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Feedback percentage question
I've been on eBay for 25 years. I took a hiatus, save for buying an item or two here and there. Now I'm getting back into selling again.
I recently sold two or three items. Despite testing the items (where applicable) before shipping, a buyer left negative feedback saying the item was burnt out. He did not contact me and I only noticed when I happened to notice my feedback score which, for some reason is around 88%, and I've never had anything below 99% in 25 years.
Two questions:
1. How can one sale out of 300 drop my score that much?
2. Had the uyer contacted me, i would have replaced the item or refunded his money. Can that still be done for a sale that happened 6 weeks ago or so?
Thank you,
Zach
selforfun
Mentor1 year agoHi @busamadman
Welcome back to selling - and yeah, the drop you're seeing is definitely jarring, but here's what’s happening:
1. Why did one negative drop your score so much?
Even though you’ve got 298 lifetime feedback, your feedback percentage is based only on the last 12 months.
So if you’ve only received a handful of feedback this year - say, 7 positives and 1 negative - that’s 7 ÷ 8 = 87.5%.
It’s just math, and unfortunately, one bad mark stands out more when your recent activity is low. As you sell more and get more feedback, that percentage will bounce back up.
2. Can you still fix it with the buyer after 6 weeks?
Yes, definitely worth a shot. Reach out to the buyer, offer a refund or replacement, and politely ask if they’d be willing to revise the feedback.
eBay allows one feedback revision per transaction if the buyer agrees - here’s the link for that:
https://www.ebay.com/help/account/feedback/revising-feedback?id=4191
Even if they don’t respond, don’t stress too much. One negative won't define your account long-term - just keep going and let the good feedback build up again.
busamadman
OP1 year agoThank you so much for the informative response, very much appreciated. Now I understand exactly what happened.
I have contacted the buyer only to realize that the transaction occurred on 12/30/24. I am not sure if that is too long ago to make any changes with 131 days since the transaction?
What annoys me particularly about the transaction is that the buyer never contacted me to let me know the piece was DOA. I would have gladly refunded their money, including shipping. Instead I get no contact, and a negative review which reads: "Item is burned out. Does not work. All reviews say the same thing. possible scam site."
If one looks at my feedback and track record this is clearly not true. Defamation, really. One has to go back more than a decade to find anything other positive, glowing reviews.
If the person doesn't respond, is there any recourse I have through eBay or is it OK for buyers to slander sellers because they got divorced and gave up smoking last week and want to unnecessarily take it out on someone they don't know?
A quick look at my feedback will prove the above statement absolutely true.
Thank you for your knowledge on this - massively appreciated.
Zach
mam98031
Mentor1 year agoYes it is too old to have it revised, even if the buyer agrees to it. To do this you need to get it done within 60 days of receiving the feedback.
While I know that low feedback number is shocking to you as I know it would be for me. Keep in mind that Ebay does NOT use feedback in the stats they evaluate sellers on every month. So that is a good thing.
Try to find some more stuff you can post for sale. Doesn't have to be in Auto. Anything you think you might be able to sell quickly. More feedback with help that number a lot. So you need some Transactions and buyers that are willing to leave feedback.
busamadman
OP1 year agoThank you all for the great information. Reading it made me feel better and I'm about to list a large number of items which should help out quite a bit.
Another thing that made me feel better is being able to post a response to my feedback. I wasn't a jerk, just explained that what they wrote wasn't fair and that they (and everyone) should look at my otherwise stellar feedback history.
It still bites that a buyer can just be vindictive for no good reason with little recourse for the seller. I did try in good faith to make it right with the buyer but it is impossible when there is no response whatsoever.
Ill just get back to selling and not worry about it, especially because my newest items will not be electronic or mechanical in nature.
Thanks very much for everyone's info and advice!
Zach.
mam98031
Mentor1 year ago@busamadman
Leaving responses on feedback can be a little tricky. For some sellers they can't seem to express themselves in a polite, professional manner as they take the feedback too personally and sadly often what the seller responds is worse than the feedback of the buyer. You did a pretty good job. But don't go into too much detail. How long you have been on Ebay isn't something that matters much to other buyers.
The important thing about leaving comments is that potential buyers will see what you have said. Your comments will likely influence the potential buyer more than what the feedback from the other buyer said.