Why don't sellers leave instant feedback when the buyer pays right away?

[johnmorty9]

I really don't understand why a seller doesn't leave feedback when a buyer pays right after the auction ends. The buyer has the responsibility to pay for an item and that's it ---- once they have it is now the sellers responsibility to leave feedback. My guess is that if a seller does not leave feedback until after the buyer does then it means the seller is not confident in how they operate. In such cases I will refuse to buy from that seller ever again; just curious, why don't sellers leave instant feedback?!

[nudibranch4569]

nice to know a buyer received the item b4 i leave fb.

[cumos55]

Feedback is voluntary...  This is most important , and over the years less and less feedback has been left by buyers and by sellers....

Many sellers leave feedback if a buyer leaves feedback.

All buyers have 100 % feedback.....  many sellers then say it does not matter if a buyer gets feedback....  A seller cannot leave a negative feedback.

There have been times that feedback has been left  and then It was found that a low rating was left.  I now wait several days... let the ratings sort themselves out  and then  if a low rating is found  no feedback is left for that buyer.....  My way of indicating a measure of unhappiness..  Leaving automatic positive feedback  would make me feel unhappy if a buyer left a low rating.

If a buyer has been a problem... then  sellers should use the "Report a Buyer" option....  This is anonymous....  

It is not known how eBay uses these report... However,  there have been indication s that buyers are being removed from eBay....

The number of buyers being removed from eBay is not known

[cumos55]

All buyers have 100 % feedback....  and it is because of this that many sellers feel that feedback for buyers is "useless"

Over the years, eBay has introduced ways for a buyer to be evaluated....

Report a Buyer was introduced.... and eBay is using the data.... but it was never indicated  what the standard was for removing a buyer from eBay.

Ratings will no longer be anonymous  with the new Defect system

Buyers are also using negative feedback as an extortion to get things from a seller... Now eBay takes such extortion into consideration....   But it must be stated in eBay messages in order for eBay to see it and than evaluate the situation

Sellers have had to deal with buyers and not be able to identify problem buyers...  That is slowly changing....

Identifying problem buyers is being done anonymously....    It is not obvious who the "bad" buyers are... but they are now being identified...  ratings will no longer be anonymous..

And... if you look closely at the new defect system for sellers...... Once a buyer  has created a defect for a transaction... the seller  can be more strict with a buyer....  and in so doing ... sellers are being "forced" to some degree to identify problem buyers.... anonymously...

So it is ... Buyer Beware.....

[cumos55]

The bottom-line to this whole process... is that feedback is voluntary...

All buyers have 100 % positive feedback, and it is because of this that feedback  is useless for identifying problem buyers..........

A visible feedback percentage for buyers is becoming less important with each passing year

Buyers should look at a seller's profile..... to determine  if they should buy from that seller, and not worry whether they get feedback

... 

What is the importance of 100 % Positive feedback for all buyers?

[cumos55]

Blocking certain buyers is important in certain situations....  eBay has provided such options...

In turn... with fixed price purchases  this is the only way to prevent someone from buying....  Other than exclusions by country.

The future is for identifying problem buyers... anonymously.....

[25050906]

I dont understand why buyers are allowed to leave feedback when the sale is cancelled for some reason and buyers are refunded.

[38e_avenue]

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@johnmorty9 wrote:

My guess is that if a seller does not leave feedback until after the buyer does then it means the seller is not confident in how they operate.

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VERY funny!!! You can't even imagine WHAT some buyers are able AFTER they paid and got the item!!!!!!!! Did you ever hear about PayPal chargeback? About fake credit cards? What about blackmail?????? What about unreasonable expectations, "item not received" cases opened 7 days BEFORE the scheduled arrival? You need to have more experience on Ebay before you can judge other sellers!

[femmefan1946]

I dont understand why buyers are allowed to leave feedback when the sale is cancelled for some reason and buyers are refunded.

Because this can be an amicable solution to a problem that came up after the purchase. It is useful for both buyers and sellers to know that they are dealing with an adult who can look cooly at a problem and work towards a solution.

Without exclamation marks.

