Best Ways to Reply to eBay Feedback and Buyers

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: May 13, 2021 References

Buyer feedback is public, and potential customers will occasionally check your feedback page to see what other buyers think of your products. Thanking buyers for leaving positive feedback will let others know you’re friendly and reliable, while addressing negative feedback will show customers that you’re willing to work with them. Keep in mind, you cannot edit any comments you make as a seller, so don’t make any brash decisions when replying to negative feedback—even if the buyer is being kind of unreasonable or rude.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Logistics

1
Open “My eBay” and click “Feedback.” Once a buyer has left feedback, it will appear in your feedback profile. To access your feedback profile, click the “My eBay” tab on the right side of the black toolbar at the top. On your My eBay page, click “Account” and then select “Feedback” under your “Personal Info” tab.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- You cannot leave feedback for a buyer until they’ve received their item and left you feedback. If you don’t have any feedback from a buyer, they either chose not to leave any or they haven’t received the product yet.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
2
Scroll through the recent feedback to see messages you’ve received. Once you’re in the feedback profile, you’ll see every item you’ve received feedback on. Items are listed chronologically, so the most recent feedback you’ve received will be at the top.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Your feedback doesn’t impact your seller performance, so it’s not mandatory to respond at all. Some eBay sellers don’t even bother with the feedback tab for this reason.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
Advertisement
3
Click the “Reply” button to enter your response. Once you find the buyer you’d like to respond to, look on the right side of the screen. Click the “Reply” button that lines up with the buyer’s name to pull up the “Reply to Feedback Received” page to enter your response.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Do not use this tab to start a personal conversation with the buyer. Your feedback is public, and you cannot edit it once you’ve published your response.
4
Press “Leave Reply” when you’re done with your message. Type out your reply to the buyer in the text box. Proofread your response when you’re done, and select “Leave Reply” to post your public response.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- You are only allowed to type up to 80 characters, so don’t plan on leaving any super detailed responses.^{[7]
  X
  Research source}
- If you’re replying to negative feedback, it’s best to message the seller directly first. Buyers can edit their feedback, but sellers cannot. If there’s a problem that can be resolved, the buyer can always change their feedback in the future.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Negative Feedback

