A simple question- Why has buyer feedback, an action taking only a few seconds fallen to so low?

[realjazz-123]

I know it is not critical for sales, but please tell me why  positive feedback from buyers is almost gone? Over the past year I no longer expect it despite a  successful transaction. At the least the feedback indicates arrival of an item , especially welcome if it had been shipped  untracked. Surely taking a few seconds to press a few keys and acknowledge a completed sale is not  difficult. What has changed  and why has this happened? 

[ricarmic]

I just checked my % and it is 57% in the last year.

PS I still have the little kid inside me too.

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@realjazz-123 wrote:

Yes, but those little gold , red and silver stars made you uplifted and feel good about yourself, and nothing wrong with that.   FB, a very simple gesture,  can do that as well and the little kid inside me misses it!!

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[realjazz-123]

Thanks for sharing and enjoy the little guy's company!

[brettjet38]

...yes the little stars were great they thaught you that you had to earn a reward, now everyone is a winner, even when they are not...

...and look at what that has done to our societies!

[cumos55]

Feedback is a buyer's  or seller's  choice.

If a buyer does not leave a feedback.... more importantly not a neutral or negative feedback..... it means that the buyer is happy with the transaction.

Sellers should not worry or push their luck....  The seller might get lucky and end up with a neutral or negative feedback ...     This has happened ..... 

[rcrawford34]

One of the strangest Feed Back systems I have seen on a site I use is Kijiji.ca. They reintroduced this awhile back 

One cannot leave personal comments but have options ranging numerically from 1 to 5  IE  Being Friendly,  Item Described Properly, Easy Transaction,  Showing up on time etc for sellers   Some different ones for Sellers to leave for buyers.  You can click one or more to appear

One does not even have to have a completed transaction to get feedback.  All that has to happen is to have 3 or 4 answered messages through their message system  and they send you a link for it.  There might not be a completed transaction  to get one.  The real Kicker is it takes 2 1/2 weeks to  3 weeks for it to appear on your account,  one has to play the waiting game to see if you get one or not

So far I have 2 , that are positive but no way can you tell what is going to happen.  This Feedback System allows for things to go South easily.   Have seen some get them and they are not good but how does one tell if they are factual  or just a trashing means?  As a example  if one writes does not like your price and wont accept offers (which is every ones right to do)  you may end up getting low ratings There are so many different things that can happen some true some completely false 

They say you can appeal  but does it happen? Reading about it many say often nothing happens

I personally don't hold much faith in Feedback now but this one just sets folks up at times

weavers

[hothman1]

When I first started buying on ebay, I was happy to leave feedback. Eventually, though, I came to have a jaundiced view of buyer feedback. Why? Because sellers seem to have an "all-or-nothing" attitude about it. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen sellers post messages essentially begging the customer not to leave anything less than a five star feedback. If I don't shower glowing praise on the transaction, I'm evil. That kind of pandering doesn't sit well with me.  Do sellers live and die by their feedback rating? Well, no, as I've learned from other much more seasoned members in this forum. That said, I haven't totally given up on leaving feedback. If an item arrived really quickly or I'm just in the mood to type, I'll go through the ritual. It's just that when I do, it's more or less a token "satisfied with purchase" comment. And only five stars, of course. Because anything less would be scandalous, yes?

[realjazz-123]

 A simple  5 second gesture like this is very effective. The seller knows the item has arrived (especially important when there has been no tracking), and most likely, the transaction has been successful. Both buyer and seller can feel satisfied and uplifted ,  important over and above "a sale " of whatever $$$.

[realjazz-123]

 A simple  5 second gesture like this is very effective. The seller knows the item has arrived (especially important when there has been no tracking), and most likely, the transaction has been successful. Both buyer and seller can feel satisfied and uplifted ,  important over and above "a sale " of whatever $$$.

[travis7s]

No feedback is good feedback as far as I'm concerned. just got my first neutral feedback today because an American buyer had to wait 11 business days for his order, even though the shipping time he agreed to was set to Nov 3. (economy shipping)

Overall, I would say around 20% of my buyers leave feeback.

[bethel2405]

Do you leave feedback for buyers? Speaking as someone who is a buyer only, I will leave feedback if the seller does but generally dont bother if they havent. Sometimes I will leave it first if we've communicated in advance or I am very pleased for some reason, but after leaving positive feedback several times with no reciprocation from the seller I stopped bothering as it seemed like sellers dont care about it anymore. I also will not leave feedback if I'm unhappy as I generally dont want to leave negative/neutral feedback unless something was extremely bad (maybe 2-3 times in almost 15 years).

