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Is this Seller Reliable? – Looking at Feedback

First please remember that most Taobao Sellers are quite reliable. And this robust feedback system is a big reason why. Some Sellers even have 100% flawless records after thousands of transactions.

I’m pretty laid back about who I buy from. But when I make any big purchase, I do a little research to make sure that the Seller is on the up-and-up. Here’s how to do it. 

Look Here for the Seller’s Feedback Rating

finding seller rating2 Is this Seller Reliable? Looking at Feedback taobao international

Is This Seller Good? The Quick Answer

Here’s the quick litmus test for deciding if the seller is reliable.  Every transaction is different, but in general, you should look for Sellers that have: At Least 500 transactions and above 99% Feedback. 

Be sure you’re looking at the 308 circled in green above, which is their rating as a Seller. The non-circled 7 is their rating as a buyer. Take a look our tutorial about the Seller Panel if you’re not sure about this.
 

Hearts < Diamonds < Crowns

These represent how many transactions the Seller has successfully handled. 

Red, Yellow and Black Flowers

Click on the number (the 308 on the screenshot above) and you can see how a detailed breakdown of the Seller’s transactions.  You will be taken to a page with a chart that looks like this. 

flower feedback chart taobao1 Is this Seller Reliable? Looking at Feedback taobao international

 

Red = Positive Feedback

Yellow = Neutral

Black = Negative Feedback

 

 

There will be two charts on the screen. The top one rates the person as a Seller. The bottom one rates them as a Buyer. Yeah… buyers get feedback too.    

Good Feedback is Boring. Bad Feedback is Interesting 

If you have made it this far, you have to check out the what nasty things Buyers have said in the past. Even though a Seller has some bad feedback, it doesn’t mean that you should never deal with them.  You can read about the dispute to figure out why it happened.  
 
complaint and response taobao Is this Seller Reliable? Looking at Feedback taobao international
The Buyer’s complaint is grey and the Seller’s response is red / brown. 
(Run it through Google Translator)
 

Update – new additions to the system

As of February 15, Taobao has added to their feedback system with a five-star rating scale to evaluate Seller Speed, Accuracy and Attitude. As this system starts getting used, we will update you with some tips on how to evaluate that information. 

A Word About Leaving Bad Feedback

Bad feedback is all fun and games when you’re reading it, but you should think twice before writing bad feedback for a Seller. Taobao is their livelyhood, and a black flower can have a significant impact on their future business.
Make sure that this wasn’t your misunderstanding and always communicate with the Seller and do whatever you can to get any issues resolved.  If need be, enlist a Chinese-speaking friend to who isn’t afraid to set you straight. 
And remember how to avoid disputes: communicate with the Seller first!

5 Comments »

  • Sayang said:

    How to change the feedback for the seller ?
    thanks

    # 2 May 2010 at 11:26 pm
  • laobanniang said:

    Hi Sayang, Taobao’s review can be changed ONCE. You can change a bad review to a good one the seller provide good after-sell service to you and solved your problem. You can go to “我的淘宝”(My Taobao)–>”评价管理”(Review Management)–>Tab”给他人的评价”(My reviews to other ppl) to change it. However, once the review is already a RED flower(good review), you can’t change it to bad anymore. So be careful when you review the seller, don’t give him the good review, actually, don’t even confirm the transaction if you’re not 100% satisfied with the good. =)

    # 10 May 2010 at 12:32 pm
  • julie said:

    hi! so what happen if that seller doesn’t have any feedback , in which i couldn’t found

    # 9 July 2010 at 2:49 pm
  • laobanniang said:

    Hi Julie, that means this seller is new. s/he hasn’t sold anything yet. It a bit risky for you. We suggest you buy from other sellers with good feedbacks if you can find any.

    # 10 July 2010 at 10:02 am
  • Jami said:

    Once I gave them the yellow one since the product wasn’t in perfect condition but it could work anyway..
    But guess what! The seller wants me to change it to the red one and to delete my comment about how the product was when I got it even if it’s true -_- I didn’t even give him a black one >_> but he’s so annoying -*- he keeps calling/sms-ing me try to make me change -__-

    btw, I like your website, it’s very helpful, thanks for sharing.

    # 15 July 2010 at 11:47 am

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