[johnmorty9]

OK I understand your point but really? A buyer gets 100% feedback (and so they should) --- so good for the buyer that pays right away and makes good on their promise to buy; what's wrong with providing feedback.? it still does not answer my original question. So to address the question on integrity of buyers for anyone that may say they didn't receive the item etc then the seller should review previous buyers transactions before painting all buyers with the same proverbial brush! If a buyer has NEVER had an issue with questionable feedback then the seller should provide feedback --- afterall a Seller's integrity and reputation is reliant on a buyers feedback right? So to all you sellers...do the right thing and don't ask a buyer to provide feedback before you leave it; that's just wrong

[38e_avenue]

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@johnmorty9 wrote:

what's wrong with providing feedback.? it still does not answer my original question. 

If a buyer has NEVER had an issue with questionable feedback then the seller should provide feedback

do the right thing and don't ask a buyer to provide feedback before you leave it; that's just wrong

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As I explained earlier - you need to spend here several years as a SELLER be able to give lessons and explain, what's wrong and what not. 

I don't give feedback after the payment received in hope that at least SOME OF BAD BUYERS think they can receive a bad feedback. Of course they CAN'T receive a bad feedback. Hence your concept of "questionable" feedback is totally wrong - because buyer's feedback is always "green" (positive), so no one is able to find a "questionable" feedback, even if a seller left such. By the way - it's even forbidden to give ANY BAD (questionable) feedback to a buyer.

One more question - WHY do you need a feedback? What's a difference to you to have 50, 100 or 500 feedback?

[dwhall12]

I have been selling for years and pay no attention to feedback. If someone wants feedback they usually let me know and I am more than willing to leave it for them. Ebay feedback is a farce nowadays compared to before.

[cumos55]

Situations

(1) Buyer stated on the About Me page..

If you do not leave me feedback... you (the seller) will get negative feedback....

After close to 30 negative FB, eBay caught up to this buyer.... suspended and all negatives removed.

(2) Buyer kept implying that FB should be left... Eventually a negative was left... FB was eventually revised 

because  the buyer  eventually understand  that leaving negatives would show on his record... and he would get blocked if he was bidding on something.... Another seller left a FB with negative wording.... I could have told this buyer that negative positive was not acceptable... But I left it....

Some buyers feel that they has absolute control... leave me feedback or else

The Or else does not work on eBay....

and as the years pass those buyers will be identified more quickly.

Leaving FB is ... voluntary... and always will be.

There was a seller  who kept asking for FB...  Buyer  was put off by the request.... left a negative  ...and Stated...  You asked for it.

In many ways it is best to let sleeping dogs lie.....

[cumos55]

Feedback used to be the only way to evaluate a seller or buyer...

Then came the day when some sellers would say..

-- leave me a negative and I will leave you a negative.

-- if you do not do as I say, I will leave negative feedback

Then came.. no more negatives for buyers..

Buyers took control and some buyers learned how to control the situation... Do as I say  or else.....

As time passed  less FB were being left.... and eBay looked for new ways to evaluate  sellers  ( and buyers)  

FB became less important..... not important when it came to ALL buyers with 100 % FB

Then came the ... Report a buyer option....  eBay was getting better at identifying bad buyers...

Now we have a defect system of evaluation for sellers....  and if you look closely....  the evaluation is for sellers... but once a seller has a defect on a transaction....  everything that happens subsequently can backfire on a buyer....

Some fine tuning is required..... to the defect system... but.... it has become... Buyer beware....Do not push your luck... 

The evaluation of buyers is now anonymous... with  the Report a Buyer  option....

and if a buyer does create a defect.... a true defect...

Buyers  better be doing it correctly and not as a "Bad" buyer..... looking to get something... not necessary. or unacceptable... out of a seller...

[lady.stark]

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@johnmorty9 wrote:

If a buyer has NEVER had an issue with questionable feedback then the seller should provide feedback --- afterall a Seller's integrity and reputation is reliant on a buyers feedback right?

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That is the thing... buyers CANNOT have questionable feedback, because all they receive are positives. In my opinion, a transaction is complete when - and only when - a buyer has recevied the items they bought and is happy with them. Meaning: when they leave positive feedback.

There is also the fact that many buyers don't leave feedback. So why should I leave a positive to a buyer that doesn't bother leaving me one?

