eBay Changes Feedback Policy For Sellers

Says it's about accountability

By Mike Sachoff · May 21, 2008 · 133 Comments

Online auction site eBay has begun to introduce changes in the feedback that sellers can leave about buyers. The changes were first announced in January.

Sellers on eBay are no longer allowed to leave neutral or negative comments about buyers on the site. eBay has also changed the way it calculates a member’s positive feedback percentage score.

eBay told users on Monday that as it continues to update its database, some sellers would see a temporary difference in their scores displayed on their Item pages and on their Feedback profile.

eBay says the feedback change was necessary because of an increasing number of sellers leaving critical ratings for buyers who gave them negative ratings.

Brian Burke - eBay's Director of Global Feedback Policy

"What we discovered through research was that any negative feedback that the buyer gets reduces their purchasing or willingness to purchase within the marketplace," Brian Burke, eBay’s director of global feedback policy told CNN. "The goal behind the changes is really to make sure that we’ve got buyer accountability and seller accountability."

Sellers on eBay who want to leave feedback now see a new page that gives them the option of leaving positive feedback or leaving feedback later. The page has a link to another page where sellers can report problem buyers over the following issues, unpaid item, feedback extortion, feedback abuse, malicious buying, and customs fraud.

Some sellers are not happy about seeing changes to their percentage score. eBay Australia has a pop – up box that says,"Buyers, you can no longer receive negative or neutral Feedback from sellers. You should leave honest and accurate Feedback without the fear of receiving negative or neutral ratings."

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There are 133 Comments. Add Yours.

David
May 21, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Reply

The original intent of the feedback system according to eBay was to initiate a feedback system that was fair, therefore the fair system that was put in place was for sellers and buyers to be able to leave feedback for each other which would help keep both in check as to seeing both sides of the story, In all fairness to buyers and sellers there are many cases where buyers leave negative feedback against an honest seller that did nothing wrong. For example the buyer fails to provide the address change and the seller sends the item to the address the buyer gave them which was the old address and the buyer takes it out on the seller due to their mistake. Another example is where the buyer does not read the compatibility or description properly and the seller sends the item ordered as described, again there are many cases where the buyer then leaves negative feedback.

The point here is that the system as originally intended effects the buyers and sellers ratings. Now that the system has changed it only reflects against the seller which means this is not the original intent of the system eBay set up which they say was fair. Thus eBays changes using their own logic makes this system unfair.

EBay may make it seem to some as if this is actually rewarding sellers? Now the harder part for sellers to grasp is that Neutral feedback according to eBay shows deep buyer dissatisfaction and now eBay therefore counts what is suppose to be called Neutral as Negative as it now reflects against the sellers ratings also. See if you think all of this sounds fair if you were an honest seller on eBay?

In my opinion the system should be changed to reflect just one system that is again fair, it can be star rating system like Amazon that does not involve one side of a story against someone else.
- Guest
  June 8, 2008 at 6:02 am
  Reply
  
  This pretty much agrees with my thoughts on the matter. A 100% feedback for a buyer is now actually meaningless so no longer instils confidence. Having spent about a decade in the retail industry, I can tell you there are some people (relatively few thank goodness) you just don’t want to do business with… and I’m not referring to the crooks. There are simply people with ridiculous expectations who cannot be reasonably satisfied. Pefhaps the best way to mitigate this is to get rid of the % rating… 100% is un unreasonable expectation anyway… and perhaps have a grading system that would make 97.5%-100% identical… an A+ perhaps…
Lucy Cole
May 21, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Reply

The change in feedback that only allows sellers to give positive feedback is the most outrageous and dumbest thing eBay has ever done! And I’m a BUYER only. What is the point of sellers giving buyers any feedback at all if it can only be good? My reputation as a buyer is just as important to me as it is to sellers, and now that’s all been put in the trashcan. This must be changed and very quickly! Buyers can be protected from retaliation in other ways. This is infuriating. eBay may think boycotts will never be effective — give it time. People can’t change instantly, but they will be looking elsewhere and so will I.
Guest
May 22, 2008 at 11:32 am
Reply

I love it!

I have done over 200 transactions, and only been burned twice.

Recently I purchased a watch I’d been hunting for a couple of years. The picture looked great, description seemed factual enough.

Yet, when I received it, batteries were dead (not too big a deal, still most sellers not whether it runs or not and I should have asked) but the worst part was the crystal was scratched all to h-e-double toothpicks. Not a little scratch or two, but like it had been dragged across the parking lot. The picture did not show this. Obviously it was not a new picture.

When I complained to the seller privately, he instantly got hostile and it was obvious he would not refund me. I debated and finally did leave negative feedback. Well, HE did the same in retaliation even though I had paid instantly.

The only mark on my perfect record.

Yes, power to the buyer!
- Guest
  May 22, 2008 at 4:18 pm
  Reply
  
  In your case, if eBay had good Customer Support, your negative feedback would’ve been removed by eBay. Also, if we could rely on a fair feedback system, in all likelihood you would’ve never bid on the item in the first place. I have been on eBay for over 10 years, both buying and selling. I have never received, nor given, a negative. But about 9 months ago I received a neutral by someone who thought I could’ve put more into my description. I emailed her immediately and offered a full refund, including postage both ways, and she refused. Because I am a small-time seller, my feedback dropped this week from 100% (almost 3,000 total feedback over 10 years), to 99.7, because her neutral is factored into the 300 sales I’ve had over the last twelve months. This is absolutely ridiculous and unfair, especially since a perspective buyer can not even see the details of this transaction to judge whether or not her feedback was warranted. Now, as a buyer, I am forced to literally STUDY a sellers’ feedback before bidding. The percentage means nothing, really, so why even have it. The option of leaving a neutral should be removed, as it means the same thing as a negative. I will not leave feedback for my buyers, as there is no reason to. If I want to thank them for their business, I’ll do it more personally, through email. The changes are ridiculous, and it is shocking to think a company can grow to be so successful with such little minds making decisions.
Guest
May 22, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Reply

Ebay has a flawed system to begin with. I no longer allow my wife to sell on Ebay because on two occasions she was forced to give refunds. The buyers claimed they did not receive their stuff. They did not buy insurance, they did not want to pay for UPS shipping where they get tracking numbers. Did the packages get lost in the mail, were these just horrible people looking to get something for nothing, we will never know. All we do know for sure is that we paid Ebay to list, we paid Paypal to process the money, we paid to ship their items, and we got SCREWED!
- Heather
  June 12, 2008 at 1:01 pm
  Reply
  
  I always ship items with tracking information for this very reason. Specify that items will always ship by USPS priority with tracking information. This way there are no discrepencies.
Guest
May 22, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Reply

My post is an answer to a NEW FEEDBACK RULES posted by a guest at 11:32

POWER TO THE BUYER !!! What a joke, Buyers have different avenues, protected by paypal, ebay, etc.

