- Seller Feedback: The Line of First Defense
- Beyond the Numbers: Evaluating User Comments
- When a Deal Goes Bad: eBay's Buyer Protection System
- More Tips for Shopping Safely on eBay
Beyond the Numbers: Evaluating User Comments
There's more to eBay's feedback system than just the numbers, however. You can also read the individual comments left by other users by going to the user's Feedback Profile page. These comments will provide additional insight as to the strengths and weaknesses of a given seller.
To access a seller's Feedback Profile page, just click the user's feedback number. At the top left of the Feedback Profile page is the user's Feedback Score, followed by the Positive Feedback percentage.
Recent feedback ratings are summarized in the Recent Feedback Ratings pane. Feedback is broken out by positive, neutral, and negative ratings in the past month, past 6 months, and past 12 months.
Figure 2 Viewing detailed information and comments on a seller's Feedback Profile page
To the right of the Recent Feedback Ratings pane is the Detailed Seller Ratings pane. This lists buyers' ratings of four types of transaction details: Item as Described, Communication, Shipping Time, and Shipping and Handling Charges. Buyers rank each seller on a scale of one to five stars; the higher the average rating, the better the seller is on that particular detail.
Below this summary information is a list of all the feedback comments for this user. Click the Feedback as a Seller tab to view relevant comments on this seller.
These comments are often telling. A seller with a lot of comments about slow shipping is not one to deal with when you're buying something on a tight deadline, for example. You need to be smart and avoid those sellers who have a history of delivering less than what was promised. Let your fellow eBay users lead the way.