Finally, many large sellers use the automatic system of leaving feedback when they receive one, simply because they don't have time to do it manually. Which is not my case, because I like to personalise the feedback I'm leaving. However, it does answer your question as to why some sellers don't leave feedback immediately after payment is received.

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@johnmorty9 wrote:

So to all you sellers...do the right thing and don't ask a buyer to provide feedback before you leave it; that's just wrong

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It is NOT wrong. Feedback is voluntary.

[cumos55]

Quote 

don't ask a buyer to provide feedback

Never ask... for you may get something you do not want.

A seller  used to ask for feedback... over and over again ..

Buyer got fed up with the seller 

and left a negative feedback... with the comment...  "Now you have it"....

If a buyer leaves feedback... they got one back.

However, if that buyer dinged my ratings... then it is no feedback... never....

[lady.stark]

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@cumos55 wrote:

If a buyer leaves feedback... they got one back.

However, if that buyer dinged my ratings... then it is no feedback... never....

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These are exactly my thoughts 😉

[pjcdn2005]

It isn't up to the buyer or seller to dictate when or if the other person leaves them feedback as it is totally voluntary. In my case, I leave a buyer feedback once I have shipped the item as I really don't see a reaspm fpr waiting to leave it. If there is a problem with the sale I can't leave bad feedback for the buyer anyway and the positive feedback that I left for them doesn't really do them any good. But many buyers really do want that feedback and I think that leaving it first first promotes goodwill. It is also possible that goodwill is what will make the buyer will contact me first if there is a problem.

[rose-dee]

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@xpress.deals wrote:

I dont understand why buyers are allowed to leave feedback when the sale is cancelled for some reason and buyers are refunded.

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Apparently (according to eBay.ca staffers) this may change in the future, but when in the future is anybody's guess. 

I find buyers just vanish after a cancellation anyway (i.e. don't come back to leave FB), but personally, with today's twitchy defect system, I'd rather see the ability to leave FB removed once a cancellation has been accepted, since even a neutral can now create a defect.

[rose-dee]

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@johnmorty9 wrote:

If a buyer has NEVER had an issue with questionable feedback then the seller should provide feedback --- afterall a Seller's integrity and reputation is reliant on a buyers feedback right? So to all you sellers...do the right thing and don't ask a buyer to provide feedback before you leave it; that's just wrong

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I think you may be misunderstanding how the system works. 

First, buyers will never have questionable FB shown on their records, because sellers aren't allowed to leave buyers anything but positive FB, so FB is quite meaningless these days in terms of a buyer's integrity or reputation.  Secondly, on fixed price items, a seller will have no opportunity before the item is purchased to review a buyer's FB anyway. 

Thirdly, although FB is completely voluntary, and always has been, it used to be even-handed -- both buyers and sellers were able to leave open and honest FB about their trading partners.  However, there was a lot of ugly mud-slinging going on that eBay probably felt would drive people away from the site. 

So, eBay decided they would no longer allow sellers to leave anything but positive FB for buyers.  Why?  My guess is that eBay probably realized the sellers would mostly stay regardless of the FB system, whereas buyers would leave if they were being openly scolded in FB for bad behaviour, non-payment, fraud, etc. etc.  The reason you don't see comments in FB anymore about such buyer behaviour is that sellers are no longer allowed to use FB to tell the truth about a transaction.  You never see the number of non-payers, etc. who are the subject of cases filed by sellers, because those cases are now handled "behind the scenes". 

As a result of this lop-sided system, FB has now become nothing more than a fairly meaningless courtesy, but it's important to understand that there is still some risk for sellers if they leave immediate FB for a buyer, since that FB must be positive (it wasn't always so).  Many sellers prefer to know that the buyer has the item in hand, is satisfied with it, and that the transaction is concluded satisfactorily, before leaving the obligatory positive.  Why give a buyer a positive FB entry who may turn out to be dishonest about receiving an item or the item's state, or have a history of scamming others, then retaliate against a seller who asks questions by leaving the seller negative or neutral FB?  These things do happen. 

Many sellers, for their own reasons, will leave immediate FB upon payment by a buyer; others prefer to wait -- there are valid reasons on both sides. 

I suggest that if you really want more sellers to leave you FB, leave them FB first (once you receive and are satisfied with your item) -- I think you'll probably find that you'll get pretty close to 100% FB response from sellers that way.