“Hi Andrew,
What’s your take on leaving feedback for buyers? Some people recommend doing it after feedback from the buyer has been received, while others do it straight away after payment is received? I’m not sure which method is best and would like to hear your opinion.
Thanks,
Nathan”
Hi Nathan,
Thanks for your question.
It has been several years now since eBay changed the rules so that we (the sellers) can leave nothing but positive feedback for buyers. Since that change I have used just one, single approach – I leave positive feedback for a buyer once payment is received.
Why? There are several reasons:
1) As I said, we can’t leave negative or neutral feedback anyway, so what’s the point in holding off?
2) Once payment is received, the buyer has completed the transaction from his end: he has paid you for the item you sell. Everything else is in your hands.
3) By leaving positive feedback for a buyer you’re giving the impulse to the buyer to do the same in return, thus increasing your chances of getting any feedback at all (it’s no secret that only roughly 50% of buyers leave feedback for sellers).
The last one is the most important in my opinion. When you leave positive feedback you can mention it in the Thank You letter or invoice you send out. This will act as a friendly reminder that the customer should leave you feedback, too.
Opponents of this method will say that when you do this you move all the power to the buyer to play you around if something is wrong with the item etc. But in reality they have the same power if you leave the feedback first, as remember – you can leave nothing but positive feedback for buyers in the first place.
There are idiots on eBay who will leave you negative feedback no matter what – and the fact that you don’t leave feedback first won’t change this. If you receive unfair feedback you can always go through the Feedback Removal process.
So yes – to sum it up, leave positive feedback for buyers once payment has been received and then forget about it.
You don’t have to do this manually: if you’re using Auctiva.com, for example, they have a built-in system that leaves automated feedback for your buyers based on your criteria. The same task can be carried out by Selling Manager Pro and other selling tools.
Thanks,
Andrew