eBay Feedback - Who should leave first, Buyers or Sellers?

[MJFan]

I'll chime in here and say what the heck is the difference? If you refuse to deal with someone again because they do not leave you feedback first (but still eventually do), then perhaps you may be getting too emotional over truly trivial things?

As a seller I'll be honest and say that I never leave feedback first, HOWEVER...(and there is a big however here), I always send my buyer a personalized and well thought-out thank you message through the eBay messaging system thanking them for their particular purchase and letting them know that their business and quick payment was appreciated. I also let them know when I will be shipping the item and continually thanking them along the way, whether it is for a $1 item or a $250 item. After they receive the card and essentially complete the transaction for the both of us by doing so, I actually leave a formal feedback acknowledging the mutual completion of a deal.

I give a personal touch that transcends the limits of so-called "feedback" and I currently have a 10 out of 10 rating in every category as a seller. Nobody complains about what I do.

Judging a seller based on when they give you feedback instead of how they treat you as a customer and how they send out your product is one of the more ridiculous things I have heard in a while. Next we'll be complaining that the seller didn't ship the card to you in a gold-encrusted envelope, with insurance, tracking, white-glove service and champagne BEFORE you even pay for the item.

Well said! My thoughts and actions are very similar. Although i will leave feedback as a seller 1st i do not think the only obligation the buyer has is to make a payment. I go with my gut feeling but i'm also not all wound up if someone does not leave me feedback for a transaction that has been completed. It is not mandatory in my opinion but a fringe benefit of doing good business with people.

[TheIronHorse4]

I also believe the buyer should leave it first. Sellers have so little power in ebay transactions nowadays, and what little they can do (in reporting a problem if something does go wrong in shipping or whatever) has to be given up right away just because the buyer pays quickly? I think even more of a reason for the buyer the leave feedback first is because they have nothing to fear by doing so. Sellers cannot leave retaliatory feedback so what's the issue with waiting until the transaction is completely done first and letting the buyer give the A-Ok that everything is all set. If a buyer wants me to leave feedback first, I'm usually more than happy to leave it first, it's not THAT big of a deal. However, it seems to me the seller has a lot more to lose by leaving it first than the buyer. Either way though if everything goes as planned it really shouldn't matter as long as both parties leave appropriate feedback for the transaction.

[mortuus]

I think its weird to get feedback first as a buyer as the auction is first complete once i get my items and after i leave the seller should, it must be something new today how it works. Thats like the system that u will after u recive your items, so why should the feedback system be any different?

[GiantsSB42Champs]

i dont always care about feedback as much as i used to..

i have found that as I have acted professionally I have received good reviews. About 30-40% of buyers never leave feedback but I'm not about to spend 5-10 minutes for each one hounding feedback.

As soon as I receive payment, I package and print labels, once that is done immediately leave feedback, I do it real quick using the eBay systems and I let buyers decide what they want to do. So I would say sellers should right away

[Fred Bear]

I'll chime in here and say what the heck is the difference? If you refuse to deal with someone again because they do not leave you feedback first (but still eventually do), then perhaps you may be getting too emotional over truly trivial things?

As a seller I'll be honest and say that I never leave feedback first, HOWEVER...(and there is a big however here), I always send my buyer a personalized and well thought-out thank you message through the eBay messaging system thanking them for their particular purchase and letting them know that their business and quick payment was appreciated. I also let them know when I will be shipping the item and continually thanking them along the way, whether it is for a $1 item or a $250 item. After they receive the card and essentially complete the transaction for the both of us by doing so, I actually leave a formal feedback acknowledging the mutual completion of a deal.

I give a personal touch that transcends the limits of so-called "feedback" and I currently have a 10 out of 10 rating in every category as a seller. Nobody complains about what I do.

Judging a seller based on when they give you feedback instead of how they treat you as a customer and how they send out your product is one of the more ridiculous things I have heard in a while. Next we'll be complaining that the seller didn't ship the card to you in a gold-encrusted envelope, with insurance, tracking, white-glove service and champagne BEFORE you even pay for the item.

Well said!

I, as a seller, never leave feedback first. I do this for a couple of reasons:

#1) A buyer is going to get positive feedback. Period. I can't do anything otherwise, except not leave feedback. [I can leave a negative comment, but as a buyer who received retaliatory feedback for an honest comment I left for a seller, you can have negative comments removed if they contradict the 'positive' rating. That is considered 'abuse' of the feedback system.] A buyer has nothing to worry about from me.

#2) I use feedback for the entire transaction and believe it should not be left until the transaction is complete. I know the transaction is complete when the buyer leaves me feedback. If he wants his feedback first, all he needs to do is notify me that everything is acceptable and I will type it in first. Most don't want to do it twice and they just leave positive feedback and move on. Again, a buyer should know that they will get ONLY positive feedback, so there is really no worry.

#3) Some buyers don't want feedback. I know that may sound odd, but feedback shows the transaction details for at least 90 days (with a link to the listing/auction). If you intend to re-sell or trade a card, it may be in your best interest not to have it show up in your feedback.