I am both a Seller and a Buyer, and only 2 times the item was grossly misrepresented, I sent it back – with the delivery confirmation and get my money back.

As a Seller, I was just a victim of the New Feedback Rules, an extortion !!!

Buyer claimed that the item was returned to me, I did not receive it, so I asked for any proof of mailing ( even a post office recepit), none was provided, but Buyer sent me an email, demanding the his money back or he will leave me a negative feedback.

I did report a Feedback extortion with Ebay, and right after that I did get the neg.

I am just waiting for Ebay’s response……………………….

This Feedback system opened lot of doors for dishonest people.
Guest
May 23, 2008 at 3:47 am
Reply

ebay are to lose thoasands of sellers and revenues due to there feedback policy now, i know hundreds of people in my business and veryone has said the sam they won’t b using ebay for slling anymore du to the new system, if everybody does this they will lose big money and a new site will go up i’m building one to promise people fairness and let honest people leave feedback as they should. This new system is ridulous and unfiar to all, it opens the scams right up and people are getting ripped off big time no, my advice don’t sell anything on ebay if you feel you might get ripped off, its already happening ! ebay don’t care they just are so big now they don’t need to orry but i say he ho dosen’t think ! he who has loads a money and is a fool! what do they say " a fool and his money is easy parted" well maybe everyone will not be that fool and stop selling on ebay ! then they have no business ! ebay you need to think about your customers and its your sellers that have made you rich ! no sellers means no buyers ! that means a failed business ! everyone needs to strike ebay for there lack of thought for there main success and thats the sellers !
Ebayseller
May 24, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Reply

We have been honorable sellers on Ebay for well over 7 years. With the new changes involving the feedback policy leaves us no alternative but to revise our own:

1. Zero feedback bidders not welcome (or persona non grata).

2. We have the right to cancel any bid at anytime.

3. For anyone who leaves excessive negative feedback, you are not welcome to bid and will be permanently blocked.

For all sellers who read this: If we’re not standng up for something we must be falling for everything.

To the policy makers at Ebay: When you place a higher value on money rather than integrity and it’s people, that’s called prostitution.

This new feedback policy is direct insult to all sellers on Ebay. Please, United We’ll Stand!!!
- Guest
  May 27, 2008 at 12:47 pm
  Reply
  
  memeber since 1998, now taking my business elsewhere. Ebay screwed itself and its sellers. Horrible buyers are ruining ebay!
Garland
May 25, 2008 at 6:55 am
Reply

As always eBay is changing something that is going to cost them huge. I have a friend and we decided to put up our own website that is free to use. Now all we have to do is get the traffic their. This is going to take some time but we both feel it’s worth it. We are both sellers and buyers having some of the same problems all ready mentioned.

There are many other website out there that don’t charge and the traffic is not great. So we decided to send emails to our past customers hoping they will buy and start selling on our new website. http://www.ddtclassifieds.com.

Best of luck to all of you sellers and buyers on eBay… It’s time for a move, don’t you agree?
vic
May 25, 2008 at 9:54 am
Reply

I’m a small buyer on eBay, I’ve only left 1 negative and 1 neutral evaluation.

For the negative evaluation, basically the seller lied in the description of the item. After asking for an explanation, the seller would not take responsibility and told me she would give me the same evaluation I would give her … I gave the negative evaluation anyway, and I got a defamatory negative in retaliation saying that I tried to pay with a fraudulent check, etc … (I actually paid with paypal within minutes of the end of the auction) I contacted ebay customer service regarding this matter, but all I got was an (automated ?) response informing me that they would not remove the evaluation (I paid with paypal, they could very easily verify that I had indeed paid the item and that the seller’s claims were false.). Considering the defamatory nature of the evaluation I went to the next step and sent a complete written complaint to their offices, to finally have the evaluation removed.

For the neutral evaluation I do not remember why I left it, but I ended up removing it by request of the seller.

So basically the system was already broken. Sellers with 100% good evaluations and 3000 sales is simply not realistic. It is the result of fear of retaliation and arrangements between sellers and buyers to remove negative/neutral evaluations. Evaluations profiles means nothing.

I’m all for making evaluations objective again, but removing the possibility of negative buyer evaluation will remove all its meaning, in the same way that 100% or 99.7% positive sellers evaluations mean nothing. A better solution might have been to simply 1) force sellers to evaluate first; 2) prevent giving a negative evaluation after you received one; 3) answer each customer request intelligently.
sonny
May 25, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Reply

I am a buyer and a seller and i also think this is bad, we need protection as buyers and sellers this is not the way. I do think the seller should leave feedback first.

http://www.foldingknifepro.com
- welder
  May 25, 2008 at 4:36 pm
  Reply
  
  i’m all for the changes, theres more sellers that take advantage of the feedback system, than buyers, sellers should leave feedback as soon as they dispatch the goods, not be able to leave feedback according to what they recieve.
  
  sellers are just worried that if they screw up their selling power reduces everytime they get a negative, i know as a buyer that in the past if i had non recieved item and i neg the seller most would retalliate with the same, had it happen, paid for goods instantly, didnt recieve the goods as did a lot of buyers at the same time, left negative for unrecieved goods, the seller messaged and told us to remove the neg or he’d neg back which he did. we asked ebey to remove the neg and the only reason they did remove it was because we’d mentioned paypal dispute, not because this guy was abusing the system.
  
  with the new system the buyer can now leave HONEST feedback to the transaction without the worry of retalliatory negative
  - Randy Barrett
    May 30, 2008 at 3:19 am
    Reply
    
