To All Buyers who feel inclined to give Negative or Neutral ratings

**ziggy2000** · 01-09-11, 15:17

Have you contacted the seller to see if there is a solution to the problem? Sellers are not aware of problems if it is not pointed out to them by the buyers. Most sellers will bend backwards to please their buyers, it is common courtesy to contact the seller prior to leaving a neutral or negative rating.

**kyle2** · 01-09-11, 15:28

Hence the dire need to educate new buyers before they start bidding or buying. Quite frankly it is just not enough to expect them to read the rules on their own. I would suggest a Q&A session of 20 questions which have to be answered correctly before a newbie is allowed to bid or buy. It's not complicated to set up and would encourage newbies to have at least basic knowledge on what is right and wrong.
ie. 1st Question : Would you bid on an item if you did not actually have the money? Y or N
2nd Question : Is it OK to bid or buy before reading the description properly? Y or N
3rd Question : If you are unhappy with the product or service would you leave negative feedback before contacting the seller?Y or N
.....
20th Question : is it a good idea to waste a sellers time by bidding for the fun of it? Y or N
and so on and so forth...
Something like this would make better buyers of newcomers.

**geewhizz** · 01-09-11, 15:34

Where is "I love it button"

**kyle2** · 01-09-11, 15:40

Originally Posted by geewhizz

Where is "I love it button"

Its lurking around as a 'Like' Button.

**StudMuffinsMissus** · 01-09-11, 16:07

I agree completely with the above posts BUT another problem is buyers not rating negative / neutral after a bad experience (after exhaustively contacting the seller). I check ratings when buying & didn't pick anything dodgy up about a recent seller I bought from. If his buyers had rated properly I wouldn't be sitting without my goods *MAD*. I am only a buyer on BoB, not a seller. Not all of us are illiterate idiots although granted, there are quite a few around

**Mustlovebooks** · 01-09-11, 18:26

I started randomly selecting sellers in the book and education section where I spend most of my time and had a look at their ratings. If the person is both a seller and a buyer (including me), the ratings given by sellers are close to the amount of transactions, for e.g. 83 out of 88 sellers had rated me, so there were only 5 who didn't rate me at all. The buyers on the other hand don't always rate the sellers. Only 831 out of 1155 transactions were rated at all. Some other big sellers have thousands of outstanding ratings from buyers, but their "ratings given by sellers" are rather close to the amount of transactions made.

It's sad that sellers aren't rated at the same frequency that buyers are. I rate a buyer as soon as I receive payment, but there are so many who don't rate at all.

**booksallsizes** · 01-09-11, 19:26

The only time I don't rate (as a buyer) is if the seller doesn't rate me. Usually these sellers are waiting to see what you will rate them. And I don't like that game. Some sellers say it is the "overall" experience that one rates - but really, once a buyer pays, that's their part done - if they are unhappy then things need to be sorted out. And, I TOTALLY agree - contact the seller first before a negative or neutral rating - most sellers WILL bend over backwards for a buyer.
I also have noticed that those that are buyers and sellers do rate one another - I think it's because we all know how one another feels.

I don't have a hassle with buyers that don't rate - it's nice if they do, but if they don't, well...

**kyle2** · 02-09-11, 08:09

Originally Posted by booksallsizes

The only time I don't rate (as a buyer) is if the seller doesn't rate me. Usually these sellers are waiting to see what you will rate them. And I don't like that game. Some sellers say it is the "overall" experience that one rates - but really, once a buyer pays, that's their part done - if they are unhappy then things need to be sorted out. And, I TOTALLY agree - contact the seller first before a negative or neutral rating - most sellers WILL bend over backwards for a buyer.
I also have noticed that those that are buyers and sellers do rate one another - I think it's because we all know how one another feels.

I don't have a hassle with buyers that don't rate - it's nice if they do, but if they don't, well...

