Mark as recieved ???

[bright-byte]

Hi there,

Just wondering what your thoughts were on a "Mark Received" function so that sellers have some idea if a customer has ...... well received an item, I know your going to say well they simply leave feedback so that is proof of item being received. Not in all cases, I have a few buyers that haven't left feedback and I would really like to know that they have received the item at least so that I don't have an issue in the future with coming to me months down the track and say they are still waiting for their item.

Anyway my thoughts are that Ebay could make it a compulsory action to be taken by the buyer and if they do not mark as received within say 2 months then they receive a reminder email to do so.

The reason I say make it compulsory is because if not it would just be like feedback and the seller would be left hanging.

[bright-byte]

Bright byte , Most buyers would let the seller know if they hadn't received their item...even if they wouldn't ever bother to leave feedback.They (the buyer) usually want what they paid for.

Yes MOST do but I am not talking about them 🙂

[digital*ghost]

These days, the majority of online commerce have the majority (if not all) of customer follow-up (particularly those of a positive nature) completely optional - there's no feedback, no process that obliges customers to take any action following purchase, although there are things like product and/or service reviews customers can submit if they wish, and of course systems for handling complaints. 

There is a reason the process of online purchase is geared towards being as least convoluted for the customers as possible, so that is - ideally - purchase, receive, done. If you oblige customers to follow-up on little things that have no bearing or consequence on their side of things, the more hassle it seems to purchase on line, which could ultimately have an overall effect on all online trading, if customers perceive the process to contain a bunch of unnecessary, niggling hassles. 

From the seller's perspective, there are loads of post-sale processes you either have to, or can opt to, take on board, and  a lot of them are designed to make the customer's role easier. These kinds of things can and do act as a selling point for a lot of companies. I understand why having a clear indication from the customer that an item was received would be attractive, but people will take action if they feel it's necessary or appropriate, and I don't just mean if there's a problem. If a buyer doesn't feel any follow-up action is necessary, odds are....no follow-up action is necessary on the seller's behalf, either, so all good in my book. 😉

[bright-byte]

Do you think that the seller should get a refund if they don't ?

that wouldn't be legal would it ?

WTF???   I never said anything about refunds for the seller :^O

[2106greencat]

Impossible to enforce. As said earlier how do you make a buyer go and turn on the PC and click received?

Only possible way to make it mandatory would be to prevent buyer from purchasing again until they completed that step - and nobody wants that, especially sellers.

While FB is important to a seller, we sell to make money - not collect green dots 😉

[bright-byte]

These days, the majority of online commerce have the majority (if not all) of customer follow-up (particularly those of a positive nature) completely optional - there's no feedback, no process that obliges customers to take any action following purchase, although there are things like product and/or service reviews customers can submit if they wish, and of course systems for handling complaints. 

There is a reason the process of online purchase is geared towards being as least convoluted for the customers as possible, so that is - ideally - purchase, receive, done. If you oblige customers to follow-up on little things that have no bearing or consequence on their side of things, the more hassle it seems to purchase on line, which could ultimately have an overall effect on all online trading, if customers perceive the process to contain a bunch of unnecessary, niggling hassles. 

From the seller's perspective, there are loads of post-sale processes you either have to, or can opt to, take on board, and  a lot of them are designed to make the customer's role easier. These kinds of things can and do act as a selling point for a lot of companies. I understand why having a clear indication from the customer that an item was received would be attractive, but people will take action if they feel it's necessary or appropriate, and I don't just mean if there's a problem. If a buyer doesn't feel any follow-up action is necessary, odds are....no follow-up action is necessary on the seller's behalf, either, so all good in my book. 😉

Very well put however you are missing the point, Ebay is already very easy to use from a Buyers point of view (I also purchase on Ebay) so a simple click of a button is not going to turn anybody of. I as a Ebay Seller of 11+ years have had only maybe 4 or 5 Buyers that did not leave FB and have never had a complaint raised against me (knock on wood) but would have like to have known if they received the Item in 2 of the cases I contacted the Buyers via email to ask if all was OK the first was polite and said "Yes thank you all is good" the second not so, he said " I did not ask for nor did I subscribe to you're email list and if you contact me again I will take this matter up with Ebay themselves" so I don't contact my Buyers in this way any more, using the method I have described in my original post I would have legitimate reason to contact them simply stating I noticed you have not mark your Item as received yet and wanted to check if all was OK.

