Changes to Feedback

[twyngwyn]

Must Rate Products Before Leaving Feedback for eBay Sellers? (ecommercebytes.com)

[pnc75]

Just another reason to not buy on ebay or give feedback.  They are intent on destroying it, it seems. 

[davewil1964]

Nothing to do with buying. Just to do with feedback, which few buyers leave anyway.

[springyzone]

That's an interesting link, twyngwyn.

I recall back in the days when I first joined this forum, that a lot of boardies were adamant that feedback should never be about the product, only the seller performance.

I take the point but as a buyer, I find some comments about the products to be useful.

Maybe ebay would be better off to leave the star rating for the product as optional.

(From what I can make out, some of the buyers who had this pop up were not able to leave feedback at all unless they also gave a product rating.)

As someone commented, it might be very well and good to rate a new product, but what if you are buying something that is used and described in the ad as quite worn or with faults or whatever. In other words, it might arrive exactly as described, but the product itself may not get a 5 star rating.

[domino-710]

I liked the person who said if they purchased a book - read it a couple of months later - what then. LOL

[p9games]

Whether or not feedback should be product or seller related depends on the product I think.

If I buy a name brand product on Ebay, then product feedback is not that useful.  But If I'm buying some no-name phone case or HDMI cable or something then product feedback is very important.  

Of course, it's hard to Ebay to decide on what is a reputable brand so it's easier to just apply a blanket rule.

As a seller if it results in less feedback I don't really care.  I don't track what % of buyers leave feedback, I don't nag buyers for feedback or measure it.  It happens.  or it doesn't.  And that's fine

I personally think the Ebay feedback process is too wieldy.  When I buy i do leave feedback but the process is far more a hassle than it should be.

[rickay1823]

As this new item feedback is a compulsory field, I will not rate 5 stars, and only provide text feedback on the service provided by the seller.

My suggestion to eBay management (if they bother reading this), please Revert to the original purpose of seller feedback, not have us rate the item purchased.

[sandypebbles]

Base level eBay staff rarely read the forum

The chances of anyone from eBay management reading here is zero

Even if anyone did, eBay do not take requests 

[springyzone]

With my last ebay purchase, (which was about a month ago) I don't recall having to make a product rating. Maybe it isn't on everything at the moment.

The thing I have noticed though is that a lot of buyers have been giving feedback that is partially based (or sometimes wholly based)  on the product for years. It is not something new as such.

I've done it myself and I find it can be useful when I am reading other people's feedback as well.

I don't believe feedback should solely be about the seller.

It is obviously something some buyers want to do and maybe ebay is responding to that trend.

I do think ebay should leave it alone though and not make it compulsory to rate a product. Just let customers comment about the proiducts in general feedback if they wish. Trying to get people to rate products before they have had a chance to properly use them is unfair.

[siddieswans]

Sadly it now appears that unless you rate the item you cannot leave Feedback. All the things we used to rate sellers on  - Item description, postage time, seller communication, are now optional, as is  Did item arrive on time. The only thing that looks like the "old" Feedback is "Rate your overall experience with this seller". Otherwise it's all about the product. As already expressed, how can I rate a product when all I've done is open the package.

I'm afraid leaving Feedback for sellers could be over for me now. I will continue to leave Feedback for my buyers - I sell to a lot to new buyers / buyers with low Feedback, and they do like to collect the numbers. However I would not be surprised if Feedback left by buyers continues to plummet (not that that's a problem for me.)  With the type of "one of a kind" second hand collectable items I sell, rating is largely irrelevant; but my service is important to me and my buyers.