Do you leave +ve feedback for buyers before you've got feedback from them?

[Legacy]

I usually wait until my buyers have received their items and are happy and leave +ve feedback, but I've got a whole load of buyers who still owe me feedback. I don't think they're avoiding leaving it because it's negative, but I'm a bit nervous of asking 'was everything OK?' so should I leave +ve feedback first as a 'prompt' do you think?

yes, at least you can claim back - but if you are anything like me can you really spare the time? I struggle with it all in one day as it is, listing, packing, etc etc, raising DS, fighting the housework etc etc

It is annoying yes.
But if they can scam ya, they will

I sell books too and I agree, they are a more civilised lot!

Oh, no, really very annoying I agree

books is the place to be - imagine if we were in electronics

I would never EVER go into electronics!!
Mobile phones??!! no way!

I'm even too much of a wuss to sell kids clothes....

WHat's the issue with selling kids clothes??

We've started to use the printable postage labels, paid for through paypal. All the weighing and labelling is done ourselves and is just handed over to the P_O counter to be checked and weighed. As well as the postage label, we also get a proof of postage certificate from paypal. The postage is taken directly from our Paypal account.

We haven't had any go missing with this system yet, but we previously had loads of things go missing - even with recorded delivery. Most buyers (IME) are quite arsey, implying the items haven't been sent. I also find one of the benefits of the paypal postage is that you can choose not to display the value. I think we charge a very reasonable amount for P&P, but we've had people quibbling about 50p here and there and it's just annoying.

As for feedback, we have the Powerseller automated feedback system as well but still quite a few people don't leave it. Just one of those things.

Kokeshi - have you found any labels which make it easy to print and stick on the postage?

I tried the print and post system when it first came out, but couldn't find any self-adhesive labels the right size?

hehe, there probably aren't any issues with selling kids clothes! BUT here's what goes on in my head ---> ok, so ds has never fit into just one size at any one time, age 9 in one shop is diff to another, Soooo, do I bundle by age, size, actual size. Do i measure everything?? Are they too worn? But they were a distressed design! What if buyer doesn't realise they are a distressed design? What if buyer doesn't like my washing powder? What if a button is loose and I didn't notice? Do I discribe it as dark grey or pale black?

I am hiding under the table just typing this!

It's shame I dare not list DS clothes cos he has just had a massive growth spurt and his wardrobe is full of barely worn clothes that no longer fit him. I'd love to get a few quid for them and give the money to ds so that he can have some spending money in the summer.

lol, after a bit of trial and error, we found that A4 data labels (will try to find in a mo for you) cut into 4 are perfect.

If printing 1st class, it will print out an A4 proof of psotage first, then the label itself.
1st class recorded only prints the label.

legacy i think then that you cheat the system

why not leave their feedback when they pay you as that what feedback relates to

i feel bullied by shit selles who wait for me to give feedback and then give me mine
i think its a shitty system and sellers should be made to give feedback as soon as payment received

that would be fair

SixLostMonkeys - what size are they? Age 9? I might buy them off you!

here you go

Legacy - I'll have a good look through them all and send you the details - prob tonight (at the earliest) before I get chance.

be gentle with me though

I do not leave feedback until I know the buyer has received and is happy with the item (eithe rlet me know by email of they've left+ve feedback). Only then is the transaction complete.

Those who say it's complete once the buyer has paid, imagine this scenario: You send out the item, leve positive feedback for a prompt payment and then the buyer says that the item is damaged. You know full well that the item was in perfect condition and did not have the ripped zip/stain on the front/chipped china tha the buyer claims. The buyer is lying and trying it on. What do you do?

I agree SoupDragon. We've had people complaining to us that the item was not how they imagined even though the description and the picture were accurate.

I've also had people say the didn't receive an item, when it's been tracked and delivered to their address. Not everyone's like this, but there are some chancers out there.

I think we all have to protect ourselves.

Otter - No, I'm not trying to 'cheat' the system... and I'm not suggesting that I would only leave positive feedback if someone left it for me either.

I suppose my question was related to the point at which the transaction is 'completed', and as someone further down pointed out, the feedback system is not exclusively related to just the payment for an item.

I think others have given good examples too where feedback could be used to warn other users of fraudulent buyers etc.

FWIW, I don't tend to e-mail people asking for feedback, as I personally don't like getting e-mails like that myself.

I was wondering whether I should take a 'risk' and leave +ve feedback for auctions where the buyer has presumably received the items, but hasn't communicated in any way, as a 'prompt' for them to leave feedback.

(it's a well-known psychological technique, that by doing something 'nice' for people first, they sometimes feel obliged to 'return the favour'.... )

There you go.... "Reciprocity en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocity_(social_psychology)"

blummin new linkin thing...

Legacy if you believe that a buyer has received the item and is happy but hasn't bothered to leave feedback, you could then leave it for them, yes. The worst thing that could happen is that someone then leaves you negative feedback, in which case you would just have to live with it. You could also: email them to ask if the item was ok, not mentioning feedback, or just not worry about it. It really doesn't matter if your feedback is one more or not, at the end of the day.

F&Z - yes, I know. It's irrational really. It's just that they're all sitting there in my 'selling manager' page as 'uncompleted' and I don't want to archive them 'unfinished'

my link below was for legacy

LOL leave feedback for them then

live close to the edge

yes, I need to get out more, don't I??

If a buyer neither leaves me feedback nor tells me an item has arrived and they're happy with it, I don't leave them feedback. The slip I put in with an item states very clearly that they should let me know whether they're happy with the item before I'll leave feedback.

ok - I guess I am too honest then - as I wouldn't do that sort of stuff (claiming it was damaged if it wasn't etc) and also wouldn't expect someone to send out stuff that didn't meet the description. It still pisses me off though

Forgot to say, I suppose people like to get their feedback number up as high as possible, so that if you do ever get a negative, then it's a lower % of the total - seems to make sense to me. If I see 99.9% then I think "oh, they've had a difficult customer" but if I see 98.5% then sometimes I delve into the comments....