FEEDBACK REMINDERS - Good or Bad?

[*Brum6y*]

As a buyer, I my nose gets out of joint when eBay sends me a reminder to leave feedback ... especially when the item hasn't arrived.  It is usually due in the next day or two - according to my (realistic) expectations on the postal service, but more often than not, the item hasn't arrived when this reminder appears 'in my face'.

Now I understand it is eBay that is responsible for this, but that's mainly because of my contact with sellers.  If it weren't for that and I were to feel it was the Seller who was the one pushing for feedback, then I might not be so happy with them.


As a buyer, I consider this 'reminder' an affront - especially as it is for a process clearly defined as 'optional' - and I don't think I am alone on this.


I spoke to my seller friend ... and they gave me some figures that seem to bear this out quite dramatically.

	Feedback % of items sold
Before 'feedback reminders'	86%
Since 'feedback reminders'	58%

While I realise there may be several things that could affect these figures, this is still a worrying statistic.


Buyers: Do you get annoyed with these reminders?

Sellers: Have you seen any trends in feedback left?

[*smee*]

The seller can opt out of having these emails sent to their buyers , so perhaps your seller friend might like to do that ? 

[*wheels*]

Brumby, you can turn the eBay reminders off (receiving them as a buyer) in Communication Preferences.
Smee, eBay does not give sellers the option of stopping them from being sent to buyers.

I don't like getting Feedback reminders. I usually leave feedback on receipt of items and if I haven't there's a reason for it. And I HATE getting requests for feedback directly from sellers.

I can't see any benefit to sellers from Feedback reminders. It is more likely to result in poor feedback or low DSRs if a buyer is leaving feedback 2 months after the transaction.

[*smee*]

also, according to ebay ,  those feedback reminder emails are sent a minimum of 30 days after the sale/transaction date and sometimes as long as 35 days ... I havent checked any to confirm if they adhere to this , but if thats correct then on most occassions you should have received the parcel within that time and if you havent its a bloooooooody good reminder that you should follow it up before the 45 day period to claim with paypal is up

but I take it from your post that you are getting them well before 30 days after purchase date ... is this correct ???? if so I would be complaining to ebay quoting the item number and and C & P of the relevant email ...

[*wheels*]

Smee, I just checked on another ID and I received a feedback reminder 7 days after the sale date, which was BEFORE I received the item.

[*smee*]

that doesnt surprise me Wheels , thats why I put the disclaimer in my post ... they do tell fibs sometimes


I have never had one , so I must have switched mine off at some point , I know I switched off the ones that go out if I am the seller , but cant remember switching off ones for when Im the buyer , but I must have ..

Wheels could you please post a copy of the wording of the one you got after 7 days please , as I have never seen one and this contradicts the eBay info on what happens  .... and Im an employee of theirs ...just ask PC

[*wheels*]

Smee, you can't switch off the ones that go out to your buyers, that is automatic, unless the buyers switch them off themselves.

[*wheels*]

I feel so dirty after hunting around in the trash! 

Here it is:


Subject: Please leave feedback for eBay item #

eBay sent this message to xxx
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.

Please leave feedback for eBay item #

Hi xxx,

Thank you for purchasing xxx.  Please leave feedback for me on eBay and I'll do the same for you.
Take this opportunity now and help build a better eBay community.

To leave feedback, just click on the link below:
http://feedback.ebay.com.au/..........

Item title:
Web Address:
Item number:
Buyer User ID:
Seller User ID:
Total: AU $

Note: Every eBay user has a Feedback profile made up of comments from other eBay users.

Thank you so much for your business.

[HellWest'nCrooked]

 I always get the feedback reminder before I receive my item......I realise that my mail service is an exception but I seem to get the reminder 3 odd days after payment.!!!!
Thanks for bringing to my attention that I can turn them  "off" as it is really annoying though I did realise from the onset that they were "automatic".
If I buy one lousy item my email inbox is full of automatic messages from the time I put it on my watch list until forever more.......bad move ebay.

[*smee*]

Smee, you can't switch off the ones that go out to your buyers, that is automatic, unless the buyers switch them off themselves.

I am pretty sure that it can be done and almost certain that I switched mine off .. this was some time ago , so cant recall how ..

but if you read point 5 on this link ... it says its optional for sellers
http://help.ebay.com.au/Help/Getting_Started/Manage_your_account/My_Messages/Changes_to_My_Messages#does this change the way buyers

1.Buyer Successful Notification (includes a reminder to pay: only goes out if the buyer doesn’t pay within the first five minutes).
2.Payment Reminder: only goes out if the buyer hasn’t paid after two days.
3.Order Confirmation: Sent when the buyer completes checkout and pays. This will be the first email for buyers who pay right away.
4.Order Update: Sent when the status of any item in the buyer’s order changes, e.g. when the payment status changes or if the seller uploads tracking information.
5.Follow-up email: This checks buyer satisfaction and reminds them to leave feedback. Only sent if the buyer has not left feedback and is optional for sellers



I thought somehow I had managed to get numbers 2 and 5 switched off

[*wheels*]

OK, I've found the standard eBay feedback reminder that is sent - which as far as I can tell you cannot turn off
http://pages.ebay.com.au/email/feedbackreminderfinalpreview.html

In SMP from the Email Buyer page you can edit or add Email templates. This is where my seller from above has sent the feedback reminder email, 7 days after the purchase. This was not the auto eBay feedback reminder.


http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/sell/email-buyer.html#edit

Editing email templates

Your Selling Manager or Selling Manager Pro account comes with 2 standard templates you can edit for common post-sales questions and tasks:
    *      Order confirmation
    *      Order update (once the item has shipped)
In addition, there are other emails that eBay automatically sends to buyers that can't be edited:
    *      Item won: eBay sends this after your buyer wins an item
    *      Feedback reminder: eBay sends this email after the purchase if the buyer hasn't already left Feedback.
    *      Purchase reminder: eBay sends this email 48 hours after the purchase if the buyer hasn't already paid. If you want, you can turn this email off.

