- Feedback can't be left by just anyone. In order for an eBay member to provide feedback about another member, the two of them must have done business together through an item listing. For each transaction completed on eBay, two pieces of feedback can be left: the buyer can leave feedback about the seller, and the seller can leave feedback about the buyer.
- Feedback doesn't show the results of all transactions. Because buyers and sellers can decide whether or not they wish to leave feedback about a transaction, most eBay feedback profiles are incomplete. That is to say that there may be many good (or many bad) transactions completed by the member in question about which no feedback was ever left, simply because the other party didn't feel the need to do so.
- Feedback is serious. Because feedback impacts a member's ability to buy or sell successfully, eBay takes the integrity of the feedback system very seriously. Incorrect feedback, abusive feedback, or obscene feedback are thus not tolerated. In fact, there are a number of rules that apply specifically to feedback.
- Feedback is generally non-negotiable. Because feedback is considered an open forum for buyers and sellers to report on the performance of their trading partners, feedback cannot generally be removed or hidden simply because someone is unhappy with a trading partner's review, though there are a few exceptions to this rule. Since 2008, means have also been in place for buyers to revise negative feedback left about sellers, should their opinions subsequently change.
- Negative feedback can only be left by buyers. Though in the past either buyers or sellers could leave negative feedback for their trading partners, since 2008 only buyers have been able to leave negative feedback for their trading partners. This means that an eBay trader who uses eBay primarily for shipping may have a higher rating than is actually justified by their behavior or demeanor.
If you can keep these things in mind as you view another eBay member's feedback profile, you'll be able to more objectively evaluate their feedback rating.
