DSR's - What A Load Of Garbage

[arb_games]

Once again I must vent about this absolutely stupid system of DSR's on Ebay that sellers cannot even defend themselves against.

I applied to increase my selling limits but have been knocked back by Ebay as my DSRs are apparently below standard, yet all 4 counts are well within the standard required.

Postage time DSRs - sellers are getting penalised for Australia Post inadequacy - these should be based on when an item is sent, not delivered!

Communication - I answer all messages politely and on the same day, yet I am getting some low DSRs - I think that buyers just mark everything low if they feel like it.

Postage costs - all my parcels are marked Postage Paid so any low DSRs I receive here are based on assumption and not on fact.  I do not overcharge on postage & handling costs and certainly don't make any profit on them, so really, what do buyers expect?  Free postage?

Item As Described - this is a no brainer, I describe all my items exactly as they are so how do I receive low DSRs here?  The only explanation I have is that buyers do not read the system requirements in the software descriptions and simply blame me if any software purchased is not compatible with their computer, even if it is due to them not reading the system requirements properly.

Add this to the absolutely unprofessional and disgusting practice of Ebay inserting sponsored ads at the bottom of each listing that is in direct competition to what you are selling, links to external sites yet sellers are not allowed to put a link to their own website on their listing.

Really Ebay, sellers are not the scumbags that you make them out to be, not all buyers are angels as Ebay seem to think they are and the entire Ebay system needs to be overhauled by some person who actually knows what they are doing!

Well that's it, I've vented my frustrations for another month!

[patchoo78]

I simply stated that it seems as though you would prefer that buyers contact you directly so that the sale could occur outside of EBay's system. I am clearly mistaken in this assumption.

Just my opinion, but that comment does look like a thinly veiled accusation..

If you were to buy a game in a store at Harvey Norman etc and didn't read the system requirements, well bad luck they wouldn't give you a refund as they only refund if the software is faulty.  This is why they often have signs prompting the customer to read the system requirements before buying.

I don't see how sellers on eBay could be expected to give one if the buyer didn't read the system requirements..

I would hate to be a seller on here and have to refund for buyers who don't read listings properly..

[***super_nova***]

The DSR is anonymous so the buyer can indicate their dissatisfaction without confrontation with the seller.  I do not believe that there are many buyers who do deliberately and without any reason mark sellers down.

The whole point of DSR is that seller can pinpoint which area they should consider to do some improvement.

While it is true that many buyers do not read the description properly, it is also true that many sellers have TOS & description going on and on in various eye hurting colours, and with flashing stars and who knows what sort of rubbish.  It is not surprising that the important info gets lost in there somewhere, especially when people are increasingly searching eBay from their phones.

[Anonymous]

Nova ?

The DSR is anonymous ....

The whole point of DSR is that seller can pinpoint which area they should consider to do some improvement.

Ebay specifical bans sellers from finding out which buyer left what DSR's. The TRS threshhold is around 0.60% which is 6 in 1,000

This can be 6 individual buyers OR 1 'unpleasable' leaving 6 low sets of stars. So...1 in 1,000 buyers can ruin a seller's standing in BM search results.

[lind9650]

The whole point of DSR is that seller can pinpoint which area they should consider to do some improvement.

My DSR are fine, except for the postage and handling charges. They are marked down.

I pack everyting very carefully and send items in boxes. I don't have big TOS in my descriptions, only state that if I over-estimate postage by $2.00 or more, I will refund the money. If I underestimate postage, I will pay the difference.

Several times I gave refunds, but most of the time I pay more on postage than what I quoted.

So, how can I improve in this area?

Erica :-x

[***super_nova***]

This can be 6 individual buyers OR 1 'unpleasable' leaving 6 low sets of stars. So...1 in 1,000 buyers can ruin a seller's standing in BM search results.

I am not sure if 6 low ratings from the same person within the same week counts  6 x???  I am sure there are some twisted individuals who enjoy leaving 1 star for no reason, but I am also sure that most people rate as they feel is deserved.  It may mean that some newbies are more likely to rate 4 rather than 5.  But the occasional 4 is not a problem, the problem is if you get some 2 or 1.

People will rate down postage stars not just if they are charged lot more than the actual postage, they will also rate down if items are posted not appropriately protected, even if they miraculously arrive in one piece.  I found that buyers do not mind paying the cost of safe delivery.

[Anonymous]

Star...

a seller who doesn't have listings of multiples can very easily

find out exactly who left what DSR's.

If I notice a new 1 or 2 DSR with no prior comms then I locate the individual and add to the BBL.

If one buyer purchases 6 items in the same week and leaves

6 low stars they are recorded as 6 low stars ( unlike negative feedbacks ).

My main complaint is the rationale for ebay's introduction of
this TRS evaluation system.

In ebay's opinion a low DSR more accurately reflects the true buyer experience than a high DSR.

Now, a seller who has thoroughly delighted 1000 buyers can have his / her TRS badge removed and become invisible in search results through the actions of as little as ONE person who could easily be a friend of their competition.

[Anonymous]

super_nova
Apology for addressing you as Star.

It wasn't a play on words or it would have been 'ex-star'.

[arb_games]

Thanks Patchoo for your comments - I am glad that I am not the only person who read the initial comments as an accusation of completing sales outside of Ebay.

As I stated, with my software listings, I put the item description in blue text and the system requirements in red text so that it stands out.

And then in the first paragraph of the conditions of sale, I clearly state to customers that it is their responsibility to check the system requirements to see if it will work on their computer.

As you can see, I am not sure what else I am supposed to do to keep my customers informed.

The reason I had my phone number on my listings is that a lot of customers do not like sending their credit card info via the Ebay system and prefer to call me direct with the credit card details, but I am currently changing the conditions of sale to not include this as I haven't been getting any credit card payments anyway.

It is good to see that there are others who agree with me on my point about DSRs - I am not blaming the customers, just blaming the system for its absolute imperfection.

Thanks guys for all your comments and I hope I haven't upset anyone as it was not meant to have that reaction.

[patchoo78]

And then in the first paragraph of the conditions of sale, I clearly state to customers that it is their responsibility to check the system requirements to see if it will work on their computer.

That is exactly what they tell you at Harvey Norman.. It is up to the buyer to make sure it will work on their machine.. The staff cannot possibly know if it will work on a customers machine.. Still they have customers coming in and yelling at them for not knowing that...

[i-b-a-mad-loco]

 I don't understand why you want to increase your seller limits when you have had that account active for about 10 years??