Whats with people neglecting feedback on Ebay nowdays?

I hadn't used Ebay for about a year, but am getting back into it.
Thing I'm finding now is that practically everyone I buy from doesn't leave feedback, even though they have amassed hundreds if not thousands of comments.
And even people buying will neglect to leave feedback too

Burns me up as I always leave honest, usually positive feedback for all my transactions. been using Ebay since 1999 and only have 64 comments.

So I have taken to not leaving any feedback until I receive, whether I'm selling or buying.:scowl:

really irks me when I praise buyers for their fast payments and get nothing in return, arrrgh.
Ok, done now

webley445 said:

So I have taken to not leaving any feedback until I receive, whether I'm selling or buying.:scowl:

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Well, that is obviously the solution. Just think if everyone did that!!

Sounds like a plan to me!

JM-99

I always post appropriate feedback UNLESS the original auction says something to the effect of "if you give us positive feedback, we'll give you positive feedback." It's too close to extortion.

it's funny becasue i use to always leave feedback but stopped for some reason...

AAA++++++++++ MEGASUPERDUPER ULTRA MEGA SUPER BUYER WOULD SELL TO ALWAYS AGAIN ALWAYS ALAAAYS

Anti Aircraft Artillery? Haha!

That might be a reason...

I've been on Ebay since '02 and also noticed the same trend. My last six transactions have yet to post feedback even though I have for them.

Jumpmaster said:

Well, that is obviously the solution. Just think if everyone did that!!

Sounds like a plan to me!

JM-99

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Reminds me of something Homer Simpson said when he was telling the new car design team what to do at his half-brother's auto factory; ".... and put one of those little balls on the antenna so I can find my car in the parking lot. I think every car should have one of those".

On a serious note, yes I too have noticed a decline in getting feedback posted from the sellers I buy from. Since I'm not a seller, I really don't care all that much as long as I have a score over 10 and it's all positive.

My friend sends his buyer's a polite email "following up" on the purchase.

Included at the end will be something like, "as you can see, ive posted positve feedback for you. It would be appreciated if you could do the same for me. If theres some reason that would prevent you from doing that. Please contact me and I'll try to fix the problem."

He says it usually works.

Ive also bought some stuff from larger "companies" on ebay and sometimes, it seems like they use an automated program to leave feedback like once a month.

My de-facto policy is that I don't leave a feedback until buyer leaves one. It's consistent with the chain of transaction.

I think it's just a case of E-bay transactions no longer being considered something out of the ordinary or particularly risky. When it first started, positive feedback was important to judge the risks associated with a particular seller. Now, I think the vast majority of people believe most E-bay transactions will go smoothly so a good transaction is "normal" and now only a bad transaction routinely gets feedback. Although I don't really use E-bay, the same behaviour occurs in other online areas. Personally, I mostly skip over the positive comments since most of them are just saying "Yep, everything went smoothly", which is how it should be. I concentrate more on the negatives. I try to figure out if these were normal problems that were settled properly, or did somebody do something to cause a problem and now won't fix it. I think you can generally tell if people are trying to do the right thing or not. A dishonest or unreasonable buyer or seller has a tough time hiding behind a keyboard.

i always leave feedback not only on ebay but also other forums that i frequent. i will then ask the other party to kindly leave feedback for me too.

DonShock said:

I think it's just a case of E-bay transactions no longer being considered something out of the ordinary or particularly risky. When it first started, positive feedback was important to judge the risks associated with a particular seller. Now, I think the vast majority of people believe most E-bay transactions will go smoothly so a good transaction is "normal" and now only a bad transaction routinely gets feedback. Although I don't really use E-bay, the same behaviour occurs in other online areas. Personally, I mostly skip over the positive comments since most of them are just saying "Yep, everything went smoothly", which is how it should be. I concentrate more on the negatives. I try to figure out if these were normal problems that were settled properly, or did somebody do something to cause a problem and now won't fix it. I think you can generally tell if people are trying to do the right thing or not. A dishonest or unreasonable buyer or seller has a tough time hiding behind a keyboard.

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Positive helps you establish track record and the ability for users to leave negative keeps you in check.

Another thing that irks me is sellers not leaving feedback until they receive feedback. I pay for my stuff right away and have fulfilled my obligation. They're "supposed" to leave feedback at that point but they often don't.

But I find that an email reminder does the trick. I know you shouldn't have to do that but it works (usually).

Dave

I never leave feedback until after buyer posts feedback. this protects you against unfair feedback and being held hostage.

since I tend to sell higher priced items on ebay, retaining my 100% rating is all important to me. if a buyer is getting ready to send say $950 for an item. having a 100% sure helps establish confidence.

cy said:

I never leave feedback until after buyer posts feedback. this protects you against unfair feedback and being held hostage.

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This was also mentioned by 'Handlobraesing' and may be a source of the problem. 'NickelPlate' touched on it; as a seller, leave feedback when you have been paid; as a buyer, leave feedback when you get the goods.

