Understanding eBay's Feedback Policy: Everything Sellers Need to Know in 2025

Selling on eBay comes with many challenges, not the least of which is understanding the marketplaces ever-changing seller policies. Among the many policies eBay has in place to govern everything from payment processing to shipping times, eBay's Feedback Policy is arguably one of the most important ones. Feedback has a significant effect on your day-to-day selling experience, with every feedback having the potential to affect your sales going forward, which is why staying on top of eBay Feedback Policy updates is important for maintaining steady sales. This guide will explain eBay's feedback policy, discuss how it addresses feedback removal, and help you understand your rights and obligations as a seller when it comes to buyer feedback.

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Understanding eBay's Feedback Policy

As an ecommerce marketplace, eBay has created a series of policies that lay out everything from expected conduct of sellers to what information listings must provide. As its name suggests, eBay's Feedback Policy pertains to how transaction feedback – both for buyers and sellers – is handled on the platform. Below, we'll explain the eBay Feedback Policy and its purpose, go over who it applies to, and understand how feedback left by buyer affects sellers.  

What is the Feedback Policy on eBay?

On eBay, every user is afforded the opportunity to leave feedback for a transaction in which they took part. This means that for every transaction, the buyer has an opportunity to leave at least one feedback for the seller, and the seller has an opportunity to leave one feedback for the buyer. This feedback will then be posted to each respective user's feedback profile on eBay, which is public by default, and can be hidden only by users who have no active listings and do not have an eBay Store.

The eBay Feedback Policy is a set of guidelines that determine how users can utilize this feedback system. The policy covers the content of the feedback, and, in some cases, the star rating that accompanies it. Overall, the eBay Feedback Policy aims to ensure that the feedback system is used for its intended purpose, and that it's not abused – by buyers or sellers.  

How Does Feedback Affect Sellers?

As a seller on eBay, your feedback profile is public and visible to every user on eBay, whether they've bought from you in the past or not. This is because the purpose of the feedback system is to enable users to predict the type of buying experience the might have with another user based on that user's previous experience with other buyers.

Feedback is a core component of your reputation as a seller, and in turn has a direct effect on the likelihood of sales in the future. Time and time again, online shoppers cite a seller's feedback as a major factor in their purchase decisions, with buyers overwhelmingly opting to buy from sellers who have a good reputation as opposed to those who've received a large number of negative feedbacks from previous customers.

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Latest Updates to eBay's Feedback Policy

The latest and most significant of the recent eBay Feedback Policy updates happened in late 2024, when eBay decided to add another instance where feedback would be removed across the board: declined order cancellations.

This new change was added to align with eBay's wider seller policies, which give sellers the discretion to decide whether or not they want to accept buyers' cancellation requests. In other words, sellers on eBay are well within their rights to decline a buyer's cancellation request, since it's the obligation of the buyer to complete a transaction just as much as it is the obligation of the seller.

That being said, while you'll certainly be protected from any negative feedback that complains about a declined cancellation, we do recommend extending a bit of courtesy and grace to your buyers in cancellation requests whenever possible. In our experience, it's best to accept the cancellation in cases where a buyer reaches out to you with a reasonable cancellation request. Whether their toddler managed to open their eBay app and place an order, they have a family emergency that requires them to travel, or any other reason, try to accommodate the buyer's request in situations where you'd appreciate a bit of leeway and understanding if the roles were reveresed. You might miss out on a sale in the moment, but will more than likely gain a loyal buyer in the future.

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When Will eBay Remove Feedback?

If you're an eBay seller, you may think that you don't need the eBay Feedback Policy explained, since you likely already have more than enough experience with feedback from past buyers on your feedback profile. But even if you've received feedback from buyers in the past, it's important to understand what buyers can and cannot write in their feedback per eBay's Feedback Policy, since it may very well work in your favor. If buyers are in violation of the policy, you can ask eBay to remove it from your feedback profile entirely. Below, we'll go over seven instances in which a buyer's feedback is in violation of eBay's Feedback Policy, and in which you should be able to reach out to eBay in order to get it removed.  

1. Extortion and manipulation

The purpose of eBay's feedback system is to provide a forum for buyers to share their experience with other users, and to offer sellers a way to publicly respond. Use of the feedback system to extort or manipulate users is prohibited by eBay, and any feedback left with that aim will be promptly removed.

Extortion and manipulation can encompass a wide variety of behaviors, but most typically buyers will threaten to leave negative feedback – or promise to leave positive feedback – in an attempt to get something extra that they didn't pay for when they purchased an item. This can be anything from trying to extort a discount, demanding the seller tack on additional items for free, or trying to get upgraded shipping, and is a clear violation of eBay's policies. If you received a feedback like this, or have had a buyer threaten to leave one if you don't meet their demands, simply reach out to eBay. You'll be protected against harmful feedback, and the buyer might even find themselves actioned against by eBay per the Abusive Buyer Policy.

2. Transaction issues relating to the buyer

If a buyer leaves you negative feedback for transaction issues that are their fault, you'll be able to contact eBay to remove the feedback. Buyer-related transaction issues include cancellations due to problems with the buyer's shipping address, payment method/failure to pay, as well as negative feedback left by a buyer who's cancellation request was rejected after they'd placed their order. Most commonly, however, it will be a buyer complaining about something that was clearly disclosed in the listing. For example, if you're a reseller of secondhand items and have clearly disclosed the an item's flaws in the listing (in our experience, it's wise to cover all your bases and do this in the description and in the photos), feedback that complains about an explicitly disclosed flaw will be removed by eBay.

