DBR is for "Detailed Buyer Rating" !

[purse_of_the_legionary]

Hi all,

I received an undeserved negative feedback from a buyer who is trying to get something free from me since the beginning of the transaction, so I am no longer 100%... Anyway, the point is, I thought a lot about the fact that we sellers are totally defenseless since eBay changed the feedback system. 😞

I was thinking about the fact that something no longer makes sense : buyers' scores doesn't mean anything anymore, as they are all 100% !!! And if I would try to inform other sellers about a bad experience by typing this information when leaving positive feedback, buyer can get this specific feedback removed by eBay (positive feedback should includes positive comment). It's like eBay telling sellers : SHUT YOUR MOUTH !

I understand that eBay succeeded with the new feedback system and got rid of most of the bad sellers (it was the intention), those using the old feedback system for extortion. It worked, as sellers are totally defenseless now. But now it's the opposite, buyers can do anything they want around here, they just have to find another way than simply saying "give me that or I'll leave negative" by email (I just experienced it).

The big question is, what tool do we have, eBay sellers, to protect ourselves against bad buyers ? Sellers have absolutely no way to exchange information about bad buyers.

I think the DSR (Detailed Seller Rating) system is ok, as it helps buyers to make a better decision to do business with a seller or not. But from my point of view, this is MY business and MY money I send to eBay each month, I think it's my decision to accept a buyer or not. For the moment, the only ways to get rid of bad buyers is the blocked list (but it's only after the damage that you can add a buyer to this list) and also the BUYER REQUIREMENTS when preparing a new listing. That's not enough, I need more control, more information, I want anonymous information about a specific buyer's habits regarding payment, communication, etc., nothing against the respect of privacy, just something similar to the DSR.

I would like to know other sellers opinion. What would you like to see in a "Detailed Buyer Rating" (DBR) tool ?

[dipmicro]

what tool do we have, eBay sellers, to protect ourselves against bad buyers

eBay complaint
eBay dispute
fraud report with local police
provincial small claim

All of the above costs time. Companies like Walmart would press charges even for $2 candy bar, but they have people who do just that. Police will not do anything unless is higher value or too many reports, they will just take the report and put it on the pile.

In my opinion small guys like us cannot do much but add some some percentage into markup to cover losses. If you lose $10 and spend 45min on the phone to recover it, it's not worth it. Think Real Estate agents, how many buyers they have to waste time unpaid to get one who pays commision. Look at average numbers, not at particular buyer. Perhaps you lost money on this one, but in average you still make profit.

If you get a payment reversal without any contact before that, file Unpaid Item Dispute. It will get them kicked out eventually.