Biggest eBay Pet Peeve!!!

[leo8877]

:x  :x  :x  :evil:  :evil:  :evil:

I can't stand it any longer.  I can't stand when I win something and pay for it immediately with PayPal, yet the seller still doesn't leave feedback.  It pisses me off so much!   AARGGGGHHHHH!!!

[dangerballs]

I never leave feedback as a seller until the the buyer does.  Its way too easy to be screwed over by the buyer.

[PaulBot]

As a seller, I never leave feedback until the buyer has received the item, is satisfied with the transaction and has left me positive feedback.

[Toe]

I hate it when seller purposefully use sex to sell items. How am I suppose to make a rational decision with stuff like this (SFW)?:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31545&item=6737475353&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW#ebayphotohosting

I think she is selling a laptop, but not sure.

[ChaoZ]

I always thought Sniping was the most annoying aspect of Ebay.

[leo8877]

Well, when I am a seller, if I receive payment for my item in a timely fashion, I leave positive feedback immediately.  What's the point of waiting for what they leave you?

[Byrns]

As a seller, I never leave feedback until the buyer has received the item, is satisfied with the transaction and has left me positive feedback.

I don't leave sellers positive feedback until I get feedback from them, because I've been feedback shafted by lazy sellers too many times. I always give feedback once I've recieved payment.

[the Nightbreeze]

Twice as a seller I got shorted on feedback, and I do leave feedback after checking the delivery confirmation to be sure the buyer was competent enough to give me their correct address.  You'd be surprised the people that cannot get their own address right.

Also once as a buyer I left feedback for a seller and got none for my end of the trasaction.

It sucks on both sides, but I say as a seller it sucks more. For one sale I was chatting over IM on a $15 item for an hour answering their questions,  and when they got their item they couldn't be bothered to spend three minutes to give me feedback, good bad or ugly.  

I always notify buyers when I get their payment, as well as when I ship... I always provide delivery confirmation, and I always email them when they get their package and I tell them at that time that I have left feedback for them.   It's not like feedback can slip your notice on my sales, you just have to be a self absorbed individual, I suppose.

[gameoverman]

The thing that gets me about the feedback issue is when the ONLY thing a seller is waiting for is feedback from the buyer first.

If the seller had no intention of leaving feedback to start with, that's one thing.  That's just the way it goes sometimes.

But I think it is the lamest of the lame when days go by and I have no feedback left for me, then magically the day I put feedback for the seller, they put something for me, what a coincidence! And the ONLY thing that has changed is that I have left feedback, no contact through email, no confirmations, just the feedback I left.  My payment though has been long since processed of course.

I, as the buyer, have done my part once the seller receives payment, because that's all I'm obligated to do- pay for the auctions I win.  Worries of the seller about potential issues that may come later don't change the fact that I did my part.  All those sellers are doing is holding earned feedbacks hostage, as leverage against all buyers, even the good ones.

[leo8877]

The thing that gets me about the feedback issue is when the ONLY thing a seller is waiting for is feedback from the buyer first.

If the seller had no intention of leaving feedback to start with, that's one thing.  That's just the way it goes sometimes.

But I think it is the lamest of the lame when days go by and I have no feedback left for me, then magically the day I put feedback for the seller, they put something for me, what a coincidence! And the ONLY thing that has changed is that I have left feedback, no contact through email, no confirmations, just the feedback I left.  My payment though has been long since processed of course.

I, as the buyer, have done my part once the seller receives payment, because that's all I'm obligated to do- pay for the auctions I win.  Worries of the seller about potential issues that may come later don't change the fact that I did my part.  All those sellers are doing is holding earned feedbacks hostage, as leverage against all buyers, even the good ones.

YES!  This is exactly what I'm talking about.  I hate this crap!!!!

[jessie]

 
Q:  does the cleavage come with the laptop?
   A:  Sorry the boobies are not included.
 

[corruptrelic]

That woman on the auction link isn't very attractive.
If anything those pictures would make me want to buy the laptop even less.

[Laner]

That woman on the auction link isn't very attractive.

Is her face even in the pictures?  

[mb737]

You feedback people all sound like the l33t3rZ who try to be #1 on whatever list they're trying to be #1 on at the moment.

  I'm surprised you don't have popup links in your item descriptions with flashing images and text all screaming "CLICK ON THIS TO MAKE ME #1"

[leo8877]

You feedback people all sound like the l33t3rZ who try to be #1 on whatever list they're trying to be #1 on at the moment.

