posted on January 30, 2002 12:51:28 AM
does it really matter whether somebody gives you a neg or two?
i dont think it does, i wonder why you guys obsessed so much about it.
posted on January 30, 2002 03:41:00 AM
Yes it really matters. When a seller satisfies a couple of hundred buyers with his attention to honesty and customer satisfaction, and then someone negs him without giving the opportunity to solve a problem, it hurts. Many buyers, especially of items in the 100s of $, feel that 1 or 2 percent negs is the max allowable to be dismissed as understandable. We are not whining. We do wonder why we get an undeserved neg, and often look for advice on how we could have avoided it.
posted on January 30, 2002 07:23:47 AM
if you are an antique or jewelry seller,you cant afford negs which complain of authenticity of the item??
fake diamond and 18th c meissen?????
posted on January 30, 2002 07:50:58 AM
I don't think feedback is that important to buyers. They don't seem to care about getting it and they don't seem to check it.
Since we have 90 days to leave feedback, I post my feedback once every month or two. No one has ever complained.
My feedback is about 300. I think I have 4 negs. It is no big deal. One person wrote I was a scam artist wanted by both my local police and the FBI. I saw no dip in sales.
I try to do what is fair, within reason. Now I just have fun with negs. I write something like "I like to screw one person a month & it was your turn, hee, hee, hee." Or, "Aliens made me be bad that day. It was Art Bell's fault!" I actually get compliments on my negs.
I think buyers understand that there are some weird people out there and will ignore a 1-2% neg rate. (If they even check.) I never check feedback when I buy if the person has a feedback over 10.
posted on January 30, 2002 08:43:11 AM
I sometimes get comments about my huge number of negs (about 90). Too bad those folks never finished sixth grade math - the total negs is about 1% overall. Most complaints are about slow communication/shipping, as I work full time and take care of two kids.
posted on January 30, 2002 09:44:23 AM
I agree as the man says you can't please all the peaple all the time
what really gets me is peaple here getting all upset about neutrals Huh whats that all about?
I do look at feeback but I am smart enough to know that 6 negs on a 300 rating means 294 peaple had a good experiance and probably much more since not everyone leaves feedback....
posted on January 30, 2002 10:03:41 AM
The negs that bother me are the ones I have gotten from non paying bidders in retaliation for the neg. I posted on them for not following thru with the transaction......I wish ebay would wake up and fix the feedback system so that if a non paying bidder/final value fee charge has been completed on a buyer, it disables them from getting the privelege of leaving feedback........you don't complete the transaction, you don't get to post feedback.....it would take care of alot of undeserved retalitory negs that are posted on good sellers!
posted on January 30, 2002 10:06:17 AM
negative feedback sucks but happens i got 333 + and 3 negs all from non-paying bidders and the 3 of them no longer registered with ebay....what can ya do!
i do think way to many people are obsessed with feedback though. appreciate if you sell expensive items it matters but one nega amongst 100s of plus will never kill anyone
posted on January 30, 2002 01:01:22 PM
When you're a full time seller with no other source of income, negatives and neutrals matter very much, as they could potentially cause bidders to shy away from your auctions. I agree that most bidders don't check feedback before bidding, but there are a handful of bidders out there that feel that even ONE negative is too many, regardless of what the comment actually says.
posted on January 30, 2002 01:09:16 PM
If you're at fault, getting a negative is understandable. But if you get unwarranted neg's, it's not. I think that's what people "whine" about. It's frustrating!
"Sometimes when we touch, the honesty's too much....."
posted on January 30, 2002 02:14:25 PM
I agree, depends if it is warranted or not. I actually have no negs (though it won't kill me when I get one) but I think even a neutral can be worded so it makes no difference from a negative, it still is negative. If someone gives a neutral and says I did not respond to them when I did, this is a problem. It might let buyers think I am not responsive, and they will not bid.
The only other neutral I have received was my fault - I mixed up two very similar items, but one was worth about $10 more. I gave the bidder lots of choices, either a full refund, or cash back for the difference (which he took) but he told me he could only give me a neutral - However, that neutral was worded very positively, like wrong item sent, seller did good, recommended - I respected him for that, and did not really have a problem with that.
posted on January 30, 2002 04:33:23 PM
Oh yea, like when a buyer neg'd me because my listing didn't state shipping cost and they thought the shipping was free even though it says "buyer pays actual shipping." I'd rather not whine, I'd rather take a 2x4 and whack them over the head and knock some sense into them. I email them and ask why they left me a negative when they made the error- never get a response back so I just neg them and the world is made whole again.
posted on January 30, 2002 05:35:57 PM
Negs matter because I go out of my way to satisfy every buyer I deal with. I have a neg in the works right now-I can feel it coming. I just recently sold a collection of five items-rather high priced. I made it very clear in the auction that the items were the only thing I was selling as the collection case was no longer available. The collection does not need a case to be displayed. I rec'd payment and shipped items. Next thing I know I get an email asking when the case will arrive. After ripping several hairs out of my head and cursing the auction god I replied that the case was not available as was stated clearly in the auction. This person actually had the nerve to say it wasn't their fault they didn't read the entire description as it was too long and they didn't have the time. Heaven deliver us from some of these bidders!!!!
posted on January 30, 2002 06:40:57 PM
"it wasn't their fault they didn't read the entire description as it was too long and they didn't have the time"
posted on January 30, 2002 07:11:30 PM
capolady---
You are 100% in the right and I would hate to be in your shoes.....
