It's one thing to understand the basic mechanics of feedback, but it's another to have a good sense for what to focus on in a feedback rating. Here are some tips and things to look for:
- High percentages can be deceptive. Though it's tempting to see a feedback percentage like "90% positive" to be very favorable, in truth this number can also literally be read as "10% negative," meaning that fully 1 of every 10 people to trade with this member left dissatisfied. Those are not particularly good odds. For best results, seek out trading partners that very closely approach, or maintain, "100% positive" feedback percentages.
- Percentages are important. Some eBay sellers have done a lot of business—enough to generate a feedback score that numbers in the tens of thousands. Don't let yourself be impressed by a very large feedback score alone, however. Remember that the score is simply the number of negatives subtracted from the number of positives. A feedback score of 20,000 with a 91 percent positive rating represents a seller who has dissatisfied fully 1,978 other eBay members!
- Low scores aren't necessarily good or bad. Because all new eBay members begin with a feedback score of zero (no transactions completed, therefore no reports from other eBay members), it's not uncommon to see buyers and sellers with very low feedback scores on eBay. Be careful when trading with such users. Everyone needs to start somewhere, but users very new to eBay are less likely to be familar with common practices, and in some rare cases, these low-score accounts are simply new accounts created by users who have already had previous accounts banned, perhaps even several times.
If you're new to eBay, you should limit yourself to buying from sellers who have feedback scores of 100 or higher and whose feedback percentage is 99 percent or higher. Once you've got a few transactions under your belt, then you can feel free to expand to a more diverse trading clientele.
Even with these relatively safe guidelines in tow, you should always be sure to study an item listing carefully before you buy.
