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eBay to stop sellers from leaving negative feedback for buyers  From May of this year, sellers on eBay will no longer be able to leave troublesome buyers and non-payers neutral or negative feedback. "The current system prevents buyers from leaving honest feedback as they fear retaliation from the sellers if they leave a negative," eBay said in a statement on its website. "This makes it hard for buyers to distinguish between sellers while making bidding or buying decisions. In addition, when buyers receive negative feedback, they reduce their activity in the marketplace, which in-turn harms all sellers." The feedback system - where buyers and sellers can leave positive, neutral or negative comments about the transaction - has been central to eBay's success to date. The problem is, says eBay, that over time, the transparency of the existing feedback system makes some members reluctant to hold others accountable, with some buyers fearing retaliatory feedback from sellers if they leave a negative. And eBay does have a point. As a buyer you might expect positive feedback for being a prompt payer for example, but increasingly sellers will openly state that they will only leave a positive feeback AFTER the buyer leaves them one. And this has made a mockery of the feedback system. Some sellers though are up in arms about this latest announced change which comes into effect from May 2008 across all eBay sites. They see it as the removal of their only weapon against buyers who don't pay. And although something did need to be done about the feedback system, there is a real fear that the pendulum will now swing too far in the other direction, with buyers leaving negative feedback for minor problems knowing that they will not receive a negative feedback in return. The change in the feedback system follows the news that selling fees are also to increase, with the reductions in the cost of listing an item for sale on the site being outweighed by the increase in commission eBay charges on a sale from 5.25% to 7.5%. 5th February 2008 Comment on this article |
Five Questions to find out what makes an internet entrepreneur tick?  "I believe some people have a little something in their head that makes them look at things in a slightly different way. Some people absolutely cannot envisage doing anything but working for somebody else - and that is fine. However I believe entrepreneurs are born and will always find a way to do things differently." Kieron Donoghue, ukoffer.com Take one internet entrepreneur - for instance Kieron Donoghue (pictured above) - and ask them Five Questions. Also in the Five Questions hot seat this month is Victoria Vanstone of yourdeathwish.com. Why niche websites are like flowers George Marshall reckons that niche websites are like flowers and need to be nurtured just as you would a plant. more |
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