The Complete Guide to eBay Seller Feedback

eBay feedback explained

eBay’s feedback system determines the reputation and standing of both sellers and buyers on eBay. This system is mainly based on a numeric value of points that sums up each eBay member’s feedback score. The feedback score appears near each member’s user ID and usually has a colored star near it.

The numeric value given for your feedback score represent a sum of feedback points. A positive feedback gains you a point, a neutral feedback doesn’t and a negative feedback removes a point from your score. Only feedback from a buyer can be negative or neutral, a seller can only leave for a buyer positive feedback.

The star near your feedback score represent a level that you’ve reached. It starts with a yellow star that represents a feedback score of 10-49 and reaches a silver shooting star the represents a feedback score of over a million(!).

eBay sellers have an additional rating, the detailed seller rating (DSR), which rates sellers on 4 specific criteria: item as described, communication, shipping time and shipping & handling charges.

Also, sellers have a positive feedback percentage rating that calculates what percentage of their feedback in the last 12 months was positive.

When buyers or sellers leave feedback they can also leave a comment that also shows up in the eBay member’s feedback profile.

Why should I care about my eBay seller feedback score?

Your eBay seller feedback is one of the first things that a potential buyer sees, since it’s right there near your eBay user ID. That’s why your eBay feedback score is a key factor is determining your reliability as a seller. In addition, eBay uses DSRs to determine a listing’s rank in searches. This means that sellers with a higher feedback score will tend to rank better in eBay’s search results.

So not only will your eBay seller feedback score sway a buyer one way or the other, it also will determine if potential buyers will even show up in your listings. This clearly shows why you should care about your eBay seller feedback score.

Where can I check my eBay seller feedback?

Under your eBay feedback profile page you can find your detailed seller rating, the abbreviated version also appears in your eBay user ID page. To reach your feedback profile simply click on your feedback score or enter your eBay user ID in this page: https://pages.ebay.com/services/forum/feedback.html

How to instruct buyers to leave feedback

Leaving feedback isn’t as simple as many eBay sellers would want it to be, in many cases buyers won’t leave feedback simply because they don’t understand how to. That’s why we provided you here with step-by-step guide on how to leave feedback. Feel free to share this guide with your buyers, or rewrite it.

How to avoid negative feedback

There are three golden rules to avoiding negative feedback. Follow these rules and you will be able to effectively avoid the main issues that lower sellers feedback score.

1. Describe & display your items accurately - One of the possible reasons for buyers leaving negative feedback is that a buyer believe the item was misrepresented on eBay. For instance if the condition of the item didn’t match the buyer’s expectations, or if the buyer found an undisclosed flaw on the item when it arrived. To avoid negative feedback that results from misinformation or lack of info, make sure that you describe the item as accurately as you can and that you add to each listing a few photos that show the item clearly (including defects, if there are any).

2. Communication is the key here - Most problems can be avoided by good communication. So check you messages often and make sure you are available, so that if buyers have questions you can answer them in a timely manner.

3. Fast delivery, keep buyer informed - It’s no secret that buyers expect you to deliver their order sooner rather than later, so try to minimize the shipping time by packaging & delivering the package as soon as possible. Also, buyers like to be updated regarding the whereabouts of their order, so once you ship the item make sure that you update in eBay the tracking ID for the item.

How to remove negative feedback

Under certain conditions eBay will consider removing negative feedback,  as in cases where the feedback isn't relevant to the seller’s performance or if the buyer violated one of eBay’s policies. Read in eBay’s website how and when you can remove negative feedback.

How to increase your eBay feedback

Sadly it’s quite common that unsatisfied buyers will leave negative feedback, while satisfied buyers will forget. That’s why it’s crucial that you remind buyers to leave feedback.

That’s where our "eBay Feedback Reminder" comes into play. eBay feedback Reminder will automatically send a friendly and personalized reminder message to your buyers reminding them to leave feedback for their purchase. This will allow you to improve your seller feedback and increase your eBay feedback score.

Want to improve your eBay seller feedback?

Try out eBay feedback Reminder for FREE!