Ebay Guide: Should I buy from a seller with 0 (zero) or low feedback?

Most sellers with 0 (zero) or low feed back are just like you and me. People who just want to make a few extra dollars selling the stuff they don't need or want anymore. I always check to see when they signed up for the account in the profile section. If its fairly recent, then they probably are new to Ebay. If the account was signed up for several years earlier, than its likely the person has another account they've been using for what ever reason. Another reason could be that they did buy or sell in the past but haven't used the account for a many years, feedback.. positive and negative ages off from the persons account over time, I believe a year for negative and 2 years for positive.. not sure though.

That being said, there are times when you should be at least cautious of a seller. The feedback score on Ebay is not perfect, it has flaws which many sellers and buyers will gladly tell you about. However it does perform one rather good function, for buyers. Its shows you how many satisfied customers took the time to leave feedback, showing what they bought when they bought it and how much they spent. If looked at properly, this is very good information for a perspective buyer to have. For instance, it shows whether the seller is a full time seller or someone who just occasionally sells something a few times a month or year. Feedback also shows if there was a problem with the item bought, did the seller fix the problem or leave the buyer "hanging"? So feedback scores can be a useful tool, if you know how to use them.

Now what if a person has 0 (zero) or low feedback say a score of under 20? Under most circumstances, that's not really a problem. Every person who signs up on Ebay, as a buyer or seller, starts with 0 feedback. So at this point look other places to get a feel of whether they are legit or looking to scam you in some way.

1) Look at what they are selling. Are they selling a rare coin, fine jewelry, or some other high priced item? most sellers just starting don't sell something so high priced. They'll begin with less expensive items til they get the hang of how Ebay & shipping items really works and costs. If you see someone selling a high priced item (items over $200 U.S.) and they only have a feedback score of 1, you may want to just move on to another seller. Who knows what they'll actually send, you bought a ring & they send you a bottle cap. If your purchase was covered by Ebay Protection then you'll probably get your money back, but its a long process. I personally rather spend a few dollars more and buy from a seller who at least has feedback showing they've sold other high priced items, or at least a bunch of low to mid price items.

Also, if they have a score of 20 or less... look at the details page of their feedback, is it all from buying 99 cent items over the course of a week or two? Some sellers will buy a bunch of 99 cent junk to "beef up they're score" before selling in the hopes you will only look at the feedback number by they're Username, but won't go to the Feedback details page. "Beefing up" the feedback score like this doesn't mean they're looking to scam you, its just something to consider when you are looking to buy from someone.

2) The biggest problem with 0 (zero) feedback sellers I've run into is shipping costs. The seller is new and doesn't have a home scale, shipping supplies or an online postage meter. So they guess at what the price will be. They drop your item into an old box or bubble envelope and throw a few stamps on it. Your item is light so they figure the cost will be the same as an envelope... oops! Your item arrives a few days later and WHAT??!! The postman says you owe how much???

A standard U.S. First Class Package costs about $2.10 for the first 3 ounces. so you end up owing Mr Mailman the remainder of the shipping cost. Ugh!! This has happened a few times and I just pay the mailman rather then have it sent back to the seller. The USPS will mark on the package POSTAGE DUE as well as how much is DUE, so just take a photo of the front before opening you package. If your item is what you bought and it was only a few extra cents you had to pay, I would suggest messaging the seller of the extra you paid and just leave it at that. If you had to pay more than a dollar, request the seller refund that extra you had to pay. Also tell them if they need proof they underpaid on shipping you can send a photo of the package with the Postage Due scribbled on the front.

If they sent you your refund, or you only had to pay a few cents to the postman, DON'T leave negative feedback. If you don't feel good about leaving positive feedback, then leave neutral. Neutral doesn't hurt there current score, nor will it add to it.

3) You can get a GREAT deal from someone with 0 (zero) or low feedback. As I wrote earlier, new sellers are just getting the hang of things. Alot of new sellers will sell there items 10% to 30% lower than what the seasoned seller is charging. There's two main reasons for this great price. A) They didn't search the item first to see what other sellers are charging. So they list the item well below what they could actually sell it for. B) They don't care what other people are charging, they're Spring cleaning and just want the stuff gone.

After a seller reaches a certain level on there feedback score, they usually stop selling things at a big discount, even if they really want it gone. They realize that they can just relist the item over and over, and as long as they're price is even 1% lower than the rest, it'll probably sell.

4) Item Descriptions from new sellers can be lacking alot of information. They list the item as USED, add a few photos, sometimes fuzzy or bad lighting but never explain that what you can't see in the picture is a huge scratch down the side, or faded colors or any number of other problems that they deem unimportant to a potential buyer. Alot of new sellers also don't accept returns, so if you feel mislead or cheated, your only course of action would be Ebay Protection.

Ebay Protection will protect a Buyer to a point, but if the item you receive IS the item you bought, there's not much they can do about it. A USED item is expected to be imperfect, so it would really be a "Crap Shoot" as to whether you get your money back. And in 99% of the time you will be required to send the item back to the seller at your expense. So if there is no detailed description of the item, its best to message the seller and ask them for specifics, then you have the Ebay message to prove the item was or wasn't in the condition the seller told you it was in.

All in all, my experience with buying from sellers with 0(zero) or low feedback has been acceptable. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the learning curved for Ebay selling is not to high. So any failures or mistakes made with my purchases I'm sure turned into a 'lesson learned' for the sellers, who I would hope improved for future buyers.

A friend of mine once told me she was afraid of buying on Ebay because she didn't want to give her name, address and phone number  to some stranger. I sat her down at my computer and we Googled her name. You should have seen the look on her face, when all her information came up. Pictures of her on social networks, the name of her gym, her home address and phone on several online phone books (like whitepages), Google maps, and much more. She doesn't worry much about Ebay buying now.

If you have any additional thoughts or things I should add to this, let me know, and I'll update it if I agree with you.