Ebay's Feedback System

[pandoras_prints]

Do you think Ebay will ever restore the feedback system to how it use to be 'FAIR'. ?

Sellers not be allowed to leave a negative feedback for a buyer is as every seller know's completely unfair.

Both buyers and sellers should have the same rights, to leave feedback on their transaction. If a seller has had a bad experience with a non- paying buyer or one of 1000 others reason's why can't this be reflected on the buyers feedback?

If I could see that a buyer has many neg's I would block them from my store.

Shouldn't a seller have that option?

[the3coopers]

It doesn't matter, the system changed FOUR YEARS AGO

It's like a lamenting a long lost lover... sooner or later people just have to move on.

[the3coopers]

(and you all get a bonus 'a' in that last post for no charge)

[trish5731]

So true. I also had 100% until recently. I sent an item via Australia post, which arrived damaged (a $7.00 Hotwheels car). Instead of contacting me, the Buyer just left negative feedback. I emailed the buyer and told him I was disappointed he did not contact me first as I would have refunded the item. If he had bought it from an online store and it arrived damaged, you would contact the store for a replacement or refund..right??. I was very polite (I have worked in customer service for 30 years). To my surprise I received an abusive email reply - here is a little of it......

"STOP blaming Australia Post.......Im SICK AND OVER people damaging MY PROPERTTY then blaming others.
Take some responsibility.
ITS ALL YOURS.

Your feedback will remain forever just to teach you a lesson in disrespecting other peoples property.......Nothing you can do , can bring back my car to being WHAT YOU SAID ,YOU WERE SELLING. This was a very rare item.
You may decide to refund the full amount, and I will revise the feedback otherwise..enjoy!"

I do not have a problem with the feedback system, but I think there should at least be a mechanism in place where a buyer needs to at least make contact with a seller first to resolve any issues before negative feedback can be posted. No contact at all does not give the buyer to rectify any unforseen problems like damage during delivery. Unreasonable-----full of it buyer!!! In view of his reply, I am no longer interested in offering a refund. I will just "enjoy" my feedback as it stands.

[trish5731]

Correction...No contact at all does not give the seller a chance to rectify any unforseen problems like damage during delivery.

[davewil1964]

Damage in transit would only be unforeseen if the item was packaged to Australia Post's standards. ie Able to withstand 20kg dropped on it from a metre.

[koalablue12]

Trish - your buyer is a tool - $7.95 item - FFS and big red dot - how pleased you must be and how glad am I for your post - now on my BBL - chin up there is one in every crowd!

[trish5731]

Thanks for your comments.  I am over my dummy spit as more important things in life than worrying about ebay buyers/feedback.  In this case I will not be leaving positive feedback just because the item was paid by the buyer (which is the contract they enter into when bidding).  I always look at the whole transaction experience - and this one was definately a sour one.  Trish

[riverbendtrdg]

I'm a customer, and I feel I am a good one, but recently didn't contact a seller before leaving a big red neg. To me the item was fake fake fake, it wasn't genuine silver, the stones were glass not sage quartz and I wasn't about to pay a small fortune to return the item. In my opinion the Seller knew the quality of the item they were sending out, you didn't need to be blind freddy or have a degree to see it was in reality a fake, so they knew that either I was would be dumb enough to accept it as real, or as far as I am concerned they could take the consequences.

I am about to make another big red negative, over $156 dollars worth of useless spare parts.

Other half gave the Seller the right to look into the problem, definitely not brand name, and having been tested electrically was no where near factory specs so unuseable.

Seller said he was contacting supplier, never did, won't communicate and because my other half thought he was being fair to the Seller in working out the problem, we are now well and truly out of pocket.

What makes me sad, is I don't like giving bad feedback and have always tried to avoid doing so, but have to say as a Buyer I am sick of being ripped off.

2nd package from another Seller of spare parts works, but after three months had rusted through because they weren't stainless steel mesh as stated - it's hard to trust when these Sellers are allowed to keep on selling with no repercussions on their integrity and honesty.

[thesoulyearns]

In my opinion (and I think eBay's aswell from memory), feedback is based on the overall perception of the transaction. You can sell a used right shoe for $100 with $75 postage and take 2 months to get round to posting it but if the buyer is happy with everything, they'll give you 5 stars across the board and positive feedback.

[the3coopers]

 You can sell a used right shoe for $100 with $75 postage and take 2 months to get round to posting it but if the buyer is happy with everything, they'll give you 5 stars across the board and positive feedback.

The key to success as a Seller is to manage the buyer's perceptions, because you DO have control over those.

For example postage time - you cannot control Australia Post, but you can control the information that the buyer uses to assess your "postage time". I won't go into "how" you can do it, but there are plenty of ways to ensure that your buyer knows (or thinks) that you gave service way above the normal level.

Get those buyer perceptions under control, and you can significantly relax on the service levels.

For example, I had a problem last Friday - I have 1 day handling time in my listings and someone bought at noon. I emailed and said thanks and that the Registered Post would be happening that afternoon. But the bleeding car wouldn't start!

So I contacted the buyer late on Friday afternoon and told them that there had been a problem (I didn't say what it was) and that I would post it first thing Saturday Morning. I then emailed again to confirm that it did go on Sataurday as promised, plus there was an apology note in the package and a extra gift too.

Feedback just came in - Positive "Communication and service was excellent".with 5/5 stars (well, no reduction on my perfect rating, so it must be 5 stars). The delivery wasn't that fast (5 days, Sydney to Sydney) and I actually let them down, but if handled correctly then it can end up being a positive.