Seller Feedback

[7020brianc]

I realise that this has been raised before, but is there some way that Ebay can enforce a Seller to leave feedback ? I have recently purchased an item, and whilst the transaction was good all round, the time it took to arrived from Melbourne (Vic Aus) to Newcastle (N.S.W Aus) was 15 days, I conversed with the seller, and left positive feedback Now, a further 5 days on, the seller still has not left feedback for me. This is now the fourth time a seller has failed to do so, which I feel is unfair to the buyer. On all four occasions, it has been a seller who is also a business owner using Ebay, to sell their products. Some sort of major flagging method needs to be introduced to alert both parties to an incomplete transaction.

[padi*0409]

In a word, no. Feedback is voluntary.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

why get hung up on buyer feedback?

Those members who only buy stuff are always going to have 100% rating.

Feedback for sellers helps buyers decide whether to buy from a seller, but feedback for buyers has no influence on sellers.

Feedback for buyers is really just a count of transactions and fluffy feel good comments as sellers can only leave positives (with negative tone comments not allowed).

Can't be too big an issue for you as you have left 330 comments and received 328 comments, a differential of just 2!

[countessalmirena]

@7920brianc,

That would be like the government enforcing the paying of compliments. Compliments are nice to receive, but even if you’re looking amazingly spiffy and have spent two hours getting ready, you may still not receive a single flattering comment. There is no civil or legal offence covering non-payment of compliments.

There is also no eBay policy that states feedback must be given. Au contraire, eBay specifically state:

❝Remember though, leaving Feedback is completely voluntary.❞

— eBay’s Help article on Feedback profiles 

eBay also say it’s fine to ask for feedback if it hasn’t been given, but what they don’t say is how the buyer or seller being asked might react. Some buyers are on record as being affronted at being asked - particularly if the request isn’t limited to being asked once. Such a buyer might react by giving a negative or a neutral dot together with a comment such as “Here’s the feedback that you asked for” or “I was badgered by the seller to give feedback, nonstop messages, just wouldn’t stop, I felt hounded, really unpleasant transaction”…

Sellers can’t respond in that fashion, as the only feedback they are allowed to give is positive. If they don’t feel that the transaction was a positive experience, their only possible feedback response post transaction would be a lie or complete silence on the feedback front. However, they could block the buyer in question to avoid dealing with him/her again.

 I personally would never ask a seller to give me feedback. It doesn’t give me superpowers, pay for my fuel, or result in eBay vouchers or discounts. There’s no special High Feedback Platinum Club. All it does is increase my feedback number which (as long as I’m off the mark so that I don’t look like a complete newcomer with unknown buying behaviour) just doesn’t matter.

However, no harm in asking your sellers to give you feedback, as long as it’s a simple one-off request without any threats and without multiplying. Some sellers simply don’t give any feedback; some will give it automatically; some might give it only once they’ve received it; and all of those possibilities are permissible.

[imastawka]

If you look at your 'feedback left for others' you will find tht the seller has indeed left you feedback.

It just doesn't shoe as a number on your total,

[springyzone]

On a scale of 1 to 10 of life's problems, this is a minus 1.

Yes, it would be nice if sellers left a positive comment after a transaction but the main thing is you already have a score of 231. That means if you did decide to sell, your feedback score is high enough for other people to be confident you are not completely new to ebay.

Sellers can only give a buyer a positive (if they do give feedback) while buyers can give a neg, neutral or positive. Buyers can complain and get a refund without too much trouble too. Sellers can sometimes be a bit nervous about a whole transaction. You say you conversed with the seller and I am getting the feeling you asked where your item was as you felt it was a bit slow to arrive.

I am getting the feeling you consider you were fairly grancious and gave the seller a positive despite a not wholly positive experience so the least he could do is give a positive back. But if he picked up any worried vibes from your messages, he may have held off on giving feedback.

The other thing is some sellers don't give feedback straight after a transaction but leave it till the end of the month or whatever and do it in bulk then.

In any case, don't fret, but take it as it comes. Most will leave FB, some won't.

[sandypebbles]

Why when it is totally meaningless

Unless you only buy things on eBay to collect numbers, buyers can only ever have 100% positive

How it is unfair on the buyer?

It means nothing to other sellers you might buy from, who know you can only be given green ticks and good words

It

is

meaningless

Why hound and harass sellers for something that way . Good way to have them block you from buying from them at all as all it does is make you sound like a troublesome, unreasonable buyer

[eol-products]

Personally I can't imagine blocking a buyer that asks for feedback to be left would be a good business model to use. 

[sandypebbles]

I certainly would if they kept doing it

As they have stated above, they have done so four times (that they are up front about)

All for a pointless 'extra number' on their score card

Feedback does matter for sellers

adding something that can only ever be 100% for a buyer no matter what for a buyer, and they want to get it on demand (they want eBay to enforce the seller has to give them another green tick?)

Nope

[eol-products]

I have feedback set to be left when a buyer leaves feedback. Once every few years a buyer may ask if I can leave feedback before they do but. Not sure why sellers would not have it set automatically.