3. Delivery and shipping issues

While the eBay Feedback Policy doesn't cover you against all shipping complaints, it does safeguard against those that aren't the fault of the seller. eBay will remove feedback that

1. complains about import costs, customs fees, and taxes that the buyer is liable for,
2. claims a shipment was late when the tracking information shows that the seller has met their shipping and handling obligations,
3. complains about delayed shipping where the cause of the delay was a natural disaster or other unexpected event outside of the seller's control.

4. Item return issues

In online sales, returns are bound to happen. eBay knows this, and aims to make the process as fair as possible for both buyers and sellers. As such, there are many instances in which eBay's Feedback Policy protects sellers from buyers who misunderstand – or misuse – their protections under eBay's Return Policy. These include:

• Negative feedback that complains about a declined return request for a change-of-mind ("buyer's remorse") return, if the return was requested after the timeframe outlined in your eBay Business Policy for the listing, or if the listing didn't offer returns.
• Negative feedback complaining about having to pay the return shipping costs via an eBay label on a change-of-mind return
• Negative feedback complaining that the seller deducted a portion of the refund for an item that was returned damaged or having clearly been used by the buyer
• Negative feedback left about returns, when a seller offers free returns, processed the buyer's return, and refunded the buyer.

5. eBay site issues

While not explicitly stated in the eBay Feedback Policy, negative feedback left by buyers complaining about the functionality of the eBay site will very likely be removed by eBay. Ultimately, these comments are not a reflection of the seller and their ability to fulfill the buyer's order, so they have no place on a seller's feedback profile. Additionally, they reflect poorly on eBay, and are often rather subjective. Feedback like this can include comments complaining about the functionality of eBay as a site, or those comparing the experience on eBay to another marketplace.

6. Irrelevant or nonsensical feedback

As mentioned before, eBay's feedback has a very specific purpose: providing a forum for buyers to share their experience of a given transaction, both for the purpose of feedback to the seller and for the benefit of future shoppers. As such, any feedback that's not relevant to the transaction will be removed by eBay. This includes:

• Negative ratings accompanied by positive comments, or positive ratings accompanied by negative comments
• Feedback and comments that were intended for a different transaction
• Irrelevant or meaningless comments that don't pertain to the transaction
• Feedback containing images that aren't of the purchased item
• Feedback that includes personal opinions on social, religious, or political issues.

7. Abusive feedback

In line with eBay's general code of conduct, eBay's Feedback Policy prohibits feedback that is abusive, harmful, or profane. Feedback that contains any profanity or other abuse is instantly eligible for removal, even if the rest of the content is entirely relevant and warranted. Content that qualifies a feedback as abusive or harmful includes:

• Comments or language that promotes hatred, discrimination, or violence
• Use of obscene language, adult or explicit content, and illegal content
• Comments containing personally identifiable information, also known as doxing
• Comments that contain personal attacks that can be harmful to a seller or their business, and that do not reasonably constitute constructive criticism
• Feedback that includes threats and other forms of intimidation, whether implied or explicit
• Feedback that infringes on the rights of a third party
• Feedback that includes URLS, links, or comments that promote sales outside of eBay

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How to Handle Negative Feedback on eBay as a Seller

While recent eBay Feedback Policy updates have broadened the cases in which negative feedback is eligible for removal, they don't provide complete protection against all forms of negative feedback. Sometimes, buyers will leave negative feedback that doesn't meet the criteria for removal per eBay's Feedback Policy, and in those cases, you'll need to handle the feedback on your own.

If the feedback isn't eligible for removal by eBay, the only option you have to remove a negative feedback as a seller is by getting the buyer to agree to do so. Your first course of action will be to try to get the buyer to remove or revise their negative feedback by reaching out to them to resolve the problem. Only then, after you've satisfactorily rectified the problem, should you request that the buyer revise or remove their feedback. Even then, it's important to not make any action – whether it's a refund, future discount, prepaid return label, or any other gesture – contingent upon the buyer revising or removing the feedback. This is against eBay's policies, as it is considered incentivizing feedback. If the buyer ultimately does agree to edit their feedback, you'll need to send them a Feedback Revision Request, which will allow them to go back and edit the feedback as they see fit. The window of opportunity will be short – you can only send a revision request within 30 days of receiving the feedback, and, once sent, will only be accessible to the buyer for 10 days. Additionally, sellers only have 5 feedback revision requests available to them per calendar year, so use them wisely.

In the event that you haven't been able to reach an understanding with the buyer, we strongly recommend leaving a response to their feedback. Your response is not aimed at the buyer – it's your opportunity to present your side of the story to future shoppers. As it's visible to all eBay users, ensure that your response is courteous, factual, and professional, and that it adheres to the guidelines of the eBay Feedback Policy – not profane language, no identifying information, and no personal attacks. Not only do these violate eBay's policies, but they also reflect poorly on you as a seller, and will put future buyers off of buying from you rather than making your case.

Finally, in particularly problematic cases, such as combative buyers or buyers who outright refuse to communicate, we suggest considering the option of blocking the buyer from buying from you in the future. While this won't resolve the feedback already left, it will prevent them from being able to further harm your business in the future. In our experience, this is the best way to handle problematic buyers; it saves you unnecessary work and frustration, and preempts any possible negative feedback or resolution case from the buyer should they ever wish to purchase another one of your items. Additionally, if you feel that the buyer's behavior constitutes a breach of eBay's Abusive Buyer Policy, you could choose to go the extra mile and report them to eBay.