Ebay feedback system

[Stu]

It's my opinion that Ebay should change their feedback system.

The first person to complete their part of the Ebay trade is always the buyer, by making payment. Once payment has been made the buyer's part of the transaction is complete.

Sellers should leave feedback as soon as full payment is made, or leave feedback (obviously negative) if no payment is received.

It should be made impossible for the buyer to leave feedback first. Only negative feedback, in the form of an ebay report, could be left if the seller fails to deliver an item that has been paid for. This should only be possible once the mediation procedure has been used, and only then can the seller leave any feedback appropriate.

As an Ebay seller I believe that if I sell something that is shite (which I would never do) the buyer should not be put off leaving negative feedback for me by the veiled threat that I will leave negative feedback for them, as some sort of tit-for-tat reprisal.

Sellers often say they expect feedback first as some sort of signal that the item has arrived, but I actually expect that in most cases they are worried that their crappy stuff will result in negative feedback for them.

As a buyer I have not actually had any bad experience resulting from the above, I have however stopped bidding on items where the seller states they will not leave feedback untill the buyer does (in this case I suspect the item is dubious), and I have stopped giving feedback to sellers who have not left feedack for my promp payment.

All sellers should be honest enough to have confidence that their item will arrive safely and be exactly as listed, if not better.
They should therefore have the confidence to leave the buyer positive feedback promptly when payment has been made.

Anyone who understands the above must surely agree that it would be in Ebay's advantage as it would increase buyer’s confidence in their system, which is how they make their millions.