Whether you’re new to eBay or have been around the block a few times, you probably have some uncertainty around feedback — what it is, how it works, and if it’s actually important. If you’re a seller who just got some unwarranted negative feedback, you’re probably wondering if there’s any way to remove or revise feedback to regain your perfect record.

While eBay does have its own help articles on feedback, they beat around the bush on a lot of burning questions. I don’t condone bush abuse and am hear to provide direct answers to the most common questions I hear about eBay feedback.

Can eBay Feedback Be Removed?

Sometimes.

See? No bushes harmed there. Is it so difficult, eBay?

Under the right circumstances, eBay feedback can be removed. Here’s what that could look like:

• The buyer opens up a case against you (item not as described, item not received) and also leaves negative feedback. If the case ends up being closed in your favor (either they didn’t return the item or the item ended up being delivered), eBay will automatically remove any feedback associated with the transaction. I strongly encourage you to talk situations like these out with eBay, either over the phone or through chat. It makes the seller resolution process so much easier.
  
• The buyer is found guilty of feedback extortion, the act of threatening a seller with negative feedback if their demands (usually something like a partial refund) aren’t met. A message from the buyer making this threat is all it takes for eBay to remove negative feedback from these grimy buyers.
  
• The feedback contains any sort of hateful comments. Now, it has to be pretty serious (I once received negative feedback telling me to “burn in hell” that kept its comfy home on my feedback profile), but it’s worth reaching out to eBay and reporting the buyer if you feel like their feedback is extra spiteful.
  
• eBay rolls out a mass pardon. This is pretty rare, and I’ve only seen it happen once during the holiday season of 2020 when USPS exploded. Buyers were passive aggressively spewing negative feedback left and right over inconveniences that were out of sellers’ (and pretty much everyone’s) hands, so eBay automatically removed seller defects and negative feedback related to items that delivered late or not at all earlier in 2021. The negative feedback was definitely an eyesore during those couple months, but it was great to see it removed.
  
• You get in touch with the right eBay rep. It will likely take a good bit of arguing and transfers, but if you feel like negative feedback is not justified and have the evidence to prove it, you may be able to sway eBay. If you’re a top rated seller or have been on the platform for a long time, always be sure to remind them of your patronage. I’ll be honest, this method does not always work (I’ve been successful like once), but I’m generally not trying to spend too much time on the phone with eBay.

Outside of those instances, it’s pretty rare to have eBay feedback removed. But it’s not the end of the world! Keeping reading to find out your other options.

How Long Does Negative Feedback Stay on eBay?

Forever.

Like positive and neutral feedback, negative feedback will appear on your eBay profile permanently. However, negative feedback is factored into your feedback score and positive percentage only for one year since it was left. So while someone could filter through your feedback after a year and find the negative review, it loses its bearing on your ratings and no longer appears in the 1-month/6-month/12-month table.

Pro Tip: You can use this to your advantage when scouting out a buyer or seller. You can dig through the seller’s full history of feedback received to see if they’ve done anything shady in the past, and you can also check out a buyer’s history of leaving negative feedback for others (more on that in my eBay buyer red flags post).

Can You Respond to eBay Feedback?

Yes.

Both the buyer and seller can leave one comment (limited to 500 characters) within a feedback thread. So if you receive negative feedback as a seller, you can leave a follow-up reply that sheds some additional light on the situation or reassures future prospective buyers that you’re working to make things right with the buyer.

But remember that the buyer can also reply to your reply, so they’ll ultimately have the last word. You are also unable to edit your reply once you click “Send,” so be sure that you’re happy with it and have said all you need to say.

Can You Revise eBay Feedback?

Yes.

You can revise feedback that you have left and you can send requests for buyers to revise feedback that they have left for you. As a seller, you are limited to 5 feedback revision requests per 1,000 feedback received within the last 12 months.

By sending an eBay feedback revision request, you’re asking the buyer to permanently change the feedback they left for you. They will be able to change the rating (i.e., turning a negative into a positive) and the message.

I’ve sent a feedback revision request a total of two times and have had one come through (the other was completely ignored). You should send the request only after the issue has been fairly resolved. You’d be surprised how willing a buyer can be to change their review if you handled the issue professionally and turned their purchase into a good experience after all.

