Someone begging for ebay feedback, what do you think?

mnmcoin

Just got an email from someone I bought a coin from quite a while ago. Here is the email.



<< <i>WAITING FOR FEEDBACK SO I CAN DO THE SAME AND CLOSE THE ABOVE ITEM. IF YOU COULD TAKE A MINUTE TO DO IT NOW, I WOULD BE GRATEFUL AND DO THE SAME, IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU. THANKS BILL. >>



What do you think about this just in general, regardless of whether you were happy or not with the transaction. Then throw in the mix that even thought I knew I was paying $7.50 for shipping of a raw 1951 Proof Nickel, the coin came in an envelope insured for a total less than $2, it still irks me. Granted I took this into consideration when I bid, but it still gets me when I think about it.

morris <><

ps what is with the buyer having to leave feedback first, then he will...that is just strange to me

dbldie55

I would ask him what sort of feedback he would expect when you paid $7.50 to have an item shipped for $2. It is one thing to wait for a buyer to leave feedback first, but to beg for it is just wrong.

DCAMFranklin

Are you happy with the coin? Did you pay a reasonable price? Since you took the S&H price into consideration when bidding on the coin and the coin arrived safely, then the actual postage costs shouldn't even come into play. He probably didn't reach through the phone wires, grab you by the throat and scream, "Bid on my damn coin!". You decided the bid, including the $7.50 S&H, was a fair bid. If he gave you a coin you are happy with and fair service, then I have to ask: Why haven't you already given the seller his good feedback?

I will add that I don't agree with sellers' practice of withholding feedback until the buyer provides theirs. However, I certainly understand it. Ebay is full of morons willing to leave neutral & negative feedback for the most ridiculous of reasons. All too many sellers feel the need to adopt the practice to "protect" themselves.

Morris, since you sell (and buy) so many coins on Ebay, using 2 different Ebay accounts, I would think you would understand the practice.

mnmcoin

Not sure what that last comment meant, but I will say that I do not understand at all what the whole waiting for feedback is all about to "protect themselves"...that is what a response is for.

I have never and will never hesitate to leave feedback as a seller first and my feedback is regarding whether the buyer followed through on their part of the transaction, not whether or not I am happy about how and what type of feedback was left...that is just rediculous. I completely stand behind what I sell, and if someone is not completely happy with the product and service than I guess I deserve a neutral or negative.

mo <><

leothelyon

Morris
I think this option expires after 90 days. Or reply that you were simply not happy with the postage
on the deal and would rather leave it at that and/or that you would think about it. Or ask him how he thought the deal went. This may lead him to ask you the same but be sure to give iffy answers that leave him guessing in a positive way.

Leo

TWQG

Seller leaves feedback once payment is made.
Buyer leaves feedback once coin arrives.

It's so simple, anything else seems like petty games.

DCAMFranklin

Baseball-
In this particular instance, given the facts provided by Morris, just what exactly would you provide as a reason for withholding feedback for this seller?

If your only complaint is the seller sending an e-mail asking for the feedback, then I would have to ask this additional question. If this were your transaction, would you have left the positive feedback before the seller felt the need to ask for it?

I'm sure this seller feels some real frustration. In his mind, he feels he provided the exact coin Morris bid on in a timely fashion. Why should he feel he wasn't due positive feedback?

relayer

I had a feedback 'ho send me an email on a Thursday saying he shipped the coin.

On Friday I get an email asking why I haven't left feedback yet. He SHOUTED in his email too - plus the 2 that followed. He received no feedback from me.

You should ask this guy why HE hasn't left feedback yet after you upheld your end of the bargain by paying, and that you are waiting for him to do so in order for you to do the same.

DCAMFranklin

Baseball- I always submit feedback prior to mailing the coin. So, the answer is yes. Before the seller has seen the coin they have received an email from me letting them know the coin is on the way and they have had a chance to see their feedback.

I believe there are a lot of buyers and sellers trying to build a feedback "reputation" and I want them to get everything to which they are entitled. Unfortunately, that can sometimes mean negative feedback, as well.

