When you sell and buy items on eBay, you will get a chance to give and receive ‘feedback’.  The eBay feedback score is a rating system that allows eBay buyers and sellers to rate each other at the completion of a transaction.  Feedback may be rated as ‘positive’, ‘neutral’ or negative.  Along with the rating, the person leaving feedback can insert a comment based on how smoothly the transaction went during the buy and sell process. Here is an example:

The feedback score is cumulative, so that if you had 3 transactions, positive + positive then negative, your total score would be 1+1-1=2.  Similarly, if you had positive, followed by negative and negative, your total score would be 1-1-1=(-1).  This is a situation you MUST AVOID at all costs!  A negative feedback score will make it very difficult for you to buy or sell anything on eBay.

Along with your overall score, your feedback rating will include a ‘positive feedback percentage (%)’.  This is a calculation of your overall positive feedback scores as a percentage of your total feedback scores for the life of your eBay account.  In addition to all of the above, your feedback rating will also list all your scores (positive, neutral and negative) for the last month, 6 months and 12 months.

Why is getting higher feedback score so important? Firstly, many buyers will only buy from a seller with a relatively high feedback score.  The reason for this is a higher feedback score gives you a certain amount of credibility.  It signifies that you have been on eBay for some time, and have had quite a number of successful transactions and a lot of people have either bought from or sold goods or services to you and have been SATISFIED with the transactions.

If you sell an item, while another eBay member is selling the same item for the same price, but she or he has a greater feedback score than you, it is highly likely that a buyer will buy from the seller with the higher feedback score.

Additionally, many sellers will not sell to buyers with a feedback score of zero (0) or less.  The main reason for this is that a feedback score of zero or less, more often than not signifies that the buyer is using a new account on eBay, thus they have not proven to be a reputable buyer.  Fortunately, in some cases, you can remedy this by contacting the seller and ask for his permission to allow you to bid on the auction.

So be mindful of the importance of feedback rating.  It may be a little troublesome for new eBayers, yet the feedback is one of the best and useful elements for online transactions.  You will learn to value the feedback score sooner than you realize it.