Sellers refusing to leave feedback for buyers until positive feedback left for them

[wendybargainseeker]

I am quite new to ebay and already several times experienced sellers refusing to leave feedback for me until I have left positive feedback for them. I generally pay immediately I win the auction and with my first two purchases the seller then left feedback and I left feedback when I received the item. 

Since then I've had several sellers refusing to leave feedback for me until I left positive feedback for them. I think this is unethical. Positive feedback for me as a buyer should not be based on what I say about the seller but about my behaviour as a buyer.

I am wondering what other buyers think about this. 

[harley_babes_hoard]

Feedback is voluntary they don't have to leave feedback the same as you don't have to. There are many reasons why sellers CHOOSE not to leave feedback until after the buyer has. For most it lets them know the buyer has received their item and is happy, they consider the transaction finalized. Sellers have the option of automatic feedback which can be set to leave feedback after the buyer leaves a positive because simply some don't have time to leave individual manual feedback.

If you are happy with your item then leave feedback, demanding feedback will get you nowhere.
Feedback is not important for buyers anyway, it is for a sellers reputation though.

[digital*ghost]

They are not 'refusing' to leave you feedback until you leave it for them, they are deciding on their own when they want to leave feedback, which is their right as much as it is your right to decide when you leave your feedback. I don't think you would like it very much is say for example tracking information indicated that you had received an item and the seller started saying things like you now owed them feedback for it, and it's unethical if you don't give it to them. 

A transaction doesn't automatically end for either party just because the buyer pays or because the seller sends or even just because it's received, and the majority of sellers who wait until they have a clear indication from the buyer that nothing further needs to be done (most commonly via a feedback comment) aren't doing so in order to "wait and see" what the buyer says, it really is just as simple as knowing that the transaction has been 100% concluded (in as much as possible). 

For full disclosure, I am both a buyer and a seller (the majority of my feedback on this account, barring about 100-odd, is for buying, but I also run a store on another ID. On both of my IDs, I leave feedback after receiving payment, for quite a variety of reasons, but that is my choice and I will always defend the right of each individual to make their own 🙂 ).

[amber-eyed-girl]

Everything that's been said...but if you ever have a seller demanding positive feedback for a sale, or feedback revision from a negative to a positive (without rectifying the issue), know that is not right, and it is 100% up to you to leave feedback if you choose to, and your right to rate the transaction how you experienced it if it was less than a positive.

Just addressing the slight ambiguity of sellers refusing feedback "until I left positive feedback for them".

Mostly, that does just mean to please talk to them before leaving anything less than a positive, so the seller can try to rectify any problem.

[lyndal1838]

---

@wendybargainseeker wrote:

Since then I've had several sellers refusing to leave feedback for me until I left positive feedback for them. I think this is unethical. Positive feedback for me as a buyer should not be based on what I say about the seller but about my behaviour as a buyer.

I am wondering what other buyers think about this. 

---

I am a buyer only with many years of experience and many thousands of transactions under my belt.....does my opinion count? 

The seller is not basing their feedback for you on what feedback you leave for them.   The seller can ONLY leave positive feedback for buyers....or none at all.  

If a transaction goes pearshaped for any reason at all and the seller receives neutral or negative feedback, do you think they are going to leave you any feedback at all?

Also, any sellers have their feedback automated....as soon as you leave positive feedback you will find you receive positive feedback in return.  Try it and see!!

[*crikey*mate*]

When you say the sellers "refused" to leave you feedback until you left it for them....

Did you ask them to leave you feedback?

Did you ask them why they hadn't yet left you feedback?

Was that then their response to you? That they would only leave you feedback once you had given it to them?

[wendybargainseeker]

I can assure you they were refusing.

Fortunately I have never had the situation of not recieving something I ordered. Once a package took forever to arrive but the seller was terrific. They provided me with evidence they had posted it, they went out of their way to track it for me and even offered a refund. I wanted to hang out (i.e. not hastily accept a refund) because I really wanted the item and thankfully the item did eventually arrive but as I said, the delay was no fault of the seller.

On several other occasions sellers have told me that they wouldn't leave feedback until positive feedback was left for them. If both buyer and seller held out this way, no feedback would ever be received.  Other occasions when I asked a seller if they would leave feedback for me they said that

[wendybargainseeker]

Thousands of transactions counts for much. My point was that sellers have quite clearly said that they wouldn't leave any feedback until positive feedback had been left for them. If both buyer and seller hangs out to see what the other says then the whole feedback system would grind to a halt!

My view is that feedback should be based on the facts of the transaction. However, being so new I was interested to sound others out. I won't bother again. The level of negativity in responses has taken me by surprise.

[amber-eyed-girl]

I never ask, as a seller or a buyer.

If I am happy as a buyer, I try to leave polite, detailed feedback for the seller, to help them with their business.

If I do not have feedback from a buyer, as a seller, I assume that they were happy enough with the transaction.

If a seller does not leave me feedback, I don't worry about it. Lots don't. Once you reach a certain point, it doesn't matter for a buyer.

Some sellers will block buyers with only a few feedback, but after that, as sellers can no longer leave a neg for a buyer, it is not very relevant.

Also bear in mind that sellers can choose who they sell to in more general terms.

Politeness and a fair assessment of a seller by leaving them fair feedback goes a long way.

[davewil1964]

And I will ask why you seem to feel this need for feedback. Unless you are intending on selling and want to insulate against possible negs, what is the purpose of your (positive only) feedback?