Change the feedback system!

[johnwash1]

... Seriously, why should sellers be allowed to rate buyers? What's the point?

Mark

The point is so that small casual sellers can be careful if they have a difficult buyer on their hands.

I think it very much depends on the type of items you're selling. I used to sell craft-related stuff and typically buyers in that area are a very nice bunch. So much so that I would happily dispatch goods before payment had cleared. But before doing that I would take a look at feedback to see what my risk was.

[madelaine]

The system on the dark side stinks - I have a tardy payer. I suspect he wants to use a cheque (I'm happy with that, but I should have the thing in my hands by now). Next, he will finally send it. I will wait for it to clear (it is for more than the "fine" the banks impose for a bounced cheque) and he will mark my DSRs down for late dispatch and I have NO comeback.

[johnwash1]

The system on the dark side stinks - I have a tardy payer. I suspect he wants to use a cheque (I'm happy with that, but I should have the thing in my hands by now). Next, he will finally send it. I will wait for it to clear (it is for more than the "fine" the banks impose for a bounced cheque) and he will mark my DSRs down for late dispatch and I have NO comeback.

Well, the whole thing with DSRs over there stinks even on a good day. It doesn't take account of the cultural difference between Britain and the USA. You see the same thing in training course evaluation forms. Americans are used to the idea that 5/5 means everything was up to scratch, 4/5 means could do rather better. Whereas a Brit starts with the view that 3/5 is a respectable average and anything better than that is only awarded for truly outstanding record-shattering performance... yes, merits a 4. You want a 5?? Are you out of your mind, what kind of undescriminating bland wimp do you take me for? God gets 5, even St Peter only gets 4.7!

No, you're set up for failure with DSRs. If I were in America I'd include a little flyer in my parcels, explaining that I'm aiming to get 5 in every category, and would the buyer please let me know if I was falling short in any respect. But I suspect if I tried the same here it would just get from most a reaction of "Saucy ****er, who's he kidding?" and get a markdown. Perhaps I'm wrong, that would be nice.

[marschenegger]

The point is so that small casual sellers can be careful if they have a difficult buyer on their hands.

I think it very much depends on the type of items you're selling. I used to sell craft-related stuff and typically buyers in that area are a very nice bunch. So much so that I would happily dispatch goods before payment had cleared. But before doing that I would take a look at feedback to see what my risk was.

Difficult buyers don't always have low ratings. The one with whom I dealt most recently on FeeBay had a private feedback profile, but in e-mails from FeeBay, I discerned that the buyer's rating was over 500. Some of the experienced ones think that because they got away with risky behaviour with other sellers, they can do that with ALL sellers! The inexperienced buyers will appreciate a guiding hand and explanations of why you do certains things a certain way.

[terry5732]

Dude - your 1925 nickel is bid$333CAD buy $90CAD

[marschenegger]

If sellers cannot rate buyers, how the heck is a new member going to earn ANY feedback, and thus earn a little trust from other members?
it's a catch-22. Feedback is necessary, or how else are you going to earn the right to sell on FeeBay? would YOU buy a $150 LCD monitor from a seller with 0 feedback?

I don't think Amazon allows sellers to rate buyers, no? Anyhow, like I said in my previous post responding to another member, problem buyers don't always have low ratings. I don't treat buyers with high ratings as special. If I don't know them and have never dealt with them before, rating is of little consequence. But if I was forced to express a preference, I'd say experienced buyers tend to be the trouble-makers. I've had plenty of good experiences with new 0-feedback buyers here on eBid, though that may be due to a disproportional number of buyers new to this particular site and not to Internet auctions in general (i.e. they are people coming over from the Dark Side).

Sellers shouldn't have to go on a spending spree on eBid before establishing themselves as credible. Feedback can be very misleading. Positive feedbacks are individually rather meaningless (except for providing Buddy Points, lol).

Mark

[marschenegger]

Dude - your 1925 nickel is bid$333CAD buy $90CAD

Thanks for letting me know! I really do appreciate that sort of help. This appears to be a glitch in eBid... the same glitch that other members are reporting in this thread...
http://helpdesk.ebid.net/showthread.php?t=121973

UPDATE... When you open the actual listing, the bid price is $76.50, as it should be. The wrong price appears when you browse the list of my auctions. This error is very odd! There's nothing I can do to fix it. It is an old price entered for a different item that used to occupy that particular listing. I'd say the Buy Price is a deal, lol!
Mark

[tonyreddevil]

one can only leave feedback,if a item sells!
Thats my problem.
cheers tony

[johnwash1]

Difficult buyers don't always have low ratings. The one with whom I dealt most recently on FeeBay had a private feedback profile, but in e-mails from FeeBay, I discerned that the buyer's rating was over 500. Some of the experienced ones think that because they got away with risky behaviour with other sellers, they can do that with ALL sellers! The inexperienced buyers will appreciate a guiding hand and explanations of why you do certains things a certain way.

Yes, but I didn't say a good feedback rating guarantees no trouble.

If I don't know otherwise, if all the signs look good, I try to treat people decently (and occasionally I'll be taken advantage of). But if the signs look bad I know I need to be cautious.

I was trying to answer the question that had been posed: "why should sellers be allowed to rate buyers? What's the point?".