“Please Leave Me Feedback”

eBay sellers of the world, I’m fucking sick and tired of getting this request from some of you! I’m not much into eBay but when I’m there I am most often a buyer. From the way I’ve been spoken to lately it seems “feedback” is now a hotly guarded commodity, very precious and not to be given unless you get it first. WTF?

As with most things in this world, there is a natural progression through most eBay transactions. The seller lists an item. The highest bidder at the end is successful, and must pay for the item. The seller will then ship the item. The receiver then acknowledges receipt of said item. Here’s where things go awfully wrong, IMO.

1.If, as the buyer, I pay you and you deem my payment to be satisfactory, then I have fulfilled my obligation as a buyer and you ought to leave me feedback for making proper payment.

2. Once I receive the item you send me and I deem it to be as described and shipped in a timely manner, then I should leave feedback for you, for fulfilling your obligations as a seller.

What’s happening now is that the minute I make payment, but before the item is received, I get email from morons sellers, the likes of the following;

“Thank you for purchasing “X”. 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.”

And these 3 gems, all from “Gary”;

“I will ship out your package today please give feedback and I will do the same."
“Hi, don't forget feedback”
“I don't give feedback anymore ahead of time because out of 30 feedbacks that I give I get only 10 back this is from past experience. I always give feedback to those who give me feedback.”

Fuck off already and quit sniveling for feedback when I haven’t even received fucking item yet! Give your head a shake! It should be enough that I am, once again, yelling “what the hell was that” into thin air as I read these messages, but alas, I can no longer let it go and I have to respond;

“I haven't forgotten feedback, but it seems you might have overlooked leaving me feedback upon your receipt of my payment. I fully intend to leave you positive feedback as ours was a smooth transaction. Please extend me the same courtesy.”

“Hi Gary,

That you presume to judge me on the deeds of others bothers me to no end. As I have never wronged you I am appalled that you’ve given yourself the right to call into question my integrity.

It is my belief that the feedback tool should be used by members as a transaction progresses chronologically. Once a portion of the transaction is completed the quality of it should be reported on, i.e. feedback left. I feel it’s a logical position to take as well as an honorable way in which to conduct business.
Regardless of how I feel about the position you’ve taken with regard to holding feedback hostage, the fact of the matter (and we should both be dealing with the facts) is that ours was a smooth transaction, and as such I have left you feedback to that effect, as I always indicated I would.

What a disheartening end to an otherwise lovely transaction.”

You know what? I get that feedback = reputation, and that some people in this world will screw you over for a nickel, but get over it already. It’s not important enough to beg for, and how dare you even bring up me leaving you feedback when I’ve already paid you and you haven’t even shipped the damn thing out to me! Quit wasting my fucking time. I have better things to do than tune-up the likes of you!