Improve Your Trustworthiness Quickly
Don’t let an apparent lack of experience hurt your success on eBay.
“Bad credit? No credit? No problem!”
A low feedback rating can hurt a buyer or seller nearly as much as a feedback profile with an excessive amount of negative comments. Luckily, there are a few things new users can do to gain trust within the eBay community.
Newbie Buyers
Many sellers, primarily those who have had a bad experience with a non-paying bidder, are understandably apprehensive about bidders with low or zero feedback. So, if you see an auction in which the seller has written a warning about such bidders, drop him a quick note by clicking “Ask seller a question,” just to let him know you’re serious.
Tip
If you’re a seller, see [Hack #54] for effective ways of dealing with newbie buyers as well as bidders who don’t pay.
Newbie Sellers
It’s harder to be a new seller on eBay than a new buyer; a seller with low or zero feedback will have a hard time selling anything. Trust, after all, takes on a bigger role when someone else’s money is at stake.
The best thing to do (and, coincidentally, the most fun) is to buy a few things before you start selling. Not only is this an easy way to build up feedback, but it will give you some experience in what it’s like to be a buyer, which will ultimately make you a better seller.
Tip
Note that eBay will also lift some restrictions when you’ve beefed up your feedback. For instance, once you reach a feedback rating of 10, you’ll ...