Comments on: eBay Changes Its Feedback System

By: Dan Robertson

Dan Robertson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:18:36 +0000

There should be some way of leaving feedback later. I bought something on Ebay and found it defective a couple of months later. The vendor acknowledged the problem, but he kept stalling and stalling. He asked me to pay for the shipping of the replacement parts, to which I agreed, relunctantly, but, it still took him 5 months to complete and did so only after I complained to paypal, which scared him into actually shipping the parts.
There should have been a way to report all this to Ebay.

Dan

By: lukeduke090

lukeduke090 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:04:44 +0000

I have over 400 transactions as a seller at 100%, and as soon as the new feedback system was in place; I received negatives within 6 weeks. Why you may ask?…

The first negative: The buyer demanded that I lowered my shipping price,to which I declined, and then I was given a negative.

Second negative: Then buyer demanded I give a better deal or I wouldn’t like the feedback that i was going to get.

Third negative: Buyer received the item, opened it, used it, then decided that they didn’t want the item. Ten contacted me and informed me that they no longer wanted the item. So I apologized, and I immediately received a response with; looks like you can use another negative.

furthermore, most buyers now totally ignore when payment is due when it is clearly listed in the auction. I have buyers paying after 2 weeks, 3 weeks. 10 days. I have listed 2-5 days.Now I cant say nothing at all to the buyers, because I will receive negatives if it is not done their way.

Ebay, does not care at all.So many buyers are getting away with murder, and all ebay does is send you links to find your own answers.And when you find the link to the answer, and contact ebay, they just send you another link.

By: RSole

RSole — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:46:24 +0000

Sellers should be able to charge whatever they want for shipping, it's up to the buyer to accept it or reject it. Many sellers in Hong Kong will sell an item for 99 cents and charge $30 for shipping! They also sell the same item for $14.99 and charge $15.99 for shipping. Take it or leave it.

The few times I've sold an item I've always left positive feedback immediately upon receiving payment and expect the same when I buy an item though few sellers do this. If, as a buyer, I don't receive feedback first, I email the seller to remind them of their moral obligation, then delete the transaction if no response.

By: adamvan2000

adamvan2000 — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:47:17 +0000

I have been blessed from what I hear in that I have not had any bad experiences. I always pay as soon as I win/buyitnow, and I always leave feedback for the seller. I try to be constructive. Granted, I have only purchased a few items. I make sure I review the sellers before I buy, and I usually try and just buyitnow, instead of waiting for the auctions. I hope that my experiences with ebay remain positive.

By: Fallon

Fallon — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:28:33 +0000

compensation for time spent preparing your item listings, or money spent for packaging is a ridiculous notion. sellers are more than compensated for those things when the sell an item for more than they paid for it in the first place. you get a profit from selling, that profit goes towards your costs, and you've got some left over. that's the way business works. you can't expect the buyer to care about how much it's costing you, nor should they care. they just sent you money to cover costs, and more often than not, they've also paid 2 to 3 times the actual cost of shipping. the seller chooses to accept their costs when they sign up to sell things that they know they are going to have to ship.

as for the seller not being allowed to leave negative feedback; this will never be acceptable. sellers ought to be allowed to leave negatives about payments not being made promptly, but should be required to do so within 24 hours of the auction being closed. and they should be able to leave negatives if the buyer receives the item, then lies about it or makes false complaints once they have it.

ultimately though, Mel is right, as long as some ebayers continue to behave in a petty and immature manner, there will be problems. adults behaving like 6 year olds in the playground are what's bringing everything down. people need to grow up and be smarter about how they deal with others. if they can't play nice, maybe they shouldn't be allowed to play at all.

