Getting Feedback Fast on eBay

An email arrived today asking me how to tackle sellers who don’t leave feedback quickly and who sometimes don’t leave it at all. 

The letter went like this:

'The Buyers using this method to rack up their score are despicable and not acting in the true spirit. 

Can you please advise what recourse we have against this mal practice?

Notice the question made mention of ‘despicable’ sellers and this failure to leave feedback fast being a ‘malpractice’, neither of which I agree with at all, hence my reply.'

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I replied:

'Thank you for the email.  I do hope I am not going to upset you with my reply but I really think the feedback system is not as important as many people think.  It is seriously subjective and to be honest I prefer not to leave feedback for buyers or seller but I do in case anyone gets upset.  I never ask or wait for feedback to be left for me, to be honest I don't care if no one ever leaves it for me.  I only leave feedback after people leave feedback for me though and I always will as, and if you begin selling on eBay, you will discover a lot of people have just one purpose in life and that is to buy something purposely to leave negative feedback with no justification but nastiness.  It happens a lot and many sellers are left wondering what to do.

But I don't honestly think feedback is that important once you get past 100 or so, not for buyers or sellers, I personally don't even look for feedback left for me and I am not at all bothered if it isn't left. 

It really is more of a problem than it is worth and you will find most sellers very honest on eBay.  When your own business grows I am sure you will discover there are many  more dishonest buyers on eBay than there will ever be dishonest sellers.

I remember someone in the U.S. telling me, when I was building up my own feedback and asked him to leave feedback for me, that he doesn't sell feedback, he sells postcards, if I want postcards he is the man to go to, if I want feedback I would have to wait.  That upset me, I was really gob-smacked at what he said, but now that I have been on eBay for many years I think he was completely right.

It is just a question of being good, as a buyer or seller, and feedback will build itself.

I am sorry if my answer shocks you but it is my honest opinion.'

Avril Harper is a triple eBay PowerSeller and author of BANK BIG PROFITS SELLING VINTAGE TOPOGRAPHICAL VIEW POSTCARDS ON EBAY which you can read about at: http://www.sellpostcardsonebay.com and MAKE MONEY TEARING UP OLD BOOKS AND MAGAZINES AND SELLING THEM ON EBAY which you can read about at: http://www.magstoriches.com