New FEEDBACK system... what do you think?

[for_baby_and_you]

I don't like it X-(

Feedback is important but why make it more complicated?

FB for shipping charges? Exactly! eBay wants us to incorporate the cost of shipping in asking price to charge us more for final value fee....

I don't like it X-(

[palms_and_pdas]

I know I am going to get a few comments over my last post so here is an additional reply.

As far as staying on ebay I am looking at other avenues due to the market is no longer profitable for many items.

It is time to move a majority of my business off of ebay like many other fulltime sellers to survive and make a profit.

Feedback 2.0 is a hit and will be a hit to Canadian Power Sellers bottom line due to poor ratings and dimishing profits.

[whoscloset]

The new system is not intended to give a perfect reflection of the events. Over time it should give a RELATIVE view of each seller's service compared to that of their competitors. If you think you are going to have 5 stars across the board you are living in dreamland. However, if you provide good customer service and learn to run your business effectively you should stay above 4 in all areas and that will be sufficient in the long run to set you apart.

It's a hell of a lot better than just a + and a - where comments get lost in the crowd after a few days. Everyone was so paranoid about negs that the system was practically useless.

[recped]

It's funny how eBay caters to the buyers when it is we, the sellers they actually make money from.

Your logic is faulty and your thinking very shortsighted.
"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

[katiusciav]

While ebay does need buyers in order for sellers to sell, and in turn, for ebay to make money...it is the sellers in the end...whose pockets the money comes out of...whether we sell or not...and twice if we do sell. so in that direct sense, it is the sellers who pay, not the buyers...buyers only indirectly make money for ebay...they bid on the items and bid them up for higher ebay final value fees, but it comes out of our bank accounts...:-(
i hope ebay does a good job at marketing to buyers, with the fee breakdown right now, and soon to be more, i'm sure...sellers will have no choice but to increase prices or stop selling altogether...

[cello10]

Again it seems many of you just aren't getting it and I'm thinking never will.

Let me try it from another angle and ask some really hard questions, starting with feedback. Kat, you have about 385 people who left you positive feedback and only 1 transaction in which a negative was left. Now I know some of those you had to baby them before you got your positive. But nevertheless your current ratio is 385 to 1. Why would anyone stress over the 1 person and not focus on the other 385? It's the same situation with the new system, why would you stress over a half a star, a third of a star, whatever? Do you have actual factual information that this feedback system, the old feedback system or any specific feedback left has hurt your business in anyway? If your business has slowed are you sure it's because of feedback or are there other factors you are not considering? Are we being a business person and using logic and facts or are we simply being emotional and letting a few weanies get to us?

I am a customer on ebay also and I'm sure many of you are as well. Think about it, would you worry about a seller with a few negs if their over all performance is good? With the new system will you worry about a partial star? All I know is if a seller has been good, has an item I want at my price..guess what? I'm buyin. And that's exactly what most customers are doing.

Again I'll say it...it's obvious ebay is doing all kinds of things to bring more customers to the site, making them more comfortable etc. etc. If that's all they do for us, bring a few million more people with money to spend to the site, we should be tickled pink. I think those of you not seeing the big picture fall into one of two categories or possibly both. First would be people who've never owned a conventional business. I urge you go open one, try it for a while...then you'll really learn to appreciate ebay. The second category is those of you whose business model is just not working. If you're not making money it's not ebay's fault, you're business needs to change in someway. That's the harsh reality. I know it's hard to admit, I've been there many times myself...you want something to work, but it's just not. It simply doesn't make enough sales, enough profit. It's just not a viable idea. You just have to admit it to yourself and make a change. It happens everyday in business...ebay is no different, but ebay is not the problem, the idea is.

Personally I am of the opinion that if you can't make money on ebay, then you won't anywhere else. That's just my opinion.

Marcello

[futuretech_liquidations]

BANG ON CELLO -- agree 100% with your last post. If you read through the past posts you will see alot of those people that fall into both of your categories - they spend more time posting on here than they do working on improving their business.

Cheers,

FTL

[for_baby_and_you]

No no no.... you are not getting it....

This thread is about the new feedback system and what we think about it...

So if you please... stay on the subject :-x and let us know how do you feel about being judged for something you have no power over...

[cello10]

I have no problem with it at all. I know we do a good job here and we'll have a good score...I'm not scared of being "judged". If you are challenged (or forced if you prefer) to become better at what you do, why is that a bad thing? In the end it is you who'll benefit the most. I'm looking forward to standing out from the crowd and reaping the rewards that come from that. It's no different in conventional business. Every time a customer walks into a brick and mortar store they bring all their personality quirks with them and it's a business persons challenge to make as many of them as happy as possible, so that overall your business will have a good reputation and therefore attract new customers. One thing is for sure, you won't make everyone happy and it's no different on ebay. Offline there are many things you can't control either (a lot more things). So a smart business person, the ones who find success, will focus on the things they can control. A smart business person embraces the challenge and invests their time and energy into constantly making their business better, not on whining about the things they can't control. Exactly what purpose is it serving your business by bashing the new feedback system in these threads? Will ebay change things cuz of this thread? No. Is the time you're wasting here making your business more profitable or efficient? No. This thread brings nothing of value to some newbie powersellers who want to make things work here.

