Who should leave 1st fb?

The chronic foodfight of the feedback board.

In the beginning, sellers always left 1st fb, because they needed good feedback as the only reason anyone would trust them. Grab & run scams abounded, and no one would buy from a low fb seller.

Then, in Feb 2000, the world was turned upside down. The idea of transactional feedback (only one fb per participant per transaction) seemed benign, and very sensible. What ebay didn't count on was the dynamic which arose. Posting 1st feedback meant giving up the right to retaliate.

Sellers who posted 1st feedback lost control of the transaction. Buyer could just run wild, threaten stuff, and then post bad feedback, and there was nothing seller could do.

On the other hand, if seller waited for buyer to leave 1st fb, seller retained the right to retaliate. A neg for a neg. It worked. Buyers quickly learned to not leave negs. The power was irresistible, and 95% of sellers came to be "fb last".

Unfortunately, a lot of sellers became careless under this protection, and a small minority actually exploited the situation by shipping shoddy stuff. Buyers were leaving ebay in droves, even as they were arriving in response to ads. Eventually, new incoming buyers were greatly outnumbered by outgoing buyers, and ebay had to take action.

In May, 2008, Ebay changed the rules. No longer could sellers post negative fb for buyers.

This removed any important power gained by withholding 1st fb. It also removed any real informational content in buyer fb, which has become a combination of "thank you" and a count of things bought.

So we come to an era where there is no reason to withhold 1st fb, and no reason to be too bothered by missing feedback. And yet, we find some buyers who are "feedback cranks", willing to make a fuss over missing fb. And, somewhat oddly, we find some sellers who are cantankerous enough to refuse 1st fb.

I suggest that a seller who refuses 1st fb is like a driver who refuses to wear a seat belt. Sure, it works, indefinitely. But one event, and the lesson could be costly. As a seller, I leave feedback as part of the shipping process. I advise that the item has shipped, and I thank buyer.

And for buyers, it really doesn't matter. The feedback count does not affect your relationship with ebay or sellers. It is a good thing to build it up if you eventually want to sell. As a buyer, I leave feedback when I'm happy with the stuff, and I don't notice whether seller has left fb at that time or not. Buyer's rights to Ebay protection are not compromised for having left good feedback.