Not allowed to leave HONEST feedback for buyers who default - WHY??

[johneltin]

I've had more than 2,550 sales and lately I've had a spate of buyers who make no contact after the sale - no payment.

I receive a FVF fee refund but this is not enough - I want justice!!

I see these buyers going on with their 100% rating and their behaviour should at least be visible to sellers.

Why keep them at 100% poistive when they have defaulted????????????

It's just NOT FAIR!!!!

[bookvasity]

Actually, I just looked and he does have only 6 FBs, and the items are all big pick up only items.

He would have had 7 with mine. He's also been an Ebayer since at least 2009..  he's not a newbie

[moochgraber]

Hi bookvasity,

Don't sweat it mate. I am not often on these forums because it always seems to get a bit personal at times with people arguing or name calling instead of dealing constructively with the issue at hand. Some like to cast stones from the shadows and that's not what I am about because no one is perfect.

Mostly, I just want to see if we can make things a little better here. The OP wanted justice for defaulters - but I was hoping to see if I might be able to make people see that feedback can be more than punishing the non-payers and retribution. That if used honestly, it can be used to keep things true and can build trust whilst driving dishonest asnd nasty people away. I was hoping that this revived thread may be a way to see if we can improve the feedback system and generate ways we can repair eBay and its tarnished reputation as a great place to sell and buy. It has not worked before but I am not one to quite easily 🙂

I suggested some changes I would like to see in the feedback system, hoping others would put forward ways we can improve the system...

We have discussed why feeback system here fails, but do we have any ideas how we would like feedback to work?

e.g. Some ideas I thought of...

1) No personal references - have feedback just stick to their behaviour and if you would like to deal with them again... sort of like the seller stars system perhaps but for the buyer also.

2) Have a flag when someone has had recent bad feedback against their bidder id in the watch lists and ability to block them if seller is concerned.

3) Have feedback timer start from the time feedback is left by either party, not from the time of the sale so people can't have a 'last parting shot' by timing it to the last moment... that would stop it mattering who left it last as each party would get a say.

4) Recognition that the transaction does not end for the buyer with a payment, nor the seller with posting the item. It is about the way they handle every part of the transaction to the very end including the occassional hitch along the way (we are all human).

and so on...

[bookvasity]

e.g. Some ideas I thought of...

1) No personal references - have feedback just stick to their behaviour and if you would like to deal with them again... sort of like the seller stars system perhaps but for the buyer also.

2) Have a flag when someone has had recent bad feedback against their bidder id in the watch lists and ability to block them if seller is concerned.

3) Have feedback timer start from the time feedback is left by either party, not from the time of the sale so people can't have a 'last parting shot' by timing it to the last moment... that would stop it mattering who left it last as each party would get a say.

4) Recognition that the transaction does not end for the buyer with a payment, nor the seller with posting the item. It is about the way they handle every part of the transaction to the very end including the occassional hitch along the way (we are all human).

and so on...

Hi moochgraber,

Thanks for the vote of confidence, much appreciated 🙂

Hope you don't mind, I put your draft into a folder to better digest later... it's a great start to get the think-tank rolling.

Feedback on Idea number 1) No personal references - have feedback just stick to their behaviour and if you would like to deal with them again... sort of like the seller stars system perhaps but for the buyer also. - Yes I agree, and possibly where there's an incentive created for customers to want to participate in leaving positive feedback.

Where also sellers need a system for weeding out problems before they arise.

______________

e.g. some ideas I thought of also....

First thought is that I think I agree with Ebay - that customers should not be given negative feedback.

Having said this and using it as a basis I agree we need to have an improved feedback system.

a) To concentric the mindset on how better to reward customers for shopping rather then on how to punish 'bad' customers.

b) Possibly introduce ideas on how to show Ebay the rules can be improved as opposed to telling them what is wanted (this doesn't work anyway) I know I just tried that.

c) Possibly improve customer incentives to leave positive feedback - I've noticed that feedback rate has room for improvement. It appears only around 50% of buyers bother to leave feedback at the best of times.

d) To work on ideas of how to better 'reward' customers for leaving positive feedback

e) To educate customers on good feedback etiquette - possibly  advertise seller incentives or rewards on the listings of items.

An idea may arise that's good enough so that customers will want to buy just to be rewarded for leaving positive feedback.

Your idea is good - think-tank is needed to refine ideas and this could be a good place - or to start a new thread.

[bookvasity]

Hi bookvasity,

PS, How did you make my name live?

[davewil1964]

An idea may arise that's good enough so that customers will want to buy just to be rewarded for leaving positive feedback.

I sell for money, not feedback and I certainly wouldn't be part of any scheme to bribe buyers to leave it.

[lotdealz]

CHARTER OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Buyers are always right.
Buyers cannot do wrong.
Buyers always pay.
Buyers are perfect angels.
Buyers are enshrined in gold.
Buyers are worth two points for every point a seller is worth.
Buyers must have 100% positive feedback.
Buyers are honest.
Buyers don't tell lies.
Buyers know everything.
Buyers are experts at everything.
Buyers know it all.
Buyers cannot be bad.
Buyers are all good and perfect.
Buyers are the best.
Buyers usually pay within 2min of auction end.
Buyers never complain.
Buyers must be treated with the highest respect.
Buyers must be treated like royalty.
Buyers are always right in everything they do.
Buyers do know and acknowledge this effort to be a level playing field, not!

The option of mandatory positive feedback for buyers, is an option, uh..., the only option, and "the only option".
The option of negative feedback for buyers has been withdrawn, deleted and gone, sellers have been silenced! Our voices crushed!
You must either give POSITIVE FEEDBACK or NOTHING.  As said above, they are the golden reasons.

[moochgraber]

Hi bookvasity and davewil1964 ,

I am not wanting to make feedback an added perk like frequent flyer points! If you want more people to leave it just make it mandatory like voting. No feedback - no more buying allowed.

The point I was trying to make was that both good and bad feedback was required to make a system truely honest.

It should not be used as a marketing tool like it has become under the current eBay system where they just pat you on the head and tell you how good you are regardless of your actual performance as a buyer i.e. to appeal to your ego - but an honest evaluation tool to rate how you are to transact with and an added method to weed out the very few bad apples in the barrel.

Have we all really become so PC and self absorbed that we can no longer take real and constructive critism? Why bother having steering in a car that can only turn right?

[moochgraber]

Just copy and paste from the previous forum dialog into your new reply...

[moochgraber]

Hi clearanceandseconds ,

There were once many large and very prominent stores that preached the mantra that "The customer is always right" - their philosophy, like the dodo, seems like a great idea the time.;-)

[thesoulyearns]

johneltin - "I see these buyers going on with their 100% rating and their behaviour should at least be visible to sellers.

...

Why keep them at 100% poistive when they have defaulted????????????"

True but sellers do have a way of weeding out non-payers/buyers who are proven to have engaged in less than stellar transactions with sellers. In Buyer Requirements, you're able to set rules that (among other things) restrict people from bidding on your items if they've broken some policies within a certain period or have eBay policy strikes against their name in a certain period. It's better than nothing and a useful tool.