When I ship to an online buyer I send a thank you email listing the items sent, and I then print a copy to use as a packing slip. It would be easy to use a statement like " I have given you positive feedback, Please give me positive feedback when you receive your stamps ( or FDC'S)". Such an email can also have a plug for other things that you are selling at other sites. It just takes me a few minutes to prepare, and someone more computer literate than me could probably set up some sort of fill in the blanks form letter that you could use.
I agree with Dennis, leave feedback when you ship the items, email confirmation of shipment to the buyer. On average I can expect feedback on about 40 - 50% of the transactions
Patience, Tania, Patience. Hipstamp can be a good sales venue but it will take some time. I've been around here since 2005 and the start back in the Stampwants days was painfully slow, and aside from the SG Reign of Error sales have climbed as well as feedback.
Same here, when I ship, I immediately send a thank you note confirming shipment and a scan of the addressed envelope. I always include a packing slip. I also mention that I have left a positive feedback and would appreciate same when order arrives...and I'm about 50% return of feedbacks...which is a little disappointing but similar to eBay or Delcampe before I closed my account there because of the disastrous sales there. I also have a "bank" of addresses which I use, once a year to make a mailing to all my customers. I did this on 2 occasions since the opening of Hipstamp - once to all my Bidstart customers and recently to my Delcampe customers...had several orders from both old Bidstart and Delcampe customers. But has long you don't have more feedbacks, you are a "unknown" supplier. https://www.hipstamp.com/store/directmaildiscount
In past years I regretfully say that I wasn't as tuned in to the Feedback section of this site under whatever name . This year I have been offering more items and thus generating more sales. I now send feedback but may wait until I receive feedback from the buyer which generally assures me that buyer is confirming having received items. As far as I can remember I have only received one negative feedback and Hip Stamps originally said they would remove that feedback. It involved $1.45 in tax and buyer claimed I charged him extra after he had paid. I received only one payment from him and it included the $1.45 payment and in our messages he said okay and thank you. Then he published negative feedback claiming I had charged him extra after he had paid for item. Not sure what effect such negative feedback provides but don't we all want positive feedback.
I have always left feedback immediately after I have shipped the item. The buyer has completed their contractural obligation after you receive good payment, Your obligation is complete when the buyer receives the item and finds it acceptable.
I now leave immediately a feedback once shipment is made. But I think it defeats the purpose of feedbacks, because by giving an immediate feedback to all buyers, then when you want to check a new buyer history, its just useless since most feedbacks were given without actually knowing how the whole process really finished. I now give feedback immediately just to avoid having to wait and wait for a feedback that will never come. I have customers who have ordered on several occasions and I never got a feedback. I think its unfortunate that feedbacks is a one sided affair.
BINGO, Carol! That is exactly right! I always leave feedback when I ship.
As a buyer, I refuse to leave feedback for sellers who hold feedback hostage as a means of avoiding getting negative feedback. Why? If the seller did the right thing with the shipment, what's to worry?
On ebay I used to leave neutral feedback to indicate that I received the item, but I also included in the comments that the seller does not leave feedback. Now I don't even waste my time with such sellers. Receiving feedback isn't that important to me, but I will leave it for all my buyers when I ship.
On HipStamp, a buyer can indicate when the shipment was received without leaving feedback
If you are an overseas seller then feedback is at least confirmation that your customer has recieved their order. It's quite "rude" not to do so. Almost 80% of customers leave feedback for me on ebay - 0% on this site? My view (during the short time I have been trading on this site) is most HS costomers are just bargain hunters!
Tania, I will disagree to a point about "most HS customers are just bargain hunters". I find that if someone wants a stamp to fill a "hole" they will purchase it from a favorable seller. I request the buyer to leave feedback twice. Once in a Thank You message letting them know when their order was shipped and when to expect it. And the second time in the handwritten note on the invoice. I always leave FB first. It is up to them to leave it for me when they receive the order and they are happy with it.
Most buyers do not know they can change the "Shipped" notification to received status. Why should they? They got their stamps and want to play with them.
I agree with Michael, FB is just a number. It might take some time to build it up, but it's only a number.
I don't care about the petty 'you show me yours before I show you mine' game. I do care that the feedback system that Mark made improvements to some months ago is still incomplete.
Once the promised further improvement of reminder emails is finished there will be a significant uplift in feedback for both buyers and sellers.
William Pry; Mr recent understanding is that FEEDBACK can't be changed though in the last few days I was told by Hip Stamp that it could be but they reversed their statement. I wonder how accurate feedback on a customer is if many of the sellers are immediately sending off a positive FEEDBACK just after they ship. Are shipments always received, on returns are there any stamps that have been switched, is buyer sour because he found stamps cheaper elsewhere, is that perf a trifle short. Perhaps the dealers at HS have spoiled the buyers, with their quick positive responses (No matter what feedback they get later.) and this is why Tania is not getting any feedback. They are waiting for Tania to make the first feedback and then they might or might not respond. The final outcome of a transaction is the buyer getting the goods they ordered and feeling good about a purchase. I think they should post the first feedback in most cases. What good is feedback if the deal has not been completed?
Hi William, if you raise a ticket Mark or Justin will happily adjust the feedback for you. I agree with you that there should at least be a limited timeframe (24 hours?) during which a buyer or seller can adjust their feedback to correct it.
I make it a rule to leave customer feedback as soon as I receive payment. To me, that is only right. I have a better than 90% reciprocity rate: Received - 5637 Left for Others - 6201
That's excellent, Ted! (I haven't calculated mine on here. I do know it approximately on eBay.)
