Product Listing Reviews - FAQ & Guide

[Dakota Linden]

Greetings!

Product Listing Reviews can be very helpful for both sellers and buyers. Hopefully the information provided in this post will help answer some common questions and also help make the reviews more effective for everyone.

MINI FAQ

What is a Product Listing Review?

At the most basic, a review is the Star Rating and written comments from a buyer/receiver about the item.

Who may leave a review on a Product Listing?

The buyer of the item may post a review, if they are also the receiver. They bought it for themselves.

The Receiver of the item, if the item was purchased for them by another Second Life User account as a gift.

Why do some Products have Star Ratings but no review comments?

The Second Life Marketplace was born out of a 3rd party system that was originally called SLExchange and then renamed to XstreetSL. SLX/Xstreet did not require a buyer to leave a comment when they rated the item.  Products that were originally on the old system were migrated to the Second Life Marketplace, along with any Star Ratings and original review comments that were on the Product Listings.   It is no longer possible to leave only a Star Rating on a Product Listing.  Some type of comment must also be added.

Why does the Marketplace use a 5 star rating system?

The original SLX/Xstreet used the 5 star rating option and thus was migrated to the Second Life Marketplace system.  The 5 Star Rating system is in common use and is usually easy to understand visually.

How should the Star Ratings on an Product Listing be interpreted?

1 Star  - Poor / Did not like

2 Stars - Fair / Below Average

3 Stars - Average / It is Okay 

4 Stars - Good / Above Average

5 Stars - Excellent / Loved It

Are Reviews ever removed from a Product Listing?

Yes. Unfortunately, there are times when Linden Lab must remove a review from a Product Listing.  Anyone may report a Review to Linden Lab but only Linden Lab has the ability to remove the review from the Product Listing.

REVIEWS GUIDE

Writing an Effective Review

As a buyer, your review is most effective if you include details about your experience with the item as this will help the both the sellers and other potential buyers. Keep the following questions in mind when you are writing your review.

• Do the images on the Product Listing accurately reflect how the item looks in world?
• Are the permissions on the item correctly indicated on the Product Listing?
• Does the Item Description provide clear information about the item?
• Are you pleased with the purchase?
• If you had an issue with the item, did you try to contact the seller directly before reviewing the item?  Alerting the seller to the problem is a courtesy and allows them the opportunity to try to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, regardless if your review comments are positive or negative, there are some no-no's that will result in your review being removed from an item listing.

• Profanity 
  • A review should absolutely not include any type of profanity, or attempts at masked profanity
• Flaming/Hate Speech
  • Personal attacks targeted at the seller, or a user in another review, are not appropriate
• Reporting issues that are outside of the control of the seller or are known issues.
  • Failed Deliveries, Lost In-World Inventory 
  • Re-sized Mesh Land Impact.
  • Reporting issues already detailed in the Product Listing.
• Advertising other products. 
  • Encouraging users to buy another, specific product, or to visit your location in world to see the item
• Negative Reviews from a direct competitor
  • If a buyer purchases an item that they also sell, a negative review of the purchased item could be seen as an attempt to disparage the seller or their items. 
• Posting Chat Logs
  • Chat between users should never be posted in a review. You may post the copy of a script error message, however.

Sellers are encouraged to reply to reviews, even if it is just to post a thank you for the buyer purchasing the item.

If you are a Seller who has received a negative review, or you are a 3rd party that would like to reply to a review, please remember that the buyer is not required to, nor is it mandatory, for the buyer to contact the seller before leaving a review.

Sellers should never leave a negative review unanswered. If the review remains on the listing with no reply from the seller, potential buyers could see the lack of reply by the seller as ambivalence towards their customers and/or products and may choose not to buy the items, not based on an individual's experiences with the item, but based on the seller not being willing to address their customers concerns or issues.

At the minimum, a seller should post a reply to a negative review with something like "I am sorry that you have had an issue with the item. Please contact me in world so that we can work together to try to resolve your concerns and issues".

This lets everyone know that you are attentive to your customers and their concerns/issues, keeps your reply short and professional, and places the next steps into the hands of the buyer by asking them to contact you.

 

*********

All of the information outlined in this FAQ/Guide is in compliance with Linden Lab's existing policy regarding Product Listing Reviews. I have posted the information in the hopes that it helps clear up that policy for users of the Marketplace so that they better understand what is and is not acceptable when it comes to writing Product Listing Reviews, along with a few personal tips/suggestions from me.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Dakota Linden