eBay works when everyone–buyers and sellers–buys into the feedback engine that forms the foundation of the community. Buyers can read reviews and ratings for sellers, and sellers can get a general idea of the reputation of buyers bidding on their items.
The ratings and review system provided a comfort level when online purchasing was new to most people. It’s become standard and expected now for all sites where consumers can purchase something.
Why then do a lot of eBay users fail to leave feedback? Not taking part in the system makes the system less accurate and less helpful to everyone. It erodes the basic foundation of the system.
Why don’t users leave feedback? Are they lazy? Did they have a negative experience but don’t want to hassle with leaving a negative comment? Are they afraid to leave a negative comment? Is the transparency of the feedback intimidating?
Did they not have a positive experience, but didn’t have a negative one either? So a neutral or uneventful experience doesn’t deserve feedback? Conventional wisdom holds that people are much more likely to act or comment when faced with a negative experience than a positive one. Maybe that’s just human nature.
The feedback engine fails everyone when some fail to participate.
