Why the hell don't people use feedback the correct way?

GoSoxBoSox · January 13, 2004 12:27AM

Yesterday I bought this card.

As always I paid for right after the auction. Today I received an e-mail from a gentleman saying "Congratulations son, you just bought yourself a trimmed card. I returned this card to him 2 weeks ago."

So ...of course...I check my eyes and go bad to look at the auction and this guys feedback.

His feedback is 100% positive, 364 positives and 2 neutrals. The 2 neutrals are over 6 months old.

Also, the description in the auction states "The scan shows it fairly well,and I guarantee that the card has never been trimmed or altered in any way,it has been in my posession for quite some time."

I suspect by this sellers feedback that he'll give me a refund. My point here is why the hell don't people use feedback the correct way?

If the man who sent me the e-mail would have written in his feedback that he received this card trimmed he could have saved me the aggrevation. I'm not saying he should have left negative feedback. In fact, the seller must've refunded his money so negative feedback was not warranted. But neutral or positive feedback with a explanation is certainly warranted.

Sour grapes I guess.

Hubcap · January 13, 2004 1:07AM

Because they don't want to get a negative from the seller in return.

GoSoxBoSox · January 13, 2004 1:27AM

<< <i>Because they don't want to get a negative from the seller in return. >>

Like I said...a negative feedback wasn't warranted and wasn't left so why would they get a negative in return? I just ask that the truth be noted in positive or neutral feedback.

If we all turn a blind eye to this stuff we leave the door open for other to get jipped. I always note important false statements even if I leave neutral or positive feedback.

mrc32 · January 13, 2004 2:09AM

I agree. This is the FLAW in ebays feedback system.

srs1a · January 13, 2004 2:15AM

If you are going to leave a complaint (or issue) in a positive feedback, you might as well not leave anything. When I review a sellers feedback, I go through fast and look for the red letters...the black (neutral) ones are often not real easy to find. I don't spend any time on the positives and I assume that most people don't either....after all, the worst dealers on eBAY probably still have a 95+% positive feedback.

pb19991 · January 13, 2004 2:18AM

I agree that a feedback should have been left on this item, however in cases where you are going to leave a negative feedback how do you protect against a retaliation negative in return. if you as most of us do value you're feedback rating. it seems unfair when you buy an item and pay within a day by paypal and still get a negative when you ask the seller for a refund and don't get a response to you're satisfaction and then leave thm a negative. perhaps e bay needs to address this issue to prevent unfair negative feedback. Phil

aconte · January 13, 2004 2:22AM

I live by a golden rule of 'Never buy anything raw that is expensive off ebay, especially from a
guy who seems to know the grading system.' You should trust no one and make sure you can
get a refund if you do buy raw.

aconte

gfb · January 13, 2004 2:53AM

No, the real problem is that most people think that "flawless" or 100% positive feedback will get them to the front of the line at the pearly gates or something. So what if you get a retaliatory neg, people will see it as that and nothing else. you can follow up with a comment that says retaliatory feedback not warranted or something like that. if people are not going to bid on your $5 card auction because you are doing your job and your responsibility by negging people that deserve it, who cares, they'll run into someone someday who will "stain" their virgin feedback and wish they would have known about that seller in advance. I don't care who you are on ebay or in real life, if you sell certain items to certain people you will get stupid negative feedback through no fault of your own. You could refund their money, give them an extra $10 bucks, wash their car, fold their clothes and still get stuck with a negative, its just life. Like Stan's dad on south park says, "son, they're are gods and clods", just make sure your not one of the clods and you'll be alright.

ps - until credit reporting agency's start reporting your negative feedbacks from ebay on your FICO score, who truly gives a dang

GoSoxBoSox · January 13, 2004 2:54AM

<< <i>If you are going to leave a complaint (or issue) in a positive feedback, you might as well not leave anything. >>

I'm not sure I agree. what if this guy retuns my money. I think it's okay to leave him positive feedback because I stood behind his guarantee. I just think I owe it to other potential buyers to leave the truth in my positive feedback that that the card was trimmed. In case he tries to re-sell it as he did to me.

srs1a · January 13, 2004 3:05AM

gfb -- funny post...and accurate.

GSBS -- my point was...I'm pretty sure that no one will take notice of an issue reported in a positive feedback (I know I wouldn't)...so will it actually accomplish anything?

purelyPSA · January 13, 2004 3:06AM

Makes you wonder what one's truly "earned" feedback is. For everyone that leaves feedback correctly, there's several others who won't neg someone for a deserving reason. I doubt, though, that there's any real way of improving it, short of forcing everyone to leave feedback on every transaction.

FB · January 13, 2004 4:20AM

You might also want to check for yourself as to whether you feel the card is trimmed.

I've submitted cards that I've pulled right from packs that came back as "evidence of trimming" - so unless a plant worker was razoring these cards between the cutting room and the sealing room then in fact the grader was wrong. I've never thought twice about resending these back to PSA since I knew for a fact that they were NOT trimmed and sure enough - usually, the 2nd time around - the got slabbed with the appropriate grade.

If the size of the card falls within the allowable dimensions for a given set, then detecting trimmed edges is not a science... its guesswork. And if a grader identifies it as such - don't take it as gospel. Check it yourself.

Just my two cents.

scottsusor · January 13, 2004 7:34AM

Having bought and sold on eBay for about 5 years now, I've concluded that the feedback system can not be fixed. They've tried doing something about it with "Square Trade" but that really only addresses the symptom and not the disease. In my opinion, the only real way that the feedback system would better (but still not perfect) is to actually rate the person doing the the feedback and then generate feedback ratings that are "scaled." For example, a person leaving a feedback, who has only 10 feedbacks themselves, would count almost nil in the scaled feedback rating of the person they're leaving the feedback for. Meanwhile, a person leaving a feedback, who has 500 feedbacks themselves would count higher. This sort of parallels their colored star system so its not impossible.

The disease itself is that eBay is socialistic in nature. As it is right now, everybody has equal standing when giving a feedback, from the most conscientious to the most idiotic. That could change with a scaled system of feedback value, but eBay has to want to do it and where is the value to them in doing it?

Scott

Why the hell don't people use feedback the correct way?

Comments