This isn’t a get out of jail free card, though. The buyer is not required to revise their feedback and can stick to their guns whether or not they’re in the right or the issue was remedied. eBay will send them a reminder email after 7 days if the buyer hasn’t responded, but the request expires after day 10. Also note that the seller must initiate the feedback revision process and that is the only way that the buyer can update feedback they’ve left.

Does eBay Feedback Matter as a Buyer?

Not really, unless you have a super low score.

A low feedback score is kind of something that buyers and sellers alike tend to avoid since it could be an indication that a buyer is inexperienced or using a burner account. That raises a catch-22 though — how can a buyer build their feedback score if sellers aren’t willing to sell to them?

It’s definitely not that big of an issue since items are sold to users with low/no feedback all the time, but it could make sellers standoffish initially. As long as you pay on time and have all of your information entered correctly, there shouldn’t be any issue. That said, it doesn’t hurt to buy a handful of low-value, quick items if you’re just starting out to build up your feedback a bit.

Does eBay Feedback Matter as a Seller?

Yes, but probably not as much as you think.

There are differing opinions on the weight your feedback score holds as an eBay seller, but it takes several blows to your feedback to see diverse effects (at least in my experience). If you’re actually concerned about your feedback score, I’m willing to bet that you have next to no negative feedback. And rest assured that the one or two negatives you receive that put you down to 99.8% positive feedback for the year are not going to kill your business.

I’ve actually had an eBay representative tell me that a handful of negative reviews aren’t going to deter buyers (this was actually one of the times I wasn’t successful in getting eBay to remove negative feedback). Unless you’re a buyer is a super experienced eBay user, they’re probably not that likely to look at your feedback rating. It’s hard enough to get a buyer to simply read your item description or look past the first photo. And if they do happen to check out your feedback, that’s where replies come in handy.

In terms of eBay search result rankings, it’s not 100% clear whether or not feedback plays a part in where your items show. I haven’t received much negative feedback, but I can’t say I’ve seen noticeable drops on my end following a love note from a salty buyer. Unless you’re regularly getting large quantities negative feedback that significantly lower your score (to like 90% positive or below), I don’t think you have much to worry about. And let’s be honest — if you’re getting that much negative feedback, at least some of it is probably justified.

How Long Can eBay Feedback Be?

Up to 500 characters.

eBay recently increased the maximum length for feedback (in mid-2021) up from 90 characters. If you have an exceptionally positive (or negative) experience, you’ll have more room to talk about it. This length increase also applies to feedback replies, so you’ll have more room to share your side of the story or return the praise from an awesome buyer.

Can Sellers Leave Negative Feedback for Buyers?

Not anymore.

There once was a time when eBay was a place of justice. Non-paying, rude, scammy buyers used to be forced to wear the scarlet letter for their lame behavior. It was possible for someone who only bought items on eBay to have less than 100% positive feedback. But as much as I wish I could leave negative feedback for deserving buyers, I understand why it’s no longer an option.

eBay found that when a buyer left negative feedback for a seller, the seller would return the favor in retaliation (and vice versa).

“What, you’re mad at me because I chewed the heads on all of the Lego minifigures I described as mint? I should have expected that from someone named “Clark.” My stepdad’s name is Clark and he ate all of the good cereal. Here’s a crisp negative review for your trouble.”

Some hypothetical Lego chewer who’s never tasted Captain Crunch

In the perfectly common example above, you can see how eBay ratings started to become less and less reliable. It’s unfortunate that users were abusing the system, but there are still ways to call out shady buyers and hopefully prevent future sellers from having similar experiences.

You can always report a buyer through eBay, add them to your blocked buyer list, and add them to badbuyerlist.org. If they don’t pay, be sure to open up an unpaid item case and see it through. That will leave a defect on their account and enough of those will raise a red flag for eBay.

The reality is that you’re going to deal with difficult, unfair buyers and eBay is not always going to have your back. I shared it earlier, but here are some eBay buyer red flags to hopefully help reduce the number of times you feel like you would want to leave negative feedback for a buyer!

How Soon Can Buyers Leave Feedback?

As soon as they have paid for the item.

That’s right. Before the buyer even receives the item (or before you even print out the shipping label), a buyer can leave positive, neutral, or negative feedback for you.

