As an Internet savvy ebay business owner, you have undoubtedly had a friend or family member come to you at some point to ask whether or not it was okay to purchase from a certain Internet business. You might have found this humorous. As someone who regularly makes sales and payments online, you aren't even remotely afraid of being scammed. If something is a scam, you can spot it from a mile away.



However, to people who are considerably less experienced-- perhaps members of your family or your friends--this is a serious obstacle to shopping online regularly. They will probably think twice and consult a friend before buying anything.

This is why ebay's feedback system must be a crucial part of your strategy as an ebay seller: it gives people the unique opportunity to hear what ebay buyers had to say about your products and service.

If potential customers see anything sketchy, you can bet they will hit the 'back' button and shop somewhere else.

On the contrary, if they see dozens of positive responses from your customers, you will immediately gain their trust as a professional ebay seller.

Luckily for you, keeping your feedback record positive is relatively easy if you adhere to the following rules:

1. Avoid posting negative feedback at all costs.

If you encounter a negligent buyer, do everything in your power before leaving negative feedback. Most disputes on ebay revolve around miscommunication, so make an effort to resolve communicate clearly with the buyer. Even if they still wont respond positively, you are better off leaving no feedback at all than leaving negative feedback, which can prompt retaliatory negative feedback.

2. Create feedback rules (written or unwritten) and follow them consistently.

Many ebay sellers have a written feedback policy. They will only leave feedback after the buyer pays and leaves feedback. If a buyer knows upfront that he has to leave feedback to get feedback, he will be more likely to give you feedback after the transaction (provided he cares about his feedback rating).

Not only will this get you more responses, but it will give you more control over feedback. If the buyer gives you negative feedback, you can use your future feedback opportunity to bargain a withdrawal. Some ebay sellers use an unwritten policy. As soon as payment clears, they respond with positive feedback. When the customer sees positive feedback from the seller, they have a higher chance of posting positive feedback in response, even if they haven't received the item yet.

3. Communicate clearly with the buyer.

As I mentioned above, the majority of problems on ebay are caused by miscommunication. Make sure you create a consistent set of rules, post them with every auction, and follow them to the letter. If you have any problems with a customer, you can point to the rules. At the very worst, they can disagree with your policy; however, they cannot disagree that they entered into a contract with you with fair access to your policies.

In addition to using rules, you should also send follow-up emails after your auction ends. You should thank the buyer for purchasing from you and make sure he knows how to complete payment and when he can expect his item in the mail.