If you think of eBay as a social forum, Feedback is your popularity rating. For every transaction that takes place on eBay, buyers and sellers have the opportunity to rate eachother by leaving Feedback. Also before engaging in a transaction with a buyer or seller, eBay participants can view a buyer or seller's previous ratings in their Feedback Forum, and based on previous ratings and comments, determine whether or not they wish to do business with a particular buyer or seller.

So how does feedback work??

Each feedback rating consists of a positive, negative, or neutral rating, as well as a brief comment left by the buyer or seller. These ratings and comments allow other eBay Community members to get a good idea of how that rated individual does business and how previous customers who have bought or sold from them have been treated in the past.

Feedback ratings are cumulative, adding ?points? to your Feedback score. One point is added for a positive rating, a point is deducted for a negative rating, and a neutral rating has no effect on the score. eBayers with a score of at least 10 are given a yellow star, and as you accumulate points you receive various stars of various colors, up to a score of 100,000 which gets a red shooting star. These stars are symbols of trust and reliability which other eBay members can use to evaluate you.

Why would I get negative feedback?

When a customer is dissatisfied with a purchase, or the way they were treated, this can result in negative feedback. Also, when a seller is unhappy with how a buyer behaved in the transaction, negative feedback can result as well. Things that may result in negative feedback are:

-failing to make a payment for an auction you won, making payments late, or ignoring that you won the auction

-misrepresenting a product you sell by lying or using a false picture in your item description

-taking too long to ship a product to an eBay buyer, or failing to send the product although payment has been made

-rude or offensive business practices

-making a payment that is fraudulent, or making a payment with a check that is not good

-anything that basically makes the buyer or seller unhappy with the transaction

How can I avoid negative feedback?

Negative feedback is an ugly thing, and no one really likes to see it or get it. Fortunately there are several things you can do to ensure to your best knowledge, that you are doing everything on your part to avoid negative feedback. This simple and practical advice can save you a bad reputation, and ensure your eBay success:

-Make sure the items you are selling are honestly represented in your item description. If you are using stock photos, make sure that it is EXACTLY what the item looks like. Do not fail to mention damage, malfunctions, or falsify factual information the customer needs to know

-Be sure to mail all items and payments ON TIME. No one likes to be kept waiting, and late payments/shipments are a sure bet that you'll probably never transact with that party again.

-Respond to all correspondence and questions IMMEDIATELY. Online customers usually do not like to wait more than 8 minutes for an email response. While this response time may be a little extreme for some people, keep in mind that the faster you get back to a potential customer, the greater the chance that they will bid on your item once their questions are answered. This is why it is important to have a thorough item description which can answer any possible questions the customer may have.

-It may seem like common sense, but it you receive a payment for an item, MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THROUGH! Either mail out the item within 24 hours or refund the customers money immediately.

Hope this was helpful! Good luck and Happy eBaying!