I’ve only seen someone get all excited and pop off feedback a few times, and it’s always been positive. Sometimes people will leave feedback just because you accepted their offer! It pretty much comes down to the buyer’s understanding of how feedback works.

If you do happen to receive negative feedback or feedback that really doesn’t seem to fit before you’ve sent the item, make sure that the buyer didn’t mean to leave that feedback for another item. It’s totally fair to reach out and confirm if something seems off.

When Should a Seller Leave Feedback for a Buyer?

My hot take: as soon as they pay. Other takes: after positive feedback is received from the buyer ; never (can go hand-in-hand with the previous take).

In my mind, the only responsibility of the buyer is to pay for the item on time and verify that it’s what they ordered. In a perfect transaction (and how the majority of them go), you never hear from the buyer after the item delivers outside of any feedback they leave. If they pay on time (or pay instantly), that’s a positive review for the buyer in my book regardless of the outcome.

I am absolutely not caught up on leaving feedback (man, if only there were a way to automate that and a later section telling me how), but I try to leave it pretty quickly.

You can wait to receive positive feedback from the buyer before doing the same for them, but you might run into buyers who are expecting positive feedback from you first (or just not actively giving feedback unless they have a bad experience). That’s an easy way for no one to win. Again, if the buyer fulfilled their end of the bargain, they deserve positive feedback.

You do also have the option of never giving feedback to your buyers. It’s really not that much of a hassle to leave a review, but you’re not required to do so. Your goal should be to try and give other users on eBay a feel for what doing business with someone is like, so I would encourage to leave feedback (even if it’s generic).

What is eBay Feedback Extortion?

Feedback extortion is the act of threating to leave negative feedback in order to get something in return, like a free item or partial refund.

I touched on this earlier, but it’s a really lousy thing and probably the dumbest thing a scammer can do since it almost always puts eBay on the seller’s side. Remember when I talked about how eBay feedback doesn’t matter as much as people think? Well, these people think that all eBay sellers have “100% positive feedback” tattooed on their chests in really cool lettering and they won’t be able to go to the pool or otherwise be shirtless for an entire year unless they give the buyer what they want.

I’ll repeat, if someone ever threatens to leave you negative feedback if you don’t do as they say, take a screenshot and send it to eBay immediately. It’s basically the eBay equivalent of the Uno reverse card.

What Do the eBay Feedback Star Colors Mean?

eBay stars represent the amount of positive feedback you’ve received as both a seller and a buyer.

I feel feedback stars they were way more of a big deal back in the day, but there’s not much hype around them now (and eBay hasn’t really changed much about them). I remember getting my red star and feeling like I could just walk right into the VIP section of any club even though I was like 16.

You can find the full breakdown on this eBay page, but here are the feedback star colors and rankings:

eBay Feedback Star Color	Number of Positive Feedback Received
Invisible	0 – 9
Yellow	10 – 49
Blue	50 – 99
Turquoise	100 – 499
Purple	500 – 999
Red	1,000 – 4,999
Green	5,000 – 9,999
Yellow Shooting Star	10,000 – 24,999
Turquoise Shooting Star	25,000 – 49,999
Purple Shooting Star	50,000 – 99,999
Red Shooting Star	100,000 – 499,999
Green Shooting Star	500,000 – 999,999
Silver Shooting Star	1,000,000+

What Kind of eBay Feedback Automation Exists?

There are two useful tools: automated feedback (Selling Manager Pro feature) and bulk feedback (free feature).

Automated feedback allows you to set an automation rule that will automatically leave feedback for a buyer as soon as they complete checkout. If you’ve ever purchased from a huge eBay seller, you’ve probably noticed that you receive positive feedback almost instantly. This is a Selling Manager Pro feature, so it may not be something readily available to you.

The other cool feature that I use all the time is the bulk feedback tool. Instead of having to leave feedback for each individual listing, this tool identifies the transactions awaiting your feedback and allows you to leave feedback for all of them at once. You can either leave the same exact feedback for everyone or vary the feedback you leave based on your stored comments (my preference).

Can You Swear in eBay Feedback?

Apparently to some extent (like that time some Russian dude told me to “burn in hell” and eBay was totally fine with it), but I don’t see why you’d want to.

There’s a chance eBay will remove feedback or crack down on a user if they use hateful or inappropriate language anywhere on the platform, including feedback, messages, and listings.