P.S. I think you could have answered my previous questions. We both know that if Morris wasn't hapy with the coin, that would have been the first thing mentioned in the thread. His only complaint was the $7.50 vs. $2.00 postage. I've always said if you feel the S&H is too high, then don't bid. If you bid, don't complain about the S&H. You know what you were getting into.

Rampage

I would email him back stating as the seller, he should leave you feedback first. Although, I know allot of sellers do not do that because they want to make sure they clear up any problems before the feedback is posted. Some sellers use "automatic" feedback programs meaning whatever you give them, they give you in return. You not happy, they not happy, etc.

silverandvinyl

The proper way to do feedback is: If you are the buyer and the seller receives your payment within a reasonable time period(I wait 10 days and ask if he received payment and if he did I ask him if he would kindly leave feed back for me.)If I receive my purchase within 15 days without feed back I will copy him again with my original E-Mail to him.The point here is,the seller always gives feedback first.If the buyer gives feedback first and he ends up with a piece of S--t that would mean the buyer will most likely not give Neg.feedback because the buyer will do the same.So where does that leave the buyer.Don't ever give feedback first if your the buyer.

GP

I usually just respond back to them saying "sorry, as a buyer I only leave feedback after receiving feedback. I paid promptly and handled my end of the sale, if this is not worthy of a good feedback, then I see no reason to leave on for the seller. Thank you"

mnmcoin

DCAM, if someone walked up to me and said they were going to slap me in the face and then proceeded to do so, I think I would be still pretty upset. Yes, I bid on the coin, knowing full well that the seller could charge up to $7.50 for the shipping but so many cases that is just a mistake, oversight or just a stock rate they use in auction, then when they figure how much shipping is really going to be they charge that amount, or refund the overage. Whether I knew or not, there is still a slimy feeling I have about people that stick to their gross over charging for shipping. If and when it does happen when I am the seller I always refund an overage in shipping, when it is a gross amount, say two dollars over.

I guess what I am saying is that even though I knew about it, I still feel icky about having done it. It may sound weird but I think the above anology is a perfect example of what I am feeling.

As far as the feedback is concerned, I leave feedback like I expect to receive it, and that is if the buyer is completely satisfied with ever aspect of the transaction. Maybe I feel that ebay feedback has lost track of what it was really suppose to benchmark and I am rebelling or maybe I am just anal about how and why feedback should occur. Most of the time I feel like leaving a neutral when I am the buyer, but make a choice not to do that to someone and just don't leave it at all. I think most seller would be happier with no feedback then a neutral.

mo <><

braddick

mo, The difference- using your example you wrote above: that person simply walking up to you, announcing they're going to slap you in the face and then proceeding to do so- is with eBay you have the right to turn around and walk away before the slap.
If you still insist on standing there, all on your own, and taking the slap- then that is on you.

Lakesammman

1. I never leave feedback first - got burned on a deal where I did everything right and got flamed because the guy was too lazy to ask for a refund - had I left pos. feedback for his very slow payment, I would have had no chance to do the same to him. Feed back should only be left after the transaction is complete. To me that means knowing that both parties are satisfied. Once they receive the item, their pos. feedback is a "signal" that they are satisfied. If they aren't, I do everything I reasonably can to make them happy before feedback is left.

2. Re: shipping. Sometimes I sell for friends at no cost. While I enjoy photographing and listing the coin to help them out, the long wait at the post-office is no fun. The excess shipping charge helps compensate for the pain/time. If the charge is explained up front (as it should be), factor it into your overall bid. I've passed on auctions with excessive fees and so can you.

