Changes to Feedback - FAQ eBay’s Feedback system continues to evolve as the community and marketplace dynamics change.
The eBay Feedback system was originally designed to provide a simple, honest, accurate record of the buyer's and seller's online experience to ensure safe and satisfactory trading. It was driven by the belief that through a transparent reputation system, members could hold each other accountable. Over time, we found that the risk of retaliation from some sellers made some buyers reluctant to hold sellers accountable and leave honest feedback.
To address this, we've made a number of changes to maintain its accuracy and accountability. These changes should help to differentiate and reward sellers who provide a positive buying experience on eBay, as well as to identify under-performing sellers more quickly and accurately. What is changing?
Ensuring seller protection and performance
Negative and neutral Feedback removal
Recent Feedback (12 months Positive Percentage)
Repeat Feedback credit
What changes are being made to the eBay Feedback system?The main changes to the system being introduced in May:Sellers will no longer be able to leave negative or neutral Feedback for buyers. Beginning in February 2008, we enabled buyers and sellers to earn up to one Feedback per week from the same trading partner. In May we will provide credit for similar repeat transactions going back to when the system was introduced in 1996. This change is designed to recognise sellers who attract repeat buyers. Negative or neutral feedback from members who are permanently suspended or who fail to respond to Unpaid Item claims by sellers will be removed. Positive Feedback percentage will be based on the past 12 months of Feedback, rather than lifetime Feedback, since this is more indicative of the seller's recent performance. Restrictions on when Feedback can be left:
Buyers must wait 7 days before leaving negative or neutral Feedback for active PowerSellers who have been registered for at least 12 months. Members must leave Feedback within 60 days of the transaction closing (today, members have up to 90 days).
Removal of the Mutual Feedback Withdrawal process.
Sellers who attract repeat buyers should be rewarded when they receive repeat Feedback.No negative or neutral Feedback for buyers
The previous system prevented some buyers from leaving honest Feedback since they feared retaliation from the sellers if they left a negative. This made the Feedback system less reliable for buyers as a means of identifying the best and worst sellers. In addition, many buyers who received retaliatory negative Feedback reduced their activity on eBay, which in turn harmed sellers.
Removal of negative and neutral Feedback from suspended members
Members who are suspended for Unpaid Items or other policy breaches should not be permitted to harm the reputation of members in good standing.
Preventing negative or neutral Feedback from being left within 7 days of a transaction for PowerSellers who have been registered at least 12 months
Buyers who buy from PowerSellers who have been on eBay for at least 12 months have fewer bad buying experiences. A 7-day block on negative and neutral Feedback for these sellers encourages buyers to communicate and explain their problems, and allows sellers time to resolve them.
Removal of Mutual Feedback Withdrawal
The Mutual Feedback Withdrawal process is less relevant on a site where only buyers can leave neutral or negative feedback. We felt that leaving it in place created two risks: that buyers might be pressured or harassed by some sellers who wanted them to change their Feedback, and that sellers might be subject to extortion by some buyers who left a negative and then imposed unreasonable conditions to withdraw it.
There are also a number of other changes to the Feedback system in May that reduce the need for the Mutual Feedback Withdrawal process: Enhancing Buyer Requirements – sellers will be able to block bidders with a record of non-payment or policy breach. 7 day waiting period before a buyer can leave negative or neutral Feedback for PowerSellers who have been on site for at least 12 months. Enhancements to the Leave Feedback flow, encouraging the buyer to communicate with the seller before negative or neutral Feedback is left. Positive Feedback percentage will be based on the past 12 months, which lessens the long-term impact of an unfair negative. Removal of neutral or negative Feedback when a buyer becomes suspended, so suspended buyers won’t be able to negatively impact a seller’s record.
As they can do today, sellers can respond to any negative or neutral Feedback via the Reply to Feedback option. Buyers can also leave a follow-up to their original comment.
Reducing the time a member can leave Feedback from 90 days to 60 days
Today, less than 5% of all Feedback left is between day 60 and day 90. There are some legitimate reasons to leave Feedback after 60 days, but with electronic payment methods like PayPal and quicker and more reliable options for posting items overseas, transaction times have decreased since the Feedback system was created almost 12 years ago. Further, it is important that members leave Feedback early in order to let other members know whether their experience was positive or negative.
The buyer requirements tool enables sellers to prevent or limit the buyers from bidding or buying their items if certain criteria have not been met. The criteria are: Buyer does not have a PayPal account Buyer has a recent Unpaid Item strike (new) Buyer is registered in a country where seller doesn't dispatch to Buyer has a recent eBay policy breach (new) Buyer who may have bid on several of my items and not paid for them
If there is clear evidence of extortion, or if the buyer has displayed a pattern of malicious behaviour, eBay will most likely suspend the buyer. If we suspend the buyer, any negative or neutral Feedback the buyer has left for sellers will be removed. Sellers should only file these complaints when the buyer asks for more than what is promised in the listing. Filing false claims may result in sanctions against the seller.What happens to negative Feedback left by currently suspended members?Negative or neutral Feedback left by currently suspended members will be removed beginning in May 2008.Why is eBay removing negative and neutral Feedback left by suspended members?Members who are suspended for Unpaid Items or other offences should not be permitted to harm the reputation of members in good standing.Will the negative or neutral Feedback removed due to member's suspension ever be reinstated?Feedback removal due to member's suspension is permanent; it would only be reinstated if the member was suspended by mistake.Now that sellers can no longer leave negative Feedback for buyers, will all the negative and neutral Feedback they have left so far be removed?Negative and neutral Feedback left for buyers prior to the change will remain unless the seller is suspended.Will detailed seller ratings (DSRs) be impacted if Feedback is removed based on member suspension?As is the case today, if eBay removes a Feedback rating for any reason, the corresponding detailed seller ratings are also removed and will no longer impact the seller's ratings.Why is eBay basing the Positive Feedback percentage on the past 12 months and not on lifetime Feedback?A seller’s recent Feedback is more representative of the seller performance. Twelve months is long enough to show trends and patterns and will enable buyers to make more informed decisions. It is also is enough time to prevent a single bad transaction from having an overly negative impact on a seller’s overall rating.Please note that members will still be able to view a seller’s lifetime Feedback and all comments if they choose to. Will the change to the Feedback percentage, basing it on 12 months, also impact my Feedback score?The Feedback score (count of all Feedback earned) will continue to be based on all Feedback earned by the member since registration, except those withdrawn, de-scored or removed.How will eBay calculate the Positive Feedback percentage?The Positive Feedback percentage will be calculated by dividing all positive Feedback earned in the past year by all positive, neutral and negative Feedback.How will repeat Feedback be calculated?With the change in Feedback, members will soon be able to affect each other's Feedback Score by one point each week. To make sure that repeat Feedback is calculated in the Feedback Score, the transaction the members are leaving Feedback for must have ended in a separate week. For Feedback, eBay defines a week as Monday to Sunday, Pacific Time (8 hours behind GMT).Are the repeat Feedback calculations retroactive? Why not?eBay will begin counting repeat transactions in mid-February 2008. In May, we will retroactively recalculate your Feedback score to include all repeat activity prior to February 2008. For more information, check out the Repeat Feedback credit page.
How is the 98% positive Feedback score calculated to determine PowerSeller eligibility?The positive Feedback rating for PowerSeller programme eligibility is calculated the same way as the site Feedback rating visible on the Seller Information and Member Profile pages. The Feedback percentage is calculated:Based on the last 12 months Including repeat Feedback from members that have left Feedback for transactions that ended in different weeks By taking the total number of positive Feedback and dividing them by the total number of Feedback (including positive, negative and neutral).
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