If you’re thinking about doing it, you’ve been warned. If you had it happen to, it’s worth giving eBay a call if they haven’t taken it down already.

How Professional Should eBay Feedback Be?

If my last point was any indication, there aren’t necessarily unspoken rules of eBay feedback by which everyone abides. In general, eBay feedback is pretty tame unless someone is really happy or really mad — and that’s where their true colors show.

You might come across some scathing negative feedback that drills down into every wrong the seller committed. As long as it’s not hateful or inappropriate, it should fly.

You might also come across some ridiculous, yet awesome positive feedback, like that one time a guy told me that I was faster than Jesus on a motorcycle. Another user, upon receiving a used copy of Rock Band 3, exclaimed that they would offer my their first born child if they could (and I’m holding them to that one).

On the mad side, keep it PG. It’s totally reasonable to lay into a seller if they messed up and you want to warn future potential buyers, but it should solely be about the transaction and only related to what was in the seller’s control.

On the happy side, also keep it PG, but don’t be afraid to have fun! If a seller or buyer gives you a great experience, don’t be afraid to show it. I carry those reviews with me after all of these years, and it’s good to know that there are so many more awesome buyers out there than lame ones.

Do People Still Sell Feedback?

Not really.

One of my earliest eBay memories from like 2007 is seeing people sell feedback on eBay for $0.01 – $1.00. That’s right. You would make the purchase, (sometimes) pay, and leave feedback for each other to boost your scores.

This was back when feedback was taken a bit more seriously and people were really trying to stand out on eBay. I guess they were working together on the one hand, but it also challenged the integrity of the feedback system. eBay has long since shut down the feedback market, but it’s a nice piece of eBay history.

Do You Need to Leave Feedback?

No, but…

You’re not obligated to leave feedback as a buyer or seller, even if someone asks you to. However, the goal of feedback is to give potential buyers or sellers a clear depiction of how trustworthy someone is (and you hope that it’s clear to other users that you’re safe to do business with).

It’s really a common courtesy at this point, but everyone, including me, is guilty of just not leaving it sometimes. I’m currently hovering around the 4,300 feedback mark, so it doesn’t really make much of a difference to me at this point. I’m within a pretty reputable range, and while I’m never against growing my ratings, I don’t see much benefit in obsessing over feedback (that green star do be looking fresh tho).

How Do You Get People to Leave Feedback?

Tell them to do it.

While some eBayers are really disciplined about leaving feedback, others don’t really pay it much mind or understand how it works. If you’re a seller looking to boost your feedback ratings, the best thing to do (besides meeting the expectations you set and holding up your end of the deal), is requesting that they leave feedback.

I had a message I would send to buyers when I was trying to boost my feedback score. It was something like:

Hey there. Thanks again for your purchase! I see that your item delivered and hope that you’re enjoying it so far. If everything is good on your end, it would be a huge help to me if you could leave feedback. I’m trying to grow my ratings and would love to have your thoughts if you have the chance.

Disclaimer: you run the risk of opening up cans of worms by doing this. If you have a buyer who isn’t satisfied with their purchase but wasn’t going to say anything, they might view your message as an invitation to complain or go so far as to return the item. Proceed with caution here and be selective about the buyers you’re reaching out to.

Something else I’ve seen done quite across online selling is including a card or something similar asking the buyer to leave a review if they’re satisfied with everything. A card adds a nice personal touch to the buying and unboxing experience, so it could be worth a shot if you’re looking to increase your ratings and buyer satisfaction. But the same disclaimer applies here — you may be opening yourself up to complaints alongside the praise.

How is Your Feedback Score Calculated?

Your positive reviews divided by your total reviews.

eBay feedback is concerned with your positive feedback and will display your percentage of positive feedback received within the last 12 months. Your feedback score is automatically calculated and is available for all eBay users to see.

Note that neutral feedback is not included in the calculation and repeat feedback (multiple instances of feedback left by the same user within a short timeframe) will only count as one feedback within the calculation. So if someone buys five items from you at the same time and leaves feedback for all five, only one rating will count toward your feedback score.

Any Other Feedback Questions?

Didn’t find an answer to your eBay feedback question? Drop it below and I’ll do my best to help you out!