Why only 80 characters on feedback? Not enough!

[femmefan1946]

Your question has only 46 characters. That seems to be a succinct question.

Feedback is just a general feeling about the transaction. Good /bad/ poor.

Feedback is no longer considered by eBay when assessing seller performance.

There are REVIEWS if the product is better or worse than expected.

More important, there are DISPUTES  if the transaction was not up to your expectations.

For up to 30 days after delivery (or expected delivery) you can file a Dispute here;

http://resolutioncenter.ebay.ca/

and get a REFUND of your payment.

Note that you will probably have to return the item to get the refund.

For up to 180 days after payment you can file a Dispute with Paypalhere:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_complaint-view

and get a refund.

Disputes-- which cost eBay money in labour and sometimes from their pocket-- are treated very seriously.

[ypdc_dennis]

Why?

Because it's one part of eBay that has remained unchanged from the last century.

Back in the days when a typical line on a standard monitor was 80 characters wide. When hard drives were measured in meg, when computer memory was measured in K, when backup storage was usually to tape, when dail-up modems connected to an unsteady internet, when browsers had single digit version numbers like 1 2 or 3.

-..-

[i.am.vivian]

You left 2 feedback, both neutral, complaining about the courier, that has nothing to do with seller performance.  I would think that 80 characters are enough. 

[momcqueen]

I echo vivian's words. You are new to ebay so you won't know it yet but Feedback Left For Others is used by other members (mostly sellers) to judge what kind of buyer you are. Manually blocking of members is allowed by sellers and I don't doubt that everyone who reads your post will put you on their Blocked Bidders List. You may find it difficult to buy here soon.

For the record, if shipping via courier poses a problem for you, use the Contact button to ask your seller what method they use to ship, and be prepared to pay a premium for Xpresspost or Priority. 

Best of luck to you as you carry forward. 

[Anonymous]

Why?  Did you expect to write a "book"?

[ji.robe]

My problem is that there was no room to say that I had NO problem with the seller but that I have a problem with Priority and Express post taking a week to get a package 100 miles or in this case 2 weeks to come from Ontario when I live within 100 miles of several major centers and the US border in south BC. and the shippers are ripping you off for charging for priority service they are not providing.

[ji.robe]

My problem is that there was no room to say that I had NO problem with the seller but that I have a problem with Priority and Express post taking a week to get a package 100 miles or in this case 2 weeks to come from Ontario when I live within 100 miles of several major centers and the US border in south BC. and the shippers are ripping you off for charging for priority service they are not providing.

[momcqueen]

That may be the case but that's a call to complain to the postal corporation. Or your Member of Parliament. Your seller cannot be held accountable for that.

[momcqueen]

Use this to send your feedback to CPC.

http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/examendepostescanada-canadapostreview/index-eng.html?pk_campaign=cdnsit...

[pierrelebel]

To leave two (2) neutral feedback on account of your seller because delivery by the carrier was slow is plainly wrong.

You knew the seller was not at fault.  Why leave "neutral" if the transaction with the seller was "positive"?

Nobody rates the shipping companies.

Many eBay sellers may block you from buying from them when they see the unwarranted and unfair feedback you left.

[jlincognito]

Are you positive that your packages were indeed sent Priority or Express? Did it say Priority or Express on the package when you received it?

Many sellers on eBay overcharge for shipping and then ship to you the cheapest method possible in order to profit from shipping costs. This seems to be the standard practice here on eBay, and eBay doesn't do anything about it.

If that is the case, then you should absolutely leave neutral or negative feedback.

I don't care if my packages take a month to get to me. I never order anything vital to life on eBay, so I can wait.

[samsopa6]

You meant a book title?

[kristalphillips]

Actually you used to be able to leave detailed feedback.  I used to write at least a three sentence feedback for every transaction.  Sometimes a paragraph to let the next buyer know that a seller was a reputable seller and could be trusted with their word to have a good product.  That usually accompanied a four or five star review.  If I had a three star review, the feedback was two sentences.  My old account was deleted from non-use or you could see that but I was happier with more space.  

[ypdc_dennis]

ZOMBIE thread from 2016.

Pretty sure kristalphillips is incorrect.

I've never seen(*) eBay have more than 80 characters for buyer/seller feedback -- unlike the A-river's more generous allowance.

(*) - but I only go back to 2004 though as an eBayer...

[femmefan1946]

The stars are Detailed Seller Ratings.

Those came in around 2005-- maybe later-- and are no longer used to rate seller accounts.

Nor is feedback. It is a legacy that may be useful as public relations, but not to measure seller accounts.

One of the most useful parts of FB is the Feedback Left for Others. A lot of potential problems are blocked by sellers who read a bidder's FLfO.

Reviews are of products not sellers and are even newer.

If you post your former ID, we could see what you mean on toolhaus.org.

But having been around since 1998, I assure you 80 keystrokes has been the standard at least since then.

You may be thinking of another site.

[grannio204]

Your arrows are pointed in the wrong direction. You have to go after the carriers, which will cause you even more frustration when you hear what they have to say. If you’re using Canada Post, welcome to the club. I can’t even give something away on eBay - just the postage cost puts me out of the competition. For example, who is going to buy a comic book when the mailing cost is higher than retail cost if the book is purchased at the local comic shop?

Most of the big box on-line stores offer free shipping and the average eBay seller/reseller cannot compete.

For example, I just IHAD to get the new Mattel Jurassic Park Super T-Rex (3 feet long!) for my grandson (remember the hassle trying to get Cabbage Patch kids years ago?). eBay resellers want between 100 and 200 bucks USD for one, plus another 40 bucks to mail. I got one at eBay’s “competitor” for 79 bucks CDN plus free shipping.

We Canadians (go Jets) seem to be at a disadvantage when trying to compete with non-Canadian sellers due to the high postage costs. Heck, I buy stuff from China with free shipping.

[femmefan1946]

The cost of shipping in Canada is an eternal question.

The problem is really that we are competing, for the most part, in the US market where domestic shipping is cheap* and customers have confidence in getting a speedy postal delivery.

https://postcalc.usps.com/Calculator/MailServices?country=0&ccode=US&oz=90210&omil=False&dz=11210&dm...

This page should show USPS charges for a non-USPS 15 oz box going from CA to NY (90210 to 11210).

Depending on dimensions and service costs range from $7.20 to $39.40 (one day priority).

Media Mail is cheaper, but not available online, nor is letter rate which would be about $3.44 for 15 oz.

We're looking at $4.70+tax (but we could ignore the tax and equate it with the foreign exchange).

So our letter rate for that 15oz package is one dollar more domestically.

But if we ship 15 oz (just under 500 grams)  to the US we are looking at $10.30** for untracked Small Packet and $19.38 for Tracked Packet.

I'm not going to keep up with this because as Barbara Roberts famously said "Math is hard."

I do wonder if some of the concern we have about our higher rates for US shipping is partly based on American customers who have no actual idea of how much shipping is domestically?

If (and it is a bid IF) the customer is used to 'Free' Shipping from US sellers, who are actually putting the cost of shipping in the asking price, she is likely to think our rates which are comparable if a little higher, are outrageous.

Something to consider.

I'm not married to this.

*International shipping is not cheap from the USA overseas.

**Or $8,24 USD minus our online discount of 5% (or sometimes more) making $7.82USD.Again comparable.