On eBay, buyers and sellers can leave feedback about one another and their buying and selling transactions. Along the unique eBay bidding system, feedback is one of the basic things you should be familiar with before attempting to buy on eBay, since it can mean the difference between getting a great deal and getting scammed. It's also an important topic for sellers, since a good feedback profile can mean the difference between turning a profit or losing money on a sale.
Every eBay member has a feedback profile that consists of four primary elements:
- A feedback score. This is the number displayed in parentheses every time an eBay member ID is shown on the eBay website. This number is calculated by subtracting the number of users reporting a poor trading experience with the member in question from the number of users reporting a good trading experience with them. The number is followed by a star that gives a visual cue about the member's reputation.
- A feedback percentage. Seen in every eBay item listing, this number is the percentage of
buyers reporting a positive trading experience with the seller in question over the past year.
- Detailed seller ratings. These
detailed
ratings score sellers in four ways (accuracy in describing the item,
communication, shipping speed, and shipping and handling charges) on a scale
from one to five stars. They appear only for sellers that have been given at
least 10 detailed ratings by buyers in the last year.
- A list of feedback reports from other eBay members. By clicking on a member's feedback score, other eBay members can read reports from those that have traded with the member in question. along with information about each transaction, including its value. You can find such a public list for any eBay member by searching for their feedback profile by member ID.
You can see your own feedback profile at any time by visiting your My eBay page and clicking on the number following your own eBay member ID at the top of the page, next to the words "My eBay."
