Feedback dilemmas

[Zadoc]

I am currently dealing with two feedback issues.

The first issue being that I have nine, yes nine items that I have shipped almost five weeks ago, yet these buyers have not left any feedback. I e-mailed all of them to inquire as to whether or not they received their package, and no responses as of yet.

As a seller, I do not customarily leave feedback until the buyer has. Why should their reputation be increased if mine is to suffer by their actions? Moreover, I feel that it is their duty to report when an item was received as described and in a timely manner. If they can’t meet that simple responsibility, they certainly do not deserve positive feedback in my opinion. What would you do?

The second issue is with a buyer who hasn’t paid in five weeks. I don’t this that this person will pay, and I’ve already made a dispute and relisted the item. However, I really want to leave negative feedback. This buyer cannot be trusted and everyone else should know that. However, I am worried about retaliation. What to do?

[Griking]

As a seller, I do not customarily leave feedback until the buyer has. Why should their reputation be increased if mine is to suffer by their actions?

And your buyers probably feel the same way and won't leave you feedback until you leave it for them.

Basically none of you will probably every get any feedback (unless it's negative) because you're all too damn stubborn.

Hey, you 're the one who decided to have a "buyer should leave feedback first" policy. These are the results you'll likely get from it.

[ryborg]

Didn't you just make essentially the same post yesterday?

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=89530

Retaliation feedback is part of life on ebay. If you leave enough negs, you will eventually get some in return, fair or not.

Not leaving a neg for a non-paying bidder is harming the ebay community, and by not leaving negs for them, you lose the right to complain about it. Using your system, no bad buyers would ever get negs. Why don't we just abolish negative feedback totally?

You may be in luck, however. If you already closed the dispute, and won without the buyer responding, any feedback left by him, good or bad, will be instantly removed.
________
Fisting European

[unwinddesign]

If you already filed an non-paying bidder report and won, then he can't neg you. If he does, it will simply be removed by eBay automatically, and feature the message "bidder did not respond to unpaid item notice." Or something to that effect -- you get the picture.

[GM80]

However, I am worried about retaliation. What to do?

Just leave the feedback. If I see a seller with 1 negative feedback that says "seller was a jerk left neg" or something like that, with a coherent response from the seller that says "retaliatory feedback from non-paying bidder," I understand and buy from that seller in a heartbeat.

You can't keep 100% forever. Heck, I have ONE negative and it came from a seller who left NPB feedback on MY Game Gear auction instead of the OTHER person's Game Gear auction. Oops. Once it was there, she couldn't do anything about it.

[Nes]

I think we all worry about retaliatory feedback. So far I haven't a single negative. A couple times I've left negatives and a couple other times I've really wanted to but got chicken.

[JerseyDevil65]

I am currently dealing with two feedback issues.

The first issue being that I have nine, yes nine items that I have shipped almost five weeks ago, yet these buyers have not left any feedback. I e-mailed all of them to inquire as to whether or not they received their package, and no responses as of yet.

As a seller, I do not customarily leave feedback until the buyer has. Why should their reputation be increased if mine is to suffer by their actions? Moreover, I feel that it is their duty to report when an item was received as described and in a timely manner. If they can’t meet that simple responsibility, they certainly do not deserve positive feedback in my opinion. What would you do?

IMO, you are causing your own problem here. By being distrustful of people who have already paid you, you're sending the wrong message. Since the buyer pays first, the seller should leave feedback first.

Don't you feel its your duty to report that the buyer paid in a timely manner? It works both ways.

[jonjandran]

IMO, you are causing your own problem here. By being distrustful of people who have already paid you, you're sending the wrong message. Since the buyer pays first, the seller should leave feedback first.

Don't you feel its your duty to report that the buyer paid in a timely manner? It works both ways.

I should have a copy/paste response for this by now. But I don't because it's almost always buyers who feel this way and not Power Sellers.

I transaction is not over until the buyer is happy. This applies on Ebay and everywhere. And on Ebay the only way to tell that the buyer is happy is when he leaves positive feedback. So technically a buyer should always leave feedback first when he is satisfied with his purchase. That being said retaliatory feedback is stupid and wrong also. And statements like "negative feedback will be given if negative feedback is received" is BS and Ebay should suspend sellers who do this.

[JerseyDevil65]

I should have a copy/paste response for this by now. But I don't because it's almost always buyers who feel this way and not Power Sellers.

