Filed under: Business, Internet
eBay eliminates negative feedback from sellers
As expected, eBay has banned sellers from leaving negative or neutral feedback. Earlier this ear the auction site announced plans to change its feedback policy in order to discourage sellers from leaving negative feedback in retribution for negative comments from buyers.
On the one hand, this seems like a reasonable measure to prevent sellers from abusing the feedback system. On the other hand, there really are bad buyers out there. Some people bid on auctions and then back out either because they misread the item descriptions or never had any intention of paying in the first place. And while sellers can request a refund for transaction fees from eBay, they then have to either offer the item to another bidder for a lower price or re-list the item.
It would probably make a lot more sense for eBay to allow sellers to leave negative feedback -- but only before buyers leave feedback. That way there's no way to leave a nasty comment in response to negative feedback. Or perhaps eBay could allow negative feedback only after a reasonable period of time has passed, like 14 days or a month. That way buyers and sellers should have plenty of time to resolve their differences before leaving feedback.
[via Wired]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kevindwhite said 6:56PM on 5-19-2008
Actually it would make more sense if eBay published the details of the entire transaction (redacting sensitive information) alongside the feedback. For example, if a seller did leave negative feedback, I would also like to know if either party attempted corrective action through eBay and the result of the attempt. I woud of course also like to see a timeline of events. All this could then be aggregated alongside the current positive/negative counts. If one party leaves negative feedback after the other party but does not attempt to recovery through eBay then that tells me something about the motivation for the negative feedback.
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MERMAIDMONKEYS said 8:39PM on 5-19-2008
Today, May 19, 2008 is PowerSeller Doomsday! Not only are sellers not allowed to leave negative or neutral feedback, but today eBay changed the rules of the game retroactivally making neutral feedback that sellers received over the past 12 months count as a negative! Previously a neutral rating did not count against the score at all.
Our perfect 100% feedback score was tarnished overnight to 99.8% (and we didn't get a single negative). While we still qualify for PowerSeller discounts of 15% many sellers may now not qualify for being a PowerSeller at all. They could effectively now be below a 98% qualifying score -- that's POWERSELLER PROBATION!
This calcuated move reduced feedback for thousands of eBay's top sellers effectively leaving them with a score under 98%. And you see, this now disqualifies such sellers from getting their PowerSeller discounts. While a select few improved their scores, the overall net result is that eBay will dish out fewer PowerSeller discounts.
eBay has made feedback changes for its own benefit (and not the buyer).
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Artie Lange said 8:57PM on 5-19-2008
This is bull$#% and the reason why I ALWAYS do everything possible to have potential bidders email me before the auction, therefore bypassing ebay and request direct payment.
Ebay loses all their fees because of this, but its their own fault since like the post above confirmed, buyers can leave neg feedback for no reason at all, even before trying to resolve any problems.
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newmiyamoto said 7:19AM on 5-20-2008
The bigger issue is ebay's change to neutral feedbacks, which now count against a seller and reduce your positive feedback percentage. This makes it nearly impossible to keep a power seller status, thus making ebay's recent rate reductions for power sellers (in the wake of their increases across the board) redundant.
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Michael said 10:49AM on 5-20-2008
Why sellers withhold feedback
Someone needs to post persepective from the point of view of a large eBay seller. Let me first explain WHY sellers do not leave feedback first. It is not done, by the majority of us that is, as a way to retaliate. Most sellers only return feedback after it is left by the buyer as way to protect themselves. For instance a buyer pays for merchandise and the items are sent, the buyer receives the merchandise and something is broken or missing. The fact that feedback has not yet been left for the buyer creates a situation where the buyer is encouraged to work with the seller towards a resolution. In many cases had feedback been left immediately for the buyer, it would result in the buyer simply leaving a negative when they are displeased.
You see, to put it simply buyers do not understand eBay the way sellers do. We spend our lives, or at least most of it, on eBay. We know how feedback is supposed to work. We know how eBay is supposed to work. There should be a back and forth exchange working towards a resolution when their are issues. This must be a commitmant from both sides, not only the seller side. Some buyers are just all too eager to fire off a damaging comment that could potentially hurt a seller's business.
Sellers take negatives much more seriously than buyers. Buyers are just looking to purchase an item or two. Their lives are not affected by negatives. Sellers on the other hand are trying to maintain their livlihood and a negative feedback is a serious mark not to be taken lightly. Many sellers are highly indignite when not even afforded the opportunity to make things right. But it happens as a result of what I believe to be a inherent negative and misguided impression of the doing business on the internet. In other words many people get so upset when they receive a broken item they assume they are going to get railroaded and that they will not be taken care of. However, had they researched the seller briefly before making a purchase, the feedback itself speaks volumes about who you are dealing with and should reassure you.
Why sellers return negatives
I can speak for myself and the many other powersellers just like me do not wish to retaliate when leaving negative feedback. The negative feedbacks that are left are there because the person on the other end of the transaction was unwilling to work towards a solution. And now that warning system that sellers rely on is gone.
It's unfortunate that eBay does not consult much with their top sellers before making drastic changes.
eBay is saying...If you cannot say anything nice, don't say anything at all. We do live in a society now where people find it hard to accept responsibility for their actions. Childrens sports are no longer competitive and everyone wins. No one is to blame for anything. Everyone gets treated with kit gloves. In general people do not like to be wrong or to lose is my point. So by stroking the ego of the buyers eBay hopes to win them back. Good luck ebay. And thanks for kicking your sellers to the curb. We now have no protection at all from the unscrupulous. I know one thing. I am selling my eBay stock off as I now see this company as desperate and struggling.
