Ebay's Feedback System

[pandoras_prints]

Do you think Ebay will ever restore the feedback system to how it use to be 'FAIR'. ?

Sellers not be allowed to leave a negative feedback for a buyer is as every seller know's completely unfair.

Both buyers and sellers should have the same rights, to leave feedback on their transaction. If a seller has had a bad experience with a non- paying buyer or one of 1000 others reason's why can't this be reflected on the buyers feedback?

If I could see that a buyer has many neg's I would block them from my store.

Shouldn't a seller have that option?

[koalablue12]

That is wrong!!! sadly there is always an exception to the rule, I have been lucky, fantastic buyers, and I consider myself a good, honorable and honest seller, but I know there are the bad apples who spoil it for both buyer and seller alike.

Please keep all the messages and forward to eBa, no-one should be allowed to get away with tat sort of behaviour.

[davewil1964]

If a seller abused me, I'd leave them a neg too. You did, after all, send to the wrong address.

That's the good thing with C&S satchels - you import the address directly without the chance of a typo.

[davewil1964]

I'd be more worried about your postage time and your response to the neg than the neg itself.

[phorum_junkie*]

Her feedback has nothing to do with the item in question, postage or communication, she just decided that she would get me back for the comments I made in a message,

You have just confirmed the view of many of us that feedback is not just about the item etc, it is about the entire transaction so should not be left ubntil the transaction is completely over. You stuffed up and seem to thin that is OK from the buyer's perspective so why would you expect anything other than a neg. If you said anything to them other than sorry I made a mistake, here is a full refund and if you ever locate the item keep it then it absolutely was about your communication!

[the3coopers]

Just found these 2 images from May 2008. They are from the UK site, at the time when they changed the Feedback system.

You can see exactly the reason why they changed it...

 

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[mattlikestobuy]

Unfair has been the system change for a long time. I have how ever bought up in the past that the WHOLE transaction should be an even level playing field. As a seller we have to jump through hoops to recover our FVF by either canceling a transaction through to NPB (only if the BUYER agrees). If as a seller we have to do that for dodgy buyers then the same should occur for those who leave unwarrented negs. They to should have to follow similar pursuit. Fill out similar forms and go through a system that WARRENTS a neg eg (wait 4 days for the seller to resolve or make a decision that a buyer is unreasonable in their requests) as a seller has to do the same to cancel or close a NPB case. But still ebay preffer we contact them tell them that buyers have no need to leave a certain feedback and remove the neg manually. So the question is they (ebay) are only making work for them selves. That only seems fair but ignored.

[mattlikestobuy]

Another example to this is its NOT costing ebay as we have to hold onto an item for NPB until a case HAS been closed on average 7 days for payment to be received and then another 4 days to be able to close NPB dispute.

[phorum_junkie*]

Where do you get seven days, you can open a dispute after 4 days and close it after another 4.

[the3coopers]

Another example to this is its NOT costing ebay as we have to hold onto an item for NPB until a case HAS been closed on average 7 days for payment to be received and then another 4 days to be able to close NPB dispute.

It doesn't cost the seller either, remember that you pay your fees monthly not daily. Holding an item? You were holding it anyway, so there is no cost on that  - OK, technically 4 days (1.1%) at the current overdraft rate 11% would be 0.12% interest, or about 4c in ever $30 = big deal

In any case, ebay is NOT about to let Sellers make buyers angry and leave the site because of slagging them in feedback.

Ebay makes money almost solely by fees on transactions, as the costs to list are getting lower and lower. So, despite what you think, ebay WANTS buyers to buy and pay, because when that happens, ebay gets 7 or 8% of the purchase price. Plus another smaller slice from Paypal fees too.

Every time a buyer leaves, for whatever reason, that is a sale that eBay won't make money from. And once buyers leave, they generally don't come back. So a shonky seller leaving a neg for a buyer could cost eBay the Fee % for a lifetime's worth of purposes.

Retaining customers is the #1 objective in any long-term sales organisation. It is infinitely cheaper to keep a customer than to market and get another one. So, once you have customers, you need to make sure that you don't drive them away. But sellers leaving negs is a perfect way of antagonising customers and driving them off.

So, in the overall scheme of things, eBay cannot allow Sellers to do anything to buyers that will cause them to leave the site. That's why they blocked ALL sellers from leaving Negs, because it was being abused something chronic, and masses of GOOD buyers were driven away.

A customer that only pays 50% of the time is still better than one that never buys. Because every successful transaction that buyer makes is still $$ in eBay's pocket. If the transaction doesn't go ahead then nobody loses, so it's no great loss.

Non-Payers are a fact of life now days - Sellers need to "deal with it" and build it into their business model just like any other ullage. Leaving negs for buyers drives clients away, which is great for an individual seller who is seeking retribution against the "massive slur" of an unpaid purchase... but overall the whole concept of driving away of buyers really harms eBay as a whole.

So the rule about not leaving Negs for buyers is for the greater good, and there is little or no chance it will ever be reinstated.

Ebay was pretty unique in allowing Buyer Feedback in the first place, You certainly don't get a free follow-up advert in the local paper to abuse a buyer who never turned up on time to purchase your sofa bed that you advertised.

[viewmont1071]

coops wrote

In any case, ebay is NOT about to let Sellers make buyers angry and leave the site because of slagging them in feedback.

What about members leaving Coops?? some sellers are also buyers...... when ebay alienates smalltime sellers they aleinate buyers and potential buyers.

When ebay alienates small sellers those same small sellers have not got the funds to be small buyers........

Ebays attitude that the majority of their members are either buyers or sellers is a false comfort and one that they should only continue to ignore at their own peril.

Having watched this debate rage on these forums since the initial changes

..... I think ebay just want the subject to go away..............

However what I see on these threads is an increasing amount of experienced members (think a buyer and a seller) with thousands upon thousands of feedback exchanges complaining about other newer members (who appear to be buyers in the main ) who abuse the feedback system and are causing reliable trading partners to  leave this site with a bad tatse in their mouth..