A guide to deciphering feedback & checking seller's location

[brerrabbit585]

ALWAYS check a seller's feedback unless you know for a certainty that they're in Australia.

When you're in a listing, click on the feedback score (the number in brackets after their username) to be taken to the seller's feedback page.

The seller's country of registration is in the third line down, so even if the listing says the product is in Australia, it may well be coming from overseas if the seller is registered in another country.  Some do have distribution warehouses in Australia but most don't.  The Estimated Delivery Time is often a give-away that the item is in another country, but not always.

Under "feedback ratings", all the numbers are clickable links - so if there are any negs/neutrals, click on the relevant numbers to bring up all the negatives and then the neutrals to get a general idea of the types of problems buyers experience and how the seller handles them.

Under Detailed Seller Ratings, click on the numbers beside the stars and it'll show you the score (out of 5).  It just shows a pop-up, doesn't take you to a new page.

A brilliant new feature allows you to search for only the feedback relating to a particular item (or range of items) by searching keywords from the title of an item or putting in the item number.

If anyone else has any helpful tips for buyers, feel free to add them.  I expect most will continue to buy and only check here AFTER the horse has well and truly bolted.

[brerrabbit585]

I meant to add that sometimes a seller may have a lot of negative comments but they're restricted to specific items, so being able to search feedback on a specific item can help you decide whether to buy something.

curraone was the one who brought attention to the fact that we have a brand new format for the feedback page.  

[daydreams_12]

We can only hope that people will read your great advise and do just that.  It sure would save a lot of V E R Y old threads appearing here.

[brerrabbit585]

The problem is that they only find the old threads because they already have a problem (because they didn't read feedback first) and they search the forums looking for an answer. My post only helps with prevention, not with curing an existing problem.

I deliberately didn't comment on checking feedback revisions because it could be due to several different things, including postage delays and buyers receiving their items after they leave feedback, and sellers using extortion to get feedback changed.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@brerrabbit585 wrote:

If anyone else has any helpful tips for buyers, feel free to add them.  I expect most will continue to buy and only check here AFTER the horse has well and truly bolted.

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There was a thread years ago with many helpful tips for buyers.  I will post a link to that thread in a spoiler BUT I ask that members not post on that thread as some of the information is dated and no longer relevant.  Having said that, there are many that are still good advice.

For example, a recent thread was about a buyer’s Credit Card details being hacked.  This post from that old thread is still good advice for any member who buys items online:

Buyers, you should consider opening a bank account that will be used for just your eBaying activity.  Run it as a savings account with a debit card attached. This will enable you to link the debit card to a PayPal account.  When you know you are going to be buying items on eBay you can deposit some funds into this account to cover the purchases.

Some banks offer 'fee free' savings accounts and others charge a monthly or annual fee.  You can use the same bank as you use for your regular savings or mortgage, or choose a different bank.  I use Westpac as they are open until 5pm each day here in Mildura which is better for me than the NAB who close at 4pm.  If you use the same bank as your regular savings you can easily do an internet transfer from one account to the other when you need funds to pay for items.

The main benefit gained by having a designated eBay bank account is that you will limit any losses due to scammers or fraudulent activity on your PayPal account to the balance you keep in the account.  If you use your regular savings account, the one your pay gets deposited in to, you are exposing yourself to much higher losses and financial pain.

Spoiler

remember, DO NOT post on the thread in the following spoiler

Spoiler

https://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/Help-and-advice-for-buyers/td-p/1391531

brer, thanks for starting this thread.

[brerrabbit585]

In relation to having a separate bank account for ebay, it's also worth saying NEVER let a seller con you into paying by bank deposit - unless you already have a rock solid relationship with them. I have a lot of buyers use it elsewhere but the situation is slightly different.

This thread has been long overdue. I see people constanstly advising buyers to check a seller's negative feedback but a lot wouldn't know the figures are clickable links so they don't know how to bring up all the negative feedback together. I'd been using ebay for several years before a friend told me to click on the numbers!

You're going off topic but I don't mind as anything that helps a buyer protect themselves is definitely worth mentioning. I think it's important to leave the thread title as it is, but feel free to mention anything about buyers protecting themselves.

The catalyst for me starting this thread was the new format for the feedback page - it took me a while to work out how to find the scores for the star ratings and I knew a lot would never figure it out.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

how a seller responds to feedback they have received tells me a lot about the seller, especially when they get abusive.

It tells me how they are likely to respond if there is a problem with a transaction if I buy from them.

I also check the number of feedback revisions a seller has.  Unsurprising that a lot of Chinese sellers have high feedback revision count with the “change the negative and I will refund” attitude that many have.  Yet buyers still revise and get screwed over with no refund, no re-send and no option to reinstate the neg!