  I'm surprised you don't have popup links in your item descriptions with flashing images and text all screaming "CLICK ON THIS TO MAKE ME #1"

That's a very odd interpretation.  I would not have looked at it like that.  

I just find it annoying that people don't leave you proper feedback when that's how the process works.  Without feedback you don't really know if the person you are dealing with is reputable or not.  With a system like ebay's, it is very helpful to know if you are going to deal with some name on the internet, that at least other people have dealt with them and you can trust that the product will be as described, and that it will be shipped in a timely manner.

But hey, maybe that sounds like being l33t3rZ, who knew???

[Jeff]

Ebay is dead to me.

As of mid February, they are raising their rates significantly. Something like 8% of your sale, and listing fees are increasing as well.

[JLu]

As a seller I have always waited for feedback from the buyer.  Despite the fact I send emails when they win the auction and once I ship, there are a lot of times you never hear back from them.  I figure if they put up positive feedback, it means that they received the item and the transaction is completed.

Didn't realize their rates were going up so much.  Glad I don't use it for much more than buying/selling games that I know I can finish within a month.

[PaulBot]

I hate it when seller purposefully use sex to sell items. How am I suppose to make a rational decision with stuff like this (SFW)?:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31545&item=6737475353&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW#ebayphotohosting

I think she is selling a laptop, but not sure.

I don't see any sex in that auction, just a couple of...er... nevermind  

[PaulBot]

As a seller, I never leave feedback until the buyer has received the item, is satisfied with the transaction and has left me positive feedback.

I don't leave sellers positive feedback until I get feedback from them, because I've been feedback shafted by lazy sellers too many times. I always give feedback once I've recieved payment.

I think that's what we call a stalemate.

You first....no! You first!!! NO!! YOU FIRST!!!! NO #$%^&*#$  

[hentzau]

Hmm.

Well, I always viewed the feedback as optional, so I very rarely leave feedback, positive or negative.  Does this make me a bad person?

[Bulletpig]

I always leave feedback as a buyer but I do wait until I have the item I purchased in hand.

The problem I have right now is that I bought an item and paid right away.  The seller left me good feedback.  I won this on Thursday January 20th.  I made at least 5 requests to the seller to let me know when the item shipped and the tracking number.  I never heard anything back from the seller at all.  I received the item this afternoon.

The shipping was super fast and I did leave very positive feedback.  

My only problem is that I wished they would have answered my requests.  I just happen to be home this afternoon for lunch when the item showed up.  If I hadn't been there it would have sat on my front porch until after 6:00 p.m. tonight.

I just think it should be mandatory somehow to let the buyer know when the item was shipped and if there is tracking number.

Pig

[Greggy_D]

I can't remember where we discussed this before.....either here or at OO.

As a seller, you should IMMEDIATELY leave feedback when the buyer pays.  The buyer completed his end of the transaction....end of story.

[Exodor]

On a related note...

What's the point of seller feedback on half.com?


As a seller, there's no direct interaction with the buyer.  Half.com pays you and collects from the buyer - you cannot be shorted.   As a seller, what kind of feedback should I leave?  "Buyer clicked my link"?

 :?

[Laner]

Ebay is dead to me.

As of mid February, they are raising their rates significantly. Something like 8% of your sale, and listing fees are increasing as well.

Got a link?

[dangerballs]

Ebay is dead to me.

As of mid February, they are raising their rates significantly. Something like 8% of your sale, and listing fees are increasing as well.

Got a link?

Look under the messages in your My Ebay section for the 2005 pricing stuff.

Here is the text of it.

Dear [whatever your id is],


We are writing to let you know that effective midnight PST, February 18, 2005 eBay.com and eBay Motors will be making changes to the fee structure.

The fee changes are as follows:

Gallery
Gallery fees will be raised from $0.25 to $0.35 per listing. We will also be increasing the size of the Gallery image on search and listings pages by 56%. This will make it easier for buyers to see details of the item before clicking into the listing.

Buy It Now
Buy It Now fees will no longer be charged at a flat rate, and will instead be determined based on the Buy It Now price. Fees will be charged as follows:

Buy It Now Price Fee
$0.01 - 9.99 $0.05
$10 - 24.99  $0.10
$25 - 49.99 $0.20
$50+  $0.25


10-Day Duration
The fee for 10-day duration listings will be raised from $0.20 to $0.40 per listing.

eBay Stores
The fee for the Basic eBay Store subscription will be raised from $9.95 to $15.95 per month. The subscription fee for Featured and Anchor Stores will be unchanged.

eBay Store Inventory format listing insertion fees will remain unchanged. The Final Value Fee for Store Inventory items will change as follows:

Closing Price Old Price New Price
$0.01 - $25 5.25% of the closing value 8% of the closing price
$25.01 - $1,000 5.25% of the initial $25, plus 2.75% of the remaining closing value balance. 8% of the initial $25, plus 5% of the remaining closing value balance ($25.01 - $1000)
Over $1,000 5.25% of the initial $25, plus 2.75% of the next $25.01-$1000, plus 1.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01 - closing value). 8% of the initial $25, plus 5% of the next $25.01 - $1000, plus 3% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01 - closing value).

