I recently calculated that just under-19% of my buyers hadn’t left me any eBay feedback comments… is that a lot?
Well after delving into a few online forums I discovered that actually the main consensus is that I’m about average! That’s nice to know isn’t it? I am Mrs. Average! Apparently it’s usually about an 80/20 split – with 80% leaving feedback and 20% not bothering for reasons mainly unknown.
Do eBay feedback comments really matter?
Now, if you are a newbie seller and need all the feedback you can get to boost your reputation then a lack of feedback responses can be very frustrating.
Some buyers never leave feedback – just because it’s their prerogative. Some buyers (mainly newbies) don’t know how to leave feedback, some buyers are just really really slow at leaving feedback and some buyers simply forget! Some buyers ALWAYS leave feedback because it’s their duty!
I once read a bit of a horror story in a forum about a seller requesting feedback so many times from one buyer and being so pushy that eventually instead of the nice green positive dot they expected, they ended up with a big red dot simply because the buyer got so annoyed about being hassled every day to leave feedback that eventually he did… just not quite in the way the seller wanted!
Compare eBay to Amazon, where feedback is nowhere near as important: buyers just don’t seem bothered over there. In fact I can honestly say that in all the time I’ve been selling on Amazon – about four years now – across my two accounts I have only ever got a handful of feedback. Shocking!
But Amazon has a reputation that goes before it – it’s known as a reliable website whereas eBay has had some bad press over the years due to rogue sellers and dodgy goods.
The point is your reputation as a seller is extremely important. Positive comments about your products and service instill confidence and trust in buyers and potential buyers and this is true not just on eBay but anywhere you are selling your products, including your own website.
- On eBay you get feedback and DSR’s (Detailed Seller Ratings)
- On Amazon you get star ratings and comments
- On your website you should display your positive testimonials from past customers
So how do you get people to sing your praises without annoying them?
Well, in a moment I am going to share my own method, but first there’s something really basic that you need to know…
eBay send an email to your buyers who haven’t left feedback about a month after the purchase to remind them to do so.
Now imagine you have also sent an email (or two) to a buyer requesting feedback… your buyer will have received an email from eBay plus the ones from you so there is a very real chance that they might be getting a little bit annoyed.
Remember, feedback is optional!
So, don’t send emails reminding your buyers to leave feedback; let eBay handle that for you automatically.
Okay, so this is what I do. Each time I dispatch a parcel to a customer I include a nice little note displaying the details of their item, the cost, my eBay ID, the name of my shop, how they can contact me if they need to and importantly a message thanking them for purchasing from me. This is what it says:
“Thank you so much for purchasing. I hope you are delighted with your item. Please leave me feedback so that I know you are happy!”
It’s not pushy, it’s not demanding. It’s just a nice little note. It’s not even handwritten – you can type these up in advance and pop one in every parcel that you send – and you’ll soon see more buyers start to leave you feedback.
Honestly – it’s so simple isn’t it? But you’ll be surprised at how many sellers don’t actually do this; instead they just shove the item in a jiffy bag and seal it up. As far as I’m concerned it’s simply good manners and if you are polite and professional others will be too.
This will work for eBay and Amazon. You can reword your note slightly if you have your own website, to read:
“Thank you so much for ordering from ‘yourstorename’. We hope you are delighted with your purchase. We always love receiving your feedback and comments so please feel free to contact us at ‘youremailaddress’. We look forward to hearing from you.”
So how about it?
As always I wish you the very best of success,