@lady.stark wrote:
I don't really understand it either... but I think it might have something to do with the new "defect" system for cancellations. However, I thought that system was not in effect yet... am I mistaken?
The new defect system doesn't impact seller status until at least August 20th (when evaluations under the new rules take effect), but defects are already being recorded (since mid-April, 2014).
Once evaluation begins, it will be done retroactively, either on a 3-month or 12-month basis, depending on your sales volume. I seem to recall one of the eBay.ca staffers mentioning that for sellers on a 12-month review cycle, the first evaluation under the new system will actually be March, 2015, but I'm afraid I can't locate the source quote at the moment.
Most low to mid-volume sellers will have a 12-month "look-back", so it's important to keep defects to a minimum, since you won't "recover" from accumulated defects as quickly as sellers with a high volume (who can basically start with clean slate every 3 months at worst).
I believe you're correct that this move by eBay is intended to prevent defects due to cancelling bids or ending auctions during the period when most users would be switching passwords -- but why a change in passwords would impact bids or auctions I can't quite see, and eBay doesn't make it clear. It's just a guess, but maybe they've found some users are having trouble logging in after a password change?