With that said, (and assuming this isn't overly time consuming) is it possible that you have the resources to locate a case like the bidder wants or point her in the direction of someone who will sell her one?
Someone may have one to sell and may appreciate the business.
You could write her a nice letter explaining that you are sorry about the misunderstanding.
(Leave out the fact that she is an idiot )
Give suggestions (if you have any) about where she may be able to find a suitable case for the items.
If she is so far gone and insists on continuing to badger you, well, you tried.....
Maybe she will come to her senses and realize
that your attempts to "help her" are genuine and act reasonable again.
[ edited by professorhiggins on Jan 30, 2002 07:14 PM ]
posted on January 30, 2002 07:13:05 PM
I got two negs.., one was retracted by an overzealous buyer who send a personal check and two days letter wondered why his package had not arrived (my auctions clearly state will wait for check to clear)...the one that bugs me the most is one from an idiot that goes by the ebay id of www.fairycollector.com . Here's how intelligent this person was. I auctioned a copy of Hans Christian Andersen "Fairy Tales" and the foremention individual bids and wins the auction. Obviously this person lacked the mental capacity to understand how a "fairy tale" differs from a "fairy"...regardless over 30 days goes by and still no payment sent. After his/her third response of "the check has been sent", I simply replied "payment is no longer expected. Waiting 45 days for a payment is a bit long." By the way, his/her first reply to a payment reminder was "I paid through C2it, I did not know payment did not go through."....hmmm, doesn't c2it send confirmation emails...nevertheless, I waited...This astute ebayer then post a negative : THE WORST SELLER ON EBAY. SENT CHECK ASKED IF SHE GOT IT SNOTTY EMAIL BAD, BAD (this was posted July 28, exactly 37 days after auction ended on June 21)...I am still awaiting that elusive check... Yet I have a negative feedback by someone who probaly has to call technical assistance to find out how to reboot a computer. GRRRR Yes negatives bother me... especiall undeserved
posted on January 30, 2002 08:20:37 PM
when you click on the number that takes you to the next page where you can read the feedbacks, what is the first thing that you see?
"Overall Profile Makeup"
174 POssitives 167 Are from unique users
4 Neutrals
2 Negatives
so what they see there is what makes them choose, do they want read through all the pages to see why you got the negative?
Most buyers dont...seing that number in BOLD RED letters is enough...
If I really really want the item
I might read it, but usualy I dont,
if the seller screw up once where is the guarantee he/she wont do it again?
(if she/he has 500 + and 4 negs
I will bid, if it's 200+ and 59 negs
I will hit my back page key...)
i think that feedback is marketing for the seller, when you go to a store and you dont get the service you expected, you tell
all your friends not to shop there,
well, if the buyer feels the same way about the sellers service, they cannt call everyone on eBay
so they leave a neg, sometimes they are unfair and stupid (mostly left by new buyers ) ....but in the end, it's
what it says about you and your selling / buying methods, so yes, feedback is
important, atleast to me.
posted on January 30, 2002 09:09:44 PM
I think the handful of negs I have gotten hurt me way more than they would impact my sales. But the negs I get have actually helped me improve my business in ways that the bad mouther would never suspect--mostly to prevent any future recurrence of the same by improving my business. Most businesses have holes you can drive a truck through. If a seller looks at a neg for a pity party or as an opportunity to retaliate or mock the buyer, they set themselves up for more of the same and miss the chance to learn.
posted on January 31, 2002 04:07:39 AM
Luckily I only have 1 neg out of 500 feedbacks but it still stings! Mostly because the bidder did not email me to solve the problem but instead slaps me with a neg over a $5.00 (including shipping) item.
I realize that you always have some bozo who wants to mess up your perfect feedback. Maybe they are just jealous
However, having 500 feedbacks, if I'd get another neg, I wouldn't like it, but I'd hope the 499 positives would assure bidders that I am a pretty good seller. Though I agree with what some have said in that I don't think many bidders look at feedback. I have seen sellers with a VERY high negative ratio have bids on every item they have listed.
posted on January 31, 2002 08:04:17 AM
I've had no negs--yet. But when I buy, I do check the feedback of a potential seller. If there are more than one or two negs, I will look back and read what they say. Most people can easily distinguish between retaliatory feedback and something that reflects an actual problem with the transaction.
Even perfect feedback doesn't guarantee a perfect transaction! As long as the seller isn't loaded with negs for a good reason, I'm not going to stay awake nights worrying about bidding on his/her item.
posted on January 31, 2002 08:26:26 AM
"Most people can easily distinguish between retaliatory feedback and something that reflects an actual problem with the transaction."
Oh sure, you mean the same people who can't read a description that says no paypal and they send paypal. Or, the same people who send me payment without consulting the total with shipping costs (three buyers this week alone). Most people can't tell their head from their anus and you're telling me they can distinguish retalitory feedback? Not even I can tell, so I only look at feedback for extreme problems.
[ edited by quickdraw29 on Jan 31, 2002 08:46 AM ]
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