    Once an item has been payed for, your job as a buyer is not done. The seller needs to know that you did receive your item and you are satisfied with the product/transaction. If something is wrong with your item when you receive it, it is your job as a buyer to contact the seller so that they can take care of you in any way that they can and make things right. They do not know something is wrong unless the buyer communicates with them. And if the seller does make things right, then feedback should reflect that. People are human, mistakes will happen, and there may be shipping problems or (customs hold ups, if it leaves the country) But most sellers are good people and will make things right. They should be given that opportunity, and then be recognized for it. Some buyers do not even give the seller a chance. That is why many sellers wait for feedback to be left first. There will always will be both bad & good buyers, and both bad & good sellers on eBay. There are, and always will be both buyers & sellers who mis-use feedback. Most buyers chose not to buy insurance and/or delivery confirmation, I use to leave feedback as soon as the buyer paid for their item until a inexperienced buyer did not receive his item after 26 days not 1 email asking if it was shipped or that he still did not have it. I sent another item out as soon as I found out (at my expense) he chose no insurance and I had no delivery confirmation. and he still left a negative feedback. I did not know he had not gotten the item in time to make it right. The buyer and seller must communicate several times through a transaction. and then they need to leave feedback appropriately.
    
    I guess we could require insurance and a delivery confirmation, an then an additional $3 or 4 dollars to tack on to the buyer.
    - charred
      May 31, 2008 at 7:50 pm
      Reply
      
      Yes that is fair, but most sellers will not accomodate nor acknowledge THEIR mistakes and do you know how many times I had to eat up losses because of sellers misrepresentations or unwillingness to negotiate? Sellers are full of fraud and shill bidding, you name it. Ebay doesn’t seem to do much with seller abuse when they are "powersellers".
      - charred
        May 31, 2008 at 7:54 pm
        
        Should I also mention the abuse one powerseller did about 2 years ago and ebay did nothing… he not only put my email address on a load of spam sites, but he also signed up for accounts under my name making up disgustings profiles about me, and he went through the trouble ordering merchandise under my name. Crank phone calls as well. I actually called the police on "paul2***" and they said nothing can be done because the merchandise ordered was sent to me instead of him.. but he did admit to the police that he was doing some of these things. He started with vulgar and sexist emails, and when I posted these on my "aboutme" page warning his potential customers, he went bizerk.
      - charred
        May 31, 2008 at 7:59 pm
        
        and no he did not pay for this merchandise. what he did was order that bmg cd membership under my name in which id have to pay for them later. i was shocked when the police said they could not do a thing!
Mike
May 25, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Reply

I really can not work out why people use EBay, If the company that I work for took 1 to 2 weeks to answer emails as eBay does we would have no customers.
Guest
May 26, 2008 at 1:22 am
Reply

This is a terrible change for Ebay. I’m a seller and now I’ve got to load up every auction with tons of rules to prevent buyer abuse. Ebay, you guys are idiots!
Peter
May 26, 2008 at 11:01 am
Reply

When I first read this I thought "about time"

I am mostly a buyer and have sold items in the past. When I buy an item my responsibility is to pay for the item on time, nothing more.

I would say that on average 90% of the time when I buy something the seller thanks for for fast payment and asks me to leave feedback, then they will leave feedback. I have explained that my part is done and that they, the seller should leave feedback first..

One change I would suggest is to allow sellers the ability to leave a more full explanation when they receive a negative feedback, rather than just a one liner.
- Guest
  May 26, 2008 at 7:47 pm
  Reply
  
  You may be a buyer who does pay for your items. However, being a huge seller on eBay, we deal with 10-20 buyers each month who do not pay, each one who either never responds, or has an excuse that we have heard several times in the past. The problem is, as a seller, we are required to pay eBay for those items that were sold, even if they were not ever paid for. The only way we can get credit – and a partial credit at that – is by filing an unpaid item dispute. Now if we do that so that we are not completely out the loss in fees, we fear getting a negative feedback from that buyer who now no longer cares how many items they "purchase" because they don’t have to own up to the responsibility to pay and fear nothing for having their unpaid items no longer affect their buying record. We already pay eBay $6,000-$8,000 each month in fees. And now, will probably instead eat the loss in those unpaid items, which will now probably grow in amounts each mont.
  
  Once you pay for an item, your job as a buyer is not done. The seller needs to know that you did receive your item and you are satisfied with the product/transaction. If something is wrong with your item when you receive it, it is your job as a buyer to contact the seller so that they can take care of you in any way that they can and make things right. They do not know something is wrong unless the buyer communicates with them. And if the seller does make things right, then feedback should reflect that. People are human, mistakes will happen, and there may be defective products (not all sellers are the manufacturer of their products.) But many sellers are good people and will make things right. They should be given that opportunity, and recognized for it. Some buyers do not even give the seller a chance. That is why many sellers wait for feedback to be left first. There always has been, still is, and always will be both bad & good buyers, and both bad & good sellers on eBay. There always has, still are, and always will be both buyers & sellers who mis-use feedback. Both buyer & seller need to recognize this, and need to communicate well with each other throughout the transaction, and they need to leave feedback appropriately.
  
  Feedback for buyers:
  Did the buyer pay on-time?
  Did the buyer pay within our payment terms?
  Did the buyer pay within a country that we ship to?
  Did the buyer read our listing correctly? (Did they make a change to their order, example, request a different size or color other than the listing was stated?)
  Did the buyer make another change after payment was received/item shipped? (example, address change.)
  Did the buyer communicate they are satisified with their purchase?
  
  Feedback for sellers:
  Did the seller confirm payment/shipment?
  Did the seller ship within the time-frame stated in the listing? (Once an item leaves the seller, they are not responsible for shipping transit time. They are not the shipping carrier, and should not be rated as such.)
  Did the seller send me the item as described in the listing?
- James
  June 3, 2008 at 2:17 pm
  Reply
  
  Paying for an item is the easiest job for a buyer (pushing a button).
  
  The real (and more difficult) responsibility of the buyer is inspection of goods upon receipt and notification of seller if there is a problem that needs to be fixed.
  
  Therefore, the buyer has the final duty in the transaction and should be the first to leave feedback.
  
