Evaluate the item's seller once you have identified the item's current bid price and the amount of time remaining for bidding, and once you have decided that you may be interested in buying. Information on sellers can be found at the top right of auction listings, in the area labeled "Meet the seller."
Seller information is composed of the following items:
- Seller's eBay User ID. The first item in the "Seller Information" box is the eBay User ID of the seller in question. This is the person from whom you would be buying, were you to bid on and win the auction.
- Seller's feedback score. Shown in parentheses after the seller's eBay User ID is the seller's feedback, a number that can be used to measure the seller's relative experience and success as an eBay user. Higher numbers are better.
- Positive feedback percentage. Below the seller's feedback score, you'll see a percentage. This number is calculated by comparing the positive and negative evaluations of people with whom the seller has traded in the past. A higher number indicates a higher percentage of satisfied trading partners, a lower number just the opposite.
- "See detailed feedback." Click on this phrase just below the seller information to see how previous buyers have rated the seller on specific aspects of their transactions, like shipping speed and communication promptness. Sellers must maintain a detailed feedback rating of more than four stars (out of five) to continue to sell on eBay.
- "Ask the seller a question." Click on this phrase just below the seller information when you have questions about an item you're thinking about bidding on, or when you want to communicate with the seller for any reason. You'll be shown a form that you can use to email the seller.
Understanding Feedback
The feedback system is an essential part of the eBay market, and is your most basic tool against fraud as an eBay bidder or buyer. Don't place a bid on or buy an item until you fully understand the eBay feedback system.More Seller and Feedback Tips
The positive feedback percentage can be deceptive. The vast majority of eBay members have positive feedback percentages above 90 percent and most of these have positive feedback percentages above 95 percent. At first glance, these numbers look very, very good.Be careful, though—a seller whose feedback rating is "90 percent positive" is also 10 percent negative. This means that 1 out of 10 eBay members who did business with this person were dissatisfied! As a statistic, 90 percent sounds great, but if you're actually planning to buy an item from a seller, you might want better odds than knowing you have a 1 in 10 chance of being dissatisfied.
By comparison, a seller whose feedback rating is "99 percent positive" has only left 1 out of every 100 customers dissatisfied, and if you limit yourself to buying from sellers who are 99.8 percent or better (as I do), you know that only 1 out of every 500 customers was unhappy. Of course, sellers that are 100 percent positive should always be your first choice, if the price is right.
Next, read about finding the item's location and what it costs to ship, or learn more about all of the elements of eBay item listings!
