Should sellers be able to leave negative feedback for non-payments?

[2011emc2]

As a first-time seller, I had a buyer who didn't pay and didn't bother to contact me or respond to my emails. I opened an ‘Unpaid Item’ case, which again got no response, and closed the case today.

Yet the only feedback option available to me was to leave 'Positive' feedback for this buyer.

Really, eBay???

This 'buyer' still has a '100% positive' feedback rating on eBay. How is this honest or fair? Shouldn't a feedback system allow members of a community to comment on their actual dealings with people in that community?

Little wonder some sellers try to sneak in negative comments using the positive feedback option, to try to warn other unsuspecting sellers. Yet eBay deletes these from buyers' profiles.

I think eBay should change its feedback policy in order to allow equal footing for buyers and sellers. So sellers would be allowed to either: (a) leave negative feedback - if only for non-payment; or (b) automaticallly note non-payments into each buyer's feedback profile, so these are clear for all to see.

It's not a problem to demonstrate that a buyer hasn't paid. Why not give sellers the same rights as buyers to leave honest feedback? Wouldn't everyone benefit?

I didn't ship the item because payment never arrived or cleared.  Still, what a negative experience, especially the shocking attitude toward sellers whose fees sustain and enrich eBay.

What is your opinion on eBay's feedback policy for sellers?

(Newbies: FB = feedback, NP = non-payment)

[kustomizer99]

I've just noticed that it's now possible to report dishonest buyers on the American eBay site -- maybe here too, haven't looked yet.

This is a good step forward, as it will help eBay to identify scammers who habitually claim not not have received a package or lie about the quality of the goods received.

Ebay keeps feeling its way around in the dark; sometimes they implement decent policies, other times not so much.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

'ello sailor 😐

[thecatspjs]

my lips are sealed 😉

regardless the results still display an entirely different viewpoint than is expressed in the dialogue on the threads, thats what makes them interesting. 

May or may not be reflective of the silent majority phenomena.

Not valid, not fact, not proof, just interesting and relevant to other threads on same topics  - always thought that.  

[sanjst]

Don't really know why Ebay sellers continue to whine about idiotic Ebay policies, high Ebay/Paypal fees, no respect for the seller etc. etc. etc.  Either put up with the crap that Ebay/PP dish out to you or go elsewhere like I did.

The last straw for me was when my payments started being held for Ebay sales. I immediately quit selling on Ebay, moved over to QuickSales (.com.au) and haven't looked back! 

[hawksheroes]

i have just sold a book on the 13th of march , i sent an invoice on the 15th though i know it is done automatically but had a buyer who must not have seen all info so for this one i did so and made sure the postage info was attached , they have 100% positive feed back yet the last feed back received [today] was a negative comment about not paying so now i am worried about having to do a unpaid item depute, hoping that is not the case but i am a worry wort , i think i should email them after the 4 days from my invoice i sent though, asking if any problems with paying though unsure how to write that with out sounding bad . hope i don't have too .

[leader-of-the-band]

For slow payers, I send them a message on day 4 along the lines of:

"Just a short message to let you know that I have somehow set my selling preferences to automatically initiate UnPaid Item claims after 5 days if payment is not made.  I don't know how to turn off the automatic starting of that claim.  Please advise me of your payment intentions as soon as possible"

It prepares them for an UnPaid Item claim while giving them the chance to communicate.

[thecatspjs]

Mmmm thought I saw on another thread with a poll in it - that people always pick first choice ??

Not a theory that is demonstrated with this poll.  Interesting, results this poll.

[jools3078]

One of the things I find most interesting about this discussion, is that some of the people commenting, are also the same ones who seem to be "fed up" with the conversation. If it's that tiresome and "done to death", why keep responding with the same general copy/paste type answers? Why not simply "unsubscribe" from this thread and be done with it, rather than being bothered by the ongoing communication of others and continued responses?

[hawksheroes]

thank you would there be any problem in when preparing a item to sell putting in the info area that item needs to be paid in 4 days if any problems with that please contact me before the 4th day ??
so that they have no excuse on not paying by the 4th day ??
i think i will be doing what you said too on the 4th day for the one i am waiting on thank you 

[jools3078]

There's no problem at all in doing that. Most sellers add a time they allocate for buyers to finalise their purchases. That way, the buyer knows what's expected of them and if they don't follow through, you've already given them fair warning as to what the next step will be, unless they ask for more time and you agree to the new conditions. I do it and it works for me most of the time. In saying that, I have had to open a few Unpaid Item Cases after some stuffing around on the buyer's end.