giving FB when experience is not great but not terrible

[xincinsin]

You know, sellers are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

@xincinsin wonders whether sellers deserve 5 stars for communication if there's not a "single message between us."

Yet other buyers complain that there's too much communication; ebay sends reminders that listings we've been watching have other watchers. They send messages saying that listings will be ending and to bid or buy. Then when you bid, win, purchase and pay, you get a message from paypal that your payment is received and that the item is on the way. Then finally when the seller prints a shipping label, the buyer gets an update with tracking.

Now you're complaining that you want MORE, this time some type of acknowledgement from the seller!

So is it not enough communication or too much communication?

Do you realize that all those other automated messages are also from the seller? In ebay, the seller chooses how the messages will go to the buyer and when the seller wants them sent. So even if there's no "real" communication, every message from ebay IS from the seller.

As a buyer, if I can't leave 5 stars on a category, I don't leave any.

Hi, BB. I do apologise if I've offended you. I am not a seller so it is not apparent to me that the seller chooses to send those automated messages and they should therefore be counted towards "seller communication". And just to clarify, I'm not complaining that I want more communication. I was just wondering how to rate seller comms if there was no direct comms between seller and buyer.

 

[xincinsin]

Without commenting on a rude seller (since there's no excuse for rudeness), I want to mention something I've seen.

When printing shipping labels, whether through ebay or paypal, the tracking number is supposed to be automatically uploaded and transferred to the transaction on ebay. When all goes AS IT SHOULD, it shouldn't be necessary for the seller to do anything else to let you know what the tracking number is.

BUT there are rare cases where for whatever reason, the tracking number is not automatically shown on the transaction page. And unless the seller goes to her "sold" items and looks at it, she has no way of knowing that it's not there. (The few times I've found this to happen, I merely C&P the tracking number in there. But one time that it happened, it was a couple of days since I'd shipped and I believe for the buyer, it looks as though it was shipped late when it really wasn't.)

Buyers need to understand that most sellers are good sellers who have IMPOSSIBLE standards that ebay requires them to uphold and in dinging those sellers and their DSR ratings, they're not only hurting the sellers but they're hurting themselves since those dings cost the sellers money and in turn, those sellers have to raise their prices so YOU as a buyer will pay more.

I buy internationally and the tracking number does not seem to show up automatically for the UK ebay. There is frequently a time lag between when a seller indicates shipping done and when the tracking number shows up.

For US purchases, I do enquire with the seller when there is no tracking number. This is, as you noted, very rare, perhaps 3 times a year. Most times, I get a response. A couple of times, the seller declined to give me a tracking number. One said she had lost her records and simply gave me a refund because the item never arrived. Another claimed she was sure delivery was completed and told me to search the bushes next to my door. I had to escalate that to get my money back.

I hope you will accept that I am a good buyer and not out to create problems for any seller. I will withdraw from this thread now. Apologies once again if I've offended you.

 

[BeenBurned]

Hi, BB. I do apologise if I've offended you. I am not a seller so it is not apparent to me that the seller chooses to send those automated messages and they should therefore be counted towards "seller communication". And just to clarify, I'm not complaining that I want more communication. I was just wondering how to rate seller comms if there was no direct comms between seller and buyer.

I buy internationally and the tracking number does not seem to show up automatically for the UK ebay. There is frequently a time lag between when a seller indicates shipping done and when the tracking number shows up.

For US purchases, I do enquire with the seller when there is no tracking number. This is, as you noted, very rare, perhaps 3 times a year. Most times, I get a response. A couple of times, the seller declined to give me a tracking number. One said she had lost her records and simply gave me a refund because the item never arrived. Another claimed she was sure delivery was completed and told me to search the bushes next to my door. I had to escalate that to get my money back.

I hope you will accept that I am a good buyer and not out to create problems for any seller. I will withdraw from this thread now. Apologies once again if I've offended you.

No, I'm not offended at all! I was just explaining some of the preferences that are available to sellers as well as the complaints buyers have both for too much communication as well as too little communication.

With my own sales and purchases, I've had different experiences.

• For questions, I answer
• For offers, I either accept, counter or decline, depending on the offer and the buyer's feedback left for others.
• When I make a sale, I respond to the buyer's payment notification that comes through Paypal. That communication goes directly to their email address as registered on paypal.

For purchases, I rarely hear from a seller at all.

• If I ask a question, most answer promptly
• If I make an offer, their acceptance or counteroffer usually comes quickly
• Once I've purchased or won, I pay immediately
• Most of the time, the only contact I have from the seller is the ebay/paypal notification that the shipping label was printed and the item is on its way.
• That's fine with me as long as the item is as described and if it's as described
• There's really no reason for the seller to contact me and I don't ding their stars.

Again, I'm not offended as there's really no right or wrong. There are different points of view and the discussion can be enlightening.

 

[BigPurseSue]

I figure life is rough for everyone, so I always give five-star feedback across the board unless someone is nasty towards me.

 

[LVLovingLady]

I figure life is rough for everyone, so I always give five-star feedback across the board unless someone is nasty towards me.

I agree! Many people who sell on ebay have full time jobs. Packing and shipping takes a great deal of effort. As long the seller wasn't nasty and my item arrives, I always leave 5star feedback. I find it easier to be kind.