View single post by pacifichrono
 Posted: Tue Apr 1st, 2008 02:13 pm
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pacifichrono



Joined: Thu Sep 8th, 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 1594
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 If you subscribe to eBay "best practices," the best procedure for a seller to follow is to only leave feedback after the buyer leaves feedback.  If you read any of the best-selling eBay selling books available at Borders/B&N/etc., they all say the same.

The reason for this is that the buyer's "performance" is not complete when he/she pays for the merchandise.  If the buyer has issues with the product, they are expected to work in a reasonable manner with the seller to resolve them.  This same concept applies to the seller - - his/her performance is not complete after delivering the package to the post office.  The seller is expected to make all reasonable efforts to satisfy the buyer, within the confines of the selling terms noted in the auction.

The key word here is "reasonable."  If you do business regularly on eBay as either a buyer or seller, you will encounter people who are UNreasonable and perhaps even unscrupulous.  Only after both parties have completed ALL steps involved in a transaction, is it "complete" and subject to leaving feedback.  Since the buyer is the last person to have their expectations satisfied, it is the buyer's feedback that signals completion of the transaction in a satisfactory manner.  Almost all experienced eBay sellers take this feedback as a trigger to also leave feedback for the buyer.

Being a frequent eBay seller (and sometimes "PowerSeller"), I also subscribe to the above "best practice." :D