Reviews & ratings

1. Completed orders only

A review is generated from an order record once that order closes. This occurs after either the inspection window has passed or an in person pickup was confirmed. There is no way to leave a review from a profile page, a listing page, or a link. Cancelled and refunded orders do not produce reviews.

2. Reviews from both parties

Buyers rate sellers and sellers rate buyers, on the same five star scale with the same quick tags: accurate listing, easy to meet, fast to ship, great communication. Neither side sees the other’s review before submitting, and one party’s silence does not block the other’s review from publishing.

3. One review per order

Each order yields exactly one review in each direction. Reviews can be edited for 48 hours after submission, then lock permanently. Every published review is stamped with the verified order date.

4. What ratings are made of

A profile shows an average rating, the total review count, and a distribution of star ratings. This ensures that a five star average across two orders is never mistaken for a five star average across fifty. Reviews cannot be reordered, hidden selectively, or bought.

5. Written content standards

Review text must describe the transaction. We remove reviews that contain:

• Personal information, including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, or workplaces.
• Harassment, hate speech, threats, or discriminatory language.
• Content unrelated to the order, including advertising or contact details outside Encore.
• Demonstrably false claims about the other party.
• Complaints about a Encore decision rather than the other party’s conduct.

6. Manipulation

Placing orders between related accounts to generate ratings, offering refunds or discounts in exchange for a rating, or pressuring someone to change a review are all prohibited. Confirmed manipulation results in the removal of affected reviews and can lead to account suspension.

7. Removal and appeals

Either party can report a review that breaks these standards. We remove content that violates them; we do not remove a review simply because it is negative and accurate. Where text is removed for a policy breach, the star rating may stand. Appeals are made once from the order record.

8. Reviews during a claim

If a claim is open, review publishing is paused until the claim closes, so ratings reflect the outcome rather than frustration during the process.

9. Deleted accounts

When an account is deleted, its reviews of others remain but are attributed to a removed user, and its own rating history is deleted with the profile.