I dissagree with you on not rating someone, I believe that regardless of who is waiting for what, if you are happy with the transaction, give an honest rating, I use the 'Pay it forward' belief system in all things, 99% of the time this works.

**geewhizz** · 02-09-11, 09:28

When buyers pays I rate them. This tells me they have paid and the item needs to be posted
If a buyer does not rate me then the transaction "Hangs in the air" as I do not know whether the item has been received safely.

I think it is only fair to rate a seller.I sell collectors items that have to be sourced out by expensive advertising,running round the Peninsula on calls,photographing the items,loading them etc etc. So I deserve my rating.
The buyer only has to click a few buttons.

**MiemsJewels** · 02-09-11, 10:39

Originally Posted by geewhizz

When buyers pays I rate them. This tells me they have paid and the item needs to be posted
If a buyer does not rate me then the transaction "Hangs in the air" as I do not know whether the item has been received safely.

I think it is only fair to rate a seller.I sell collectors items that have to be sourced out by expensive advertising,running round the Peninsula on calls,photographing the items,loading them etc etc. So I deserve my rating.
The buyer only has to click a few buttons.

Then you get buyers like this.
Paid me yesterday, I send her a track & trace number. This morning this. 3 of them. Her track & trace number is on her bidorbuy account in "mesagge from seller" Now she threads me with a negative. Unfair to sellers!

Item
DENIM JEAN LOOK TIGHTS LEGGINGS WITH PATCHED MOTIFS

Rated by Buyer
orene (90

)

Originally Rated
02 Sep 2011 10:23

Rating

Comment
waiting for tracking number thanks

**MiemsJewels** · 02-09-11, 10:59

It was changed from a neutral to a positive now. Thank You

**Mustlovebooks** · 02-09-11, 11:08

Miems, that is so unfair! Dit gaan my verstand te bowe!
And I see you have given her wonderful ratings. And it's not like she's a new buyer. She should know better.

Sellers would go out of their way to help and assist - buyers should just send a friendly mail and make enquiries - not just jump the gun and rate negative or neutral. They usually say they will change the rating when they receive their stuff, but a lot of them never do that. Either they forget or they don't bother.

For me ratings from buyers are really important. Sellers are being judged by their ratings (reputation) by potential buyers. Buyers don't care if the negative or neutral was unfair. We need new buyers also, not only our regular customers who were happy before and keep on returning. We all want to expand our businesses. If I look at a listing as a buyer, my eye goes to the sellers' ratings first, before I even look at details for the product. How much time does it really take to just say "thank you, I received my stuff and I'm happy"? The BoB system even remembers all your previous ratings, so you don't even have to type out the whole thing. You can just select the right one and BoB's your uncle (pun intended).

And I look at sellers who have great ratings, like Miems, and use them as motivation to be a great seller with lots of sales and lots of positive ratings.

**MiemsJewels** · 02-09-11, 11:51

Yes Mustlove, and I am like a Mother hen over her chickens on my ratings!!. Our reputations are on the spell here!!

**booksallsizes** · 02-09-11, 11:58

Originally Posted by kyle2

I dissagree with you on not rating someone, I believe that regardless of who is waiting for what, if you are happy with the transaction, give an honest rating, I use the 'Pay it forward' belief system in all things, 99% of the time this works.

I hear what you are saying and you are right - but you're a far nicer person than me!! It gets up my nose so much that I can't bring myself to do it... Because I'm then not 100% happy with the transaction if I haven't been rated after payment or after the item has been posted...

**kyle2** · 02-09-11, 12:07

Originally Posted by booksallsizes

I hear what you are saying and you are right - but you're a far nicer person than me!! It gets up my nose so much that I can't bring myself to do it... Because I'm then not 100% happy with the transaction if I haven't been rated after payment or after the item has been posted...

I hear what you are saying, and appreciate your point of view, the bottom line at the end of the day I still maintain the solution is educating new buyers and re-educating habitual negative raters and buyers/sellers who don't rate at all.