eBay Buyers: When to Leave Neutral and Negative Feedback

When you purchase a product from eBay, you have the option of leaving feedback. Feedback is crucial to buying and selling on eBay -- it helps weed out scams, determine if the person is truthful, and shows how they do business. If you buy on eBay, you'll want to pay close attention to a seller's feedback score. Too low and the seller isn't trustworthy; a perfect score is exemplary. If you're a new eBay buyer with no clue about the feedback system, you won't know when to leave neutral or negative feedback. Do you leave negative feedback if they don't respond to your email? When do you use a neutral rating? Here are some guidelines to follow.

When To Leave Neutral Feedback on eBay
If the seller didn't meet your expectations, you should leave neutral feedback. Neutral feedback doesn't affect a seller's feedback score (it stays the same, hence the word 'neutral'), but it doesn't allow the seller to collect the positive feedback point. A neutral rating is more common than negative rating -- only use negative ratings in extreme cases.

Here's when you should leave neutral feedback:

- Poor communication. If a seller doesn't respond to any of your emails, that's poor communication.

- False advertising. If the product doesn't look as good as in the photo, that's false advertising. If the color is different than in the photo, that's false advertising also. If the product looks different than in the photo, leave neutral feedback.

- Delayed shipping. If the seller says you should receive the product in 1 week and you get it a month later, leave neutral feedback.

If this happens to you, here's how to leave neutral feedback:

- No swearing! If you're angry, don't write any sort of feedback. Wait until you're calm, then write it.

- Use proper spelling and grammar.

- Stay away from insults or derogatory comments. If you're angry about the slow shipping, don't type "I didn't get this for a month! This is a terrible seller and I'll never buy from him again!" It doesn't look good for you, and you risk getting negative feedback yourself.

- Briefly discuss what was promised and why that promise was broken. If they sold white rose petals and the petals looked gray in person, say "The photo made the rose petals look white, but they're actually gray." If they said it would arrive in a week and it arrived a month later, write "In their description they said it would arrive in a week, but I received it after a month."

Note: Only write about the broken promise. Leave personal feelings out of it. Do not write "They said it would arrive in a week but I got it after a month. This service sucks!"

When To Leave Negative Feedback on eBay
In extreme cases you'll need to leave negative feedback. Use this sparingly. Only use this in worst-case scenarios when major problems surface, such as not receiving your product. Here's when you should leave negative feedback:

- Again, if you never received your product. Go to My eBay tab, look for "Report an item not received" in the shortcuts area and report the seller. If the seller does not refund your money or send another product, leave negative feedback.

- If they sent the wrong product. Click on My eBay tab and report it the same way. If the seller refuses to send the right product, leave negative feedback.

- If the product is significantly different than in the picture. Let's say you ordered a bra decorated with silk red roses and glitter (yes, I know, it wasn't pretty to begin with). When the package arrived, you opened it and pulled out a bra with a couple of roses with no glitter. Some of the roses are falling off -- obviously, this seller hastily glued on the roses. The roses aren't even silk! You're outraged! The seller promised a wonderful bra with silk roses and sparkling glitter!

That's when you report it to eBay. Again, go to My eBay tab and report it by clicking the same button. Leave negative feedback accordingly.

Here's some guidelines to writing negative feedback:

- Again, proper spelling and grammar.

- Keep your personal feelings and emotions out of it.

- Report the facts. Let's say you're writing a negative comment about your mishandled bra. After two boxes of chocolate and shed tears, you decide to write about your horrible experience. This is how you write it: "In the description, the seller said it was a bra with silk roses sewn into the fabric. The cups were covered in glitter. When I received it, there were only a couple of roses with no glitter. Some of the roses were falling off. They looked glued on and the roses were cotton, not silk."

- Again, no insults or derogatory comments. Don't write "When I got my bra it the roses were falling off! They were glued on! How stupid does this seller think I am? This was an awful experience!"

Wait! Before You Leave Any Neutral or Negative Feedback on eBay...
Before you write any neutral or negative feedback, contact the seller. Most sellers want buyers to contact them if a problem occurs. Sellers usually have this in their item description.

Also, make sure to read a seller's policy before you buy. If a seller explicitly states that the color varies, don't post neutral feedback if the color is off. eBay says this in their policy also: follow the seller's regulations when you buy. If you don't like the regulations, don't buy it. eBay cannot help you if you don't follow this. Practice these two steps before leaving neutral and negative feedback -- everyone will be happier.