Building Your Feedback for Your eBay Business
Feedback on eBay is one of the most important parts of your reputation as a seller. Your feedback score is displayed in parentheses next to your eBay member ID. Feedback is made up of comments and ratings left by other eBay members you’ve bought from and sold to. These comments and ratings are valuable indicators of your reputation as a buyer or seller on eBay. Solid, positive feedback means more customers will know just how trustworthy you are, before they purchase from you. Having no feedback is often times equal to, or even worse, than having bad feedback. It’s not hard to keep up a good reputation to solicit good feedback, but when you first start on eBay, having no feedback can hold you back from getting your eBay business off the ground. So how do you build up your feedback so you can get your eBay home business going?
Start off as a buyer on eBay. Yes, this doesn’t give you feedback as a seller, which is your ultimate goal, but buying on eBay and building up a good reputation as a buyer can prove to other buyers that you are likely to be a good seller, as well. Often times, buyers don’t look beyond your feedback rating to see where your good feedback comes from, so a solid positive feedback rating as a buyer can help you gain the trust of other eBay members.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money or time building up your feedback as a buyer. For a couple of weeks, bid on some very small items, or purchase things that you would need to purchase anyway through eBay instead. After you receive the item, leave feedback for the seller to prompt them to leave feedback for you. If they don’t, there’s no shame in asking them politely to leave you feedback. Explain to the seller that you are trying to build up your feedback reputation, and you would really appreciate it if they could take the time to rate the transaction for you.
When you have built up a few feedbacks, start selling. Start off small, because there will be buyers who are afraid to purchase from someone who doesn’t have a lot of feedback under their belt. That’s okay – with a few transactions, your feedback will be up in no time. Make a habit of leaving feedback for your seller first, after you know they receive the item okay. If they don’t return the favor, again, there’s no harm in asking them to leave feedback, explaining that you’re trying to build up a good reputation. Don’t ask until you’ve left feedback for them, however, because this can often perturb a buyer, since the traditional standard is that the seller leaves feedback first.
When you’ve gotten some feedback as both a buyer and a seller, it’s time to go to town with your selling business. A feedback score of 10-20 is a good range to hit before you really start selling. Once you have a high enough feedback, buyers will trust that you are a worthy seller, and you’ll have a much higher chance of selling your listed items. And it doesn’t hurt to still buy as you’re selling – if nothing else, you could always use the extra positive feedback!
Stay Tuned for more in our eBay series.
Jay
Excellent post, Jay and Lynne, I always check out the seller’s feedback before purchasing anything.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy