eBay Policy Change - Sellers Can No Longer Leave Negative Feedback For Buyers

June 27, 2008 by Lukas Gilkey


- Image: tryork5ifp Feedback

I just got a notice from eBay that sellers can no longer leave neutral or negative feedback for buyers, just positive or nothing at all.

I'm pretty sure most of you guys buy and sell audio gear on eBay all the time like I do. This seems like a bit of a mixed bag to me. On one side I think it is great because people can now say if the buyer was shitty and not have to worry about getting negative feedback in return. I'll be honest, I don't leave feedback until I get a positive from a buyer or seller. I do it to protect my 100% feedback score and avoid getting negative feedback for no reason. There are a lot of assclowns on eBay and I don't trust anyone on there unless they have over 100 feedback with 99% positive or better.

Of course on the other side it sucks for people that sell regularly like retailers. If someone is just a downright pain in the ass and doesn't pay on time, or at all, the seller should have the ability to leave negative feedback. I'm not sure how his will turn out, but one thing is certain, I still won't be selling anything to people with 0 feedback.

Source: eBay
Comments (3)
joetama 4 months and 3 weeks ago

I have never trusted eBay. I pretty much sell & buy things on Audiogon and that is about it.
frootloops 4 months and 3 weeks ago

It's a double edge sword. As a buyer I like it, I can be really honest and say what I didn't (or did) like about the transaction. I've never maliciously left negative feedback and out of the hundreds of transactions I've done, I've only left negative feedback for the non payers/shippers (maybe a total of four times). And I've never even left neutral feedback on stuff that took a month or more to receive or a buyer that was trying my patience by taking weeks to pay, I would always leave positive and then mark them down appropriately with the "5 Star Rating" system that eBay recently added.

BUT as a seller I hate it because no matter what the item is, how fast you ship it, how accurate the photos and description are in the listing, you are going to run across that one buyer that is a royal pain in the ass and is dead set of screwing you over with negative feedback for one reason or another. I can't control the idiots at the USPS that don't know how to handle a package from point A to point B...

Just like anything on the internet you just have to protect yourself. As a buyer, pay for your items promptly and as a seller, be accurate in your listings and ship the item as fast as possible. 100% positive feedback with 500+ transactions and I'm planning on keeping it that way!
Dave Kay 4 months and 3 weeks ago

I also do 99% of my buying and selling on Audiogon. You get a 30 day listing for $6 with no fees, or you can get on the front page for $6 if you start an auction at $1 with no reserve. When buying, you have a pretty good idea of the condition of an item because of the 1-10 rating system, and Audiogon sellers are also generally a lot more forthcoming about any problems with an item.

On top of all that, Audiogon has a way bigger market for high-end items. Listing Wilsons on eBay for $30K is just a waste of time, nobody is going to buy, and if they actually do, the final value fee would be enormous. Audiogon always costs $6 whether the item is worth $3 or $3 Million.
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