How eBay Feedback WorksHow to get better eBay feedback from your buyers.Ebay allows buyers and sellers to leave feedback for each other. This feedback is designed to give others an idea of the trustworthiness and ethics of eBayers. There are three types of eBay feedback:
You should leave positive feedback for people who pay on time and are pleasant to deal with. This tells other eBayers you had a good transaction. You should never leave a neutral feedback. If you had problems with the buyer leave him a negative or nothing. If you leave a neutral, the buyer may respond by leaving you a negative. Negative feedback warns others about potential problems with the person. This is what the eBay feedback system is designed to do. Allow people to let others know about buyer and seller behavior. Many people will not leave negative feedbacks because they are afraid of retaliatory feedback. Some eBay users fear feedback extortion on eBay. We will talk about feedback extortion later. Don't be afraid to leave a negative feedback for someone who deserves it. The worst that can happen is you get a negative feedback in retaliation. Most of the people I have left negative feedback for did not retaliate. They knew they deserved it. The few that did were so petty any reader of my feedback can see they are fools.
When To Leave FeedbackAs a seller you should never leave feedback for a buyer until they leave you feedback. This prevents buyers from using the threat of a negative feedback to extort concessions from you. Some passive-aggressive buyers will even ask for you to leave feedback, then once you have left feedback for them, leave a negative for you. (You cannot change eBay feedback once you leave it.) Buyers complain about this policy. Some eBayers have an attachment to their feedback. They are like kids getting a star from the teacher. The feedback becomes as important as their purchases - maybe even more. I once listened to someone complain because a seller refused to leave feedback. I asked the whiner if he was happy with his train, and he said he loved it. So what is he complaining about? Is he buying feedback or trains? I bring all this up because I want to reinforce an important point. You are buying and selling items on eBay, not feedback. Feedback is only a mechanism to let others know about your previous transactions. Don't get caught up in the feedback. Use it as it is intended. Feedback is not a goal, it's a tool. That being said, lets talk about how to get feedback on eBay.
How To Maximize Your FeedbackIf you are just starting out on eBay, or have less than a few hundred feedback points, you should work to get your buyers to leave you feedback. Higher feedback will get you higher process on eBay because it shows bidders you are trustworthy. Once you have two or three hundred feedbacks, it becomes less important. In order to build your feedback, you need a systematic way to get buyers to leave you feedback. Historically, only 40 percent of eBay buyers leave feedback. Here's an easy way to encourage your buyers to leave feedback. In every package you ship include a note similar to this one:
This allows buyers to get feedback if they want it. The note also includes your name and address so the package can be returned to you if it is lost in the postal system.
Use Automatic eBay Feedback SoftwareAmherst Robots has an automatic feedback tool. The feedback robot is a software program that goes through your feedback and leaves positive feedback for anyone who left you a positive the day before. It's not just a bulk feedback tool. You can write up to 20 different feedback statements. The robot does not respond to negative or neutral feedback. You can find out more about Amherst robots feedback tool at: http://www.vrane.com/ Some buyers consider the use of automatic eBay feedback software as a form of extortion. They think the seller should be the first one to leave feedback. I sell trains and toys, not eBay feedback. Leaving eBay feedback manually is a chore, and the software program allows me to concentrate on other more productive uses of my time. Feedback extortion results when a seller or a buyer threatens to leave negative feedback in order to force a result. The worst buyers threaten to leave a negative feedback unless they get a discount on their purchase. This is nothing but extortion. Remember, eBay feedback is only a tool for buyers and sellers to comment on past transactions. The comments allow people to get an idea of the way people will act in future eBay deals, and avoid problems. Don't fall in love with your feedback.
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