[Wombat]

Saw this on a listing from an Ebay seller:

Please make sure you leave a rating of "5" on all detailed sellers ratings (DSRs) when you are leaving feedback. Ebay recently made changes to their feedback system where sellers can suffer SEVERE penalties if anything besides a "5" is left and you may be hurting your favorite sellers without knowing it.Please contact us if you have a concern or if there is anything we can do to serve you better.

I tell you want, as a general philosophy I never give 5/5 (or 10/10 or 100%) unless marking to specific criteria. There is always something that could have been done better. And it is a bit much, IMO, to ask for a "perfect score" even before you have provided the service. No wonder ratings systems don't actually give much info. If everyone gets such high scores how do you distinguish the truly good from the average that just ends up with a good score.

 

[uglyone4u]

Exactly! I've bought watches on Ebay and only from 100% seller ratings. If this rating becomes meaningless, what protection does the buyer have?

 

[reddevilbr]

I have had purchases on ebay that were a 5. If the seller ships the same day I pay, with tracking info, and the item arrives in the condition it was advertised, I have no problem giving a perfect score. I don't think ebay should penelize a seller for a score of 4, like you said, it would make the rating system meaningless.

 

[9pm]

For me I like shopping on ebay is not because of the service.
The main reason is saving. As long as I receive the item as described in the listing I'll award them 5 star. I'm not picky.:cool1:
I don't judge them by their rating. I look at their negative feedback.

 

[Crazy Brain]

If you guys were ebay sellers and dependent on that income I think you would have an extremely different opinion. I personally think it's ridiculous to say things like I would never give 5 out of 5 because something can always be done better. Heck, if you get your item and is what you expected, and it didn't take forever, what is the big deal for you in leaving 5? It's true a 4 doesn't hurt a seller directly, but it does when you calculate the idiots who leave 1s and 2s when it's totally unjustified. A seller needs those 5s to keep his % up. Fortunately I think many people think like I do because otherwise there probably wouldn't be any top rated sellers, and to be honest I'm surprised there is with how insanely high your numbers have to be. What buyers also don't realize is that 20% discount a seller gets on his fees can be huge when you factor it over a month and especially a year. That can be the difference in making it or breaking it so getting those 5s do count. I have thousands of transactions both being a buyer and a seller and it's very rare I leave anything under a 5, and when I do it's because there was something that was a moderate to serious issue with the transaction. Ebay has made life on the site so very easy for buyers and tougher for the sellers, but sadly some who shop either don't think what it's like on the other end, or just don't understand what type of effort it can take to keep your numbers good, and even as good as the effort is the system can still get you.

 

[Parshooter]

I don't think ebay should penelize a seller for a score of 4, like you said, it would make the rating system meaningless.

I think the seller who posted the quote is probably wrong about anything less than a "5" will result in "SEVERE penalties". Just a scare tactict to get his customers to give him 5s.

 

[Parshooter]

For me I like shopping on ebay is not because of the service.
The main reason is saving. As long as I receive the item as described in the listing I'll award them 5 star. I'm not picky.:cool1:
I don't judge them by their rating. I look at their negative feedback.

EXACTLY. Couldn't have said it better myself. ***** for 9PM

 

[meritornabe]

It depends on the different services. If seller providing unique information what you expected then you have to give 5/5 to that specific criteria.

 

[a1watch]

The ratings on all sorts of services are tainted IMO. It should really should just be are you happy or not, is it what you ordered.
I sell on the bay some and have 100 % scores but if you look at the individual numbers, the shipping times are less then the rest even though I ship the same day as payment........don't understand it. Then you get the people who are too lazy to even give a rating. Then you also get the folks that try to hold you hostage to get something for nothing ............

 

[sota0003]

I agree with crazy brain. When shopping via ebay we are not, or should not be, expecting white glove service. I understand ebay to be a no frills exchange of $ for a product and that's it. If the product comes in a timely manner, packaged well and is what was ordered then it is a 5/5. I'm not sure what else could be expected other than a better price, in which case the stars are irrelevent unless one is price

 

[GatorMike]

