6. Avoid Suspicious Bidders
In the past, it was not important to get the occasional negative feedback rating from a troublesome bidder. I have two negative feedbacks (one withdrawn, but it's still there), and both were from bidders with less than ten Feedback points. And both were because of the bidders' failure to read the ad.
But under eBay's new rules, bidders will not ever get a negative or even neutral feedback rating! This is going to make it hard for sellers. One thing will work in your favor: you can see how long a bidder has been an eBay member, and decide accordingly. As a bookseller, it's unlikely you will ever get a dishonest bidder, unless you are selling very rare or expensive items. But you will get new ones, who in my experience cause the most trouble.
The rules for bad-news bidders are simple:
? If a bidder has less than three or four feedback points, avoid her
? If a bidder's (pre- May 2008) feedback is less than stellar, avoid him
? If a bidder has hidden feedback, avoid him
? If a bidder has a lot of feedback with identical or very similar wording, avoid her. Dishonest buyers and sellers will collude with one another to boost feedback ratings. EBay polices such behavior but it can't catch them all.
Read more: How to Avoid Negative eBay Feedback (Part 2) | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4876599_avoid-negative-ebay-feedback-part.html#ixzz17MTFnqLZ