs, art, jewelry or other easily forged items should a buyer who doesn't have the means to immediately verify the authenticity of an item nevertheless leave immediate positive feedback? there is a big difference between selling embroidered potholders and selling autographs. some of what is being said relates to a handful of bad selling experiences that have left you jaded. the overall effect of leaving what turns out to be erroneous feedback for a buyer is far less wide-reaching than leaving such for a seller who may be selling forgeries. this is unquestionably the single biggest concern about internet auctions!
posted on November 18, 2000 06:10:08 PMhow long would you wait to consider a transaction complete?
The transaction is complete when the buyer has received the item and lets me know he/she is happy with it. Then I leave feedback whether it has been left for me or not.
posted on November 18, 2000 06:36:25 PM
abingdon..... you sound like a very practical person. most auctions probably should go like that. many do not. i once bought an antique deco picture frame that was advertised in the auction to be in perfect condition. when i received it there was a clearly visible chip on it that could not have happened in shipping. i e-mailed the seller who claimed she didn't see the chip!!!!???? it was not expensive and i decided it was not worth the time or effort to return it. instead of leaving negative feedback i decided to leave none as the seller had an otherwise perfect record. even though the seller left me no feedback as well, i should have received(IMO) positive feedback for paying promptly, yes?
posted on November 18, 2000 06:56:10 PM
I usually leave feedback once a week. I use the feedback page to track my deadbeats--if I see I haven't left feedback and still have the item, it means I haven't been paid.
IMO the seller of your chipped item should have asked if you wanted a refund and given it to you if you had said yes (subject to you returning the same item that you received from the seller). I don't believe in partial refunds. It's all or nothing.
As far as the feedback is concerned, if the seller refused to work with you on the item (by offering a refund upon receipt of the SAME item sent to you) the seller deserved at least a neutral or even a neg.
Your feedback from the seller should have been based on your willingness to allow the seller to make you happy. You did this by contacting the seller before leaving feedback. I feel that you should have received a positive in this case but the promptness of your payment, while admirable, was again just a part of the overall transaction.
Edited to add:
I re-read your post. If this chip was in a place where the seller could not have easily missed it, I would say that he committed fraud.
You should indeed have received positive feedback and you should have left a neg for him. Of course, if you did he would probably retaliate with a neg of his own but it would hurt him as a seller more than it would you (unless of course you are a seller also).
[ edited by abingdoncomputers on Nov 18, 2000 07:06 PM ]