Store sellers will continue to be eligible to receive 50% off of the Store Inventory listing final value fees for Store Referral credit. Please click here for details.

Insertion and Final Value Fees
The insertion and Final Value Fees will be changing for items listed in certain Business & Industrial categories. More details about the changes for these categories are provided below. The insertion and Final Value Fees in other categories will not be changing.

Business & Industrial Listings in Certain Categories
The Reserve, insertion and Final Value Fees will be changing for select high item price capital equipment categories in Business & Industrial. Please click here to view the capital equipment categories affected by the pricing change.

The fee changes for these capital equipment categories are as follows:

Reserve fee: Lowered to $5, refundable if the item sells
Insertion fee: Raised to $20, regardless of starting price
Final Value Fee: Lowered to a 1% flat fee, with a $250 maximum charge

Additional listing upgrade fees will remain the same as for eBay.com. Pricing for all other Business & Industrial listings outside the specified capital equipment categories will remain the same as for eBay.com.

eBay will also introduce Buyer Protection covering up to $20,000 per item in these capital equipment categories this spring. eBay will offer this Buyer Protection at no cost to the buyer or seller.

The following fee changes will apply to vehicle listings on eBay Motors.

Fee Changes for eBay Motors Vehicles Listings

Reserve
Reserve will be charged a $5 flat fee for all eBay Motors vehicles categories except Pocket Bikes. This fee will still be refundable if your item sells.

10-Day Listings
The fee for 10-day listings will be changed to $8 for all eBay Motors vehicles categories except Pocket Bikes.

Pocket Bikes Category
The insertion fee and Transaction Services Fee will be lowered from $30 to $3 each.
The following fees will remain the same: Reserve ($2 flat fee, refundable if item sells), Gallery (free), Listing Designer ($5) and Highlight ($5). Motors HomePage Featured fee will be lowered to $24.95 and Vehicle Picture Pack fee will be lowered to $1.50. All other fees will be lowered to become the same as those for eBay Motors Parts & Accessories categories.

For more information about these fee changes, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.

Some international eBay sites have also changed their fee structures. To learn more, please check Announcements for the eBay site of interest.

We understand that fees directly impact our members, and take care to ensure that any decisions to change fees are made only after careful consideration of this impact. These changes will help us continue to sustain and develop a thriving global marketplace, while balancing the needs of our buyers and sellers around the world.

Regards,

eBay

[PaulBot]

Hmm.

Well, I always viewed the feedback as optional, so I very rarely leave feedback, positive or negative.  Does this make me a bad person?

Definitely.

[PaulBot]

I can't remember where we discussed this before.....either here or at OO.

As a seller, you should IMMEDIATELY leave feedback when the buyer pays.  The buyer completed his end of the transaction....end of story.

not end of story IMO

I completely disagree with this, and will not change the way I do things on eBay.

To each his own.

[Greggy_D]

What is the percentage of getting screwed over by a buyer?  Close to nil?  Sure it can happen, but more than likely it will not.  You are penalizing the majority of good, upstanding buyers by withholding feedback on the minute chance of getting screwed.  That's unfair to the majority playing by the rules.

Likewise, I refuse to leave feedback as a buyer for a seller that has not left feedback on my payment.  I completed my end of the bargain first and they need to recognize that.

As a seller, I have ALWAYS left feedback upon payment.  I haven't been screwed as a seller since I started in '98.

[Gratch]

Wow, I was just thinking about this today.  I paid for an auction 2 weeks ago, (immediately after "Buy It Now"), received the item, left positive feedback for the seller, and still haven't received anything from him.  Gee, thanks.

I don't really buy that much on E-bay (only 28 feedback), so this guy not leaving any feedback definately doesn't help me.

[Laner]

What is the percentage of getting screwed over by a buyer?  Close to nil?  Sure it can happen, but more than likely it will not.  You are penalizing the majority of good, upstanding buyers by withholding feedback on the minute chance of getting screwed.  That's unfair to the majority playing by the rules.

