CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN !

[dotm2004]

I recently posted that when I have a non-paying buyer, that I open a case and leave feedback just before I close it,  saying eg ... NO PAYMENT, NO CONTACT, VERY DISAPPOINTING.  CASE CLOSED.   I then block the buyer.   Of course, I can only leave positives ... I was told by eBay some time ago, that this is the way to warn other sellers.

I then received a lot of comments that what I was doing wasn't legal, and I can't see why.

I can't understand why we (sellers) can't leave feedback (positive of course!), to advise that a buyer did not complete the sale,  after purchasing an item.

A seller can leave NEGATIVE feedback and say anything they like, yet it seems we don't have the right to leave feedback to  warn other sellers that the buyer didn't pay.   I have read some very blatant feedback about non-payers with very nasty comments, .... I don't agree with that.

Is there someone out there who can tell me what the actual RULE is.

I posted the procedure I use earlier, but apparently I'm doing something that's illegal ??

[kopenhagen5]

It is against ebay policy to leave false positives as feedback.

Sellers have not been able to leave negs for years.

But I see your point and I have also thought about leaving a positive with the facts.

Something like, Non payer, got fee back so positive result.

Afterall it turned out to be a positive experience closing a case against a non payer.

However it also against policy to mention a dispute in feedback.

[bakeandfry]

http://ocsnext.ebay.com.au/ocs/sc

[cherry*135]

Its quite simple really. Sellers are only able to leave POSITIVE feedback for buyers (this has been the case for over 6 years).

Therefore any feedback written has to be positive comments.

Your example, is a false positive - they are negative comments. Not allowed. Plus the buyer if they are ebay savyy and know the rules can report the seller for leaving a false positive and the seller can get sanctioned for doing that.

As in the other thread, sellers don't need to leave any feedback for a NPB as there has been no transaction to comment on.

[bakeandfry]

Type the question in there.

[phorum_junkie*]

There are several reasons why sellers cannot leave negs, many of them the same reasons that when sellers could leave negs many of us didn't.

It only warns sellers who go in and check the feedback of every bidder, that still doesn't stop a buyer using BIN or a last minute snipe.

A buyer used to invariably leave a retaliatory neg, while they do not impact on a buying account too many on a selling account and it can lessen the chances of getting buyers.

Unscrupulous sellers would leave retaliatory negs if a buyer left one then blackmail buyers who thought negs were important into mutually removing them allowing them to maintain an artificially high feedback score.

A lot of sellers didn't take the time to think what they were typing and left the sort of comments that would have a prospective buyer hitting the back button, how feedback is left is just as important as the type of feedback.

There are other reasons too, it is far better to give non payers strikes so neither side can leave feedback but you can block them and allow other sellers to do the same if they have done it more than once.

As a long time seller I much prefer the system as it is now.

[clarry100]

The way I see it you don't have to use the feedback system to "warn" other sellers. It can't work.

The best way to achieve this is to open/close a UPI case. This action records a strike on the buyer's acccount.

If other sellers have their correct buyer requirements in place then once a buyer gets 2 or more of these strikes they cannot bid or BIN from any seller who has blocks in place.

If it's just recorded in a buyer feedback comment then there is nothing to stop that buyer from bidding at the last minute (or buying BIN) before a seller has time to look up their feedback comments. So it cannot warn other sellers.

So don't waste your time with such feedback and risk a slap for a policy breach yourself.

Put the energy into the existing system which works well.

We simply don't bother to leave any feedback for non-payers. All this does is give them one more positive score on their account regardless of what the comment says.

[cherry*135]

Note: Buyers can leave sellers negative, neutral or positive Feedback. Sellers can leave buyers positive Feedback or choose not to leave Feedback.

If a buyer doesn't pay for an item, eBay also removes Feedback left by a buyer when the buyer hasn't responded to an unpaid item case and has an unpaid item recorded for that transaction.

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/feedback/howitworks.html

While sellers can leave a positive Feedback rating and a comment for buyers, they can't leave negative or neutral Feedback.

Negative Feedback discourages buyers from future transactions and can lead to lower sales. In addition, there are more effective ways for sellers to resolve issues with buyers.

[dotm2004]

Thank you all very much for this .... I'll revert to my original way.

I do feel a bit peeved that originally, I opened, closed, and blocked the buyer .... but when I had a series of non-payers (turned out to be the same one !!) and other sellers were contacting me, (and each other) ...... I rang eBay, and they said to leavef eedback and mention that the buyer was a non-payer !!!

I've been selling on eBay for many years, consider myself experienced, and have a good following of buyers, so here's to this continuing !!

I really do appreciate this page .... it certainly helps me much more than eBay support   🙂  🙂  🙂

[2106greencat · Accepted solution]

NPB - open and close a dispute and give the buyer a strike.....make sure your blocked list includes eBayers with 2 strikes or more, do NOT add to the postivie feedback by leaving a negative comment with a green dot.

You have excellent feedback so try to keep it that way and follow policy to the letter so you are not being hurt by someone elses inablility to follow the correct procedures.

And never mention feedback or disputes in any listing, this just makes me (as a buyer) think that there may be a problem with a seller.