# Interesting message from an Ebay Seller. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2011, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-message-from-an-ebay-seller/570742 "2011-02-09T08:53:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-message-from-an-ebay-seller/570742/1 "2011-02-09T08:53:58Z")
I just purchased a new thingy for our caravan online, via Ebay Australia, and if all goes well it will be a great addition to our camping trips. But after submitting the payment details, I got an auto-generated message in my email inbox. All good, had them before, just thanking me for my purchse etc and wishing me joy with my new toy?? Nah, this one was a bit creepy: > [@](#): > > Hello Kambuckta\*: Our feedback is set to mirror our customers feedback. So if you give us > positive feedback my account will automatically give you postive feedback > whithin 5 min. **If you give negative it will mirror that.** > > If you have any enquiries, please feel free to email me. I check my email > from Mon-Friday. > > Regard, > > Dimwit\* \*Names changed to protect the Dimwit, and my bolding etc. So, please tell me you Ebay veterans, where do sellers get off doing shit like this? What happens if I have a legit gripe against the seller, abide by all the rules and stuff, post a neg feedback note and THEN get one against me automatically?? Is this even kosher with Ebay? ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-message-from-an-ebay-seller/570742/2 "2011-02-09T09:23:24Z")
I was under the impression that sellers could not leave negative feedback. [QUOTE=eBay] Why are sellers allowed to leave only positive Feedback for buyers? Sellers used to be able to leave negative Feedback for buyers. Unfortunately, we found that when buyers had bad experiences with sellers, they were often reluctant to leave neutral or negative Feedback out of fear that the seller would retaliate by leaving negative Feedback for them. And when buyers did receive unfair negative Feedback, they usually decreased their shopping on eBay. Overall, it became clear that the fear of retaliatory negative Feedback made it more difficult for good sellers to distinguish themselves from not-so-good sellers, and made the Feedback system as a whole less reliable. [/QUOTE] I’d notify eBay of that email because it seems ridiculous and obviously retaliatory. If the seller is selling a lot of items, then they won’t even know who it was that complained to eBay. I’ve dealt with psychopath sellers before eBay changed their policies, yet I did nothing because I knew the seller would give me a lousy rating. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-message-from-an-ebay-seller/570742/3 "2011-02-09T09:30:49Z")
Thanks **Darryl** , your reply confirms another that I got from an Ebay member forum that assures me that Sellers can’t give negative feedback anyway. Wow, it was just a weird thing to get in reply though. I was already a bit dubious about the product, but The Bloke is the one coughing up the dosh, and he seemed dead set about settling the sale. I friggin’ hope the thing works as advertised. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-message-from-an-ebay-seller/570742/4 "2011-02-09T10:32:43Z")
Give him negative feedback based on the email you received ;). It seems fair to me, it comes under the umbrella of customer service. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-message-from-an-ebay-seller/570742/5 "2011-02-09T13:48:36Z")
I expect it’s a holdover from the days when sellers could leave negative feedback. But I’m pretty sure retaliatory feedback was against the rules even back then. Certainly if sellers leave a positive (the only flavour) feedback containing a negative comment, it can be brought to the attention of eBay and removed, and they will get some kind of slap for it. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-message-from-an-ebay-seller/570742/6 "2011-02-09T21:24:17Z")
I’d let it pass and see if the transaction goes smoothly before leaving feedback, but it’s stupid nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-message-from-an-ebay-seller/570742/7 "2011-02-10T01:19:20Z")
Only give ANY feedback if the transaction is particularly significant in some way that sets it apart from other transactions you engage in on a regular basis. I can’t imagine how hellish my life would be if I felt pressure to give feedback to every interaction I took part in.