Have you as the Seller ever done a knowingly GREAT job, shipped fast and with an item that was in far better condition than you described it to be in and still did not get feedback on the item / transaction?  OUCH!  It is almost enough to hurt your feelings.

Well, we won’t get into being ugly with our buyers, but we will be preemptive in the future in obtaining our positive feedback.  I hope that the following steps will help you in obtaining more, earned positive feedback in the future.

Step 1. Stay in CONTINOUS communication. 

Notify the buyer that the payment has been received.  Drop the buyer a note when the payment has been made:

_______________________________________
Hello {BUYER},

First of all, let me tell you how much I appreciate you business!  Next, let me tell you how much I appreciate the fast payment!

I am going to make sure you get your item shipped as fast as possible.  After I pack it up safe and sound, I will put it in the postman's hands the very next time he runs (around noon each day).

I will drop you a line and let you know when it is on its way.

Thanks a million!!!

{SELLER}--
_______________________________________

Once you have packed the item up SAFE AND SOUND and have put it in the Postman’s hands.  Go back and drop the buyer another message that could say:

_______________________________________
Hello {BUYER},

I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know your package is packaged up nicely and is on its way to you.  I know you will love it.

{TITLE}
{ITEM LINK}
{TRACK SHIPMENT LINK}

If you have any questions in the mean time, feel free to send me an email.

When you get your item, check it out.  Make sure my description matches your expectations.  When you are happy, take a moment and leave positive feedback.  {FEEDBACK LINK}

I know this will be a great transaction resulting in positive comments being left for each other.

Thanks a million,

{BUYER}
________________________________________

This message sets up the expectations and let’s the buyer know that he or she should be getting their goodie in less than a week.

Step 2.  Do EVERY THING you promise. 

As a seller, you have the most exposure when it comes to feedback (UPDATE: eBay has changed the feedback policy regarding sellers and leaving neutral or negative feedback to buyers).  You may have 100% or 99% positive feedback and drop because a buyer read a description that demonstrated a fully functional item that arrived scuffed up.

Why does a buyer buy?  That seems like a silly question, but don’t underestimate it.  You may be selling a fully functional Pentax Camera that has been out of production for 10 years.  You describe it as fully functional and in excellent condition.  However, there is a small scuff on the battery door that you may feel is insignificant.  When you never get the feedback, you wonder why.

The buyer may have been buying the camera to use as parts for his or her current Pentax camera that was his or her parent’s at one time.  The parents may have recently passed.  The only part he or she wanted for their "keep-sake camera" was the battery door part.  OUCH!! 

When selling it is wise to follow this rule: UNDER promise and OVER deliver!!  Does that make sense?  If you OVER promise, you have nothing left to give.  Remember this rule:  A buyer sees the VALUE in his or her item, but the buyer sees the items flaws.

Some buyers won’t leave negative or neutral feedback for the simple fact that they are concerned about those vengeful sellers (UPDATE: Note the new eBay feedback policy regarding sellers not being able to leave negative or neutral feedback to buyers). 

Step 3.  You have done a GREAT JOB, the item was delivered a week ago and there is still no feedback from the buyer.

It is okay to email the buyer and ask for it.  Be sure to be tactful.  If you write and say, “HEY!  What’s you deal??  Where’s my feedback??” You may find the buyer ignoring you and NEVER leaving feedback or get a poor comment in your permanent feedback that say’s simply, “OK,” or “Thanks.”

Realize that there is always 2 sides to every story.  Review the buyer’s feedback that they have left for others.  You may see that he or she has a system of leaving feedback all at one time after many transactions have accumulated.  If this it the case, you will see that since your transaction, no feedback has been left from the buyer to anyone.

If this turns out to be the case, give it another week and you will most likely see your positive number rise.

Here is a sample of a message you could send the buyer:

__________________________________________
Hello again {BUYER},

I was just checking in an making sure your item you purchased back on {CLOSING DATE TIME} is okay.  I had not heard from you and wanted to make sure all was well.

If all is well, drop me a line and let me know you are happy.  You can do this easily by leaving a positive comment in the feedback section: {FEEDBACK LINK}.

To help you remember, here is a link to the item you purchased: {ITEM LINK}.

Thank you very much for your purchase.  It seems I have been lucky lately and have been overwhelmed with wonderful customers like yourself.
 
I hope you are pleased with the item, the speed of delivery and the communication you and I have shared.

If things are not well, please let me know as soon as possible so I can do what ever in my power to make it right.

Thanks a million,

{BUYER}
_______________________________________________

Step 4. So, the item was delivered 2 weeks ago and you STILL have not heard from the buyer or received the positive comment. 

BE SURE to check the delivery confirmation to make sure it did in fact get to its expected destination.

A sample message you could offer is:

_______________________________________________
Hello {BUYER},

{TITLE}
{SHIPPED DATE}
{ITEM LINK}

I wanted to drop you a note to make sure you received you item and all is well.  When you get a free moment, drop me a line and let me know all is well or leave positive feedback by following this link: {FEEDBACK LINK}

The shipping you paid went ONLY to the cost to get your item to you and the item was shipped within a day or two of your prompt payment.

If for any reason you are not satisfied 100%, send me an email.  In order for me to be better at what I do, I need to know when I mess up.  So, if I did, please let me know.

Thanks a million,

{SELLER}

Note: Every eBay user has a Feedback profile made up of comments from other eBay users.
__________________________________________

I usually do not send another email message.  After 2 or 3 weeks, I drop it.  However, you do have more options to make sure you do not miss out on feedback from this individual again.

First, you must ask yourself an important question.  Is feedback more important than making the sale?  If you feel feedback is very important to you, the next option would be to block the buyer from making purchases from you again.

This may seem drastic and I have never blocked an individual before due to not getting feedback, but it will help you in the future from selling to individuals who do not participate in the eBay community and the feedback forums.

If you are wondering in what order feedback should be left, consider reading my guide, “Dude, Where’s My Feedback?”

If this guide was helpful, let me know by clicking “yes” below.  If it was not, send me a message or ideas of your own I could consider.

Show The World Your World; Share A Photograph. TM