Honestly I've come to this board a few times in the past looking for helpful information for my business and instead have found it polluted with unhelpful rants, bitching and whining. Therefore I haven't been around much and I can assure you most of the sellers who are actually successful don't spend much time here, if at all. It is just not right that the negative people are dominating this board, most of whom don't really have all that much ebay or business experience. $1000 a month for 3 months in sales does not make you an expert. This board should be dominated by the leaders, but then again the leaders are busy building their businesses and making money.

I feel for the newbie powerseller, who's worked hard and comes to this board with hope and optimism, looking for helpful information (what this board was intended for) so they can have a chance to maybe go full-time one day and make a better life for themselves, only to find all the ebay bashers and negative garbage.

[for_baby_and_you]

Cello... you know what... I think you are not very nice person... and if you don't like this board don't come here... go and build your business strong and don't waist your valuable time on .... as you call us "ebay bashers and negative garbage"

I wish you all best... but please stop talking to me :-x

[tea_past_times]

Cello sounds a bit arrogant to me.

[cello10]

Actually I wasn't talking to anyone specific.

I guess I'll be considered a not nice person because I am asking the hard questions. Questions maybe people won't like the answers too. But I ask myself those very same questions as well all the time. I just chose to look in the mirror and try to always improve instead of blaming ebay or anyone else for that matter for any issues I may have with my business.

And no I won't leave this board. If many of you can bitch, then those of us who choose to see the positives are just as entitled to our opinions. The question is if ebay is so awful, why do you stick around?

Tea, I've read your posts, I know you think more like I do, than the bashers do. Don't let the fact that we've had a tiff allow you to take their side.

[tobyshitzu]

Agree with cello, and have been thinking the same thing while reading a thread on selling board while a few make it out to be the world coming to an end because they got 4.8s and .9s instead of 5s and talk of leaving ebay over it. Obviously no one who is making money would walk away from the money over a .1 off their star.

Its just crazy that some of them value their ebay fb more then the money, talking about not leaving the buyer fb or even retaliating (some have!!) if someone leaves a 4. I could care less what they leave as long as they keep sending me their money :).

Personally I think the new fb didn't go anywhere near far enough. I'd like to see them do away with fb for buyers altogether so the whole retaliate for fb was finished once and for all, and sellers were suck with whatever buyers wanted to leave. They could replace it with displaying a non paying item count on buyers profile.

[for_baby_and_you]

OK one more time I try to make my self clear

1. I like eBay

2. I don't like the new feedback system

And this is all !!!!


Do you like everything about eBay?
In your opinion there is nothing left to improve or change?
If everything is so perfect I hope they stop improving it for you :^O

[cello10]

Toby...now you are person who's not only not afraid of a challenge, but welcomes it. Kudos to you!

Toby I'll be watching your posts from now on for insightful info that could help my business. You're a winner in my book!

Kasha, if it's ok that I talk to you directly now, I have not been speaking to you directly with my past posts. Just to bashers in general. The thread went off topic I know. I have no beef with you I can assure you. I think you have a great name (really it's quite beautiful), neat products and impeccable feedback. To me you are a leader here. Yes of course there is always room for improvement, you are totally right there. But overall ebay's a fabulous place in my book. Although you don't like the new system, you personally I think have nothing to worry about as you have unique products and are doing a wonderful job.

[katiusciav]

i understand where marcello is coming from...i think he has a very experienced and mature way of looking at the bigger picture of things,...and he is right...we can't change what we can't change...so may as well focus all our energy on making it better. a good positive attitude. after reading your posts, i can better understand why ebay introduced this new feedback system in order to attract more buyers. however, i guess its just human nature to react quickly to be judged in such a detailed manner. in the end, it'll just be another feature that we're all so used to, and won't give it much thought. but i still stand on my argument that shipping time should not be included....and i think ebay would agree...

[cello10]

It's your post that is very mature Kat, good for you.

By the way you have lovely stuff and for your auctions, you really chose the color schemes well to fit with what you are selling. Soft on the eyes and really nice to look at. I'm taking notes as we speak, I hope you don't mind:-)

[katiusciav]

aren't you flattering...feel free to bid if you like...!! lol...times are tough man!! :-x

[duujogl]

Kasha, I'm pretty sure that the shipping part of the new feedback is meant to reflect the time it takes for sellers to get the item into the delivery system, NOT how long the delivery system takes. I really feel that the only thing wrong with it is that they haven't explained that to the buyers, some of whom (not all), will judge us on how long actual delivery takes.

And yes, I've run a successful B&M business, and also a successful mail-order business. Ebay is just another version of mail-order but with a much wider mailing list!

[katiusciav]

well how in the heck could they know that?~?~? unless all sellers ship using paypal shipping tool, where the buyer automatically gets an email stating their item is being shipped (with wrong tracking information and highly optimistic delivery times mind you). not all sellers use this feature...

[for_baby_and_you]

About three weeks ago a lady from UK bought a sling from me... I sent it the same day... the package got stack in customs for almost two weeks, they opened my packaging and the manufacturers plastic bag... I don't know what they were looking for... the sling was a gift for baby shower... it didn't make on time ... I stated in my listing that air mail to UK takes 1 week... she is furious X-( I can't wait for my feedback... ?:| .... I can feel it coming...............