eBay gets negative feedback about ban on negative feedback
Compulsory registrations unpopular too
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Online tat-house eBay has enraged some of its regular users by banning negative feedback about buyers and a demand that anyone flogging more than a certain amount from the UK must register as a business.
So called "PowerSellers" will be targeted first and must register business accounts by the end of the month. eBay will also be emailing anyone with "high levels of sales" not registered as a business. eBay is not saying how high this level is, but it will be determined by the number of items sold in the last three months and by gross merchandise volume.
The changes have angered some users, because there is no way to remain a PowerSeller unless you register a business account.
This requires sellers to provide a physical address, to inform customers that they are a business and to offer a cooling-off period if selling items at a fixed price. The changes are required by European Union ecommerce law.
Some sellers are worried by the security implications of showing their address on eBay's View Item page, so eBay is increasing options by giving a wider choice of pages where the address can be displayed. But it warns users that business sellers must display a proper address - not a PO Box.
Feedback is changing too. From May sellers will not be able to leave negative or neutral comments about buyers. The changes are designed to make life easier for sellers. Negative feedback can have a major impact on sales on eBay. It can also spark retaliation, with both buyers and sellers leaving tit-for-tat negative comments if a sale goes wrong.
eBay is also closing its eBay Express service which offered fixed price items for sale. The company said the decision was based on buyer and seller feedback. ®
COMMENTS
power sellers != businesses
Let's take for example a university graduate, one who has accumulated 4 years of text books but no longer has a use for say, 100 of them, these books sell new for 70 - 80 each, assume 50% value for 2nd hand sales, so that's 4000 they could net, they also want to sell their old car as their new job comes with one, this may have a value of 2000.
This would make them a power seller, and force them to register as a business. No problem you may think. However, their new job involves marketing and sales strategies and their contract includes a clause which specifically prohibits them from operating a business while in the employ of the company. Bang, by trying to recycle goods they no longer have a use for, and pay off some of their student debt they can be dismissed from the company for running a 'business' simply because ebay demand that powersellers become businesses.
If they were to sell the same items via loot or another classified ad system, they would not in any way, shape, or form be classed as a business, why should ebay be any different?
Paris? because only she would be dumb enough to think of this idea for ebay. Or conceive of a way to stop people from saying 'this buyer kept me waiting for 2 weeks for payment by saying 'the check is in the post, haven't you received it yet?' before leaving negative feedback for me not shipping the goods'
Ebay - PIA
Unfortunately its been screwed up by E-bay & its partner in crime (fraud?) PayPal, who seem to have made things ridiculously easy for a fraudulent operator & ignore the legitimate traders.
So Im dumping my account.
Feedback problem easy to solve
I don't see why Feedback should be such an issue. Allow both seller and buyer to leave feedback - whether negative, neutral or positive. But until both seller and buyer have left their feedback, don't display either, or add them to totals.
After a determined cut off period, if either party has not left feedback, then they lose the option, while the other's feedback is implemented.
This makes it impossible to leave negative feedback in retaliation.
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