I will spend some time here to enable members to better understand when we will take action for artificial inflation of Feedback.

First, let me provide some background: today, the Feedback Solicitation policy focuses on prohibiting sellers from soliciting Feedback within a listing description or title. For example, a seller may have included the following language in the listing title of a very inexpensive item: "Build Your Feedback score quickly." Doing this invites members to artificially enhance their reputation (also known as Feedback padding).

As the Community has grown, we have learned that some members have become increasingly sophisticated about how they create a false reputation on eBay. Instead of soliciting via an actual listing description or title, some members will demonstrate patterns of behavior that prove to be Feedback manipulation. An example of Feedback manipulation is a member buying or selling 25 items with a Buy It Now price of 1 Re, with no shipping costs and then immediately selling more expensive items such as plasma televisions. A buyer viewing this seller’s record may assume that the seller earned the 25 Feedback by selling plasma televisions. Therefore, the seller’s reputation is not representative of their actual activity on eBay.

Feedback is the foundation of trust on eBay. Purchasing, selling or trading Feedback undermines the integrity of the Feedback system and decreases trust within the eBay marketplace. Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions including:

• Listing cancellation
• Limits on account privileges
• Account suspension
• Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
• Loss of PowerSeller status
• Feedback removal

Please visit The Feedback Manipulation policy page to know more.

Sincerely,

Sharat Digumarti
Sr. Manager, Trust and Safety Team