danglen

I use an auction management service to send out invoices automatically when the auction ends. For single coin lots, I charge $2.00 for S & H. The problem arises when a bidder winns multiple items, because the service I use has no realistic way to figure S & H charges on multiple items. The way I handle that is to put a statement in the "Terms" section of my auction and on the invoice, that basically says "If you have won multiple items and feel that shipping charges may be excesive, please contact me prior to paying and I will adjust them accordingly". Very few people ever contact me about an adjustment, so when I'm packing the coins, if I feel they paid too much for shipping, I keep a stack of crisp uncirculated two dollar bills by the packing table, and will send them an appropriate refund. As for the feedback question, I'm one of the lousy sellers that returns feedback as opposed to giving it when payment is received. I used to leave feedback as soon as I got paid, but wound up getting four negs in a short period of time, all by newbies, one of them from a deadbeat whose check bounced. Since they had already received positive feedback from me, there was nothing I could do. I contacted eBay, and their response was that these were the "battle scars" of succesful sellers. I now have over 3400 positives, 4 neutrals and still only have the 4 negatives. If a buyer doesn't want to leave me feedback, I certainly understand, and have no problem with that. If a buyers leaves me positive feedback, they get the same in kind. If they left me any other type of feedback, the same would hold true. In a perfect world it might not be necesary to work this way, put obviously this is not a perfect world.

66Tbird

Selling on eBay has made me a much more of a callous individual. Maybe it is because, as a buyer, I have a strict criteria for determining which items I would bid on. As a seller I have had to put up with more hassles in just a few items that I have sold than any single item I've ever bought.
I have always had no problem with me, the buyer, being the first person to leave feedback. I just always thought that was the way it should be done and I've kind of remember reading within the eBay that is the way it should be done.
On only two separate occasions while tying up loose ends within my eBay account I left feedback before the buyer, and on both occasions I was basically held hostage for a partial refund, on and item (non coin related) clearly sold as it is(or discussed proir to auction end), or he would leave negative feedback. Then, after all was said and done to the customers satisfaction my feedback was never left at all.

Oh yea!! It sure did not take me too long to learn the credit card trick. Just buy something, if you don't like it, or break it, or was not shipped to you with proper tracking, do a chargeback, and give the seller a negative to cover your butt. Real nice;>(...

I think I'm going to open an account just for selling non-coin items. A place to play the hardball game so I can keep the coin collecting enjoyable and not worry about the BS actions of other buyers reflecting on my collection.

Ahh,,,, I feel better,, needed that.

UncleJoe

You guys are scaring me.

So far I guess I have been very lucky, no horror stories.

As buyer I leave feedback as I feel is warranted regardless of what the seller has done. Sometimes they leave feedback first, sometimes I leave feedback first.

As seller I always leave feedback as soon as I receive payment. I do not worry that some psycho is going to neg me. If he does, so be it!!!

Do what you think is the right thing to do. I don't think it is worth the angst of worrying what the other guy is going to do.

A neg is not the end of the world. You also have the opportunity to respond (and be civil). If you do that, I believe most reasonable people (the only ones you want to deal with anyway) will see the neg for what its worth.

Just my opinion. Joe.

Russ

Morris,

Tell him you will consider leaving feedback when hell freezes over or he has left feedback, whichever comes first. Note the use of the word "consider". You fulfilled your end of the obligation, and his lame attempt at blackmail deserves no consideration.

Russ, NCNE

RotatedRainbows

Just send him the standard form letter like I do stating that I NEVER leave feedback for a seller until they leave it for me since I fulfilled my end of the deal first.

Twowood

I've been buying books online for years and got into coins only recently.I can't remember when I didn't leave feedback for a seller and I'm sorry to say that they leave feedback in about 30% of the sales.
I used to get pissed when I'd buy 5 books and leave 5 pos.feeds and never see 1 from the seller. Or,even worse, I pay IMMEDIATLY after the auction with Paypal then wait 3 weeks for delivery and then don't get a positive feedback!
I just can't understand why a seller doesn't leave feedback as soon as he gets his money.
There are selfish,unthinking people on both sides of the buyer/seller issue. Leave the guy his feedback if it means that much that he's got to grovel for it! Twowood

Neptune

I have been buying and selling on eBay since late 98, altho not claiming to be an expert --- I used to worry about feedback, now I don't worry about it anymore. Some eBayers just don't do the "feedback thing". When you are new to eBay, every positive feedback counts towards establishing credibility.