  Just my opinion as both a buyer and a seller,
  
  Thanks,
  
  James
Guest
May 26, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Reply

Way to screw your sellers, ebay!
- Guest
  May 27, 2008 at 12:43 pm
  Reply
  
  after 10 years of buying and selling excess designer items purchased on travels to italy, i am OUt of here. Lame buyers who ask for free shipping, customs fraud, complain if itme does not fit them despite detailed accutrate item measurements….No THANKS! if there are no sellers, What does ebay have anyway!!! GET a clue!!
Guest
May 27, 2008 at 5:40 am
Reply

I will never understand how people can purchase anything off Ebay i have checked most things that are there and find in most cases its cheaper buying the items from shops even online shops are cheaper or not that much difference plus you get the bonus of "guaranteed product" so you can return it with no problems plus no feedback needed. I think its about time people stopped paying high prices for tat check out your local genral auction not a lot sells at market prices there
- Guest
  August 3, 2008 at 5:06 pm
  Reply
  
  uhh…What planet are you on? You have checked most things that are on ebay??? and you think you can find them cheaper other ways? How many "things" did you check? I would be interested to see what you call "most things"….
Guest
May 27, 2008 at 5:42 am
Reply

I will never understand how people can purchase anything off Ebay i have checked most things that are there and find in most cases its cheaper buying the items from shops even online shops are cheaper or not that much difference plus you get the bonus of "guaranteed product" so you can return it with no problems plus no feedback needed. I think its about time people stopped paying high prices for tat check out your local genral auction not a lot sells at market prices there
- Guest
  July 4, 2008 at 11:04 pm
  Reply
  
  Most of the items on ebay are just as expensive as in the stores, or from a reputable internet business with a "real" address and "real" business. Bout the only advantage in eBay is the savings from the gas to drive to the store. But that advantage is shot once the product is not as described or defective.
  
  When eBay first started years and years ago, you could actually find great deals. Now it has mporphed into a place where sellers think their junk is worth money or they try to make even more money on the inflated shipping and "handling".
  
  Face it, "handling" is just a cost of doing business. WalMart or KMart doesn’t charge the customer to "handle" the product.
  
  "Handling" was a concept centuries ago started by JC Penny. Back then if you ordered a item from their catalog, it had to be shipped to you by wagon, by rail, and then by wagon to get to your little house on the prarie. Actual people had to move it, load it, carry it, haul it, and take care of it for the two months it took to get to you. Men had to be fed and boarded while on the road, horses had to be fed, wagons maintained, and rail freight paid. This all cost LOTS of money. "Handling" is antiquated, obsolete, and is today just a way to boost the selling price of your item.
  
  Unless, of course, you are buying a piano or piece of furniture which has to be actually shipped by freight.
  - Guest
    July 27, 2008 at 4:00 pm
    Reply
    
    You bet by God Wal*mart "charges" to handle their products! They certainly don’t sell to their customers at the same price they pay – it is all built into the price the customer pays – its called overhead!!!
- Guest
  July 20, 2008 at 1:46 pm
  Reply
  
  I have run a shop on ebay for a couple of years and sold at the same price that the manufacturer sold direct, cant see thats a rip off. Other sellers of the same product charged more, if they get the sale rather than me or the manufacturer surely thats the buyers fault for not shopping efficiently rather than the others sellers fault. Shop around find the best deal wherever.
  
  I also buy quite a lot on ebay and usually find the service quick and competitive there are a lot of items you just cant find easily elsewhere.
  
  Like in everything let the buyer beware, I have had mainly good experiences with customers and sellers and never got a fair bad or neutral feedback from a disatisfied customer that bothered to get in touch.
  
  I always left feedback on despatch, before the buyer left me feedback and only ever got bad feedback once or twice from malicious customers, or ones who didnt bother to complain first and yes I did have a go at them in the reply because they are bad ebayers,but they already had the feedback they deserved for the first stage of the transaction. Feedback from sellers should be in two parts part one for payment part two so that awkward customers can be hilighted if they threaten or ask for unfair refunds.
  
  I dont quibble I just trade fairly and expect the same from those I deal with including ebay and pay pal. I stopped selling on ebay due to the excessive fees that left me with about 5% return for the effort and reduced visibility which just made it impossible to get enough turnover to make it worth it at that margin. The new feedback will probably stop me coming back, thats another 500+ a month they’ve lost
  - Guest
    September 25, 2008 at 3:57 am
    Reply
    
    all you sellers thinking about going to another site to sell but you forget why ebay did this. They did research why buyers dont buy again on Ebay .And that is because of fear of negative feedback as a buyer i alway read these feedback negative and positive if the feedback is consistent with the item description.
    
    if you are an honest seller it will show on your feedback from buyers not nessarily only on feedback score.
    
    go ahead sell on another site, but customers always buy where they feel
    
    it’s the safest.
Guest
May 27, 2008 at 8:59 am
Reply

Won an item and the seller never shipped it. He turned around and sold it to his friend. I left negative feedback because I had won the auction. I can’t bid on something and take it back afterwards and neither should the seller. After leaving negative feedback for the buyer, he turned around and left negative feedback for me. Saying it was an overall bad experience, which took away my 100% feedback. It was only a bad experience because of him not me. He renegged on the deal. Why should I get negative feedback when I paid in a timely manner and never got the item.
- Guest
  May 30, 2008 at 12:07 pm
  Reply
  
  As a seller for several years, and a 20,000++ feedback rating, I can tell you that I absolutely don’t CARE what a buyers feedback is.
  
  If eBay had cared about it’s sellers, which they clealy don’t, then they would have EDUCATED the buyers to NOT WORRY about their feedback, instead of protecting even the rare dishonest buyer from negative feedback at the expense of ALL sellers.
  
  This policy change is idiotic, and has resulted in my company starting new selling at AMAZON, Ubid, bidville, ioffer, ecrater and "onlineauctions.com" sites. Our combined sales from these sites have now, nearly, eclipsed our eBay sales.
  
  It’s more work, but it’s LESS hassle!
Guest
May 30, 2008 at 12:40 am
Reply

If you think things get done by ONLY thinking them through then that explains your Incorrect assesment of these ebay policies and possibly the voting choices you make.

You obviously have not sold much on ebay. Shutting up one side on transactions can never be a fair situation. Is any honest citizen happy in a country governed by a dictator ? I think not.

Wait until 3 of your 6 buyers says "something went wrong, I didn’t bid that much" or some other lame excuse and just leave you hanging with fees and ebay’s protection wall for the buyer.