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:02:20 +0000

I have been an Ebay seller for many years and i have always left Positive Feedback as soon as i received a payment. I've even mailed items to customers before i received a payment. With more than 1500 feedbacks and 100% positives, i am starting to think after reading some of these comments how vulnerable i really am. A buyer could give me a negative for a no good reason, or they are upset with a previous seller. Maybe some sellers are charging more for shipping than they should be, but most of us try to make the shipping resonable for buyers. You have to take a few things into consideration, like, our fees to paypal and ebay, the time to scan or take pictures of items, typing descriptions, looking up an items history, listing items, weighing, measuring, mailing, buying stamps, tape, packaging, internet costs, etc. Our time spent to do all of these things should have a little, not a lot of compensation. As for other problems with a seller, E-mail the seller. If nothing can be accomplished then report him. People can wait patiently for a whole year for 2 weeks vacation, but freak out if something takes longer than a week to be delivered in the mail, and leave a neg. feedback. I've had buyers who have taken up to a month to pay, I never got replies to my e-mails and I did't give them a negative feedback, because I realize there are a lot of weather, mail, accident, and health problems out there, and just maybe, (of which i hope will never be the case) the seller or the buyer is caught in one of these conditions.

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:21:44 +0000

As always, Ebay takes the easy way out, sellers should be allowed to leave negative feedback on buyers, that helps future sellers decide if they will or won't deal with the buyer.
I have received a couple of negative feedbacks from seller, just because they were having buyer remorse, or they were fully aware of the terms of the transaction (payment, shipping & handling) and unsuccessfully tried to negotiate those terms after the sale or during bidding process.
Ebay went from one extreme to the other instead of doing the sensible thing which is to give both buyers and sellers a recourse such as arbitration. Sellers are, as much as buyers, victims of the negative feedback blackmail.
One thing Ebay does not address, and that's a direct result of the feedback policy, is sellers not leaving feedback, as seller we are the first part of the transaction, sellers should not blackmail buyers into leaving feedback as a prior to them returning the favor. They should be required to leave feedback first before being allowed to receive feedback, the arbitration would go a long way to solve the issued ties to feedback.

By: Mel

Mel — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:58:31 +0000

hcparks: Of course its against the orignal design! If you knew the feedback system back in the late 90's, it was something much different, a lot closer to Pierre Omidyar's original concept of feedback being a fun and friendly way to express yourself about your trading partner.
It's now turned into this convoluted mess, which was exactly my point.
I have seen, personally, both the inside and outside world of eBay, and let me tell you, its no easier to see the feedback system in shambles when you work at eBay then it is to experience it first hand as a buyer or seller.
But I think all the suggestions are moot, anyways.
It's like I said, unless people can change their ways and quit using eBay as a place to disrupt the legitimate business of others, no matter what anyone does to the feedback or dispute resolution system, nothing will be fair to everyone all the time.
And eBay is aware of this. Believe me, they are aware, all the employees who work the front line with customers know this.
I think I'd just say that's its nice that eBay is trying to fix unfair negative feedback, but I just don't think they are necessarily going about it in the most fair or correct manner. I don't think there IS a fair or correct manner that exists, at least one that wouldn't require eBay either A) rule the world so that they can monitor every last single tiny aspect of their customers lives, or B) Have magic powers to do the above.

By: Anoymous

Anoymous — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:21:59 +0000

That's ridiculous! Whats the point of not knowing about any of their products if we don't know the downside. I'm sure not shopping on eBay anymore.

By: hcparks

hcparks — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:11:00 +0000

Mel: The proposed feedback ebay is going into is present proposed form IS ALSO AGAINST EBAYS ORIGINAL DESIGN OF FEEDBACK.
It is also discriminating which is a violation of federal law.
I like the "Star system" set up for BUYERS simular to the SELLERS. Maybe a dispute system could be used simular to what buy and sell above said. Set it up along the FVF system and both feedback and paypal payment can be frozen until resolved.
I did a little survay over the past few days. Over 95% of negative feedback is given by BUYERS with less than 25 feedback. and about 70% for length of time it takes to receive your item. Something the seller has no control over.
I had a man try and rip me off claiming he did not receive a movie. When I produced a delievery confirmation number he changed his story that the box was empty. He filed a paypal grievance AND LOST because he got caught in his lies and RULED AGAINST HIM. I got popped with a negative.
There are a lot of problembs that need to be worked out on both sides. I already see a lot of sellers leaving ebay and I also am thinking about leaving. Ebay acts like they don't want my little old 500 per day listings.