Sellers extorting feedback by intimation?

[robert_053]

When selling I have ALWAYS given feedback when the customer pays for the item. The quicker they pay the better the feedback.  AS IT SHOULD BE.

 - - - - - - - - - - - -

When buying how ever I have found a lot of sellers do not leave feedback until you leave them feedback.  Is this GOOD practice?  I don't think so, in fact it causes me to give poorer feedback than I may have originally as I class this activity as bad customer relations in the 'seller's communication' area.  As a rule I start asking why I had not received any feedback after four to five days, then if I do not receive a reasonable answer and immeadiate feedback the seller loses points.  As a majority of postal times from sellers average at least 7 days I usually wait that long before "reducing" the stars on communication.  Then every four days they lose another.

Today I contacted a seller asking "why?" on an item 320731808127 purchased on the 9th of May and received this reply:

"Dear robert_053,

Hi
thank you for your information.
our system work that when customer leave me positive feedback.
the system leave him positive also.
please leave me first.
miranda"

to which I have replied:

Hello Miranda,
That is very rude.
I order and pay for items straight away and so I expect positive feedback STRAIGHT AWAY!
What YOU are doing is extorting good feedback from customers so they will get good feedback too.
IF you had checked my members profile page you would have discovered that this is a particular "HATE" of mine.
It also causes those sellers who do it to LOSE 'points' when it comes to me making my assessment.
To me that is a "failure for proper seller's communication"
**excerpt from my page
**quote**
Business Information

NOTICE TO SELLERS!When I purchase your product and Pay immediately, I EXPECT feedback immediately!! Should you delay feedback, until I receive the item and give YOU feedback, you WILL receive LESS STARS in communication the longer you delay!
**endquote**
Sincerely,
Robb

Do YOU think I am right in doing this?

[thecatspjs]

there was nothing dead bout this thread tonight ...

[fourandsixpants]

Yes it is/was 'tonight' ....It's a DEAD THREAD

just the usual bunch of ebafia 'appointed' forum moderators posting meaningless banter in a not so obvious fashion with perhaps the intent to hide the too-hot-to-touch and contentious issues at hand.....like

AP issues

sales %'s down for many sellers,

searches not showing Aussie items or sellers-showing US sellers/items instead,

ebay server issues ONGOING for OVER ONE(1) YEAR

[*crikey*mate*]

digital ghost can u please tell me how buyers demand or dictate u leave feedback. I know we whinge on here about it but that doesn't count as sellers whinge on here about buyers.

Do they contact the sellers and demand it. Maybe as I don't do things I hear some buyers do I am just not understanding where u guys are coming from.;)

 I can answer that.

(Don't quote me on the days - just go with the flow, ok?)

I had a buyer earlier in the week, 300 odd feedback already. They left me feedback indicating that they had received their item and were happy with it. I then left them feedback, as I had concluded the transaction was finished.

However, some glitch meant that the feedback didn't show up. I just figured it was a glitch and would fix itself, as I had definitely left feedback.

The very next day, I got a message from the buyer telling me "remember to leave me positive feedback as I have done for you".

I immediately went to leave them feedback, but I got the error message telling me I had already left FB for that item. I even rang eBay, and they told me that I had left feedback for that item, although none of us could see it - not even them.

The buyer contacted me again the next morning saying "where is my feedback, I left it for you, you could be courteous enough to leave it for me.

I told her that I had and was trying to and told her I had been in contact with eBay etc.

She responded

"well best you get back onto them today"

a few hours later, I got another message from them asking "have you sorted it out yet"?

*sigh*

all for a $9 sale.

[*crikey*mate*]

Feedback taps into the gamer/rank hunter mentality for some people. The stars change colour, that gives the impression there's something to achieve simply by amassing high amounts of feedback, if but on a barely acknowledged level (I can assure you there are walls around Australia that do have eBay FB certificates on them......)

When I hit 1000, what achievement will be unlocked? 😮

Don't ya  get a red star Digi! I dream of a red star! It'll match my car and my Mickey Mouse watch LOLOL

but ROFL - I remember when my email came congratulating me on all of my hard work on achieving 500, and giving me a congratulatory certificate that I could print off and hang on my wall...

That made me laugh.... sheesh - not even a frame??? seriously??? after working so hard to build up a FB score of 500 in only 4 years? OMG! I had worked soooo hard at buying and selling - and not even a frame, or a party with cake? seriously?

[*new2vintage]

Yes it is/was 'tonight' ....It's a DEAD THREAD

just the usual bunch of ebafia 'appointed' forum moderators posting meaningless banter in a not so obvious fashion with perhaps the intent to hide the too-hot-to-touch and contentious issues at hand.....like

AP issues

sales %'s down for many sellers,

searches not showing Aussie items or sellers-showing US sellers/items instead,

ebay server issues ONGOING for OVER ONE(1) YEAR

I repeat - this is obviously a 100% DEAD THREAD.

[*crikey*mate*]

.........DEAD THREAD

Never heard of Lazarus, huh?

[saronic1]

The feedback system has worked well untill now and is an important part of buying and selling on ebay.   I too have recently noticed sellers not leaving feedback expecting me as the buyer to provide it first. As the op suggests ,this of course is nothing more than an attempt on the part of some sellers to gain an advange through intimidation......period.

The buyer usually fulfills thier part of the tranaction first through making payment, consequently, common courtesy alone dictates that  it should be the seller that first leaves feedback.

As to those sellers threating to block bidders. Seriously? To begin with, any seller who blocked me would be doing my work for me as it would help eliminate those sellers I would not wish to do business with in the first place.

For what it is worth, I have never left negative feedback as buyer even though I have had a couple mildly negative experiences. I will not, however, leave feedback unless the seller leaves it first -as they should - nor will I use that seller again.

The system has worked perfectly well until now, but now some want to change it. Why?

[lyndal1838]

There speaks the voice of an experienced ebayer.....all of 16 months.

You were obviously not around when ebay made all the changes to feedback several years ago or you would not say that is has worked well for years.

It has not and still does not work all that well and is unlikely to satisfy everyone while ebay continues to interfere with what can be said by buyers.  They are too darned quick to remove feedback that is deserved, but will not remove feedback that is obviously not deserved.

[go-tazz]

It has arisen,(again),

But it is talking about feedback,(again),

[lyndal1838]

Yes Tazz, here it is again.

It is a pity posters do not read the date before putting in their 2 cents worth.  And there is never going to be anything new....you either like feedback or you don't.