This exact problem happened to me just this week. After years of nothing but great transactions. My hard work at building a 100% Positive score and my equal seller protection suddenly means nothing

I will be looking for a new outlet. Ebay management will not even take, much less, respond to my emails..
Guest
May 30, 2008 at 1:48 am
Reply

I’m both a seller and buyer, but mostly a seller.

I see ebay as a bully. Ebay knows it is the largest and most successful online auction site, so Ebay does what Ebay wants, no matter what and no matter who it hurts. Ebay holds many people’s livelihoods in its nasty hands and Ebay knows it and doesn’t care. That’s a big fat ugly bully, in my opinion.

I’d LOVE to see JUST ONE WEBSITE start up as an online auction site. JUST ONE, not many. If many people start up their own, that divides the customers and sellers up so much that none of the sites are successful and then they fold, leaving E-bully the only successful one. Too bad.
- Sick of eBay
  June 6, 2008 at 7:08 am
  Reply
  - Guest
    July 4, 2008 at 10:54 pm
    Reply
    
    I"M GLAD to see the change! I very seldom have a buyer leave any feedback for me until after I have left feedback.
    
    Once I send in the payment promptly, I should recieve feedback because my part of the transaction ends there!
    
    Too many of you whinning sellers use the feedback system to extort positive feedback in an effort to boost your rating and draw more customers to your auctions and this is not the purpose of a feedback rating. Too many times I have had no option but to leave NO FEEDBACK because I knew the asshole seller would retaliate with negative FB.
    
    FInally, after a decade, eBay has come to it’s senses.
    
    If you don’t like the new system, close your business and go find a new line of work.
    - Guest
      July 11, 2008 at 10:29 am
      Reply
      
      You are very wrong. Your part of the transaction is not completed simply by paying. Your part ends when you are satisfied & can leave positive feedback, or if you are unsatisfied have at least notified the seller & have given them a chance to make it right. If you & the seller are unable to come to terms & they are frauds, then by all means leave them feedback. But in most cases that negative feedback will hurt them, not you (as long as you are reasonable). I honestly buy & sell equally, and I check the buyer’s feedback before purchasing. If they have tons of negatives, forget it! But now, with the new feedback, you can’t tell an honest seller from a scam artist! Buyers are too busy holding a negative over their heads & the ones that wont bend over and take one in their tush appear to "bad sellers". So the feedback system is completely useless now anyways. (Great job eBay – glad you thought that one through!) Sellers are also unable to report NPB or unreasonable buyer (everyone knows the ones I am talking about!) to worn other sellers. eBay should be worried about ALL eBayers being honest, not just sellers. I am in the process of opening my own online store & when it is setup, I am done SELLING with them. Ebay can kiss my $600 a month in fees goodbye! Tthanks to eBay I have all my wonderful customers & with cheaper fees, I can offer better prices to those wonderful customers! eBay charges about 12%-15% (if you also use Paypal) – PIRATES!!!
Randy Barrett
May 30, 2008 at 2:49 am
Reply

That is about the the most ridiculous post I’ve read in a while. What seller would go to the trouble to set up a Ebay store, buy 200 items they probably don’t need, all separate transactions, pay shipping on them all. Just to rip a person off? I am, no I was a Ebay seller with a store and I worked very hard for my 100% FB rating often refunding total cost over shipping issues, all in the name of great customer service. not any more, all my hard word down the toilet with Ebay. Buyers can leave unfair and even lie about feedback and the sellers can say nothing. Well I ripped the duck tape off my mouth when I closed my store this week.
Guest
June 7, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Reply

Here is how the seller can sell products without being responsible for
the quality and still be protected by ebay:

After receiving the complain from buyer that the cellphone can’t make
or receive calls,
1. Response promptly and offer to replace battery
2. Take a long time before shipping out the battery to make sure the
buyer receives it after 7 days
3. Tell the buyer that it’s passed the 7 days so they can purchase a
square warranty which will work after 2 months
4. Buyer buys warranty and submit a claim to square warranty after 2
months. The claim is closed right away because seller reports the
product had problem upon delivery, which is the truth.
5. Seller completely ignores the buyer at this point of time because
they know it’s passed the time line allowed for dispute.
6. Ebay protects the seller although the buyer reported the whole
incidence in detail. They can only feel bad for you.

If even dispute can not solve the problem, how is feedback useful?!
- Guest
  June 21, 2008 at 9:16 am
  Reply
  
  yes you can still dispute the seller if you paid with paypal by filing with paypal a dispute
Guest
June 11, 2008 at 11:59 am
Reply

Seling on Feebay for 6 years, worked very hard to maintain a 100% positive feedback with zero neutrals or negatives. And for those of you are or were sellers on eBay you know this is no easy task.   It is common sense when it comes to the customer service aspect of a transaction, we as sellers, have a responsibiity to finalize the sale. Bring the sale to closure. The only way that is possible is through communication throughout and follow-up. We need to ensure the buyer/s walk away satisified with their purchase and that they have had a positive and good buying experienece.   I don’t know with certainty that ALL sellers feel that way. Unfortunately, it only takes a few bad apples to ruin it for the rest of us and have used eBay as a way to sell their "crap" under false pretense. ie: Movie DVD’s are often simply burned copies of the originals

I don’t need Greedbay to tell me in one of their alerts that there are abusers within the system. It really doesnt matter what the arena is, there are people out there looking for the opening that they can manipulate, cheat, scam and opportune from and they are both sellers and buyers. Here stems a significant rise in non-paying buyers in the last year alone. The banter between buyer and seller has become commonplace and opened a whole new world to an Ebay Fightclub. I have read some pretty nasty smackdowns. Yes it is funny at first, but is it? Should we as sellers and buyers have shown more restraint by not nibbling on the neg-feedback carrot?

Where is my 100% feedback today? Well thanks to a the neutral comment left by a buyer that it would appear does not read the listings before she bids, my perfect Feedback record has been tainted forever with 98.4%   Did I deserve the neutral? Well.. let me think about that…. hmm.. aaaahh.. No. That said, I am thankful for the changes made by ebay. Without the changes I would not venture outside of my comfort level nor would it make it possible for the first time in many years for non-ebay platforms to rise to the occasion. I believe we are at the start of a huge revolution and we should embrace it. I am excited for the things to come and how eBay will no longer be the only game in town. We as sellers will have more control over our business and learn more about building our businesses on the internet like never before. I mean really, who cared about SEO and meta words while they were selling their handmade jewelry on ebay? This is an amazing time for us all and I am so very proud to be a part of it.

