Sudden spurt of low DSR's

[amfprior]

Need some help and advise.

I've been on eBay (in Australia) for 13 years and never had any issues with negative feedback or low DSR scores. But in the last four months I've just seen in my reports that I've been dinged with 3 low DSR's in each of 'Item Description' and 'Postage Time', 2 low DSR's in 'Communication' and 1 low DSR in 'Postage Time'.

By viewing the transactions from the months where these low scores happened it is not at all clear where they may have come from. My feedback is 100% and all comments are good, but the buyers have dinged the DSR's.  This seems ridiculously unfair.

The reps don't seem to understand that buyers are getting very aware that they can leaving wonderful positive written feedback but seriously damge your account with the DSR's.  I tried saying this to the overseas call centre but they told me that buyers don't do that and that if you give them good customer service and keep in contact with them they will leave you good scores.  How little that rep knew!!

I have contacted eBay for help but all they wrote back to me was that I am not currently meeting the minimum selling requirements needed and some 'cut and paste' response from their handbook.  I tried calling today only to get the overseas call centre where they gave me the same garbage they wrote in the email.  I asked to speak to someone in Australia and was told that there are no customer service reps or call centres in Australia.  WTH??

I guess I'm wondering if this now leaves me in a position where eBay will shut my accounts down. It just seems unfair that everything was perfect for 13 years and now a couple of buyers could get me thrown out and I have no idea what I did wrong.

[haolove13]

I know of two people who eventually got barred because of a systematic abuse of low DSR's

It is very difficult to do anything about it except looking at your feedback and dashboard on a daily basis. The low DSR seem to come a day or two after the feedback is left.

If you watch it and can be cofident about who leaves a low DSR then add them to your banned list so they can not do it again.

Very time consuming and somewhat hit and miss. but it helped one friend avoid the problem for two months.

They are now selling on alternative sites with a lot less cost and dramas.

[phorum_junkie*]

Your DSRs are at 5, 5, 5 and 4.9 so  I have no idea what you are worrying about!

[harley_babes_hoard]

Yep I had the same over christmas, from 2 newbies, wonderful positive feedback from one of them with 1's and 2's across the board. I can go 12 months without getting a neg or low DSR's then come christmas time the newbies seem to come out and trash my account.

[amfprior]

Thanks for your reply phorum_junkie,

I have more than one account and it is not this one I am talking about.  This account is my private one for personal buying and selling and use for discussions on forums.  I have another account that is my business selling account, this is the account that the problems have occurred on.

I'm sure you would understand keeping certain accounts for forum discussions and other accounts for business purposes. 

And thank you for taking the time to have a look at that accounts performance though!!

The account with the problem has 4.9's across the board for DSR's.  I suppose the question hear is at what stage do eBay take the action restricting people from selling??  I will definately lose TRS on that account, but if I get some buyer leaving me a 4th ding for Description or Postage time (which is out of my control) will that mean the end?

Thanks again for your reply.

[digital*ghost]

eBay can and do place restrictions on accounts if the DSRs are low (overall), or if there are a high percentage (in eBay's eyes) of 1 or 2 star ratings. Typically, it will start with listing limits, reducing the number of listings / items you are allowed to have up at any one time (until the stars improve), but can end up as a suspension from selling all together.

I don't know what the numbers for low score percentages have to be before things like that start to happen, but I don't think they have to be very high. For example, you will start to get some restrictions if your DSRs are around the 4.4 mark - in eveyone's eyes, including eBay's, that's seen as an "atrocious" score. Pity most people don't think leaving a 4-star rating is leaving an "atrocious" score. If you had 100 DSRs, and 40 people left a 5 but 60 people left a 4, according to eBay and most buyer's impressions (even if they're one who generally leaves a 4), you're doing something very wrong. (Presuming that's how they're averaged out - I've never seen any information to the contrary).

Personally, I think if eBay want to base sanctions given to a seller on what can be but a handful of anonymous buyer's "impressions", there needs to be either more accountability for the ratings left by buyers, and/or a way for the seller to defend themselves against what actually amount to nothing more than unsubstantiated, anonymous and virtually content-less accusations.

BTW, I am personally in no danger of losing my TRS status etc, at least not yet!, but towards the end of last year I did receive 2 low star ratings for postage cost - my postage costs are less than $2... Go figure. 

[chameleon54]

I dont know at what point ebay will cancel an account but would expect it would take a sustained longer record of problems than you are talking about. Looking at some sellers accounts and feedback, you see some absolute shockers still trading. I suspect if there is a problem, ebay would first suspend selling privliges for a few days. ie. No new listings, but current listed items remain on sale. ( you are unable to revise listings when this occurs either. ) I have had this happen on a couple of occasions for supposedly listing items in the wrong catagory. ( No amount of reasoning helps, even when a perfectly logical explanation is given. ) The items where specialised collectables for stationary engines. The ebay staff making decisions didnt even know what a stationary engine was.  A sustained record of low scores could see your listings drop rank in Best match and some poor record account holders have auction items placed last in thier catagory even when they are nearly finished. Full time proffesional ebayers often have several accounts so that if one experiences problems for a period of time, they can continue selling on other accounts. A very wise insurance policy I think.

[amber-eyed-girl]

You still need to be careful about maintaining accounts "in good standing", though, as eBay can restrict the trade of all accounts which are linked to one that is having any warnings/restrictions.

So yes, that tactic can work, but not if a second account then starts getting issues that eBay will not like.

Speaking more in general here, I do understand that low star ratings alongside positive comments are unfair, and that there is not anything much a seller can do about unfounded ones.

[chameleon54]

---

@amber-eyed-girl wrote:
You still need to be careful about maintaining accounts "in good standing", though, as eBay can restrict the trade of all accounts which are linked to one that is having any warnings/restrictions.

So yes, that tactic can work, but not if a second account then starts getting issues that eBay will not like.

Speaking more in general here, I do understand that low star ratings alongside positive comments are unfair, and that there is not anything much a seller can do about unfounded ones.

---

AMBER, I certianly agree that accounts need to be kept " in good standing with ebay" and are in no way supporting unproffesional conduct. My own accounts are all TRS. with 100 % pos. feedback.  When you have ebay reps in another country making decisions on specialised areas of collectables that they have never heard of, it is only common sense that problems will occur. I have experienced this and copped account restrictions and in that case no amount of reasoning helped. I was very gratefull to have other accounts to concentrate on as NO Ebay sales NO money. It certianly focuses your attention when you rely 100 % on ebay for an income to pay the bills and raise a family. Many members have also experienced attacks on thier accounts from other members  as well as site issues and technical problems that can bring an ID down for an extended period of time. All good reasons why multiple accounts are very cheap insurance.