topic Re: Feedback Etiquette in Buying

Feedback Etiquette

leerhyne71 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:46:22 GMT

Hi all,

I'm very new to eBay and have made about 25 purchases in the past week or so. I'm yet to leave feedback for my purchases as I'm not sure what is appropriate timing. A bit of background, I paid for my purchases promptly, in most instances the goods I have bought have been shipped by the seller (s). But, I really can't leave feedback until the purchase cycle is complete .... can I? Until I receive the things I've bought, how can I leave honest feedback?

So, what's the etiquette involved? Am I annoying the seasoned eBay'ers by not leaving feedback if they've shipped the goods so promptly? I don't see how I can truly rate something I haven't received yet.

(I have left feedback for only one purchase, I just assumed that's what I was supposed to do - particularly given how quickly the goods were marked as shipped).

Thanks in advance 🙂

Re: Feedback Etiquette

twyngwyn — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:49:13 GMT

only leave f/b once you've received & inspected the goods

Re: Feedback Etiquette

kopenhagen5 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:55:02 GMT

And feedback is voluntary, so don't concern yourself about it.

After you have received the items, if you feel inclined to, leave appropriate feedback to describe the purchase experience. Should there be a problem with a purchase, contact the seller first so they can offer a solution to rectify.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

leader-of-the-band — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:27:48 GMT

when you are leaving feedback you will be asked to 'star' rate the seller on some aspects of the transaction. These Detailed Seller Ratings (DSR) are out of 5. There are four ratings: These are:

Item as described

Communication

Postage time

Postage and handling charges

Now, if an item had 'free postage' then the rating for that item for the last DSR will automatically be 5 stars.

There is some automatic rating for Communication but i am not sure of when Communication is auto rated.

IMPORTANT: 'Postage time' IS NOT the time it took for the item to get from the seller to you. You are rating the seller and not Australia Post or any other carrier.

The DSR ratings you leave will not be made known to the the seller. However, some sellers are able to work out the ratings left by individual buyers if they monitor their DSR average ratings very closely.

Some time back a poster posted on the boards that when they first joined eBay they thought that a rating of 4/5 was a good rating to leave. They commented that they quickly learned that this is not the case. Ratings less than 5 will impact on a seller, so unless something was bad about a transaction you should consider leaving straight 5's. If you ever think that a seller deserves a 1 or a 2 for one of the DSR's you should not make that decision hastily.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

digital*ghost — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:34:47 GMT

As above, feedback should only be left when you feel the transaction has been finalised, and I can assure you no seller will expect to receive feedback for a purchase unless the item has been received and all is well (most sellers in fact take receiving feedback from the buyer as an indication that the item was received and there were no problems that need addressing - and not to give you the wrong impression, as it would not be a common occurrence, but if a seller ever asks you to leave positive feedback before they will address any issues you might have, ignore the request 😉 ).

Re: Feedback Etiquette

***super_nova*** — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 04:21:20 GMT

But, I really can't leave feedback until the purchase cycle is complete .... can I? Until I receive the things I've bought, how can I leave honest feedback?

of-course, you CANNOT leave FB until you are absolutely sure it is what was said in the seller's description, and it is working properly; that is why eBay gives you 60 days to do it. Has any of the sellers been asking you to leave FB before your item arrived? If so, please give us the exact title of the item (NO numbers or seller's ID)

Re: Feedback Etiquette

hannah.granat — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 08:21:28 GMT

I think the best thing to do is just be honest, regardless of anything.

But it is important to remember that a seller's rating is their livelyhood and it can greatly effect their standing on the site.

I think most buyers go for price, but will preference a top-rated-seller or well-known seller that they trust, and a good rating adds to that appeal.

I only add a rating once I've recieved and inspected the item, and even when I get on the site to leave my score I'll double-check the listing to make sure.

I always keep in mind that postage issues can be a local problem (Australia post for me) and that international postage can carry risks and delays.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

***super_nova*** — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 09:22:00 GMT

I always keep in mind that postage issues can be a local problem (Australia post for me) and that international postage can carry risks and delays.

The postage time should be judged by the date stamp on the parcel = when the seller posted NOT how long it took to be delivered. You are not rating AP, you are rating the seller and they have no control of the speed of delivery once they post.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

twyngwyn — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 09:32:49 GMT

Yes, true - my DSRs for postage time are the lowest out of all - and I do 2 Mail Runs per day....go figure!?

Re: Feedback Etiquette

leader-of-the-band — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 09:40:05 GMT

I rate Postage Time DSR entirely on how quickly the seller posts AND whether they posted within the handling time they stated on the listing.

If I choose to buy from a seller who has a 5 day handling time then I can hardly mark them down on Postage Time DSR if they take 3 days to post.

