Protect your feedback profile—and your reputation—from the proverbial slings and arrows of disgruntled eBayers.
In most cases, negative feedback is unnecessary. And I’m sure that if you just received negative feedback, you’ll agree in a heartbeat. But the reason that negative feedback is unnecessary is that it’s usually avoidable. Complaints are usually lodged for one of the following reasons:
A buyer will leave negative feedback for a seller if the item doesn’t arrive quickly, if the item isn’t in as good condition as promised, or if the seller isn’t responsive to emails.
All of these are avoidable: see “Master Expectation Management” [Hack #50] and “Damage Control Before and After You Ship” [Hack #88] for tips to effectively prevent customers from being disappointed, both before and after the sale.
But it’s important to note that sometimes there’s only so much a seller can do to please a customer. For this reason, sellers must also do everything possible to convince their customers—especially inexperienced ones—to communicate any problems or concerns to the seller before they go ahead and leave feedback.
If you’re the seller, probably the easiest way to do this is to include a note inside all your packages with your email address (and phone number, if you wish) and the assurance that, if the customer has a problem, you’ll do everything you can to make the situation right. Sometimes the note alone is enough to make the customer happy.
A seller will leave negative feedback for a bidder who doesn’t pay. If you’re a bidder, you can avoid this by quite simply not bidding when you don’t intend to follow through and purchase the item. Sellers can usually prevent deadbeat bidders from bidding on their auctions—or rather, prevent bidders from becoming deadbeats—by following the tips in “Keep Out Deadbeat Bidders” [Hack #68] .
One of the most common causes of failed transactions—and the resulting negative feedback—is one party’s inability to receive email sent by the other. See “What to Do When Your Email Doesn’t Get Through” [Hack #9] for a variety of solutions.
A single negative feedback comment will often result in a reciprocal retaliatory feedback. Unfortunately, this is human nature, and there’s not much you can do about it. What’s worse, though, is that many eBay members don’t leave negative feedback where appropriate out of fear of retaliation. See “Withhold Feedback” [Hack #6] for an approach that may work to your advantage in these situations.
Any buyer or seller who lets another member get away with murder, simply for fear of retaliation, does the entire eBay community a disservice. Anyone who tries to blackmail you by threatening to leave negative feedback can be suspended for doing so; see the “SafeHarbor” sidebar for details.
It goes without saying that there are some very simple things you can do on an everyday basis to avoid negative feedback, and most of them involve simple etiquette. For example:
Be friendly, even if you’re not in a friendly mood.
Write in complete sentences.
Respond quickly when someone emails you, even if you don’t yet have an answer.
Be patient, and don’t panic if you don’t get immediate responses to your emails.
Be forgiving and understanding, especially with new eBay members. Take a little time to educate newbies rather than penalizing them for their inexperience.
Sellers: treat your customers like gold. Understand that when you have a bidder’s money, they can get anxious, suspicious, and downright demanding if you don’t reply to their emails quickly.
Buyers: sellers aren’t employed by you, so be nice. Courtesy, gratitude, and patience will go far. For instance, instead of complaining to the seller about a package that hasn’t yet arrived, ask the seller for the tracking number [Hack #29] and take matters into your own hands.
Be diplomatic, even if it means sometimes swallowing your pride.
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