Comments on: eBay and other Auction Feedback

By: j1h15233

j1h15233 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:15:16 +0000

Well I ran into this today. Didn’t even notice a seller hadn’t left me feedback despite my immediate payment. Leaving feedback for him had slipped my mind (for about 3 days after I got my item) and he sent me a message asking if I got it and to please leave feedback and then he would do the same. Now I went and immediately left him feedback because it was a smooth transaction and then he left me feedback but there was no reason for him to wait until I did.

By: Spilldog

Spilldog — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:19:20 +0000

I agree! It sounds like the seller in question is no stranger to negative feedback, so he holds your feedback “hostage” until he gets feedback from the buyer. Losers like this are a dime-a-dozen on Ebay!

By: Oddjob

Oddjob — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:20:12 +0000

Tell us how you really feel, lol.

By: Caped Crusader

Caped Crusader — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:24:46 +0000

If you walk into my brick and mortar store, pay for an item with a credit card, leave with it, and then file a chargeback two weeks later, you’re a thief. The same applies if you file a chargeback through PayPal immediately after receiving an item exactly as it was described in an auction listing. If you think you’ve, “done your part,” just by paying for something, you haven’t given the seller’s position even the slightest bit of consideration.

So, if you ever see me on eBay, don’t expect me to follow what the seller above asks.

Well, let’s just go ahead and take care of that right now. My eBay ID is compulsive.collector. Please do me a favor and refrain from ever bidding on any of my auctions, and you won’t have to worry about it. Do I wait until I receive feedback to leave it? Not necessarily. I also don’t get in a hurry to leave feedback for people who are more interested in getting a little virtual pat on the back than getting what they paid for quickly and in good condition. I don’t need money from someone like that, and I would prefer never to deal with them. The same goes for everyone else who feels like he/she “deserves” feedback right away after paying for something. Do us both a favor, and avoid my auctions. When I list something on eBay, I do it because I want to sell it, not to dole out high-fives to people who feel entitled to praise because they paid for something they bought.

By: Caped Crusader

Caped Crusader — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:12:11 +0000

The policy states, "Sellers are not permitted to include in their listings or terms of sale any conditions that limit or restrict the buyer from leaving feedback." Nothing described here even comes close to violating that policy.

By: C. Eric Banister

C. Eric Banister — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:37:32 +0000

That happened to me not long after ebay started. The seller emailed asking me to leave feedback to which I responded that once I received the item I would do so. He then began demanding that I leave feedback and when I didn’t he gave me negative feedback saying that I didn’t leave feedback! Apparently he had done it to many other people and I was contacted by one of them and after 20 of us forwarded email to ebay that he had sent he was shut down.

By: Naughty Boy

Naughty Boy — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:57:43 +0000

They should come up with a better system. I remember before the change(seller not being able to leave negative feedback), E-bay seemed too pro-seller. I had several expereinces wherein the seller cancelled the transaction because he wanted the payment earlier than the allowed 1 week payment (Item did not state “immediate payment required”). I also do not like when the seller, starting the bid really low, like $0.99. then pullsout the auction about a day or less than 24 hours to go just because no one hasn’t bidded on the item yet, of course a lot of buyers wanting a bargain is waiting to “snipe” the auction.

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:45:05 +0000

A rule like that would be meaningless anyway since you can’t force someone to leave feedback if they don’t feel like it.

By: Vader

Vader — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:12:01 +0000

Agree with your points. I normally don’t bother leaving feedback for sellers who do not leave feedback first.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:20:18 +0000

I don’t see your link to the auction, but every page on ebay has a “report item” link. You can click on Listing Violations>Listing Policy Violations>Feedback Related and it gives you the option “Use of terms or conditions that limit or restrict leaving feedback.”

It bothers me that ebay doesn’t explicitly say, “Sellers can’t threaten to withhold feedback until they receive theirs,” but I used to sell on ebay and I always thought that was something you couldn’t put in an auction.

By: xrmc20

xrmc20 — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:58:31 +0000

Agree with your blog totally

By: superfriend

superfriend — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:57:02 +0000

I agree, not being able to leave negative feedback for buyers is crazy. But I stand by what I said. If I’ve done my part first, I deserve to get feedback first.

By: Oddjob

Oddjob — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:35:12 +0000

This is the problem with the honestly policy. Some folks will never be honest regardless of what their service is.

By: j1h15233

j1h15233 — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:00:28 +0000

It’s a bad situation now on eBay with feedback. I rarely sell on there so I’m often in the buyer situation. I always pay right as I buy something and if they don’t leave me feedback before I’ve received my item then they will not receive any from me until they do so. I’ve never had this problem though so I guess I’ve been lucky.

By: Chip Cataldo

Chip Cataldo — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:59:28 +0000

I do just what the guy in the auction does simply because I leave positive feedback for the buyer, and when he receives his stuff, I get nothing. I remind them to give me positive feedback, and I get…nothing. This, coupled with the fact that sellers can now no longer leave buyers negative feedback, is quite the BS situation.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:49:26 +0000

I think seller’s do that to protect themselves too. Yes, once you send the money your part is done. However, for all the seller knows you could claim you never received it, claimed it was damaged with no proof, etc. I’ve seen neutral or negative feedback left because someone didn’t like the movie they bought. I think it’s done so that the seller isn’t on record saying the buyer is great, leaving a dishonest or just plain obnoxious buyer free to do what they want.

Retailtory feedback has worked both ways. I myself have had a case where the buyer did not pay. I left negative feedback, and then the buyer did the same.

Also, the seller can’t leave negative feedback anymore, only positive or neutral. That’s unfair IMHO, since that does not leave buyer and seller on equal footing.

By: superfriend

superfriend — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:37:32 +0000

Interesting, considering this is from a current auction.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:20:09 +0000

Ebay actually has rules against that now, and you can report the auction. It’s called feedback blackmail.