Current feedback system in a need of major updates

[themobelista]

Hello,

I know this topic has been done to death. I also recognise that the changes that eBay implemented some years ago

were for the (retaliatory) negative feedback option was removed as an option to sellers.

But what is the current system about?

Percentages in negative feedback affect all the sellers adversely, so if the current system is democratic and fair

why is the seller that looses out, not only in percentages, reputation, but also in honesty? Meaning, the only option that the seller has is to reply to the negative feedback.

Where is the honesty in that? How is it fair in any way?

Here is one of the examples:

	Feedback	Left for	Date/time
	Ty for it	Seller:	28-Jul-13 20:26
		--
Detailed item information is not available for the following items because the Feedback is over 90 days old.
	it is good	Seller:	17-Feb-13 19:37
		--
	i live paye wish is good fun ty wany i need new one i we buy it off you ty for	Seller:	25-Dec-12 12:41
		--
	it is good give	Seller:	25-Dec-12 12:38
	Reply by  (01-Jan-13 19:53): dont understand this feedback, would happily refund,1st neg recieved on this set
	-- (#321032295689)	--
	is is a good gives	Seller:	25-Dec-12 12:36
	Reply by  (01-Jan-13 19:53): again, dont understand the neg feedback if it is good.
	-- (#321032289212)	--
	it is good	Seller:	17-Jul-12 22:01
		--
	ty it is good	Seller:  No longer a registered user	17-Jul-12 22:00
	indicating a good feedback, perhaps chose negative mistakenly?
		--
	it good ty	Seller:	17-Jul-12 17:20
		--
	i is good i am happs wish it ty	Seller:	05-Jul-12 18:13
		--
	it is good		03-Jul-12 18:28
	Reply by  (04-Jul-12 11:06): dear,could you tell me what the matter is and make you disappointed ?please tell me , i am here for you .
		--
	good and ceep for want it is i am good it coming in 2 day ty for it		22-Jun-12 00:56
		--
	it is good quick postage i am happy thankyou		14-Jun-12 22:27
		--
	it is good quick postage but is not XL i am happy thankyou

[cezm]

According to this article in ecommerce bytes there may be help on the way  - http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y13/m07/i23/s01 - 

This year, eBay is expanding its Feedback Removal policy across all of its international sites - including the U.S. Here are some of the new situations in which sellers can request eBay remove qualifying low ratings and feedback.

• A buyer left low ratings or negative feedback but provided clearly positive comments.
  
  
• Feedback refers to information the seller entered in the structured listing fields (item specifics, sales tax, returns policy, combined postage, accepted payments) and there is no contradictory information elsewhere in the listing.
  
  
• Feedback was left as the result of an inadvertent error—for example, the buyer providing the wrong shipping address at checkout, or leaving feedback for the wrong seller or the wrong item.
  
  
• A buyer asks for delivery method or ship-to location not offered and the seller declined or the package was not deliverable to the address the buyer specified in eBay checkout.
  
  
• A buyer leaves negative or neutral feedback for a transaction due to delayed shipping when PayPal placed a hold on the payment and advised the seller to delay shipping the item.

[themobelista]

Thanks, it does look positive, although I don't fully understand this:

Feedback refers to information the seller entered in the structured listing fields (item specifics, sales tax, returns policy, combined postage, accepted payments) and there is no contradictory information elsewhere in the listing.

Example: If the buyer's feedback states: Item not as described, not new with tags, or incorrect size

Is that in it self enough to have the feedback removed considering that you have provided correct information in your listing:

Size, colour, condition etc...

Thanks

[digital*ghost]

---

@themobelista wrote:

Thanks, it does look positive, although I don't fully understand this:

Feedback refers to information the seller entered in the structured listing fields (item specifics, sales tax, returns policy, combined postage, accepted payments) and there is no contradictory information elsewhere in the listing.

---

That, as far as I know, refers to complaints in feedback about issues that were detailed clearly in the listing. For example, say the seller has a 'no returns' policy and a neg is left because the seller would not accept a return on an item that the buyer decided they didn't want. So, the complaint has to be about something that was mentioned - if the listing states New with tags, and the complaint is that it wasn't new with tags, it wouldn't qualify for removal as eBay wouldn't know if the buyer received the item as it was described. If the listing stated that an item was new with defects and the complaint was that the item had defects, it would probably qualify for removal.

Quite often, negs are removed if the details are in the description, not just the structured fields - a common one relates to the size of items and "smaller than I thought" comments (if photographs of the item next to a ruler, and/or exact measurements were in the listing, negs will usually be removed), or if the seller states clearly an item comes from a smoking household and the buyer's FB is complaining the items smell of smoke. 

[themobelista]

Thanks dg, I find your posts very informative and well written.

Question: So if eBay does not know that item received was as described, for example; new with tags

would indicate that: 

1) it was and the buyer is lying, or

2) it was not as described and the seller is lying

In either case there is no case, as it can not be proven either way and here is the solution.

Remove the negative feedback option from the buyer until the "kiss and make up option"

has been used, meaning the buyer has to make an attempt to communicate with the seller and the seller

can offer solution to resolve the situation.

The buyer in this case may ask for a refund option and the seller will respond accordingly

to their beliefs, may, or may not issue a refund and ask for the items to be posted back.

A lot of buyers are causing trouble simply because they can!

[digital*ghost]

No problem 🙂 When it is a case of the buyer's word against the seller's, the buyer's will typically be taken for granted. From the seller's perspective that can seem grossly unfair, but from ebay's perspective, and in the absence of them being willing to provide a proper mediation process where a third party decides on an outcome based on all provided evidence, taking the buyer's word for it becomes the simplest, and probably most economical, thing to do - keeping buyers happy and returning to the site is more beneficial to eBay than keeping a seller happy, who will generally continue to list and sell items despite an unfair FB, whereas a buyer who becomes upset over the FB process may not ever come back. 

However, there are still options available to a selller if eBay can't see clearly whether the buyer's feedback is truthful, namely applying for removal on the grounds of defamation. It involves a bit of legwork (getting a statement witnessed and submitting it to eBay), but worth it to get an unfair neg or comment removed. 

[phorum_junkie*]

A lot of buyers are causing trouble simply because they can!

Obviously you have a completely different clientele than i do, in well over a decade of selling clothes, new and used, I have only had one buyer leave me negs (Nobody mention the c word ) which were removed soon after when the buyer was de registered for a string of scams.

[themobelista]

I don't quite understand what you mean by different clientele, could you please explain?

The feedback example provided above was found by accident and it is not my own.

My own customers are so far very happy with the items and service provided, so no problems there

[cezm]

I was impressed by this dot point (if I'm reading it correctly):

A buyer left low ratings or negative feedback but provided clearly positive comments

I assume by 'low ratings' it means dsrs and therefore something might be done about the buyers that give positive feedback but leave 1s or 2s