Feedback, what's it to ya?

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I'm likely to offend some or many but since many do not read this blog I will retract that part of the statement.  Let's talk about feedback.


Grrrrrr....

When I buy something from eBay or Etsy I leave feedback after I receive my purchase.  I may not be incredibly quick about it, but I always do it.  The way I look at it, if I sell you something and you like it I would love to know.  But I do not see feedback as a requirement and I do not request it.  Feedback should be given willingly, not because someone has sent you an email suggesting you might have forgotten to leave feedback for them.  WTF???  Since when do people ask others to say nice things to them?  It's just weird.


Plus, if someone buys something from me, I go and give them feedback right away.  As long as they have paid me really, that is all that is expected of a customer, right?  So I give them feedback thanking them for immediate payment, great communication, simple transaction, whatever nice thing I feel like at that moment.  I've never said anything bad about a customer.  But what about those sellers that wait until you receive the item you have purchased from them before they leave feedback for you?  So ... I'm guessing if you leave them a bad comment like "This thing I bought is an ugly piece of trash" they will reciprocate in kind?  I mean, why else do they wait?  And why should the 2 things be tied together? 

If you are a seller and a customer purchases and pays, you leave them feedback.  If you are a buyer and receive your item you leave feedback.  Sellers shouldn't wait until they see the buyers feedback, and if the seller does not receive feedback - I just don't think it's cool for them to email to remind a customer to leave it.


Maybe I am sensitive about this because admittedly I'm not always prompt leaving feedback.  I know it and I'm sorry, OKAY?  But asking someone for feedback kind of negates the legitimacy of it.  Doesn't it?  And for a seller to wait until the buyer leaves them feedback - means they are not commenting on what a good customer the person is to pay right away which all I ever expect (c'mon - the customer is always right, right?) but are commenting on what kind of comment THEY get.


PPfffffttttttttt!  It's just all so much bad manners.  Or something.


It annoys me.  Can you tell?


I will say though, it happens much more on eBay than Etsy.  Just sayin'.  But wherever it happens it just burns my butt.  


Rant over, please return to your regularly scheduled programming.  Thank you for listening.


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Shopping at the E's

Since I am an online shopper, you would assume I have had good experiences and bad. Your assumption would be correct. Regardless of the bad experiences I have had none of them have been bad enough to stop me from shopping that way.

One of the newest things I have found is an plug-in that allows me to use PayPal for sites that don’t even take it. It is the coolest thing ever. For people who are afraid to shop online because they don’t want to spread their credit card or banking info all over the place, it is ideal. PayPal is the only place that needs that information from you and even if you’re comfortable using your credit cards online – it has an auto-fill feature which means you don’t have to type your name, address, or credit card number at.all. For some people it might make things TOO easy but I love it!

Shopping on eBay and then selling on Etsy has given me an appreciation for the difference between the 2 places. Some people think one site is better *ahem* than the other, but I think they are just different, and I use them for different things. I go to eBay for a deal, or to find something I can’t find easily anywhere else. I go to Etsy when I am looking for something unique and handmade.

Something both sites have in common (besides PayPal) is the practice of leaving feedback. I shopped on eBay for a long time before I ever sold anything on Etsy so I was very familiar with leaving feedback after purchasing something. But sometimes I found that on eBay leaving bad feedback almost felt like a strike against you – as much as a strike against the seller. Lately eBay has changed it so some of your feedback options are left anonymously so you can feel more comfortable saying what you really feel.

On Etsy the feedback option is just that – optional. Very few sellers will actually email you and ask you to leave feedback after you buy from them, it’s just a different vibe. But those that DO email for feedback from either site? They are risking my not shopping with them again.

When I was a kid my Mom used to say – or maybe it was my ex-husband – who cares. Anyway – whoever it was used to say – if you want BetteJo to do something, tell her to do the opposite. I am stubborn and dislike being told what to do. In a work environment or being trained in something, of course I can take instruction. But when I buy something from you, and you email me and say “PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK THANK YOU” – I probably won’t. Just sayin’.