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?

[davewil1964]

how rude

Yes, I probably shouldn't be attributing such a lack off nous to the OP.

I know you elsewhere on the eBay boards, you obviously don't make a connection, but from my POV you certainly treat the IDs differently.

[joz*garage]

well, i dont know your other ID on the boards, you have me at a disadvantage. i wouldve replied the same way if you used your other ID on here that i might recognize...and your posts dont make any sense

[davewil1964]

They do to me.

But I am not a habituee of CS, so I might well have a skewed view of reality. :^O:^O:^O

[joz*garage]

perhaps some people need to go through the ringer for a reality check:-D 

[sheepy_1-4]

reality check? on CS?

ROFL

G'day gents - so is this how blokes kiss and make up?

[not_an_eloi]

strays means an habitué, o'course  B-)

one just wonders how businesses manage to survive all over

the internet, with no flamin' feedback of any kind or type, whatsoever   B-)          

[phorum_junkie*]

But I am not a habituee of CS, so I might well have a skewed view of reality.

Not so, I believe your posts on CS are reported and removed immediately unless you do have a skewed view of reality :^O

[purple_haize]

I know a lot of sellers that only leave feedback once a month.......

[1sweetap6v8]

OH dude im all for buyers but not this time. Your so of your rocker on this one.

Firstly why do you take stars of for communication for the seller not leaving feedback first. That is not bad communication, In fact your seller replied to your email promptly. That is GOOD communication. 

Feedback is an option its not communication.

Now really the way it should work is like this.

You buy an item and pay for it , The seller emails you thanks you for your custom and acknowledeges they have recieved payment and your item is either being shipped or has been shipped promptly. I also supply a photo of the item the package with the address on it and the receipt with its price date postcode and now tracking number.

Then once you have recieved your item simply leave feedback for the buyer. That way they no you have recieved it and are happy with the said transaction. Then the seller can   confidently do the same for you in return. 

It is up to the seller if he wants to leave feedback first or early there is no must or should. It is an option only.

A seller is under no obligation to leave feedback and niether are you, It is ridiculous to use feedback as a communication breakdown at all. Feedback is only an option it is not compulsory and many do not even use feedback at all.

Im afraid you are barking up the wrong tree on this one. You have no idea what you are doing. 

Communication is contact between you and the seller -buyer nothing else. If you emailed them and they donot reply or donot reply for a couply days and do not have a good reason for it then that is bad communication. If you have a problem and they do not reply that is bad communication. Feedback is not communication.

The other thing with the star ratings is postage , That pee,s me big time. People blame the seller for hi postage fee,s .  As long as its with in a couple dollars of Aus post fee,s how can the seller do anything about that its what Aus post charge.  Stars are just like the rest of feedback not worth a bumper full of shiet. It should be abolished it is useless misleading as people  do not understand how to use it and do what you have done, Used it out of context.

I have made it quite clear that feedback is a waste of time before and here is a classic example of why that is.

Dude really think about it. It is you the buyer who should be leaving the feedback not the seller. Its all in your favour not the sellers. All they can do is leave positive regardless what you have acted like.

If the item is what you read and seen on ebay,                          5 stars for item asdescribed

If the seller contacted you and or replied and sent item quickly   5 stars for communication

If you receive your item under two weeks of payment                 5 stars for  prompt postage

If the postage is with in a couple dollars of Aus post fees           5 stars for postage charges

Where is feedback in any of this.?  Its an option to show your appreciation for people doing the right thing buy you. Nothing else.

[dance3355]

Hi I am interested in the seller leaving feedback issue.  I had one seller demand that they would only leave feedback after I did first.  As a new eBayer I wanted to have my numbers to be established.  Now as a seller I see it differently.  The seller is selling, and from their perspective once the buyer pays, the buyer has completed their commitment to the seller, that is to pay promptly at this point the remaining responsibility lies with the seller to promptly process and post the item.  A buyer should not leave feedback until after they feel satisfied with the service they receive and the quality of the item they receive.  The seller therefore needs to rely on their product and their service for their feedback.  So in short, the seller has a responsibility to leave feedback once they have been paid, any variation in pos/neg feedback on their side could only be in the length of time between winning the auction or when they commit to buy and when they actually leave payment.  There is no other variables I can see from the sellers point of view.  However, from the buyers point of view there are many variables, i.e communication, response to messages, promptly receiving item, quality of item etc.

Finally, leaving feedback in eBay is an integral part of the process, if you don't want to participate because you couldn't be bothered says things about how that person chooses to live and interact in a community, in short how self centred they are.  Leaving negative feedback seems to be at times in some cases at least to be petty whinging.  But I as a buyer always look at the feedback of a buyer and make my mind up after reading.

At any rate these are my thoughts, as a seller I appreciate prompt payment not 7 days later, as a buyer I want good service,responses to my communications, to promptly receive my item, and I want what I paid for, and I leave feedback accordingly.  As a buyer I also expect to have feedback once I have paid not after I leave them feedback first.