It also has nothing to do with how long the item takes to get to me.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

cathy1971 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:25:23 GMT

Also as feedback is totally voluntary you do not need to wait for the seller to leave it when the post as lots do not leave feedback at all. They may do it on bulk onCe a month. Some leave it one the buyer does,some leave it once the buyer pays. Just remember don't worry what the seller does. When you receive item and are happy with transaction leave appropriate feedback.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

2006edij — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:22:39 GMT

It has been more than two months of 4 products purchased 22.11.2012. but not yet received.Seller not respond to messages.
Lots of people never received their product that they paid for from this Seller
After 60 days I can not leave feedback.Why?
I waited to come, I could not leave feedback before the product arrives but now there is no hope that it will arrive.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

whitecopy — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:17:58 GMT

Hi I've been around a long time and even had to join again, with a new name, due to a seller having bad mouthed me in claiming that I had not paid for an item even though I'd given good feedback to him/her. My mistake was that at the time I too was a newbie but it didn't take long to learn that you don't leave any feedback unless you receive it first.

Used to be in the beginning that the seller who got your money for the win would leave feedback to let others know that yes you were on the ball and paid promptly after winning an auction and after you received the item then and only then feedback was left for the seller.

In the last few years I've learned that I leave no feedback unless as a buyer I receive it first.

If you leave feed back before the seller and before you receive your item you don't have much of a chance if it comes to a dispute. I know that for a fact because I've been there. I was a newbie and trusted all Ebay sellers. Big mistake. Most are good guys and you won't problems but bad apples lie at the bottom of nearly all baskets. So what I'm trying to say is after you get your feedback and you've received your item and everything is as described and are happy with it then by all means leave feedback. But it's not mandatory.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

kopenhagen5 — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:03:25 GMT

It has been more than two months of 4 products purchased 22.11.2012. but not yet received.Seller not respond to messages.
Lots of people never received their product that they paid for from this Seller
After 60 days I can not leave feedback.Why?
I waited to come, I could not leave feedback before the product arrives but now there is no hope that it will arrive.

Always open a case before 45 days if you paid by PayPal and that gives you a further 20 days before you need to make it a claim. Then if the item doesn't arrive you claim.

Ebay's system is set up that you need to leave feedback before 60 days because after that the transaction is considered too old to leave accurate feedback.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

thoseriches — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 07:42:47 GMT

Never leave feedback until the sale is finalised. Now that sellers can only leave positive feedback for buyers, a lot of them just don't bother to leave feedback at all, regardless of how positive the transaction was for them. However, they want you to leave feedback for them, to promote them to other buyers and to get them into reward categories. Lately, I have left good feedback for a few sellers, who just never bothered to leave feedback for me, feedback might be voluntary, but that doesn't make me feel like a valued customer. So, from now, I will no longer leave feedback for any seller, unless they leave feedback for me.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

leader-of-the-band — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 09:36:27 GMT

I can't understand the pre-occupation some members have with feedback. If you are a buyer-only then feedback can only be positive which diminishes the status of being a 100% feedback eBayer somewhat. For me, buyer-only feedback is just an unreliable transaction count as feedback is not left for all buyers.

For sellers, feedback is important as it can give a potential buyer enough confidence to buy from them. However, many sellers have automatic settings that means that they only leave feedback for a transaction once it has been left for them by the buyer. So, if all buyers were to leave feedback only if a seller does, the whole feedback system becomes seriously flawed . . . . which it is for many reasons anyway!

Re: Feedback Etiquette

jmulv — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 05:13:06 GMT

It is the obligation of the seller to post feedback first, to thank you for your purchase.

You should not post any feedback, good or bad, until after the seller has posted.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

davewil1964 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 05:35:52 GMT

It is the obligation of the seller to post feedback first, to thank you for your purchase.

You should not post any feedback, good or bad, until after the seller has posted.

It is not the obligation of the seller to post feedback first. In fact eBay allow a seller to set their account up to automatically leave feedback once feedback is received from the buyer. Maybe you should tell eBay they've got it wrong.

Besides, there is no obligation on either party to post feedback. As has been stressed many times, seller feedback is a record of their business practises; buyer feedback is a record of how many things they've bought from sellers who leave feedback. Totally unrelated animals.

I would love it, as a seller, if a buyer wouldn't leave a negative until I gave them a positive. Most sellers would, I suspect.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

leader-of-the-band — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 06:54:34 GMT

It is the obligation of the seller to post feedback first, to thank you for your purchase.

You should not post any feedback, good or bad, until after the seller has posted.

has to be a wind-up.

Imagine all those scammers cheering and clapping at this statement! Under this scenario they could scam any number of buyers and know that if they do not leave feedback then the buyers wouldn't either. No buyers would be warned about the scammer through others leaving bad feedback.

Re: Feedback Etiquette

carly2579 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:13:48 GMT

feedback doesnt really worry me