thebluesky

iTrader: (28)

Bumping this up on account of a recent thread posted by my prime reason for starting the issue.

Beardly P

iTrader: (18)

I think that both parties should leave feedback. If you don't get it immediately after payment sent or item received, depending on who you are in the transaction, keep sending PMs until you do.

chillybone

good idea so people know who is a good seller or not

thebluesky

iTrader: (28)

I'm actually surprised to see the issue this split.

kiley_sean

iTrader: (18)

Surprised that others don't agree with your point of view?

thebluesky

iTrader: (28)

A differing opinion should never be surprising or unexpected. What I found surprising is how evenly split the results are between "yes it is" and "no it isn't". I really wish more people participated in the poll but truly suspect that the results would be approximately 60/40 in favor of a tweak to the rules at best.

As to where we can go from here, I don't know. The lack of participation despite results even slightly in my favor are not near enough to drive a change reasonably. My suggestion either gains traction or it does not. As for myself, I find that since there is no rule against it, I will start leaving neutral or negative feedback for my buyers who refuse to leave me any, as there is no formal rule against it and because there is no formal rule defending me from not getting any.

Thank you for your time and consideration

Nsomniac

iTrader: (3)

There's a formal rule against it now (Section 6, sub H). Handing out feedback is not part of a transaction. It is voluntary. Giving someone negative feedback for something they aren't required to do is poor form.

thebluesky

iTrader: (28)

That's beautiful. You don't like the results so you change the rules?

Nsomniac

iTrader: (3)

Not sure what you mean. The 3rd question was completely ambiguous and shouldn't be in the mix. Even so, only 1 person (likely you) agreed that you should be allowed to leave negative feedback for someone just because they didn't leave you feedback. I hardly consider that 1 person's opinion to be "the results" that caused me to change the rules.

I didn't change the rules. I clarified something that was previously unspoken. Any moderator who would have been notified of negative feedback given to someone for their lack of feedback would have deleted it based on sound judgment.

Regardless, we have no way to enforce a feedback requirement for transactions that occur outside the scope of our forum. The participation in this poll is so minor, and the majority agreed upon the current system more than any other option, that the incentive to change is not there even if we could.

AF-Evo8

iTrader: (113)

as a seller i will almost always leave feedback once i receive a cleared payment and i will request return feedback in the additional comments section. I will simply state "please leave seller feedback once you receive xxx item and are happy with the sale". it has worked pretty well for me.

thebluesky

iTrader: (28)

No, collectively the majority agreed that the feedback system is broken, but disagreed as to how. But interestingly enough, no one said the feedback system is useless which mean it does mean something to people.

I find it interesting that you nitpick the options now after the fact considering I asked for input before I even posted the poll. Until now you were not even part of the discussion. I'm also unsure as to how having a separate buyer and seller rating is in any way ambiguous? Instead of only having one number, there'd be two.

Finally, if it was unspoken and unwritten, then it's new to the masses. My opinion was on post number one. I simply threw in the option of self policing as it was previously stated that you, the moderators, are overwhelmed and have no way to enforce the feedback system.

So let's be truly honest here. By making it a written rule that you don't have to give feedback and can no longer force the issue, then why does need for feedback even exist?

Noize

iTrader: (24)

Mandatory feedback will never exist on this site as long as I have anything to say about it. Requiring your membership base to do something that they neither want to do or deem monotonous is a great way to lose members.

I think you're reading a bit too much into it. I too, would probably have double or triple my feedback score had every member I dealt with left feedback, but they did not.

In your case, having a feed back in the twenties and not in the fifties isn't hurting you in the least. Anyone can look and see that you have been a member on this site for nine years, have over 20 positive scores, and better yet- 100% positive feedback. I (and surely 99% of the people on this forum) would instantly buy something from you or sell something to you and feel confident that you are an honest individual that would make things right.

That said, there are instances of people that have had over 100 positive feedback that have received a negative rating, and strange things do happen. There is no way to police every transaction on this site, but good sellers and buyers such as yourself can ask/encourage people they were in a transaction with to leave feedback. If they don't, maybe they don't have time, maybe they don't care, or maybe they are lazy, but that's not something we can or will police and infuriate 50%+ of our buying/selling community in the process.

Thank you for bringing this topic up, and now you have an official answer, so I'll lay it to rest by closing it.