If you are confident as a seller that your goods are as described it and are sent promptly you will get positive feedback.

I value my rating on ebay and was 'royally p____d' after I left negative feedback for a scam artist who totally misrepresented the items he was selling and he turns around and says 'beware, slow payer'. This is after I mailed his money the next day via first class mail (the only form of payment he would accept, or money order) I guess he couldn't stand criticism :thumbsdow

Perhaps there should be more specific guidelines on what constitutes feedback; even to the point of a simple check system with no comments; eg; very good/ good/ negative/ needs improvement/ or whatever :thinking:

I am almost exclusively a buyer. In the recent years, almost all the sellers will only leave feedback AFTER the buyer has left feedback ... even though I fullfilled my part of the deal (--> payment) first and deserve feedback first.
I consider this blackmail and feel threatened by it (threat of negative feedback in retaliation) and I feel manipulated and abused as well as used.
So ... I stopped giving feedback first, which usually results in no feedback at all. I don't care anymore.

bernie

I'm almost always a buyer too. If a seller posts feedback as soon as I've done my part I will mention that in the feedback I leave. I think it is the highest form of praise I can give a seller.

I have to agree with what a lot of people are saying. In most cases, I am a buyer. I expect to get feedback as soon as I have paid, which is usually the same day the auction ends. If I don't, I ask for it. MANY now tell me that they will not leave me any unless I leave them positive feedback first. Many also now have automated response bots that reply with the same feedback left. With no intervention or thought on their part.

From a buyer's point of view, that is extortion. If an item is expensive that I am buying, I will never bid if a seller states they leave feedback once it is left. I cannot trust that type of seller.

But, I have also sold on ebay. I don't make much money on it. I only sell things I no longer need. They are used items. I ALWAYS leave feedback once someone has paid. I feel that is my responsibility.

And i know there are dealers that feel they are being extored from the buyer if an item is questioned. But if the buyer sends his money, he is the one that has taken the first chance.

I think that is the main reason for lack of feedback lately.

People who, as a buyer, expect to receive positive feedback as soon as they've paid seem to me to be folks who haven't sold much. My buy/sell ratio is probably around 40/60, so I'm not just a seller. There are _lots_ of buyers on eBay who are basically idiots. You sell something very clearly described in the auction, you send it quickly, you never hear from them again, and then a month later they leave you negative feedback saying it's not what he's looking for. In a couple cases I've hand these lunkheads obviously never even looked at the photos. They then spent a great deal of time "e-stalking" me with harrassing emails and fraudulent eBay bids until I blocked them.

Another HUGE problem that's been happening more and more (not to me yet, though) is buyers filing fraudulent complaints with PayPal. Frequently the con artist buyer will get his refund, keep the item, and the seller will get his account suspended.

There is more to buying than just paying, just as there's more to selling than just shipping an item regardless of condition.

I am NOT saying that buyers have to leave positive feedback first. Sellers who require that doesn't sit well with me. But before I leave positive feedback for a buyer, I want to hear he got the item and everything's working fine. I've had too much trouble with clowns.

And yeah, people not leaving feedback annoys the heck out of me. eBay is still very much a crap shoot (maybe more than it used to be) in dealing with sellers and feedback is an important part of the system. If I've worked hard to complete 600+ good clean transactions, a rating that reflects that gets more bidders vs. only being in the high 400's which I'm stuck at due to folks who never followed up.

I think this attitude is due to people not taking the "personal" factor into account. Lots of users seem to view eBay just as an automated store or something, without individual sellers and buyers making the transactions happen.

I am NOT saying that buyers have to leave positive feedback first. Sellers who require that doesn't sit well with me. But before I leave positive feedback for a buyer, I want to hear he got the item and everything's working fine. I've had too much trouble with clowns.

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Fair enough. But still ... as a buyer I will not leave feedback before the seller does. Period.

The whole ebay system is a joke, and it is not important enough for me (or most of the others who do not leave feedback anymore I guess) to invest time, thought, consideration and recources to deal with it.
The system is abused, misused and the sellers do want to gain an upper edge over me by not leaving appropriate feedback and instead forcing me to comply to their private rules and games in order to gain my proper feedback? Well ... I don't play that game and they can go amuse themselves elsewhere. I do not care anymore.

I think this attitude is due to people not taking the "personal" factor into account. Lots of users seem to view eBay just as an automated store or something, without individual sellers and buyers making the transactions happen.

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Ebay is hardly personal any more. At least when I do searches I almost exclusively see super duper power sellers, shops, new goods, dozens of copies of the same item screwing up my search etc.
This isn't what it used to be, and it surely isn't what I want to be a part of.

In the rare event of a true personal transaction there usually isn't a feedback problem, and I gldly give feedback when the seller also does.

About feedback itself ... I do not care about automated messages. What counts for me is a personal feedback, and I try to give mine in a personal manner.

bernie