–
Jackie D
http://www.flippinout.ecrater.com
http://www.flippnout.webnode.com
http://www.douweville.net
http://www.sellingbeyondebay.com
Hadenough!
June 12, 2008 at 10:09 am
Reply

I am afraid that I find the new feedback system on ebay totally unfair, both seller and buyers should have equel rights as out there in the high street, not being able to leave a negative feedback on a bad buyer is totally out of order, I have been messed about by buyers in the past but have never left a negative feedback even though it may have been warranted. I have also had buyers who just cannot be bothered to leave a feedback even though I have left one for them so it not always the seller who is guilty of bad practice.

Buyers can now leave any sort of unwarranted unfair feedback on a seller and the seller cannot respond.

Although I had a 100% positive feedback with Ebay I have now closed my account as I am not prepared to put up with the rubbish they are dishing out to genuine sellers who are now in a posItion where they are waiting with baited breath for someone to say something nasty about them and spoil their repution as a seller even if they don’t deserve it.

Ebay should remember that it is the sellers who pay the fees and not the buyers, by all means get rid of the bad sellers registered with them but give the genuine ones a break and get to work on a better feedback system than the present one in place. Many genuine sellers who run a business on Ebay must be absolutely incensed at what is happening, I am so angry even as a small seller even though I was only selling vintage items which I have collected over the years and now wish to dispose of.

Many business sellers are solely dependent on Ebay as they have ‘put all their eggs in one basket’ – there are plenty of other on-line auction sites out there, the answer is simple if you are not satisfied with the present feedback system you canalways leave Ebay and register elsewhere, there is life after Ebay at the end of the day, Ebay have really put their foot in it this time as many will close their account, just watch those profits fall!
Guest
June 12, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Reply

ebay, this is a JOKE .Ebay keeps making small changes that nets them millions and breaks the small dealers they care nothing about the folks! the customers WHO make them the size they are. Simple answer is customers need to move off ebay and show them without out customers ! without people? they have no business. Ebay is only in charge because we did not speak up loud enough to make them back off. EBAY thinks they own your business and ebay believes they have every right to run it ..your business with unfair policy changes and new rules. A business owner can not run any kind of business on floating policies and rules. Ebay changed there download policy and the cost of selling your downloads shot up ten times higher??? wow and said it was for our own good. I quit ebay!! I had fantasy feedback and lots of customers BUT I REFUSE to have a rental company tell me how I have to run my business, they rent space they do not own us.

ebay controls what and who gets to say what.

A non ebay company (other then ebay) should run the feeback to insure fair trade and fair feedback.
Guest
June 19, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Reply

What a disaster the new feedback policy is. The scamming, blackmailing, non paying buyers are coming out of the woodwork on E-bay now. Sellers are now getting E-mails from buyers telling them to refund the money for purchases without returning the product or they will NEG the seller!! I have had a multitude of non paying buyers lately and I have no recourse whatsoever. Just the stupid UPI strike that E-bay swears by.
pual...
June 23, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Reply

they guy said no neg feedback needs to jump off a bridge….

my feedback was 100% 2 months ago….. no down to 98%….. ppl are slaming my used parts…. i cant do shit about thim giving me neg feedback!!
Melinda
June 27, 2008 at 10:18 am
Reply

I cannot begin to tell you how upset the new feedback system has made me and millions of sellers. This is a direct violation of the consitutional right of FREEDOM OF SPEECH and FREEDOM TO CHOOSE!. We are forced into leaving a postive or no feedback comment at all for buyers who are dishonest. I now have buyers coming out of the woodwork who use items, return them and demand money, and non paying bidders. I now have my own policy that no matter how wonderful the buyer is, I leave NO feedback whatsoever. If ebay can remove my right to choose and my right to a comment of my choice, I refuse to leave any feedback and increase buyers positive rating. I have had people openly lie in feedback and ebay refuses to correct the problem. It is SELLERS who pay ebay fees, NOT BUYERS!! If we leave selling on ebay they will go belly up! What poetic justice. Now, about the nuetral….hey GreedBay….neutral means ‘neither good or bad’ WHY should that LOWER our score???? This is so wrong on so many levels. Please sellers…band together. We make or break ebay if we LEAVE them. We should not have our choices removed from us. SELLERS are the ones who support ebay, NOT BUYERS! I do not care what ebay says the buyers…GOOD ONES…will come. Now Greedbay has opened the flood gates for dishonest buyers who waste our time, money and use our items…FOR FREE, Thank You…and the sellers get screwed. What recourse do sellers have, NOTHING!
- Guest
  July 3, 2008 at 3:09 am
  Reply
  
  Im guessing youre one of those sellers who doesnt leave feedback for the buyer until they leave feedback for you.
  
  Shame on you!
  - Guest
    July 4, 2008 at 4:44 pm
    Reply
    
    You betcha I will not leave feedback until the sale is completely closed and the buyer has left me a positive feed back. Buyers are very aware how to use the current system against the sellers and that’s the only way I know to protect myself…small though it may be.
    
    But then, Ebay says I am a bad seller. Out of over 600 Feedbacks I got a neutral about 5 months ago. Didn’t bother ebay at first, but then they lowered my perfect score. Then a really rude buyer/seller who knew the ropes tried to bully me into sending them a $12.00 rebate on her item. I refused, so she dinged me good. First negative I ever got. Now ebay says I’m such a bad seller and need to brush up on my manners, and as such, will not show my items except at the bottom of the barrel.
    