I won an auction the other day, and the seller had stated in the listing, payment is due within 48 hours. I seemed to remember that eBay requirements were up to 7 days. I have a perfect 100% buyer rating, over hundreds of transactions, and many many feedbacks of quick pay, etc. For convenience, I asked the seller if I could delay until Friday, since a direct deposit to my account that feeds paypal would be posted then, thereby saving me a trip to one bank for cash, and another to deposit. Her response, 'Payment is due within 48 hours. NO EXCEPTIONS!'. Whoa. I checked her feedback, and she had a 100% rating. So I dug into her feedback, and saw some older FB stating she was 'rude', 'pushy', 'poor communications' etc. Sure enough, 1 day after the auction ended, she sent me an email stating that she appreciated my winning bid, but 24 hours had passed since the auction ended, and payment was due by 12 noon the next day. I thanked her for her note, and reminded her that the auction ended at 12:44 and she would be paid within the 48 hours window. I've been to the bank. The money is sitting in my paypal account, waiting for noon. She had no other listings, so I don't think she is a pro. I do think she is a self centered whiny b---h, who is greedy for the money, and regardless of what happens from here on out, she won't get a perfect rating.

The moral to the story above, is that product, price and speed of shipping are not all the criteria that go into my rating a seller. Being kind, communicative, and a fair trader is much more interesting to me.

 

[GatorMike]

and BTW, it was a one of a kind watch, but less than $100, and no big deal. Just something I wanted to add to my collection, and rarely see, so I wasn't going to pass it up over the '48 hours' stipulation put there by the seller. If worst came to worst, and I couldn't Paypal right away, I would point out eBay regulations that allow for a wider window for payment. I asked nicely, she refused, for no disclosed reasoning. Doesn't give me a sense of friendly community, and if I were to meet that sort of person face to face, at say a garage sale, or antique store, demanding cash for example, I would just leave. Keep your products.

I won an auction the other day, and the seller had stated in the listing, payment is due within 48 hours. I seemed to remember that eBay requirements were up to 7 days. I have a perfect 100% buyer rating, over hundreds of transactions, and many many feedbacks of quick pay, etc. For convenience, I asked the seller if I could delay until Friday, since a direct deposit to my account that feeds paypal would be posted then, thereby saving me a trip to one bank for cash, and another to deposit. Her response, 'Payment is due within 48 hours. NO EXCEPTIONS!'. Whoa. I checked her feedback, and she had a 100% rating. So I dug into her feedback, and saw some older FB stating she was 'rude', 'pushy', 'poor communications' etc. Sure enough, 1 day after the auction ended, she sent me an email stating that she appreciated my winning bid, but 24 hours had passed since the auction ended, and payment was due by 12 noon the next day. I thanked her for her note, and reminded her that the auction ended at 12:44 and she would be paid within the 48 hours window. I've been to the bank. The money is sitting in my paypal account, waiting for noon. She had no other listings, so I don't think she is a pro. I do think she is a self centered whiny b---h, who is greedy for the money, and regardless of what happens from here on out, she won't get a perfect rating.

The moral to the story above, is that product, price and speed of shipping are not all the criteria that go into my rating a seller. Being kind, communicative, and a fair trader is much more interesting to me.

 

[Crazy Brain]

and BTW, it was a one of a kind watch, but less than $100, and no big deal. Just something I wanted to add to my collection, and rarely see, so I wasn't going to pass it up over the '48 hours' stipulation put there by the seller. If worst came to worst, and I couldn't Paypal right away, I would point out eBay regulations that allow for a wider window for payment. I asked nicely, she refused, for no disclosed reasoning. Doesn't give me a sense of friendly community, and if I were to meet that sort of person face to face, at say a garage sale, or antique store, demanding cash for example, I would just leave. Keep your products.

You can be sure with an attitude like that she creates her own misery and probably lives it daily. It's very true sellers can be every bit as much of idiots as buyers, it's just that sellers have more to lose so most wise up. One situation that's really frustrated me in the past was buying something that was really inexpensive and the seller making me pay registered post with the cost of the mail being more than the item! And no matter how much I said trying to convince them how stupid that was, there's absolutely no way they would budge, so I would end up paying an extra $6 or $7 over normal mail so they could be covered for $4 or $5. Like I would even file a PP claim for $5! whether those sellers are stubborn, or stupid, or both, they make you want to bang your head against your monitor.


PS: in about 12 years of very steady buying I only recall pressure like that one time to pay fast, and once I gave a fairly strong reply back they eased off. As for my selling I've had people take many many weeks, and in one situation almost a year! lol That guy was several years ago, but I kept selling to him and all was fine, but now he's behind again. It's probably been a good 7-8 months this time and the crazy part is he paid me over a grand, only owes $300, and I haven't heard a peep in at least 3 months! (I still have that 1k worth of merchandise as I said I would not ship until I was paid in full)

 

[GETS]

I find these threads fascinating. Everyone seems to b**ch and moan about ebay and paypal - the unfair rules; the crappy buyers/sellers etc and yet everyone keeps on using it?