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Travis said 11:43AM on 5-20-2008
Whats nice about the changes is that as a buyer, I can see how the feedback has been over a more recent time. Often, a seller may have been awesome for the past 5 years but the last year, they have started messing up. This way they dont look so good, when in fact lately, they are not.
Bob said 8:01AM on 5-21-2008
As a buyer, I had no way to leave negative feedback when I encountered a bad seller. If I had dared to leave negative feedback, the seller would have retaliated, even though I had done everything perfectly. And there's no way anyone can say that sellers weren't retaliating... they ALWAYS waited to post feedback until AFTER the buyer posted. And every negative received by the seller, resulted in a negative directed to the buyer. Consequently, I never left a single negative feedback - even though I encountered a few really bad sellers. And I know others were doing likewise. So the entire feedback system was a farce that could not be trusted.
Ebay's change was a good one for buyers. Now it's like Amazon's feedback system. I can trust it.
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Dave said 12:43PM on 5-24-2008
The feedback system the way it was originally set up was so that EVERYONE stood on equal ground and could protect themselves by researching the people they are dealing with.
By doing away with negitive feedback, they are encouraging bad sellers and shifty buyers. But they don't care about the actual SALES, they want their percentage and their partnership with PayPal ensures they're collecting more money than GOD.
They collect money from listing fees, final sale fees, and now the small percentage that PayPal collects when either party uses it to pay for a completed auction.
Screw them. I've been fed up with E-bay for awhile now and have switched to places like CraigsList and this new service that has been launched called Wigix. (Want-it-Got-it-eXchange)
Wigix doesn't have listing fees. Although PayPal is STILL the quickest and easiest way to get paid for the auctions and they still get their percentage.
MANY people are fed up with E-bay's fees and policies and this very well may be the alternative we've all been searching for.
While I like SOME of the things that E-bay has done, on the whole they've just gotten more greedy as time goes on.
One positive thing was the elimination of the BS low dollar auctions where there were HUGE shipping costs to make up for the low purchase prices. (Buying a muffler for 15.00 only to find out there's a 100 dollar shipping fee.)
And it didnt stop there. THOUSANDS of auctions were like that dealing with damm near every product imaginable.. Sellers were screwing e-bay AND the buyers by having low price auctions and then jacking up the shipping to INSANE and unjust amounts.
Frankly, and by the black and white laws that govern the postal service, that is illegal and constitutes mail fraud.. Unless your charging ACTUAL shipping costs, your abusing the US Mail and that is a FEDERAL crime that falls under the jurisdiction of both the postmaster general and the FBI..
~ The feedback changes are just the latest buracratic cock up when it comes to this overbloated and worn out monstrosity.
Time to slay E-bay !
-- Dave.
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Bubu said 8:33AM on 5-25-2008
I think ebay needs a NEW CEO, a FOREIGNER, Americans CEO's are too stupid anyway, time to get an asian guy in
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christine said 5:34PM on 5-27-2008
i have been selling on Ebay for a very long time. I try my hardest to make sure my buyers are happy, I am also a buyer. But, theres some people you cant make happy. Sometimes they never even read the listing, I have that happen all the time.
Anyway, buyers are just screwing themselves in the end. If you look at Ebays listings they are way down. Sellers are pulling out left and right, they are too scared to list anything. So when the sellers are gone, or alot of them, what the hell are the Buyers going to buy. There isn't going to be near the selection there was.
I will continue to sell some things on Ebay, but not near as much as I used to. I won't sell no more lower dollar items, those are always the ones you get bad feedback over anyway.
I will be scanning my buyers, if you have a history of leaving alot of bad feedacks I will block them.
So for some of the smart A*S buyers who are leaving these postings laughing in the sellers faces, go ahead, start leaving your negs and nea feedbacks because it wont be long before you will be completely blocked.
Another thing, for you buyers, on Ebays community page, under feedback, alot of the buyers have decided to start listing the bad buyers there, so others can block them ahead of time. Us sellers need to stick together.
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Rick said 10:13AM on 7-13-2008
I am an e-bay buyer with a feedback rating of 115. I have left exactly two negative feedbacks and both times the seller didn't ship an item until I complained (after 15 days) to paypal. They deserved the negatives. One of these, a so-called "power seller" gave me a negative feedback in retaliation and refused any attempt at mediation.
In addition, I have had two or three purchases where the merchandise arrived damaged or not as described. The sellers did a great job of sending a replacement or giving a refund. Those sellers got positive feedback from me, inasmuch as I appreciated the extra effort on their part to make a customer happy. I support the e-bay change.
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joe said 5:43PM on 7-25-2008
Ebay's feedback change has made seller more worry now to sell on eBay. Not only that, along with Paypal, sellers are more at risk than the buyers. Some of my friends are using Reliabid.com to make sure the payment will be received, and GeeeWhiz.com to black list the bad buyers. These are some good options if you were seller on eBay, otherwise it can get down right scary now to do business on eBay, specially for the smaller sellers. Geeewhiz.com is a good site to fight back eBay's dumb a** system which is totally pointless and meaningless. These idiots at eBay has ruined such a good company that has provided so many people so much so for so long! Note to eBay, you will never be or beat Amazon!
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