    Sellers give Ebay a lot of money every month. How much do the Buyers give them?
  - No! Shame On You!!
    July 11, 2008 at 10:09 am
    Reply
    
    Why on Earth would a seller leave a positive feedback until the transaction has been completed? For one second, let’s pretend you are actually a SELLER , NOT a BUYER! (I buy & sell equally) You sell something properly described & plenty of photos. A person purchases that item & makes a speedy payment. You then post POSITIVE feedback. The buyer receives the item, send you an all to famous "I assumed this would be…" letter stating they want a full refund or you pay to return the item & they want 100% refund. You as the seller are now being taken advantage of because the buyer failed to look at the pictures, failed to read the description, or just plain changed their mind" because YOU HAVE ALREADY LEFT FEEDBACK! Buyers can be unreasonable & extremely rude, even with your best of best costumer service! When the buyer is satisfied & has posted feedback for the seller, THAT is when the transaction has been completed. I have had 3 buyers leave unfavorable feedback in my 3000+ transactions. All three of those feedbacks where not deserved! 1. Customer expected me to pay their Duty Taxes – left feedback before contacting me 2. Buyer ASSUMED item came with a box – left feedback before contacting me 3. Buyer purchased an item, ASSUMED there was an extra piece (not listed or pictured) & wanted to keep the item for free. I offered to accept a return on the item, but would not pay for return cost due to the fact that the item was clearly photographed & described. They said, No – I will just keep it. Then the SAME Day they switched the feedback system, (DAYS LATER) they left me an neutral (which counts as a negative).
    
    So P.S Sellers – you can NOT leave any NEGATIVE information even in a POSITIVE feedback. So go ahead you NPB & unreasonable buyers, have fund taking advantage of those HONEST Sellers. Hopefully someone will start up an HONEST auction site so we can ditch eBay!!
  - No! Shame On You!!
    July 11, 2008 at 10:09 am
    Reply
    
    Why on Earth would a seller leave a positive feedback until the transaction has been completed? For one second, let’s pretend you are actually a SELLER , NOT a BUYER! (I buy & sell equally) You sell something properly described & plenty of photos. A person purchases that item & makes a speedy payment. You then post POSITIVE feedback. The buyer receives the item, send you an all to famous "I assumed this would be…" letter stating they want a full refund or you pay to return the item & they want 100% refund. You as the seller are now being taken advantage of because the buyer failed to look at the pictures, failed to read the description, or just plain changed their mind" because YOU HAVE ALREADY LEFT FEEDBACK! Buyers can be unreasonable & extremely rude, even with your best of best costumer service! When the buyer is satisfied & has posted feedback for the seller, THAT is when the transaction has been completed. I have had 3 buyers leave unfavorable feedback in my 3000+ transactions. All three of those feedbacks where not deserved! 1. Customer expected me to pay their Duty Taxes – left feedback before contacting me 2. Buyer ASSUMED item came with a box – left feedback before contacting me 3. Buyer purchased an item, ASSUMED there was an extra piece (not listed or pictured) & wanted to keep the item for free. I offered to accept a return on the item, but would not pay for return cost due to the fact that the item was clearly photographed & described. They said, No – I will just keep it. Then the SAME Day they switched the feedback system, (DAYS LATER) they left me an neutral (which counts as a negative).
    
    So P.S Sellers – you can NOT leave any NEGATIVE information even in a POSITIVE feedback. So go ahead you NPB & unreasonable buyers, have fund taking advantage of those HONEST Sellers. Hopefully someone will start up an HONEST auction site so we can ditch eBay!!
  - Guest
    July 16, 2008 at 1:14 pm
    Reply
    
    shame on you for assuming, in future keep your thoughts to yourself.
    - Guest
      July 21, 2008 at 10:18 pm
      Reply
      
      What is a dishonest buyer?
      
      You certainly dont send the merchandise before you recieve payment, do you?
      
      So, a buyer has met their obligation (100%) as soon as you receive timely payment. Holding positive feedback hostage until you receive feedback is just plain wrong.
      
      If the sellers just make sure they dont mislead anyone, everything will be OK. I realize this takes the power away from you (the seller) but thats how its been for the buyers since the beginning. Get used to it.
      - Guest
        December 12, 2008 at 9:53 am
        
        Actually, a buyer’s responsibility is not over with once they make their payment. It is a buyer’s responsibility to also receive and inspect their item, and report any problems or concerns and make an honest attempt to work them out with their seller before leaving feedback. Not until a seller has the chance to do their best to provide the customer service necessary to make sure their buyer is happy with their purchase should feedback be left by the seller.
  - small timer
    August 31, 2008 at 10:17 am
    Reply
    
    though I guess that’ll have to change now…I used to do it to make sure everyone (me and the buyer) was 100% happy before EITHER of us left feedback.
  - Guest
    October 26, 2008 at 11:29 am
    Reply
    
    If you receive the item in good order. Leave feedback. Then I will too. Otherwise. Shame on you.
Elizabeth
July 1, 2008 at 5:15 am
Reply

I truly believe that eBay has gone crazy with their changes in the feedback system. It used to be a Seller could protect themselves from rotten buyers by leaving them negative feedback which also helps to let other sellers know that this potential buyer is big trouble. Now the Seller can not protect themselves from these rotten buyers.

Just recently I had a lady win a necklace from me at auction. The lady paid fast so I thought fantastic, means a potential positive feedback since the necklace was in excellent condition. Boy was I wrong!!!!!!

This lady sends me a message stating that the necklace had become unstrung and the string was is the box where the beads had fallen into. I replied to her message because for one thing I was a bit confused…..the necklace that I had shipped her was created with beading wire and not string so I thought maybe she had my necklace confused with a different one she might have ordered.

I offered to restring the necklace and also send her a free pair of matching earrings since I wanted her to be a happy customer. I also had ask her to send me a picture of the unstrung necklace and the shipping packaging, thought maybe by a photo I might see what might have happened.

The shipping packaging was in good shape and the unstrung necklace had the tell tale signs of being cut. Does this mean that because I had ask her for a photo of the unstrung necklace that she cut it? Who know for sure, maybe.

She threatened me with negative feedback and when she sent me the photo she had already left me negative feedback. I left her positive……big mistake should have left her nothing………My 100% feedback rating dropped down to 94% and she still has 100%. Not fair at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- JT
  July 3, 2008 at 3:04 am
  Reply
  
  The new policy is great and should have been put in place years ago.
  
  A buyer meets their requirements as soon as payment is received by the buyer. At that point, the seller should enter positive feedback. Not after the buyer enters feedback.
  
  I purchased a item for $3.50 on ebay recently and paid $3.50 for shipping. I paid immediately. When I received the item it wasnt what was pictured. In fact it was quite different. I contacted the seller and he said that I should return the item and he would refund my money plus the original shipping. I explained to him that taking the time package and return an item for $3.50 wasnt worth my the time or expense.
  
