I got blocked for NOT leaving feedback

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by steve B

Or, if Ebay made the feedback system the useful tool it was rather than an almost obligatory pat on the back for completing a simple transaction.

If Target wanted an attaboy every time I shopped there, I wouldn't shop there.
If I expected one every time I shopped there, they'd probably ban me.

When you (as a buyer) leave ebay feedback, you aren't rating ebay. You are rating the seller. With hundreds of thousands (or millions?) of sellers on ebay, we as buyers rely on feedback to help protect each other from unscrupulous sellers. Without feedback, a seller could be selling fakes (or damaged goods or not delivering items etc) nonstop and the next bidder wouldn't know.

Its a little different than buying a hallmark card from Wal-Mart and walking thru the checkout line. Hence, the feedback system.

A simple "A+" and 5 stars if it was a smooth transaction. But if you had issues, leave more detail and a neutral or negative feedback. You are helping fellow ebay buyers from going thru the same bad experience you had. Community, blah blah blah

[steve B]

Originally Posted by tiger8mush

When you (as a buyer) leave ebay feedback, you aren't rating ebay. You are rating the seller. With hundreds of thousands (or millions?) of sellers on ebay, we as buyers rely on feedback to help protect each other from unscrupulous sellers. Without feedback, a seller could be selling fakes (or damaged goods or not delivering items etc) nonstop and the next bidder wouldn't know.

Its a little different than buying a hallmark card from Wal-Mart and walking thru the checkout line. Hence, the feedback system.

A simple "A+" and 5 stars if it was a smooth transaction. But if you had issues, leave more detail and a neutral or negative feedback. You are helping fellow ebay buyers from going thru the same bad experience you had. Community, blah blah blah

The problem is that it's not a two way street anymore. It had some meaning when it was.
Additionally Feedback someone doesn't like can be removed. Making it nearly meaningless.

At the non- card shop where I worked I would regularly surprise people who had any problem at all by asking for details, listening and hopefully solving the problem.
It's rare to learn anything from the happy customers, even if they're more enjoyable to talk to. I did however learn a LOT from the few unhappy ones, or even just the puzzled ones.
"This price tag is faded, I can't tell if it's $9 or $9.99" "It's $9" "Are you sure, I don't want to cause you a problem" "Yes, even if it was originally 9.99, it's been here long enough that the tag is faded so it's almost unreadable if it wasn't 9 it should be. And if a dollar breaks us, we failed months ago."

or one who was just a complete nuisance because we didn't do things the way he wanted which was wrong to begin with.
"Not every shop has the same approach, and for some customers the approach might just not work. I think that's what we have here. Shop X just a few blocks away has a different approach than we do and perhaps you'd be happier with them"
Customer leaves apparently happy for once
Boss " did you just send him to our competitor? "
Me "Yes, now he's their problem, and he was happy about it. I'd call that a win"

A month later he was back and reasonable. being overcharged for repairs that don't work can do that.

On Ebay, I very occasionally check feedback. Mostly what I see is sellers with less activity (or even busier ones) whose percentage isn't great because of someone new and unreasonable leaving a negative that's nonsense. "Item never arrived" left two days after the auction ended sort of nonsense.
I'm pretty relaxed about transit time, etc. And usually check the shipping price sometime during the transaction. I'm also pretty relaxed about flaws on stuff I buy when the scans/photos are blurry. If I don't like it enough, I don't bid. I've gotten some nice stuff listed with truly awful pictures, and some real junk. That's more my fault for taking a chance.

I've left I think two negatives. One was a seller who is respected, but had misleading scans and refused to make any contact at all until I left the negative. Then asked me to remove it. The other was a seller that backed out of a sold auction claiming he'd sold the item at a show over the weekend and hadn't gotten around to removing it. But I was welcome to a discount on his fake autographs as compensation.

I do make a point of leaving good feedback for a seller if they do something more than I'd expect. I had a delayed package with no tracking and the seller refunded without my asking, then offered a nearly identical item for free. It wasn't expensive, but the one I won had a variety I needed and the replacement didn't so I passed, or tried to. He'd already mailed it! .The original one eventually showed up, and I sent him a nice overpayment for both since he'd been really great about the whole thing.
He got feedback for sure!

[steve B]

Short version.

To me it's exactly like buying a Hallmark card from Wal-Mart.
They have a product I decide I want.
I pay, I get the product, deal done.

Neither of us deserves a medal for that.
Demanding it comes off as clingy and needy. And that might get someone onto my very short list of people I don't want to buy from.