A silver lining to the feedback "cloud"

[ricarmic]

As most of you know, I've been here over 20 years now.

For the first 20 years, I've had an almost always 100% positive feedback rating, and I put a lot of effort into trying to keep it that way.

This last year has been a disaster, I've got the most negatives (3) and neutrals (3) that have "stuck" ever. This is the cloud.

I do sell a good portion of "dangerous" stuff in that often the buyer can't see anything/everything they are getting which increases the risk of poor feedback. 3 of the feedbacks IMO are "deserved" and a result of taking this kind of risk.

With the latest batch of N/N's I kind of gave up trying to go above and beyond to get them resolved via discussion with the buyers (some came after I did that and thought everything was good). I've even stopped responding to the feedback with a reply unless there is something that I plan to do to try to resolve it or did to resolve it.

It's been said by others, but certainly being at 99.7% hasn't hurt my sales, I am barely able to keep on top of them at the moment, so the silver lining is that N/N feedbacks in and of themselves does not seem to deter buyers.

I will still continue to try to resolve situations of course with buyers as I always have, I am now not worrying about being 100% or not anymore..... that's the silver lining, one less worry.

[primaryparts]

…… I understand entirely.....My negatives and neutrals for the most part, entailed customers wanting their money back and keeping the parts. 

I do not answer them...… as I did in the past.   I do ban them, however.  

Being at 99.7 % has not hurt my sales.

Cheers,  Dave

[femmefan1946]

Once we realize that eBay does not use feedback to assess our selling accounts, there is a great feeling of freedom.

And then acknowledging that most customers seem to think that even 95% feedback ratings are hunky -dory, since they keep buying from very sketchey overseas sellers.

And on the other side of the coin, few understand ratios well enough to see that a seller can still be doing an excellent job, and have a 100% rating, with dozens or even hundreds of N/N's because she has tens of thousands of happy customers leaving positive feedback.

And finally, only 40% or less of transactions get any feedback at all.

It's tough for the new seller, but once we get over that 100 point, feedback is not particularly relevant.

[needsmorerobots]

When I buy, I buy from sellers who have a majority of positive feedback, unless they have a string of negatives then I avoid them like the plague.

And @femmefan1946 is correct as I have learned. Of my sales made, very few buyers leave feedback, completely opposite of sellers leaving feedback.

What you wrote will put me at ease...once I get past 100 positive feedback. Until then I'll be a nervous wreck. LOL

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

For FWIW, a seller can leave feedback for a guest buyer but a guest buyer is, for some unknown reason, unable to leave feedback for the seller. I was thinking they were all just new accounts. (0 to Low Feedback numbers.)

-Lotz

[ricarmic]

Their id's are usually gibberish too.....