If interested - here's what I do. I wait 'ample time' after item shipped/or received for any problems to arise, if they will. Then if all is OK, I leave positive feedback. If there is something I don't like about the transaction, product, turnaround time - even though it may have gone smooth/semi-smooth, etc. - I just don't leave feedback at all. It saves ruining your positive feedback rating ny receiving the very popular 'retaliatory' feedback.

If a Buyer/Seller leaves feedback for me first - I generally respond with a feedback for them IF all went OK. If not - I don't.

One thing about the eBay feedback system - it's a joke. It does give a very general idea about buyer/seller, but it sure isn't a tell all - This system needs to be improved/expanded. There are so many folks who jump the gun, newbies who can't wait to leave a neg, etc., that if you want to keep your positive feedback rating, you must be very careful. It makes eBaying a lot less fun, but just the facts of buying/selling.

What I do with folks who request feedback is IGNORE them. I will leave feedback in my own good time, with my own rules - not by theirs. I totally agree that Sellers should leave feedback first vs. requesting it from the Buyer. In a case like yours, I would probably just ignore them and wait/see if they leave for you first. I don't have time or desire to play games with other eBayers.

I agree with the inflated shipping charges - it is also one of my pet peeves. It is my policy not to bid on any items that have inflated charges, whatsoever - unless taking it into account when bidding. Any OTHER charges, such as selling for other folks, should be in the original Selling Price and NOT the postage. I don't mind an extra 50 cents or dollar to cover "labor", but some folks just get carried away. The only way to deal with them in an attempt to correct this problem is to not bid on those auctions period.

Good luck and let us know how you handled the situation.

kranky

I wrote to a seller twice asking for a feedback (the seller had over 2000 left for him) since I do not have very many and they actually matter to me. I even pointed out I had left a positive for him. No response. I then looked at the feedback the seller has left for others.

It was obvious that the seller, with his 2000+ positives, no longer was interested in leaving positive feedback for others. He had given exactly 4 feedbacks in the last 6 months - all negs. In that time I figure he ran about 400 auctions. Apparently, he feels he has enough positives, and doesn't see a need to spend time on it any more.

I did learn, though - I now check the feedback left by the seller before I bid. If the seller obviously doesn't leave feedback (or only negs), I don't bid.

Petescorner

Not too long ago, I had someone with a feedback rating of "7" win one of my auctions. Along with the notification of payment, came an email requesting +feedback be left "now that she had paid." This is normally not a problem for me, as I generally leave +FB as soon as soon as I get paid, but in this case I did a little digging first. I found that despite having 7 + feedbacks left for her already, she had not reciprocated with any of the previous sellers. I sent her a polite email back stating that I would be happy to leave her positive FB, but I was wondering what had "gone wrong" in her previous 7 transactions that she had not left +FB for those sellers.

She wrote me back, that she thought you were only supposed to leave +feedback if requested by the other party. She went back and immediately left +FB for 5 of the other 7 sellers (2 of them were more than 90 days old.) So, the point is, I'm glad I took the time to reply to her email, rather than just assuming she was a feedback "ho," and as a result, myself and 5 other sellers got +FB.

Russ

<< <i>She wrote me back, that she thought you were only supposed to leave +feedback if requested by the other party. >>



Interesting. It hadn't even entered my mind that somebody might interpret that way. Sounds like a plausible explanation from a newb and, thanks, Dan for bringing that one up.

Russ, NCNE

DCAMFranklin

I had a buyer send me an e-mail with some nice compliments about the coin, thank me for the fast shipping and comments about having left feedback. Well, a while later, I was on Ebay and checked my feedback only to find no feedback from this buyer.

So, I checked his feedback to find that in EVERY transaction from his registration, 50 something, he had been responding to the comments left in HIS feedback profile. So, some 50+ sellers had not received feedback for their auctions. I sent the buyer an e-mail explaining what he had been doing and how to properly complete feedback for the seller. He was very apologetic, friendly and happy to correct matters. You just never really know what has occured. Once again, good communication between the buyer and seller can correct so many situations!