Feedback Overhaul

[campingcentralaustralia]

I believe the feedback system is outdated in needs a major overhaul. Unfair negative feedback is not good for the seller and definitely not good for eBay because it turns buyers away. In a time with so much online competition ebay does not want to lose business and needs to re-think its feedback policy.

Here's a few suggestions I have and your input would be appreciated.

1. Feedback should not be positive, neutral, negative. Scrap it. It should be just feedback comments. Buyers can still read through comments etc.

2. Sellers can leave comments for buyers (again not pos,neg etc.. just comments)

3. Feedback time limit should be 30 days. Why do buyers need 2 months to leave feedback?

4. Keep the DSR ratings. They are more rellevant and can be viewed with the comments.

CampingCentralAustralia

[zanadoo_56]

Yes, but I've had instances when it has been blocked when the seller and I have had extensive communication between us re item, postage etc and I'd have liked to have given the seller 5 stars for really good service. As I said - it's not consistent!  😮

[davewil1964]

If you can't leave it, it's automatically 5 stars.

[***super_nova***]

Yes, but I've had instances when it has been blocked when the seller and I have had extensive communication between us re item, postage etc and I'd have liked to have given the seller 5 stars for really good service. As I said - it's not consistent!  😮

Maybe it does not count if the communication is before you bid?  But as Dave said; if you could not leave stars, your seller did get the automatic 5 stars  🙂

[straybooksoz]

I should have added that buyers (like you) with their feedback set to Private should not be entitled to leave feedback. You have an opinion on feedback, yet you have yours set on private. Hilarious.

Well I have visible feedback, but not much of it's for buying.

1. Too easy for selling problems to be buried in the dross.

2. I don't read buyers' feedback, as all my items are BIN. Neutral.

3. It should be 90 days. Allows time for the buyer to receive and check/test the item.

4. I'm happy with the current system, but I've never had my stars trashed. If that happened, my opinion might be different.

You have every day products as private listings, yet you think a buyer with private feedback doesn't have a right to comment? Buyer's already can't see which of your items there are issues with, so there is no need to bury your negatives in a sea of unrated comments.

[davewil1964]

Unfair negative feedback is not good for the seller and definitely not good for eBay because it turns buyers away. In a time with so much online competition ebay does not want to lose business and needs to re-think its feedback policy.

Define unfair. Most of yours doesn't appear to be.

As far as turning buyers away, that depends if they're turned away from eBay or just from the sellers with 'unfair' negative feedback, but will still buy from sellers without 'unfair' negatives.

Imo, your responses do you more harm than the initial neg.

[purple.cow]

I should have added that buyers (like you) with their feedback set to Private should not be entitled to leave feedback. You have an opinion on feedback, yet you have yours set on private. Hilarious.

**** *** **** you and all you stand for mate.

I'm a buyer who spends big dollars very often and if you don't like the way I handle my private affairs go find somewhere else to flog your rubbish off on.

I choose privacy for several reasons, none are any of your business but you'd happily take my money before telling me to clear off and have no right to say what I think about your products and service etc.

Sounds like you want your cake and bloody well eat it too.

[davewil1964]

Oh, the pitfalls of mixing with the plebs instead of staying on the PS boards.

[sexy*harley*chick]

It will be changing, not sure when, but they are going to make it that a buyer MUST contact a seller first before leaving a neg, if they dont then they are unable to leave one.

Also ebay can read all emails, so its no good if a buyer just sends the seller an email and puts in "hello" or what ever, and then say yes they contacted the seller, the seller can then contact ebay and get them to read the email, ebay will see the buyer didnt do as they should of and have it removed.

Who knows when the changes will come in though.

[i-once-was-bump]

I purchase from a few online sellers and some offer ratings for individual items.

For example, I was looking at a photo of a beautiful quilt and the fabric was clearly floral on one side and striped on the under side.

What stopped my from buying the quilt was that 8 purchasers of that item had left comments for the photo not truly representing the actual fabric which was a very badly crushed cotton, floral on the top side and plain colour on the underside.

Those sort of comments are far more useful that any feedback on ebay because I didn't have to read through thousands of feedback to find any buyers of the quilt I was interested in.

As a buyer I find sellers with 20,000 or so feedback are pointless because I can never find the feedback for the items I want to buy, it is just too time consuming so the seller loses a possible sale.

So why not feedback for the item rather than the seller?

And I like all 8 points made by the catspjs.

[lilymaydesigns]

I really dislike the stars. I don't think they are relevant at all.

The process of choosing the number of stars is a subjective process and there is no standard by which a seller or a future buyer can work how the choice was decided.

Reading these message boards I gather that some buyers would always give a full star rating, (unless the sky fell in), and other buyers won't ever give full stars because they don't think any sale is perfect.

Others say... ignore the stars they don't mean a thing.