I transaction is not over until the buyer is happy. This applies on Ebay and everywhere. And on Ebay the only way to tell that the buyer is happy is when he leaves positive feedback. So technically a buyer should always leave feedback first when he is satisfied with his purchase. That being said retaliatory feedback is stupid and wrong also. And statements like "negative feedback will be given if negative feedback is received" is BS and Ebay should suspend sellers who do this.

The seller should always leave feedback first so the buyer knows that his payment was recieved.

There is nothing worse on E-Bay than a seller who holds his feedback hostage, why are you so afraid to leave feedback first if you're an honest seller?

[Vroomfunkel]

The seller should always leave feedback first so the buyer knows that his payment was recieved.

There is nothing worse on E-Bay than a seller who holds his feedback hostage, why are you so afraid to leave feedback first if you're an honest seller?

I take it you don't sell much on eBay then.

The answer to your question is quite simple - unfortunately for the majority of sensible buyers, there is a small minority who try to pull scams by such things as claiming they never received an item, or that it is broken, or who kick up a fuss because the post was slow. There is nothing worse than having left someone good feedback after payment, and then finding that they turn into a total dick after you post the goods - sometimes hoping that the seller will just cough up a refund to avoid spoiling a good feedback record. As a seller, if you've already left feedback then you've got absolutely no comeback to these assholes.

I used to leave feedback immediately on receiving payment, but I no longer do for the reason above. For me, the buyer transaction encompasses everything from the moment of purchase until their acknowledgement that they have received satisfactory goods. Anything inbetween qualifies for comment from me depending on how they conduct themself. Therefore I don't leave feedback until they've left theirs.

Vroomfunkel

[Darth Sensei]

IMO, you are causing your own problem here. By being distrustful of people who have already paid you, you're sending the wrong message. Since the buyer pays first, the seller should leave feedback first.

Don't you feel its your duty to report that the buyer paid in a timely manner? It works both ways.

I should have a copy/paste response for this by now. But I don't because it's almost always buyers who feel this way and not Power Sellers.

I transaction is not over until the buyer is happy. This applies on Ebay and everywhere. And on Ebay the only way to tell that the buyer is happy is when he leaves positive feedback. So technically a buyer should always leave feedback first when he is satisfied with his purchase. That being said retaliatory feedback is stupid and wrong also. And statements like "negative feedback will be given if negative feedback is received" is BS and Ebay should suspend sellers who do this.

I feel a lot like JonJondran. I'll repeat what I've said in the past.

When I was a buyer, I agreed with the OP, after I sold awhile, I agree with JonJondran. I won't be blackmailed by a buyer for a small issue (real or made up) with the threat of negative feedback.

[jonjandran]

The seller should always leave feedback first so the buyer knows that his payment was recieved.

There is nothing worse on E-Bay than a seller who holds his feedback hostage, why are you so afraid to leave feedback first if you're an honest seller?

Umm wow let's see. I send an email saying that payment was received and I'm shipping out the item.

It's not holding feedback hostage. Please re-read my post and you'll see that I'm against that. Also feedback is not a requirement. No-one HAS to leave it at all. It's just there to let everyone know how the transaction went. So it's quite hard to hold something hostage that doesn't have to be given in the first place.

[JerseyDevil65]

I'm not doubting that you guys are honest but there are plenty of sellers that will hold feedback hostage because they know they are sending crappy stuff, games that don't work, missing parts, etc. They will not leave feedback because they know the buyer will be afraid they will get a retaliatory neg in return. It's a fact that this happens.

I always give the seller a chance to make good if I am not happy, most of the time they do so a neg is not required.

[Japan-Games.com]

This is one of those issues where people think about it too much....

Don't overplay the negative buyers and sellers on ebay. They really are the extreme minority. I've sold a few thousand items and I can count the number of times I've been held hostage, been scammed, or got screwed on one hand. I've seen people apply so many rules to try to protect themselves that just enforcing the rules takes more time or limits the number of possible buyers that's its not worth it.

Just do what you do, be a good seller, and these things will take care of themselves. Over time you will get screwed a couple of times, but in the end the positive buyers and feedback will well overshadow the negative buyers and feedback. I can't be held hostage....I just tell them to go ahead and neg me. It will be neg #3 with over 2,500 positives. If a buyer doesn't buy from me because of that then I don't want to do business with such a nervous buyer anyway.

Free yourself....hehe. If they don't give you a positive send one reminder then move on. Spend the time you'll save by selling one or two more games and getting more money and more positive feedback to limit your exposure to future, unjustified negs. Like I said, just be a good seller which is the only thing you can control. Everything else will work itself out.