max40
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posted on November 3, 2002 02:19:30 PM new
I've been selling on eBay for several years, total sales 1500-2000. My feedback is only 500+. Is this typical, or am I doing something wrong? I don't give feedback till I receive it from the buyer, but when I ship their item out, I email them to let them know it's in the mail. In that email, I state that feedback is appreciated and reciprocated. I'm leary of sending feedback first.
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular
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marcn
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posted on November 3, 2002 02:23:45 PM new
I always post feedback upon receipt of payment. I have about 5300 transactions and a feedback of near 4400 and many are repeats so the ratio is very high. I state right in all my ads that feedback is sent upon receipt of payment. Once a buyer pays, they have fulfilled their commitment. I also have 17 negatives of which most could have been avoided had I not posted feedback first. I am completely convinced that the majority of buyers never look at feedback so what does it matter who posts first? If you have a good product with prompt service, you have nothing to worry about in posting feedback first.
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nightman444
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posted on November 3, 2002 02:25:54 PM new
I do the same as you. seems like only about 25% feedback is what we are going to get. I think eBays feedback system is a joke.
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Libra63
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posted on November 3, 2002 03:15:12 PM new
I leave feedback when I come home from the post office. I enclose a small note asking them to write and tell me when their package arrives and if they have problems please let me know. I never ask for feedbacks. I have left 777 feedbacks and have received 621.
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sanmar
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posted on November 3, 2002 03:25:18 PM new
I leave feedback as soon as I receive payment. I also state in my TOS that I will ship within 24 hrs od receipt of payment. When I receive payment, I notify the buyer that the purchase will be mailed the next day & that a pos. fdbck has been left. 90% of the time I get a response. Hey, if the buyer pays in a fairly quick time, they deserve a pos. fdbck. What is the reason for waiting? They have fulfilled their part of the transaction.
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max40
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posted on November 3, 2002 03:50:43 PM new
Thanks for the suggestions, especially Sanmar:
Hey, if the buyer pays in a fairly quick time, they deserve a pos. fdbck. What is the reason for waiting? They have fulfilled their part of the transaction.
You are right, I guess that I've been gun shy since my only negs were retailiatory, but they don't look good on the top of the page, and like somebody said, buyers don't bother to read them.
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular
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bubblewrap
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posted on November 3, 2002 08:10:05 PM new
I think the feedback system needs to be revamped. I have only half the number of feedback that I've left for my buyers. There is one seller I buy from quite often and I always leave them feedback...they have never left me feeback once. They have over a 3,000 feedback but they have only left about 25 ever since they've been on eBay. I think that it would be cool that if the buyer or seller didnt leave some kind of feedback (either pos. or neg.) within 60 days then eBay would assume the transaction was good and automatically post positive feedback to the respective accounts. This way, if a seller had a bad experince with a buyer, they would damn sure leave negative feedback for them (and warn other sellers in the process) for fear of eBay posting the automatic positive feedback after 60 days. I think it would make the feedback system work better and give sellers more of the positive feedback they deserve. Does this sound like a halfway good idea to anyone else or is it just because I forgot to take my medication today?
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inot
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posted on November 3, 2002 08:36:01 PM new
Just another point of veiw.. I have had almost 800 transactions. I receive feedback from 95+% of my customers and I do not leave feedback first. I had 2 very bad experiences early on when I did always leave feedback first from customers who basically tried to hold my F.B rating hostage while they attempted to negotiate a "partial" refund, for their oversights. I did not give in and did receive 1 negative because of it. With feedback as one of our main sources of recourse in negative transactions, I feel like I am leaving myself open to all kinds of problems if I were to leave feedback as soon as the package leaves my hands... or earlier? I communicate throughout the transaction..I let my customers know when their items have been shipped and state in the notification that I look forward to exchanging feedback with them
after they have received their item. Most are kind enough to begin the process. If they do not leave feedback, that is their choice, and I ALWAYS leave reciprocal feedback.
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sapington
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posted on November 3, 2002 10:31:22 PM new
I leave feedback after I receive it or else a few days after the items arrive. I figure that way if there is a problem they have plenty of time to complain first. If the buyer emails me and says they received there item I leave feedback right away.
About half the people leave feedback when they receive the items and about half of what is left after I do. Leaving it as soon as payment is received is just asking for a neg from a bidder for shipping damage.
This has worked fine so far.
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snugglump199
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posted on November 4, 2002 12:10:59 AM new
I, too, wait until I receive feedback "at the end of the transaction" which I clearly state in my EOA email and ALWAYS do once I receive their FB. When I was a newbie, I once left positive FB for a buyer within hours of receiving her VERY LATE check payment. Shortly after she received the product, she left me negative FB BECAUSE OF THE WAY I WORDED MY POSITIVE FEEDBACK! I reread that feedback so many times and, to this day, can't figure out what I said to upset her. So the delay in FB started right there when I realized that positive FB should go only when,and if, the buyer indicates complete satisfaction with the transaction. JMHO, of course.
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rarriffle
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posted on November 4, 2002 02:26:32 AM new
In my shipment notice email I state that "I will leave feedback just as soon as I know the package has safely arrived." I do not ask for feedback but this is how many of my buyers let me know the package arrived. I receive about 75% feedback..which I am happy with.
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rgrem
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posted on November 4, 2002 04:51:43 AM new
exact ditto, rarrifle. Concerning the comments above about some sellers who never leave feedback, it is easy to check on what feedback your buyer or seller has given. And if I see that they don't, then I figure they don't care about it, so I probably won't either. On the "people don't look at feedback" comment: I am quite sure that before someone sends me 2 or 3 hundred bucks, they look at my feedback. It would be stupid not to. jmho.