I wait to leave feedback as the seller, because many times people have left negative or neutral feedback about a transaction without ever contacting me first about it.  I will bend over backwards to satisfy the buyer, and have given refunds more than once when I didn't have to.  But people have left negative feedback for me without ever even bothering to shoot me an email to attempt to resolve the problem.  If I leave positive feedback as soon as I receive payment, then I am rating the transaction without seeing it to completion first.  Yes, it's rare, but it has happened often enough to dock my rating by a couple of percentage points.

Besides, I don't believe there are any official "rules" in regards as to who should leave feedback first.  Ebay doesn't say anything about it one way or the other, other than "after the transaction is completed", and within 90 days.  On the ebay discussion boards, this has been debated ad nauseum, and the general consensus is that it's voluntary, and shouldn't be the primary focus of buyers *or* sellers.

Edit:  Some more fuel for the fire:

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810022836

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810022409

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810022461

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810022089

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810021385

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810021641

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810021521

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810020834

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810020949

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810020763

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810020659

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810020099

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810019821

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810019414

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810019702

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810019620

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810019425

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810019020

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810018822

http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jsp?forum=11&thread=810025230

[Yossarian]

as a seller I never leave feedback upon receipt of payment.  the transaction is not complete until the buyer receives the item.  

the buyer should leave feedback first to confirm that they received the item.  if there's a problem, then he should contact the seller prior to leaving feedback.

[gameoverman]

as a seller I never leave feedback upon receipt of payment.  the transaction is not complete until the buyer receives the item.  

the buyer should leave feedback first to confirm that they received the item.  if there's a problem, then he should contact the seller prior to leaving feedback.

I disagree. The buyer's end of the transaction has indeed been completed once you receive his or her valid payment. There is nothing more a buyer can do at that point, at that point the 'transaction' and any control over shipping and handling is completely out of the hands of the buyer.

The seller's end of the transaction is the one that involves getting the item out to the buyer, why should the buyer's feedback be linked to the seller's part of the deal?

edit: the obvious exception being a buyer not opting for offered  insurance, and the item then being lost in transit. In that case, the buyer did have some control over shipping methods.  But surely those few cases don't justify every single buyer having their feedback withheld until the seller feels 'safe'.

[the Nightbreeze]

I said it before in this thread and I'll say it again... You would be surprised what buyers are incapable of telling you their own mailing address.  I delivery confirm, and give feedback when the item gets there for just this reason.

If my buyers want the feedback sooner than that, you'll have to wrestle me for it.  PTHHHHTHBT!   You'll always get feedback from me.  Sit tight.  It's more than I can say for some of my buyers.

[WestNile]

"I disagree. The buyer's end of the transaction has indeed been completed once you receive his or her valid payment. There is nothing more a buyer can do at that point"

I am curious.  How many items have people who agree with this above statement sold on ebay?

Buyers are always defensive about feedback, so why can't the seller be the same?  The seller can leave a good feedback to a person, and then next thing they know, that same person is telling paypal the item never came.  You are stuck looking like a jackass, with a negative feedback to boot.

Another reason for this: too many buyers are borderline retards.  You have to hold back on feedback, because a good amount will not give you feedback without incentive to do so.  Many sellers used to give feedback when they got the payment, but have learned the hard way that isn't a good idea.

Feedback is about the transaction, overall.  To expect someone to comment on the transaction, before it is completed isn't fair.

[Laner]

as a seller I never leave feedback upon receipt of payment.  the transaction is not complete until the buyer receives the item.  

the buyer should leave feedback first to confirm that they received the item.  if there's a problem, then he should contact the seller prior to leaving feedback.

I disagree. The buyer's end of the transaction has indeed been completed once you receive his or her valid payment. There is nothing more a buyer can do at that point, at that point the 'transaction' and any control over shipping and handling is completely out of the hands of the buyer.

The seller's end of the transaction is the one that involves getting the item out to the buyer, why should the buyer's feedback be linked to the seller's part of the deal?

Because the transaction is two halves of a whole.  The buying process and selling process aren't separate - they are linked.  Therefore, a positive transaction, as a whole, is not complete until both parties are satisfied.

But I think many people on the message board I linked to said it best.

Feedback is voluntary.
Some leave it first
Some leave it second
Some leave it in a week
Some leave it in a month
Some leave it in batches
Some don't leave it at all
Some don't worry about feedback at all

There are good and bad ebayers in all those categories - it's pretty irrelevant.  Personally, I've left over 250 more feedback responses than I've gotten.  And I've forgotten to leave feedback on more than one occasion.  But it's not a big deal.  I'm on ebay to buy and sell *goods* - not little green circles with plus signs in the middle.

