Ecommerce and Retail
7 Ways to Get Better eBay Reviews, and Improve Your eBay Ranking
18 Mar 2019 • 6 min read
Online marketplaces such as eBay continue to dominate the Australian space, with 70% of Aussies visiting them every month. Large markets come with intense competition, and when it comes to eBay, having an exceptional seller rating gives you a marked advantage, providing contrast amidst a sea of competing businesses.
Not only do Top Rated Sellers appear higher in search rankings, they also receive a trust-building star next to their seller profile, revealing their credibility to the buyer, and convincing them to place orders. This is a status of incredible importance if you want to compete on eBay.
To become a top rated seller, you must receive frequent, positive seller reviews from your customers - relentless consumer confidence that’ll turbocharge your eBay efforts. This can be challenging, but we have a few tips on how to boost your eBay rating, putting you on the road to eBay stardom.
Given that it’s impossible to control every aspect of the supply chain, negative customer feedback is inevitable. A shipping courier may have found himself stuck in the center of the traffic jam from hell, or carelessly left the parcel perched atop the customer’s garden wall. Whatever the unfortunate scenario, negative customer feedback is a possible consequence, and it must be handled with careful skill. A whopping 91% of 18-34 year olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and given that eBay will not remove negative feedback, attending to the reviews is paramount.
Jonathon Allara and his team at Bicycles Online take a proactive, determined approach to resolving negative customer feedback. Not only do they reply to each and every comment on eBay with concise and courteous responses, they also offer free exchanges for damaged goods, in addition to the occasional free accessory as an apology for the mishap. Jonathon believes that it’s possible to “turn around the feedback if you reach out to the customer,” and by doing so, you can transform a negative review into a positive one.
After restoring the customer’s confidence, you can submit a feedback revision request, whereby the unfavorable review is replaced with something positive, improving your eBay seller score and your reputation on the marketplace. A limited number of feedback revision requests can be performed—5 for every 1,000 feedback comments—so they should be reserved for the most damaging of customer reviews.
eBay’s automatic review request is a great feature, though not always successful. For customers who fail to leave reviews, you should consider manually following them up with a personalized email, enquiring as to whether they’re happy with their purchase, and asking them to leave a review if so. Stressing the importance of reviews to your business may help to tug on their heartstrings.
You might also want to create email campaigns for returning customers, thanking them for their repeat business. This extra touch can motivate the customer to leave an excellent review the next time they shop with you.
The reciprocity rule is a powerful psychological phenomenon - thanking a customer for their prompt payment in the form of positive feedback generates motivation for them to do the same, created from our in-built desire to reciprocate positive favours. You might even consider adding a short personalized message - a delightful approach that few customers expect. This is an efficient method for getting more positive reviews from your customers, helping to create an excellent eBay history.
Delivery speed is becoming more important to consumers, evidenced by the popularity of Amazon’s Prime service. Cameron Ross - owners of kitchen supply store Cheflink - believes that going forward, “logistics will be the name of the game”. Customers want fast shipping, and by satisfying this need, you’re more likely to get positive eBay reviews. For Jonathon at Bicycles Online, fast shipping has a “big impact on conversion rates,” and this naturally extends to positive reviews.
| Related Reading: 3 Ways to Accelerate Your Order Fulfilment With Efficient Picking, Packing and Shipping
Similar to shipping, customers expect a fast response to their enquiries. Getting back to them within 24 hours is important if you want to retain an excellent level of eBay customer service, and maintain a record of good eBay feedback. If a delayed response is given, a humble apology can do wonders.
It’s awfully disappointing to open a parcel to discover a broken product inside, and also time-consuming to return. This problem can be avoided by packing your orders properly, using plenty of packing material to ensure that it doesn’t move around while shoved under the arm of a hasty, time-pressed delivery driver.
One of the best ways to lessen negative reviews from your customers? Sell good-quality products! Many of us love a good whinge, so when we’re paid for something that quickly breaks, deteriorates, or doesn’t meet our high standards, we’re much more likely to jump online and leave a negative review.
Bicycles Online go the extra mile when it comes to product quality - all of their bikes include a full pre-build, a tune-up, higher-quality brakes, and are repackaged in a sturdier box to ensure that they arrive in top condition. This kind of exceptional effort goes a long way for good customer sentiment, reflected in positive reviews, and an eBay top-rated status.
We aim to delight the customer; to do something they don’t expect
—Jonathon Allara, Bicycles Online
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eBay remains the biggest single marketplace in Australia, holding much potential for the growth of your business. With hard work and the right knowledge, you can drastically improve your eBay seller rating, aim for an exposure-boosting top seller status, and propel your eBay trade to dizzying heights.