I've never bought or sold on ebay and don't have a paypal account either. Looks like I never will either.

 

[Wombat]

Then it seems to me that a rating out of 5 for many things is ridiculous. When then is the difference between a 5 and 4, or a 4 and a 3? If it is just a "did they ship in a timely manner" why have a rating when it could just be a yes or no question? Giveing a hard number for subjective things can give different results for essentially the same thing. As I said, it is just a philosophy of mine that I don't give a perfect score. I am involved in the training and evaluation of trainees, and there is always room for improvement in my field.

Many sellers on ebay are just people, not huge companies with order fulfilment departments. I have hardly ever shipped same day because I have a job and I can't rush out and ship. Should I be judged to the same standard as someone who is running a small business through ebay? Should I rate the same way? Should I get snarky just because some guy working full time selling something he doesn't want doesn't ship as fast as Amazone Prime does?

All that being said, though, you guys have given me things to consider. Not being a regular seller I hadn't fully appreciated all aspects of it. Always good to fond out more about things you aren't familiar with.

 

[ulackfocus]

As Scott from Times of Plenty likes to remind us, for every bad seller there's an excellent one.

But in the spirit of the thread, let me give you a link to one of my experiences.

http://www.watchtalkforums.info/forums/general-discussion-forum/53736.htm

GatorMike: I also dealt with a seller that was adamant about payment within a certain time. I had contacted them because I wanted to bid on a very uncommon Seamaster. I had a significant deposit to give them if I won, and asked for 7 extra days until my bonus came in to pay the balance. The guy was a complete jerk about it, insisting "It's MY MONEY". Okay, fine - I didn't bid. It sold for a measly $1200, and I was fully prepared to pay up to $2000 for it - and told the seller so after the auction ended. The vintage Omega crew couldn't believe it went so cheap. Serves the jerk right, and a week later I showed him pictures of the vintage AP I bought instead of his watch. :sneaky2: Karma is a beetch, huh? Do you think he'll act like such a douche again? :laugh:

 

[pratt]

i recently bought a wood fountain pen at the bay and paid for it immediately. the pen arrived and i gave a positive feedback except for 3 stars for the description. the pen was made from a softwood and was dyed. the seller withheld his feedback until i gave my feedback and then said some disparaging remarks about how i was a horrible customer. luckily my score was not affected. as a buyer, my obligation is to pay for the item quickly and without hassles. a score for the buyer should be based on the buyers obligation to pay quickly and without hassles and nothing more. likewise, as a seller my obligation is to be upfront with the description of the product and shipping turn around time and the score should be based on those criteria. unfortunately the way the bay's system is set up a seller can screw you if you give them a poor rating for poor quality of service/product they provided

as to the yahoos who send out a demand for 5 stars--demand all you want but you need to earn those stars. fall short and you will be rated for your performance and not for your need for false self esteem or glorification to others

 

[Crazy Brain]

unfortunately the way the bay's system is set up a seller can screw you if you give them a poor rating for poor quality of service/product they provided

Not sure what Ebay you are using! lol

 

[Crazy Brain]

Then it seems to me that a rating out of 5 for many things is ridiculous. When then is the difference between a 5 and 4, or a 4 and a 3? If it is just a "did they ship in a timely manner" why have a rating when it could just be a yes or no question? Giveing a hard number for subjective things can give different results for essentially the same thing. As I said, it is just a philosophy of mine that I don't give a perfect score. I am involved in the training and evaluation of trainees, and there is always room for improvement in my field.

Many sellers on ebay are just people, not huge companies with order fulfilment departments. I have hardly ever shipped same day because I have a job and I can't rush out and ship. Should I be judged to the same standard as someone who is running a small business through ebay? Should I rate the same way? Should I get snarky just because some guy working full time selling something he doesn't want doesn't ship as fast as Amazone Prime does?

All that being said, though, you guys have given me things to consider. Not being a regular seller I hadn't fully appreciated all aspects of it. Always good to fond out more about things you aren't familiar with.

I think the 5 star system is pretty easy to explain, it's an ebay tool used to control sellers. I still don't understand your philosophy because you're not training someone, you're buying an item and as long as you get what you wanted, why is that not worthy of a 5? I've got some insane deals over the years and wish I could have given those sellers a 500!

 

[Wombat]

That's what I mean Brian. You want to give a great score because of perceived financial benefit, not because they communicated well or had fair and reasonable shipping charges.