[ edited by rgrem on Nov 4, 2002 04:55 AM ]
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jefflh12
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posted on November 6, 2002 08:32:10 AM new
I don't agree with most of the responses to this...I'd be leary of you, and why you wouldn't post feedback after you've been sent the payment and they have met all terms of your auction...If you send their item and it arrives ok, why would you be leary of leaving feedback first?...No wonder your feedback is low...
"As a child I had a quicksand box...I was an only child....eventually"...
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rarriffle
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posted on November 7, 2002 12:30:02 PM new
the same people who won't leave feedback first are the ones who keep saying the feedback system doesn't work...they are part of the problem not part of the solution...
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koto1
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posted on November 25, 2002 04:14:50 AM new
I'll try to bypass the whole argument of "leaving feedback as soon as payment is received" vs. "leaving feedback as soon as feedback is received". I've done it both ways, and I'd have to say that now since I wait until the item is received and the buyer is happy, I receive a higher percentage of feedbacks than I did before.
To the original poster...I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Perhaps it's what you sell?
"Who's tending the bar?  Sniping works up a thirst"
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Twelvepole
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posted on November 25, 2002 06:14:57 AM new
As a buyer, when I see the seller has left me feedback, I leave mine, so appears do many of your buyers max40.
As a seller, I leave feedback when I have shipped the item, as far as I am concerned the buyer has upheld their part of the transaction.
And I receive over 90% feedbacks in return.
Ain't Life Grand... 
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alwaysfun
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posted on November 25, 2002 06:53:13 AM new
I always get a kick out of how adamant some of the folks on this message board are about this familiar debate. I used to leave feedback first and the only reason I wait now is because I use Vrane.com to automatically leave my feedback once a positive is received. I don't automatically slam someone if they leave me a neutral or negative. And my buyers can see that. I personally don't see the big deal one way or the other. But I honestly can attest to getting more feedback from my buyers now. I think sometimes they didn't care if I already left them feedback, but now they want that positive so they leave one for me. I put a little note in each package with their invoice that I have an automatic program to return positive feedback, I think it prompts them.
Works great for me but all opinions are valued.
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trai
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posted on November 25, 2002 07:56:39 AM new
They have fulfilled their part of the transaction.
No, they have not. Payment is just a part of the transaction.
I do not ask for feedback, but I do ask that they let me know when their item shows up.
The deal is not over till the buyer has their goods.
Then I will be more than happy to leave them feedback.
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dacreson
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posted on November 25, 2002 08:54:40 AM new
Hello
Well we are all over the board here so I also will state my approach to feed back.
The system as it exits now does near nothing for the seller. Therefore my approach is to state in my boilerplate (TOS) that I RETURN feedback. The result is lower numbers (I have about 440 showing in four years) but little or no grief. As others said, early on I tried the other approach and received one negative and three neutrals before I realized that I was only hurting myself. I DO file for funds back on those that don’t pay though and three of those and the buyer is gone
I believe in keeping my eye on the ball, selling. Feedback is not all that importance, as some would lead you to think it is.
Happy selling 
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sanmar
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posted on November 25, 2002 09:10:49 AM new
I don't want to get into a big debate on this subject, but I stand by my original statement. "The buyer has sent prompt payment. So they have lived up to their end of the transaction." Trai says they must let him know that they have received the item. Trai, you are in the business of selling. Does Lands End or L.L.Bean request you let them know when you receive the mdse? I think not, nor should you. Believe me, you will hear if they do not. I shipped a very expensive & rare piece of china to a lady in DC. Never heard from her, so after 2 weeks, I emailed her. She emailed back & told me everything was just perfect, didn't realize that she should do anything. I think this is true of many buyers with little or no feedback.
[ edited by sanmar on Nov 25, 2002 09:12 AM ]
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trai
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posted on November 25, 2002 10:48:30 AM new
. Does Lands End or L.L.Bean request you let them know when you receive the mdse?
No they do not. However they do not have an ebay style of feedback system.
No mail order house does.
There is no right or wrong way of doing this, matter of fact one does not even have to do this.
Each seller should do what they feel works the best for them.
My system works very well for me and my buyers.
I feel that my way does not leave me so open to feedback hostage blackmail.
If one of my buyers has problem, then all they need to do is email me. I will try to fix it.
There are just too many bidders that like to lower the bid price after the fact or else. Then there are the "I got it cheaper somewhere else"crowd.I want cheap mailing cost, but it better be here in eight hours or else.
Good thing is that most people are just great to deal with, but the nut cases are out there.
The list gets longer everyday. Count yourself lucky so far if you have not had to deal with some whacko.
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ahc3
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posted on November 25, 2002 12:13:45 PM new
You need to look at what you have instead of what you don't have. I won't leave feedback first anymore. I think it gives me an advantage as a seller, because it probably means some buyers won't post neutral or negative feedback even when they are in the wrong, because if I have already posted feedback, there is nothing I can do. I don't really care if I get feedback or not, but they won't get it from me til they leave it first. Is it fair? Well, there are no rules that state I need to leave feedback first (and I get a fair number of repeat customers too)
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figmente
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posted on November 25, 2002 01:30:21 PM new
The feedback system works poorly. What it most lacks is buyers who leave honest neutral or negative feedback for poorly performing sellers.
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max40
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posted on November 25, 2002 02:22:38 PM new
SANMAR'S SYSTEM GETS RESULTS!! I took Sanmar's suggestions to heart (Nov 3) and started leaving feedback for buyers at the time I shipped the merchandise. It works great. I'm getting almost 100% return feedback. Thank you Sanmar!
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular
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