[realjazz-123]

Hi: I always leave positive feedback when I contact the buyer with news that I have shipped. At the same time I leave the tracking number if there is one and expected delivery time. I also politely ask for positive feedback after they receive the item and are satisfied.  If I do not receive feedback, I NEVER write to ask for it.

       I have left positive feedback to buyers for EVERY sale I have made.

            For a very small effort and time , the buyer can help brighten the spirit (yes, feels good for a while) and maybe boost the sales of the seller. What disturbs me is how low a level the percentage of return positive feedback has reached. The trend does not indicate a supportive attitude from buyers.

[travis7s]

As a seller I am the opposite of you. I will leave feedback after the buyer has done so for me. It doesn't really make sense for a seller to leave feedback first because the transaction isn't over until the buyer is happy.

I used to just leave automatic feedback but I find its less accurate that way and I actually get more feedback by waiting.

[mcrlmn]

When do you thank your customers for their patronage, after they give you their money, or after they give you their money and positive feedback?

[sylviebee]

It used to be that Feedback was something you left on eBay alone.

Now, every time you make a phone call to Rogers, or Bell, or any other company you buy a service from they hit you up for FB.

That makes it easy to ignore the whole gamut of FB seekers.

Also, a buyer has nothing to gain by leaving FB but there is the risk of losing something because sellers will refuse to sell to buyers who leave NFB.  Therefore,  leaving honest FB is not in a buyer's best interest so why bother leaving any at all?

[travis7s]

In my opinion feedback is not a thank you system, it is a rating system. Nobody can really rate how good the transaction is until it is over. 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@travis7s 

I'm in agreement with @bethel2405 regarding leaving feedback when something went maybe a little off the tracks. Things can and do happen that are out of control of either the seller or buyer. Examples. Slow mail. Huh? Customer ordered the wrong stuff.  Brings back that adage, If you can't say anything nice, hold back from saying anything at all. As it has been stated in the past, feedback is supposed to be calm and rational. Very easy for it not to be if someone happens to leave when they are not in the best of moods or left feedback for wrong item. Maybe an undo button would be in order?

Brings to mind the goobers that leave the old thumbs down for a cute video of a small child or animal or the reverse a thumbs up for something (in most eyes) would be considered offensive.

-Lotz

[ricarmic]

My own personal belief was that the transaction isn't done until everything is where it should be and everyone is happy.

This would mean that the buyer would leave feedback saying all is well and then the seller can say the same with their feedback.

That is what I did until sellers could not leave anything but positive feedbacks (and I understand the reasons why). When that occurred, there IMO is no benefit to waiting to leave the feedback because there is nothing I can say other than something good, so I might as well go first now.

So that's how it's been ever since.... in fact that's what I normally do on the other sites I sell on now even though I could still do it the "old way" on them in terms of leaving something less than positive for buyers.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@ricarmic 

Over the course of recent history, I've tried different methods for leaving feedback as tests. My discovery? The only thing I have found that was consistent were inconsistencies. I can leave feedback as shipped and get nothing for weeks. I can leave a bunch for items that show delivered and get either crickets or feedback fast and furious. I can go weeks without getting a feedback or I get 5 feedbacks in a day for items that were sent out over a month ago. As many have stated, extending the time to leave feedback would not be bad thing.

-Lotz

PS. When spidey senses kick in on a particular transaction or a buyer that has a history of leaving not so nice comments, I usually hold off on leaving feedback. Just a personal preference.

[nuvistors]

The buyers part of the transaction is finished when the seller gets the money.

After that it is up to the seller to complete the transaction.

[ricarmic]

Various folks have various opinions of when the transaction starts and stops.

As I mentioned my own opinion is that that doesn't happen until everything is where it should be and everyone is happy.

IMO there are lots of things buyers can do after giving the money, some appropriate, some not. 

The problem, as with so many things that have evolved "negative" to the sellers over the years, is the sellers who abused the original system, generating rules to stop that which we live with today.

[mcrlmn]

I assume you message a "thank you" rather than convey it in feedback.
You can thank me any way you like.
I buy from many sellers that do just that.
I give 'em my vote upon delivery.

The 'you go first' ideal doesn't jive with me.
So as a seasoned buyer I see right through it, and don't.
Truth be told, as a buyer that's one of my biggest peeves after everything else.
The 'second coming' or the cows coming home will happen first.

My remark is toward those that 'mine' or subtly coerce for feedback, or the 'entitled' that insist the paid customer still owes them.
I don't want a little note suggesting or hinting, or asking for feedback either.

All I ever wanted was a gracious, "thank you" when I purchased the item(s).
That used to be included for free.
The paid customer owes the seller nothing.