Feedback Etiquette

[leerhyne71]

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 🙂

[twyngwyn]

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

[kopenhagen5]

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.

[leader-of-the-band]

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.

[digital*ghost]

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 😉 ). 

[***super_nova***]

  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)

[hannah.granat]

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.

[***super_nova***]

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.

[twyngwyn]

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

[leader-of-the-band]

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.