I use the same rationale as a buyer and am more than happy to leave my feedback once I receive my item. If something is not satisfactory, I contact the seller immediately and will not leave feedback until my issues are resolved because: #1 - I'm going to get positive or no feedback. I've got enough feedback to not worry about one more buyer feedback... #2 - The feedback is for the whole transaction. I give higher ratings for better service. #3 - Sometimes, I don't want feedback and I will notify the seller up front that it is not necessary and not leaving it would be preferable.

Feedback is pretty far down the list for me in terms of overall importance (as a buyer). I would rank the product (card) and the ACTUAL customer service well above receiving a positive feedback that indicates I paid promptly (especially since that's the ONLY feedback a buyer can receive)... Because of that, buyer feedback has become pretty un-important to me as a seller as well. I typically search IDs here and on a couple other sites to find out whether or not I want to deal with an individual. Much more telling than their eBay feedback...

[Gallinator]

***please note my comments below are regarding eBay ONLY and have no bearing on how I perceive things should be done on SCF or any other site***

In theory (and I used to care about this a LOT more than I do today), sellers should always leave feedback first, promptly after receiving payment. As centrehice correctly pointed out, feedback is not an obligatory part of the transactional contract; therefore, a buyer's ONLY obligation is to pay for what they have won within the timeframe specified by the seller (or within a "reasonable" timeframe if none is specified). Again, that is the ONLY thing a buyer is required to do. The buyer's payment completes the buyer's end of the transaction - period. Yes, it's nice to know that they received the card/item - but not an obligation. The seller's obligation is to make a reasonable effort to deliver the item to the buyer once payment is received (at the mercy of whatever delivery service is used).

The arguments for withholding feedback may be well-intentioned, but they are illogical. If you are afraid your buyer will try to extort you, there are tools provided by eBay to address that - the feedback process is not an appropriate tool. If you want to know if your buyer received the card, then by all means send them a personal message - but realize that you are likely wasting their time and yours...a seller who bugs me for feedback runs the risk of losing me as a customer.

In practice, I used to keep a spreadsheet detailing all transactions in which I was involved, but at some point I took a break from eBay and got out of the habit. Now, if I have been buying a lot, I'll use feedback to keep track of what I've received - I leave feedback upon receipt of the cards. It still distresses me mildly to leave FB for a seller who hasn't left any for me, but at 1800+ FB I don't really care if I ever get any more or not. Once my buying volume slows, though, and I can easily keep track of what I've received in my head (with my master spreadsheet of my collection to back me up), I will NOT leave feedback first, since my belief that sellers should leave FB first overcomes my need to keep track of what I've bought using that tool.

In this way, eBay's feedback process has become a tool for my convenience and little else. It is the sellers who need to worry about getting enough feedback and high ratings to maintain whatever paltry discounts eBay decides to dole out to them. Therefore, sellers should be aware that any perception that they are withholding feedback - regardless of the reason - has the potential to hurt their seller rating and future sales. As my view is (arguably) in the majority wrt buyers - i.e., the MARKET, I don't understand why a seller would take the risk of alienating anyone in the market by not leaving feedback first.

One final point: If I have to have a discussion with a seller wherein I ask him/her to leave feedback first, IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE and I will remember that seller as troublesome and less than 100% customer-oriented. Sure, I might still bid on their 99-cent auction when it comes up, but I won't be aggressive in bidding on their items and I won't bother to make an offer, etc., as there are so many other sellers with whom I have had no trouble at all. Please think about that kind of thing the next time you are waiting on your buyers to leave feedback first.

[shifterdarkwolf]

Seller, for sure. As the seller, your feedback is 99.9% of the time based on how quickly and professionally you were paid. Very little else factors in for essentially all cases.

[thehip66]

I didn't read this hole thread , but my thoughts on the original post ... I use to leave feedback soon as a buyer paid , but not anymore because a lot of the time i never got feedback in return . I get a lot more feedback from buyers now that i don't submit it first . I usually send a note saying "Thank-you for your fast payment , cards will ship tomorrow . Also due to way too many buyers not leaving feedback ,my policy is that submit when i receive it . Thank-you again for your purchase and enjoy your card "

If you won't buy from somebody for the sole reason that they didn't give you feedback first , that in my mind is pretty damn petty.

[mjohansson90]

eBay feedback is a joke these days anyway. When you leave feedback, they thank you for keeping the eBay community informed and safe, but completely contradict that statement when they don't allow me as a seller to leave negative feedback for the countless buyers that don't pay. How is that keeping the eBay community informed and safe?

I leave feedback in bunches as a seller, but always with the intention to leave it once the buyer has paid. As a buyer, I could care less. I'm more interested in getting the item I paid for than feedback from a seller.

Derek

[Sapphire Sports]

As a seller I leave feedback when I ship.

Thank you for the super fast payment , Item ships 11-11-11
I think the buyers apreciate it. Keeps it simple for me. as the buyer has done there part. When I do buy items I expect the same and despise the feedback extortion emails. ( please leave feedback and we will do the same)
Also with ebay selling manager pro, I bulk leave feedback with one click making it so easy.