1
Take a deep breath and don’t post a knee-jerk response. Since sellers cannot edit or remove their responses, anything you type is going to be out there for others to see. If a seller has left you negative feedback, relax. First of all, the feedback itself doesn’t impact your seller status. Second, buyers can edit their feedback, so the negative feedback can be removed if you reach out to them and address the problem.
- Feedback on its own doesn’t impact your status as a seller on eBay.
- Buyer feedback disappears after 12 months. Even if you did make a mistake or the buyer is just totally wrong, the negative feedback will eventually go away.
- If the negative feedback was earned, just own up to it. You’re never going to get 100% of your orders right, and customers won’t take a few pieces of negative feedback too seriously.
2
Message the buyer directly and ask how you can resolve things. Go to the history tab in your profile to pull up all of the items you’ve sold. Click “More Options” next to the purchase and select “Contact Buyer.” Type out your direct message to begin a private conversation with them. Depending on what their feedback said, you can tell them you’d like to offer a refund or return, apologize for the mistake and offer to make it right, or ask them what was wrong with the order.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- For example, you might say, “I am genuinely sorry that you aren’t happy with your purchase. I totally understand if you’d like to return the product for a 100% refund.”
- You could also say, “I shipped the order on time, so it’s possible the item was delayed by the post office. How can I make things right?”
3
Try to work things out with the seller if they respond. In most cases, legitimate buyers with reasonable qualms will agree to change their feedback if you work with them. If they respond to your message, try to compromise and meet them halfway on a solution. Refund their money, offer to give them a free replacement, or give them a big discount on a future purchase.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- If you genuinely screwed up, acknowledge the mistake and try to meet the customer’s needs. Don’t negotiate. If they deserve a refund or a return, give it to them. Many customers will edit their negative feedback if you make a good faith effort to fix the problem.
4
Report or dispute the feedback if it’s not legitimate. If the feedback is unjustified, eBay didn’t process the order correctly, or the item was delayed by the post office, you can get the feedback removed. You can also remove feedback if the buyer hasn’t paid for the product yet. Go to the “Feedback” page in My eBay and click “Request Feedback Revision.” Describe the issue and wait for eBay to review the request.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Don’t bother selling a story. Just describe the problem. You may write, “The buyer is saying they never received order but I have confirmation from the post office,” or, “The buyer is claiming I scammed them, but I’ve done no such thing.”
- Alternatively, you can report the buyer if they’ve violated an eBay policy by going to https://spd.ebay.com/RBASellerHub.
- eBay will almost always remove the feedback if the buyer cursed, threatened you, or has a record of the buyer trying to scam sellers.
5
Send a formal feedback revision request to see if they’ll budge. If the buyer didn’t respond to your message, you fixed the problem privately, or eBay refuses to take the feedback down, you can send a formal request to the buyer. Select “More Options“ in the feedback portal and click “Send a Formal Feedback Revision Request.” The buyer will receive a message from eBay with a link to change their feedback.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- You can only request a revision 5 times a year. This is kind of a last-ditch effort, so hold on to these requests until you need them.
6
Respond by apologizing or explaining if the feedback is staying up. If eBay won’t take the feedback down or the buyer refuses to edit the request, it’s a good idea to respond. If you made a legitimate mistake, apologize so future buyers can see you aren’t a scammer. If the feedback is nonsense, publicly explain why the feedback is unearned in a polite and calm manner.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- The goal at this point isn’t to make things right, but to show potential future buyers that you’re a safe seller to work with.
- For example, you may write, “I’m sorry for all of the shipping issues I ran into here. I’m always willing to make it right if you want to reach out!”
- To explain, you might say, “The product was shipped on time. I’m sorry the post office took their time. Unfortunately, I cannot control shipping delays on their end. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to discuss this further.”

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Positive Feedback

1
Leave a short message thanking the buyer for their support. If you want to respond to positive feedback, just leave a small note of gratitude. Buyers who leave positive feedback may appreciate the gesture, and it will show future potential buyers that you’re a gracious person which may incentivize them to buy from you.
- You could say something like, “I’m so happy you’re pleased with the purchase! Thank you for your business and please contact me if you ever need anything,” or, “I’m glad you like your new baseball glove! Good luck out there on the diamond.”
- Don’t bother replying to positive feedback if you sell a lot of items and you don’t have the time to reply to everyone. Buyers who leave positive feedback aren’t expecting a response anyway.
2
Automate responses to positive feedback to make thanking buyers easy. If you want to make this easy, you can set your account up to automatically leave a short, pleasant note for buyers who leave positive feedback. Opt into the “Seller Hub” feature at https://www.ebay.com/sh/landing.^{[13]
X
Research source} Then, go to your account page and scroll down to the “Feedback” hub. Select “Manage Automated Feedback.” Here, you can turn on the automated setting for positive feedback.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- Once this is turned on, your account will automatically reply to any positive feedback you get.
- You can use the same comment for each response, or enter up to 10 random responses. Simple messages like, “Thank you for your purchase, I hope you enjoy it!” and, “We appreciate your business. Please come back soon!” tend to work best.
- Seller Hub is eBay’s fancy updated version of the Seller Page. It’s free to use, but if you’re used to using the old Seller Page, it may not be worth switching over.
3
Reference other items you’re selling if you want some free marketing. If the seller mentions looking for other products or they express interest in a certain hobby, replying to feedback is a great way to subtly advertise your shop. Just don’t overdo it and make sure the main body of your response is spent thanking the buyer for their business.
- For example, if a buyer says something like, “I love my new paintbrushes! They’re perfect for my new studio and they arrived on time.” You might write, “I’m happy you love your new brushes! Feel free to check our other listings out if you need any other art supplies. Good luck with the art and thank you!”