ebay Auction Feedback: Earning Trust Online
One of the things that makes it easier for auction sellers and buyers to trust each other is the eBay feedback system.
All users are tracked by eBay, who then posts a feedback score for that user. This is that little number in parentheses next to every user name on all eBay auction listings and in item description pages.
This feedback number is raised when a positive comment is posted by an eBay user, and lowered when a negative feedback is registered. Neutral feedbacks do not affect the score, but the comment can still be viewed by anyone on the eBay site.
Neutral comments still have a negative connotation. These are undesirable feedbacks to eBay users because they imply that something went wrong with the deal.
The eBay feedback system gives members of the eBay community a very reliable feeling for other eBay members' credibility... a user's feedback number is an instant indicator of how their past online auction deals were handled.
Only the first comment posted from another eBay user will affect the feedback number's running total. This prevents users from abusing other members with multiple negatives, just to lower their score artificially after a dispute. Also, the feedback comment must be associated with an actual eBay item number.
These rules keep auction users from dishonestly pumping up a friend or associate's feedback score, or worse: artificially inflating their own score.
In the past, certain sneaky and disreputable auction users would send out massive amounts of goodwill feedback to other users who they just noticed on the system, hoping those people would reply (which they often did).
These eBay users wanted their feedback scores raised quickly, to gain listing benefits like Buy it Now. Or maybe they would do it to look more established so they could pull an auction scam by listing a bunch of high priced items that they had no intention of selling.
The new system also helps you spot shill bidding and other forms of auction fraud. If you see a bunch of stuff that seems to be selling well and at artificially high levels, checkout that auction seller's feedback score.
If the seller is a new user whose feedback is real low, yet they always seem to have a few dedicated bidders in many auctions who are also new... you might want to check the feedback scores of all involved parties and examine some past auction deals and see what ties back to who.
It could be that these are established dealers trading inventories- but again, the key here is how high the number is. Established dealers have generally higher feedback scores. If you get that uneasy feeling in your gut at any time while scanning user comments, move on.... and congrats! You have successfully used the feedback system.
Sometimes it takes some experience to tell the good guys from the bad, but after some practice you will spot patterns of abuse pretty quickly.
In fact, it is much easier to use eBay nowadays, because when you see those huge scores, you can quickly click to the feedback page, and look quickly for two things: the number of negative remarks, and how many received in the past six months (as well as overall). If these numbers look good, go back and bid!
Remember, anyone can have two or three negative feedbacks. It's just a question of perspective. When you see an eBay powerseller with 12,000 positive feedbacks and seven lifetime negative comments- that's a pretty good indicator that they are the real deal.
If, on the other hand, a seller has three negative comments and they're a new user with five total sales, and they want you to send them $4000 for a plasma TV... BUZZER. SIREN. WARNING BELL. Walk away!
So, the new feedback rules help everyone out, and they undoubtedly saved the feedback system from becoming corrupted over the past few years. It's this kind of transparency that ultimately helped make eBay a success, and why other auction sites without it have failed or will fail in the very near future.
The feedback system is the backbone of user confidence on eBay- without it, users would not be able to see at a glance who is trustworthy, and who is new or old to the system.
For more about Feedback:
eBay Feedback: The Good, The Bad, and the Negative
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For more of this article:
Page 1: eBay auctions: An Introduction
Page 2: How do I use eBay?
Page 3: What kind of stuff can I find on eBay?
Page 4: Auction Feedback: Earning Trust Online
Page 5: eBay Beginners Guide to Avoiding Auction Fraud
Page 6: Why are eBay online auctions so popular?
Page 7: Intro to eBay stores
Page 8: The Power of eBay Search
