The Importance of Feedback
by Kelley
eBay Staff Member

What is all this fuss about feedback? How important is negative feedback? Is feedback fair? When did it start?

Long, long ago (back when eBay was known as "Auction Web") eBay's founder Pierre Omidyar would receive personal emails from people who were experiencing problems with their transactions. It was a small site back then, but it very quickly outgrew his ability to reply with some comforting statement of advice. Almost as soon as people began trading on his new site, it was clear to him that there needed to be a way for someone to tell potential trading partners about their experiences with a member. To enhance trust, people needed a system with which they could check someone's reputation in the fledgling community, and develop a reputation of their own.

From these initial ideas, the concept of the Feedback system was born.

When the first Feedback Forum was introduced, each member in a transaction with another member could make a public statement as to how well it had gone. In the beginning, feedback could be left for someone even when a member had not bought from them or sold them something. Feedback was later changed to the current, transaction-based system, which requires that two members be involved in a transaction before they can leave the other person feedback.

It wasn't long after the introduction of the feedback system before members became concerned about keeping their own reputations perfect and free from negatives. While keeping a positive record has always been desirable, Pierre never intended for people to value their blemish-free ratings so much that they would not leave a negative where a negative was due. He became so concerned about this that he once wrote a letter to the Community, letting them know that it is every member's responsibility to leave honest feedback.

In his letter, Pierre pointed out that if everyone used the system, then one "bad apple" would receive many negative comments from honest trading partners, but that same person could only leave one comment in return to each of those who had made those comments. The irresponsible or dishonest members would quickly develop a pattern proving their negative track record. In this way, a person's true colors and trading behavior would be made evident.

To console those members who may have received a retaliatory negative, Pierre even suggested that those single comments could be considered a badge of honor. This concept still applies today.

How important is feedback?

Feedback is the backbone of eBay. Leaving honest feedback and checking feedback before placing a bid is important in ensuring that eBay is a safe place to trade.

The Member Profile (previously known as "Feedback Profile") is a person's reputation in the Community. It is a report of that member's conduct, and positives as well as negatives on that report should be looked at carefully before deciding to place a bid. A member with frequent negative comments may be one to avoid. However, an isolated negative comment may be less important when considered in the context of that person's overall history.

As good a system as it is, feedback is not always fair. "You can't please all the people all the time," as they say, and sometimes despite your best efforts, you may feel you've received an unfair negative. Take comfort knowing that a pattern of good service and reliability, or prompt payment over time, is more important than an isolated negative.

Savvy buyers look for sellers with enough of a feedback history to show reliability and knowledge as a safeguard against risky transactions. In contrast, savvy sellers will welcome bids from low and "zero" feedback members, since everyone starts with no feedback, and a good trading experience can result in another dedicated eBay buyer. Sellers who give good customer service tend to be rewarded by glowing comments. Buyers who pay promptly and maintain good communication with their sellers quickly accumulate positive comments, and often go on to sell on eBay.

To learn more about Feedback, please see our Help page, Feedback: Overview