  Considering he knowingly sold an item that was different than what was photographed, in my mind, he should have sent me a check for $7. He didnt agree. I never left feedback because he threatened to retaliate with negative feedback.
  - Guest
    July 30, 2008 at 4:37 pm
    Reply
    
    So, in other words you wanted a "free" item? Would you think to pull this crap in an ‘off-line’ store? Walk into a store, say… this item I purchased isn’t quite what I thought it was, so I want a refund. But… I want to keep what I bought.
    
    Ha! You’d be laughed out of the store! You don’t ask for a refund expecting to keep the purchase! Anywhere!
  - Guest
    October 26, 2008 at 11:23 am
    Reply
    
    The problem here is you should have returned the item. The policy would have been the same if you purchased it in a store.
    
    I as a seller make my best effort to accomidate the buyer, but the the buyer must at least be willing to come to terms. If I am wrong in the listing and the buyer is polite and properly contacts me prior to feedback, I make my best effort, including full refunds PLUS return shipping, but the buyer must return it. NO department stor is just going to hand you a $7 check without having the item returned IN HAND. Why should it be any different on line.
    
    As for feedback.. Feedback was originally set up to provide a safe and trustworhty environment where buyer and seller were forced to be willing to work things out. Now, it is as if the sellers are offered no protection by those FEW and I mean few buyers who are not interested in being fair. That is a problem. The trust is gone. The change for this reason as quoted by Brian Burke, eBay’s director og global feedback:
    
    "What we discovered through reasearch was that any negative feedback that the buyer gets reduces their purchasing or willingness to purchase within the marketplace."
    
    So, there it goes.. a one sided attempt at evening the playing field. I pay on average $2000 – $3000 per year in listing and selling fees to ebay for selling trains as a hobby, NOT my income. If I had another option of selling at this point, I would move in a heartbeat. It is NO longer a fair and safe place to trade.
  - Guest
    December 12, 2008 at 9:47 am
    Reply
    
    I both sell and buy on Ebay, but because I have been ripped off by too many dishonest sellers out there, I buy only on occasion because it has ended in disappointment too many times. I recently bought an item that was obviously not as described (the seller listed a pair of shoes as the wrong size because they “seemed” to be cut more like that size) and they were clearly used although listed as new. Not to mention that they also charged 3x the cost of postage and claimed to have incurred extra costs because they had purchased “special packaging”. Turns out they shipped the shoes in an old battered shoebox and free USPS priority packaging!! I politely emailed the seller and they refused to accept a return, arguing that the size was correct and they were new. I filed a paypal claim and won, but I was still responsible for paying the return shipping. I don’t think I should have to pay anything out of pocket when the seller was clearly at fault here. At least now I can leave a negative feedback when it is all done and over with, and this one would be well-deserved.
Sienna
July 9, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Reply

Collective effort needed

I have been a low volume seller and buyer in the UK for many years and I am also experiencing the sudden dramatic rise of the NPB. My last item was costly, but like many others I am wary of lodging an unpaid item dispute through fear of receiving a totally unwarranted and now un-defendable negative. So I will never recover my FV fees. I also received an aggressive, accusatory email full of questions AFTER auction end from an ID with feedback of 100+.

These types of situations are completely unreasonable. Sellers are the foundation (not to mention the bread and butter) of EBay but we are being treated without any respect or fairness. From just this thread it is apparent that its not just the scammers that are now happily abusing the *new* system.

I think a collective global effort is needed to get our voices heard; we all need to stand up together and shout until we are heard. Sellers should get together in big numbers and write constantly to the press, the business press, the national press, radio television programs like watchdog, and we should keep doing it until the noise becomes too loud for Ebay to ignore. Or is there such a movement already?

To avoid feedback being used as leverage perhaps a blind system could be implemented where neither the buyer nor seller knows what has been written until both have been completed? Anything has got to be better than this; and it’s just going to get worse.

EBay/ PP need some healthy competition – anyone know if Google is planning an auction site any time soon?

Sienna
- Guest
  September 19, 2008 at 11:59 am
  Reply
  
  I think your idea about blind feedback is a great idea. I am surprised that Ebay managers didn’t put more time into researching the underlying Game Theory in order to come up with a fairer and more accurate feedback system.
  
  Really – Allow positive, neutral or negative feedback from both sellers and buyers, or no feedback at all – but don’t show the results to either until a week or two has gone by, then post the results and not permit changes.
  
  Additionally, such a two week delay should be extended for final results if either party has filed a dispute or interim hold with Ebay on the transaction notifying them that there is an informal dispute going on that has not yet been resolved.
  
  And finally, if there is a unresolvable dispute, both sides of the story should be able to present their positions in the feedback area, with links to further information on the matter and/or documentation.
  
  That is the way to do it, not muffle any source of reliable information on the credibility of a buyer or seller.
steve atylor
July 10, 2008 at 10:15 am
Reply

The Ebay feedback sytem is totally wrong mathmatically and ethically and if dont believe people know the truth look at Google’s web trends.The unique hits on the site have been trending DOWN since the news about the feedback became generally known.THE SHIP IS SINKING SLOWLY BUT SURELY.GIVE BRIAN AND GRIIF BUCKETS AND START EM’ BAILING!!!!!
- ken
  July 15, 2008 at 12:02 am
  Reply
  
  EBAY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU AS YOUR TV REPORT SAID FEEDBACK WAS MADE TO GRADE SELLERS AND BUYERS NOT IT IS 1 SIDED AND BUYERS CAN HOLD YOU RANSON AND ITS NOT FAIR AT ALL PRICE INCREACES AND NOW WHOS IDEA WAS THIS EBAY FEEDBACK REFORM. NOT AS EBAY STARTED AS A FAIR TRADING CONMANY NOW IT IS 1 SIDED AND WHO EVER THOUGHT OF THIS 1 SIDED FEEDBACK PROGRAM SHOULD BE FIRED. OUR COMPANY AND OTHERS AT A CONVENTION IN LAS VEGAS SHOWED A OVER 98% RUJING OVER NOW EBAYS ONE SIDED FEEDBACK AND ALL 4500 MENBERS AT THIS CONVENTION ARE PULLING TOGETHER TO DESIGN A ONLINE AUCTION SITE WHATS GOING ON WITH EBAY???