Like you, I found that once I started leaving feedback immediately, my feedback rate improved. (I write a little thank you message on the invoice, saying also that I've let them positive feedback on eBay, HipStamp, etc. Mentioning that in my note really seemed to help with the feedback rate.)
I have no idea what my reciprocity rate is here, but like Ted and Phil I leave feedback upon receiving payment.
I use the PayPal email notice of payment to let the buyer know I have mailed his/her order. I just hit "Reply" to that email and type a message. It's already addressed to the buyer. Couldn't be easier!
Paul Molloy: As a buyer you sent 799 and received 559 Feedback. Not sure if you sent Feedback for every item you bought but this seems to be a contrary statistic to the many sellers here some who say they send Feedback upon payment from a buyer and some who say the do it immediately when they ship. If the majority of sellers on HS did what the ones I quoted you should have received more Feedbacks. I earlier asked the question "What good is Feedback if the deal has not been completed." No one chose to answer this question but I know if I got Feedback from you I would certainly give you Feedback.
Is it harder to place feedback than it used to? Here is my two cents: I seem to remember a clearly worded option to leave feedback to ALL items bought from EACH particular seller, individually, one by one. There is lumping of multiple sellers in the cart and in the feedback that I find annoying. I want to look at one, not a dozen! I want to navigate to that specific one, and not search repeatedly for where he/she may be?!
I have not been able to duplicate easily here at HS some of the functional old ways..so I may have fallen into the "lazy" category, and not bother to file my buyer feedback, (or clean up my cart)! I cannot remember ever looking at my own feedback!
Are we making too much out of the feedback? The only feedbacks I want to look at are negative feedbacks, and when I succeed, I am very careful to balance the negatives against the overall positives or neutrals. And I really need to look at feedback for new sellers only, those I have bought from repeatedly, and for them feedback is irrelevant. Accessing and reading just the negatives is virtually impossible to get to, when you review the Feedback Stats, or I am not smart enough to find out how? So quite candidly, why bother with feedback?
Just my two cents worth, I am like the other fine sellers here, feedback given when I print the invoice. I feel feedback to buyers is like the complaint department. Nobody asks where the compliment department is. I did check some feedback of some buyers I've had and here are the results, FB 257 - 0 given, FB 2657 - 0 given, FB 594 - 0 given, FB 625 - 0 given, FB 286 - 0 given, FB 101 - 0 given. I guess if they got their stamps they are happy. I no longer worry about feedback, but it does keep you wondering if they received them. Mark
Comments
But has long you don't have more feedbacks, you are a "unknown" supplier.
https://www.hipstamp.com/store/directmaildiscount
As a buyer, I refuse to leave feedback for sellers who hold feedback hostage as a means of avoiding getting negative feedback. Why? If the seller did the right thing with the shipment, what's to worry?
On ebay I used to leave neutral feedback to indicate that I received the item, but I also included in the comments that the seller does not leave feedback. Now I don't even waste my time with such sellers. Receiving feedback isn't that important to me, but I will leave it for all my buyers when I ship.
On HipStamp, a buyer can indicate when the shipment was received without leaving feedback
I will disagree to a point about "most HS customers are just bargain hunters". I find that if someone wants a stamp to fill a "hole" they will purchase it from a favorable seller. I request the buyer to leave feedback twice. Once in a Thank You message letting them know when their order was shipped and when to expect it. And the second time in the handwritten note on the invoice. I always leave FB first. It is up to them to leave it for me when they receive the order and they are happy with it.
Most buyers do not know they can change the "Shipped" notification to received status. Why should they? They got their stamps and want to play with them.
I agree with Michael, FB is just a number. It might take some time to build it up, but it's only a number.
Once the promised further improvement of reminder emails is finished there will be a significant uplift in feedback for both buyers and sellers.
cheaper elsewhere, is that perf a trifle short. Perhaps the dealers at HS have spoiled the buyers, with their quick positive responses (No matter what feedback they get later.) and this is why Tania is not getting any feedback. They are waiting for Tania to make the first feedback and then they might or might not respond. The final outcome of a transaction is the buyer getting the goods they ordered and feeling good about a purchase. I think they should post the first feedback in most cases. What good is feedback if the deal has not been completed?
Thank you for the response. Much appreciated.
Thanks for your comment.
I have a better than 90% reciprocity rate:
Received - 5637
Left for Others - 6201
Like you, I found that once I started leaving feedback immediately, my feedback rate improved. (I write a little thank you message on the invoice, saying also that I've let them positive feedback on eBay, HipStamp, etc. Mentioning that in my note really seemed to help with the feedback rate.)
I use the PayPal email notice of payment to let the buyer know I have mailed his/her order. I just hit "Reply" to that email and type a message. It's already addressed to the buyer. Couldn't be easier!
Here is my two cents:
I seem to remember a clearly worded option to leave feedback to ALL items bought from EACH particular seller, individually, one by one. There is lumping of multiple sellers in the cart and in the feedback that I find annoying. I want to look at one, not a dozen! I want to navigate to that specific one, and not search repeatedly for where he/she may be?!
I have not been able to duplicate easily here at HS some of the functional old ways..so I may have fallen into the "lazy" category, and not bother to file my buyer feedback, (or clean up my cart)! I cannot remember ever looking at my own feedback!
Are we making too much out of the feedback? The only feedbacks I want to look at are negative feedbacks, and when I succeed, I am very careful to balance the negatives against the overall positives or neutrals. And I really need to look at feedback for new sellers only, those I have bought from repeatedly, and for them feedback is irrelevant.
Accessing and reading just the negatives is virtually impossible to get to, when you review the Feedback Stats, or I am not smart enough to find out how? So quite candidly, why bother with feedback?