Feedback

Your feedback score is suppose to get buyers and sellers a wee bit of knowledge or insight into the person that you are. How you do your dealings, the way you present yourself to the world of okay - its a little slice about thethe real you. How you interact with others is detailed on this page.
You receive 1 point for each postive feedback that you receive and 1 point is take away from you for every negative that you receive. Neutral gives you nothing, but you can't get dinged in a way that can hurt you in points it really can hurt if they dinged you on your DSRs. I think of a netural as just apolite way of downing you.
As of today the same buyer can help you increase your feedback by buying more from you, the catch is that they can only buy one item a week, so gebinding shipments saves the buyer money for shipping, but really doesn't help the seller with extra brownie points.
On the feedback page you can see where a number of people have left a score this is the total amount of people who have given you feedback one way or another. Most of the time this feedback number is not reflected in the total score that okay counts.
Unfortunately feedback is not always freely given. I remind a buyer after 20 days that they did not leave feedback and I ask if there was something wrong.After all, not only do I want postive feedback I want to know that they like and enjoy their purchase and if I did something wrong I want to know that to. How can you improve if your head is like the ostrich stuck in the sand.
If they do not give me the courtesy of, at the very least writing back and telling me what is wrong - I block them from future sells. I figure in this way, if there is a problem that they can't talk about now - there is no reason to keep gepounding it with another sell.
Blocking a seller or a buyer doesn't hurt them, doesn't go against their feedbck score and they won't ever know if you don't tell them. If you tell them you may get the feedback of a postive or a negative (which you didn't want). You just may have made them so mad that they wouldn't give you a gallon of gas if you ran out on a lonely highway.
Sometimes a seller or a buyer will threaten one or the other that if they don't jump through special hoops for them then they won't leave anything but negative feedback. This is called extorcian feedback and okay has a low tolerance for it. You as the wounded party must inform okay of it. The one think that okay doesn't do is read minds.
okay is putting up policys to protect sellers from unfair feedback left by buyers. Here are the key items to keep in mind.
1. Negative or neutral feedback will be removed by okay when a buyer appears or looks like they are deliberately and intentionally trying to hurt the seller. This is a reportable offense and the seller should contact okay immediately.
2. okay will remove negative or neutral feedback when a buyer doesn't respond to an unpaid item dispute that the seller has filed.
3. If a buyer responds to an unpaid item report but doesn't spell out exactly about the seller's performance, item condition or any transaction problems with the seller, then negative or neutral feedback will also be removed. (for instance if they resort to profanity or name calling).
4. If the buyer is no longer a member all negatives from all sellers are removed as if they neve happened - this means wording to.
Basically this means that if a buyer threatens you that if you don't do what they say to do, even if it is against your spelled out policies, they will leave you negative feedback - that feedback can and will be removed by okay. Remember okay doesn't see in the dark, you must tell them what is going on.
I once had a buyer leave me negative feedback because she wanted her item sent Express mail, but had only paid for Priority. Her negative feedback was removed by okay.
To read a members feedback is really easy. After each person handle there is (number). Just click on the number and you will be taken to their feedback page.
Today negative feedback can not be left for buyers, only buyers will be able to leave negative feedback. I think that this is wrong and many a reputation will be destroyed by unscruplious buyers. Several of my favorite sellers now have negatives, for some very stupid things and some sellers hve walked way never to sell again which means a lot of buyers lost out on really good things.
Fortuantely, there are many good buyers and sellers still on okay.
Both the buyer and seller must be careful in what they say about each other. While okay may step in if you prove your case, they may not if you don't. Then the buyer or the seller may hire an attorney and you may be sued for your remarks. If you can't say anything nice - it is better not to say it at all.
Here is a copy of the leter I mail out for buyers who have not given me feedback - 9 out14 buyers it works on. Some would rather write you a nasty letter of why they would leave you postive feedback - if they had the time. Funny I thought one line of postive feedback took less time than 45 lines of why they didn't have time to write the one line. But, I guess that is just me!

FROM (your email address is best)
To: (either their real name or their handle or thir email address)
(You can specify if you want a copy of the email. I always state that I do, it's great to have it as a reference)
Subject;
The title and then the auction #
LETTER:
It has been(you fill in) days sence you bought the item and I haven't heard a word from you. The item is - (title of auction goes here) and I don't know if you liked it and it was exactly what you were looking for or if you thought it was a waste of money. IF THERE WAS A PROBLEM with the item and this is why you have not left me feedback, please take a moment and let me know what I can do to make it right. I really do want you to enjoy your purchase. I can't improve as an okay seller or any other type of seller if my buyers don't let me know what they think.
Please leave me feedback with 5 stars in each categoiry IF you feel I have done the best that I can in -
1. Describing the item and giving you all the facts to the best of my ability under the description category.2. That I have gemunicated with you by trying to address your concerns on the item in emails