[bright-byte]

Impossible to enforce. As said earlier how do you make a buyer go and turn on the PC and click received?

Only possible way to make it mandatory would be to prevent buyer from purchasing again until they completed that step - and nobody wants that, especially sellers.

While FB is important to a seller, we sell to make money - not collect green dots 😉

Ok ;ets forget the words force/enforce, mandatory etc. lets just say make it like FB OK 🙂

This is meant in a nice way, you contradict yourself saying that FB is important to Sellers then say you are only in it to make money not collect green dots. Those green dots are your reputation and form part of your FB so even if you are just in it for the money they should mean something to you,

[digital*ghost]

Very well put however you are missing the point, Ebay is already very easy to use from a Buyers point of view (I also purchase on Ebay) so a simple click of a button is not going to turn anybody of. 

Thank you 🙂 But I don't believe I am missing the point. I buy and sell, too. I almost always leave feedback for every transaction - the only exceptions being where, as a buyer, I don't feel a positive is wholly appropriate, but neither is a neutral or negative, and as a seller I obviously don't leave it if the buyer does not complete the transaction.

I know eBay is easy to use, and that a simple click of a button is no great strain on anyone...but that's not all what you're asking for means. 

First off, if you read the forums attached to any site in the world, where members can discuss site issues, you will find thousands of posts from disgruntled members over minor changes in functionality that cause them to have to make two clicks to do something that formerly only took one click. And that's from people who are already on site, wanting to do something, but find an extra click an impediment worthy of complaint - I've complained about similar things in the past, because I'm one of those that doesn't like things to be complicated unnecessarily. 😛 It may seem petty, but it's the reality that online users want things quick and simple. 

If you look at this proposal from a casual eBayer's perspective, someone who only comes here to buy every now and then, probably uses many other sites to purchase as well, so is comparing the process to other companies and sites, if they bought and received something then got an email out of the blue asking them to please indicate their item was received, even though in the grand scheme of things navigating to eBay, signing in to their account, locating the purchase and clicking a button...do you really think that would encourage further purchase while they're there....or would they perhaps think, sheesh, eBay is so needy, I'm going back to XXXXX where I don't have to bother with this... 

[thecatspjs]

I too am a buyer and if ebay put this into place and if was not compulsory I would just not use it - as it is too simple a concept to relay anything useful at all - so what I received it ?? but I am I satisfied with what I received ???

Satisfaction - that's the bit that really counts if you are customer focused and my goodness that's what the seller feedback system is for. 

It is impossible for it to be compulsory unless you restrict buying activities in some way and that would be madness.

[izabsmiling]

lets just say make it like FB OK

there is that already...fb 

a definate way of knowing if the buyer has their item is if they leave feedback....they have no obligation to do so. So why add another optional process (that says the same thing) ?

If anyone wanst to know when their buyers have their items there is the option to post with tracking.

I have been hassled by sellers to leave feedback....I would have gotten around to it in most cases however when I get emails saying "We have left you positive feedback.You have not left any for us.This is just a friendly reminder"or similar I tend not to want to lol.

In my experience I have mostly got that from new sellers and/or overseas sellers with a lot of those very cheap items in among their items.

Sellers are not even obligated to mark an item as posted when they post it ...they do not need to leave feedback.

[izabsmiling]

The conscept seems kind of rude actually...like the buyer (new owner) must say Thank you.