[Yossarian]

as a seller I never leave feedback upon receipt of payment.  the transaction is not complete until the buyer receives the item.  

the buyer should leave feedback first to confirm that they received the item.  if there's a problem, then he should contact the seller prior to leaving feedback.

I disagree. The buyer's end of the transaction has indeed been completed once you receive his or her valid payment. There is nothing more a buyer can do at that point, at that point the 'transaction' and any control over shipping and handling is completely out of the hands of the buyer.

The seller's end of the transaction is the one that involves getting the item out to the buyer, why should the buyer's feedback be linked to the seller's part of the deal?

edit: the obvious exception being a buyer not opting for offered  insurance, and the item then being lost in transit. In that case, the buyer did have some control over shipping methods.  But surely those few cases don't justify every single buyer having their feedback withheld until the seller feels 'safe'.

go ahead and leave feedback upon receipt of payment.  then deal with a buyer who tries to scam you by saying that the item isn't as described, doesn't work, wrong color, etc. etc.  he will enjoy your positive feedback while you get reamed.

[Greggy_D]

How many times does this happen though?  Not many I would guess.

I used to leave feedback (as a buyer) whenever I received the item, but got sick and tired of the seller NOT leaving feedback on my payment.  The seller would enjoy my positive feedback on them, but I would get jackshit.

[corruptrelic]

It happened to me just recently. I sold delta force land warrior (new) for about $3 on Ebay. I sent it and then went to North Carolina to visit my brother at Camp Laguene.
Two weeks later I got back and had about 46 emails from the buyer saying "Where is it?" (I left him feedback the same day he made payment.) So I emailed him, tried to calm him and let him know it was sent, I was away and to give it another week (only 3 weeks) and if still nothing, email me again and I'd either refund him or send another copy of the game. (EB sells them for 25 cents each here!) So no big deal, $3 plus $2 shipping, a $5 item..
The buyer, obviously a young kid, didn't want to hear it though. He made up all kinds of stories why he didn't get it, mainly because I wanted to "keep the game for myself".
For the first time in Ebay history, a buyer pissed me off and it was over FIVE DOLLARS!
Not only did he threaten negative feedback, but he also said he would make it a personal crusade to make sure that whenever I sell items on Ebay he would email all the bidders telling them I ripped people off.
The funny part? I had close to 200 different feedbacks from different users and only of them were positives. 100%. This kid was going to screw up my 100%. I told him once again, if you don't get it in a week I'll refund you or send you a new game, it's your choice. He said "keep your stupid game it's revenge now".
Why the hell would I want to keep a 25 cent game?

Anyway to make a long story short (too late right lol) I said nobody would believe his immaturity I have 100% feedback, so what is 1 negative out of 200 positives? It was bound to happen sooner or later, but I would make sure that I'd get him a negative one way or another and I "knew people" so I would get back at him.
Never heard from him again and he never left the negative.

From that one experience though, I learned, don't leave the buyer positive feedback until you know he got it and is ready to do the same for you. There are far too many children and immature people on Ebay to leave positive feedback so blindly.

[Laner]

How many times does this happen though?  Not many I would guess.

In the grand scheme of things, no, not incredibly often.  But it does happen frequently enough to be a headache for sellers who move more than one or two items a month.  

* I've had people leave me negative feedback for sending them a CD with only four songs (when I clearly stated it was an EP, not the full album, and even listed all four song titles)

* I've had people leave me negative feedback because the DVD wouldn't work in their player.  I take pristine care of my discs, and I *just* played it before it shipped and it worked fine in two separate players

* I've had people claim the CD was scratched and wouldn't play.  When they sent the CD back, I ran it through EAC, and it didn't report a single flaw, and of course it played flawlessly in every player I tried.

* I've received negative feedback because the item didn't arrive until a week after it shipped.  Which can happen with the postal service.

Did I mention it was the week of Christmas? :rolleyes:

In these cases, and several more like that, the buyers automatically left negative feedback without bothering to contact me first.  In every case I would've issued a refund, IF they would only contact me.  And if I had left feedback immediately, I would've had absolutely no recourse.  Too many ebay noobs see feedback as a form of communication, not a rating of the transaction.

[Greggy_D]

Good examples Laner.

Honestly, if all that shit happened to me I don't think I would even bother selling stuff on Ebay.