[*smee*]

ok ...got it sussed , wheels that email you got only gets sent out if the seller has selling tools such as Selling Manger or Selling Manager Pro. and it is optional , the seller can switch it off so it doesnt get sent and also the seller can customise other messages that are sent .
If you dont use Selling Manger or Selling Manager Pro the only thing you can customise is the end of Auction email

[*smee*]

struth it took me that long to find it and post in between mouthfulls of T-bone  I see you already found it half an hour ago ...

so yes any feedback reminders you get after 7 days or so are seller generated not eBay generated or at least the seller has the ability to not send them

So for Brumbys seller friend , if he/she  doesnt want his/her  buyers to get that email , he/she  needs to swith it off in his/her Selling Manger or Selling Manager Pro if either of those tools are used  

[*CountessA*]

I find the reminders very annoying.

It's only because I know from the sellers here that eBay is responsible for those generic horrible reminders that I don't feel annoyed by the seller.

[low-enghooi]

Buyers: Do you get annoyed with these reminders?

Nope. In fact I appreciate the reminder. Sometimes I genuinely forget to leave feedback (probably getting too excited with the nice coins in hand). As I am staying in a country many sellers try to avoid posting coin to, seller's feedback is important to me. I appreciate every seller who sells coins to me, so unless the seller is rude (so far only one) I will leave good feedback.

[*Brum6y*]

I stepped through the Selling Manager Pro screens with my seller this evening ... and I cannot see where the automatic eBay 'feedback reminder' can be halted - or even have the text customised.  It can only be previewed.

There is provision for a 'feedback reminder' template which the seller can manually send - but this has no connection to the automatic eBay sent one.

The only message that can be turned off is the 'Payment reminder'.


...Unless we have both missed something.  Do you have a navigation path we can follow?







.... or were you just reading from the eBay 'help'?

[*Brum6y*]

Buyers: Do you get annoyed with these reminders?

Nope. In fact I appreciate the reminder. Sometimes I genuinely forget to leave feedback (probably getting too excited with the nice coins in hand). As I am staying in a country many sellers try to avoid posting coin to, seller's feedback is important to me. I appreciate every seller who sells coins to me, so unless the seller is rude (so far only one) I will leave good feedback.

There will always be some people that will welcome a feedback reminder - but the point is, it should be under the control of the seller.  After all, it is part of how the seller conducts business. It forces a communication that the seller may not feel is in their best interest ... and even if the seller DID want to give a gentle reminder, eBay does not allow them (as far as I can tell) to have the ability to specify what it contains.


My seller friend has a particular way of approaching the question of feedback - and I find it quite reasonable. In fact, I feel it is the best approach I have come across that is reasonable within the environmant eBay provides.  The fixed text is quite out of character for my seller friend ... and in their particular market, could well evoke a negative response from their buyers.

Now, would I would dare to suggest that each seller might be a bit more aware of the idiosyncracies of their market than eBay... and perhaps be able to serve their buyers more appropriately than a 'one size fits all' eBay blurb?

You bet.


So Low - if you were ever to purchase from my seller friend and miss levaing feedback, you would be likely to get a personalised message from them that would not be a 'feedback reminder' ... but you might be prompted to reply to them and then go and leave feedback because you wanted to, but forgot.

Which is what they would want.

[low-enghooi]

Actually I prefer those automated reminders or messages rather than personalized email from the seller. I wish to keep a certain distance from the seller especially with those I have not bought anything from.

Recently I bought a nice coin from a Canadian seller and I must say I am not comfortable with his personalized message. Worst, the message ends with "take care", I thought huh? Maybe that is his friendly way but sorry I don't appreciate that. If I forget to leave the feedback, I expect ebay to remind me (and ebay better send me the reminder) not the seller.

I expect no sweetener from coin seller. Let the coin do the talking. Seller's job is to find the nice coin that I am happy to pay, not writing nice messages to entice me into spending money on coins I don't need. Having said that, I appreciate follow up messages or occasional promotional messages from good sellers (they know who they are.) And these are the same sellers I will go back even though I receive no messages from them.

I am very annoyed when I get a bad coin from seller who use a lot of sweetener in their communication, ie very nicely written personalized message. If you sell a bad coin, say so. Don't call it nice coin with stack of eye appeal.

[*Brum6y*]

I understand how you feel Low - and that's fair enough.

As for the 'personalised' letter, perhaps I used the wrong word - at least in regards to the letter my seller friend sends.

The note you received which ends with 'take care' is not the sort that I would call 'being professional'.  It is being rather familiar.  Somewhat inappropriate for a simple transaction.

For a buyer who has made repeated purchases and with whom the seller has developed a rapport, then maybe 'take care' could be appropriate - but only if the level of communication has developed to the point of it being appropriate.  Even then, it would be used in a specific context.


I don't think the (equivalent of the 'feedback reminder') letter my seller friend sends would worry you too much, Low.  It is simply a professional message, presented in terms that are buyer-centric and non-offensive. The reason for sending is clear and not an 'in your face' request for feedback ... but it often triggers buyers to leave feedback.

... and I promise you, it won't end with 'take care'!!

[*Brum6y*]

It's also a dangerous game to play 'salesman' with messages - just answer questions or give advice relevant to the item. 

With coins, I can fully appreciate your reservations too.  That's another reason why I've never been tempted to delve into collecting .. the numismatic 'used car salesman'.

[low-enghooi]