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 🙂

[cathy1971]

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.  

[2006edij]

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.

[whitecopy]

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.

[kopenhagen5]

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.

[thoseriches]

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.  

[leader-of-the-band]

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!

[jmulv]

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.

[davewil1964]

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.

[leader-of-the-band]

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.

[carly2579]

feedback doesnt really worry me