eBay

pierrelebel · ‎10-28-2013

By Ina Steiner
EcommerceBytes.com
October 28, 2013

eBay took users by surprise over the past 2 weeks by rolling out controversial changes to feedback pages, making no announcement about its' move to take away some of the transparency into buyer behavior. EcommerceBytes surveyed readers to find out how sellers viewed these changes and asked them for the reasons behind their answers.

The majority of seller respondents said they used the various features - now missing - to research buyers and said the changes that eBay made this month that result in bidder anonymity actually hurts them.

For more: http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y13/m10/i28/s01

rose-dee · ‎10-28-2013

@pierrelebel wrote:
By Ina Steiner
EcommerceBytes.com
October 28, 2013

The majority of seller respondents said they used the various features - now missing - to research buyers and said the changes that eBay made this month that result in bidder anonymity actually hurts them.

I would have been one to agree, if I'd been asked. While we all know that a buyer's history/FB is meaningless after the fact for BIN/fixed price items, for Best Offer situations (which I use a lot) or I imagine some auction situations, it was very helpful.

Well, my guess in this instance is that eBay is probably following an agenda that has nothing to do with what buyers or sellers want on the site. The fact that such a major change was simply plunked down on everybody -- buyers and seller alike -- signals that some other driver is behind it. Just surmise (and we'll certainly never know), but I wouldn't be surprised if such alterations to the site were stipulations in a contract with some big company of some description that eBay has brought on board.

The other "tell" in my opinion is that eBay's changes to this site in the past year have been so constant, so radical, and so unannounced (quite different from the twice yearly "adjustments" they used to do). It almost seems as if they're following a schedule of pre-determined changes.

mr.elmwood · ‎10-28-2013

These "sellers" would oppose a cure for cancer, world peace, etc.

These are the same people that screamed bleeding murder when eBay changed the SYI from FIVE PAGES to one.

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pierrelebel · ‎10-28-2013

"These are the same people that screamed bleeding murder when eBay changed the SYI from FIVE PAGES to one."

They were also there when it went from one page to five! (2002)

brandeentertainment · ‎10-28-2013

I think I don't like it .. I have caught my fair share of scammers this way .. Maybe some people are lucky in there category but in mine it was a very useful tool as there are ALOT of scammers in my category .. % wise it is a small amount but most get 1 or 2 a year I get 1-4 a month..

I don't care it is gone at all but I did use it and it was useful //

cumos55 · ‎10-29-2013

It would appear that many sellers have been using this information to get a better understanding their bidders/buyers.

As sellers on the internet we rarely get to see our buyers unless it is a local pickup.

Many sellers do not like the concept of a local pickup and would rather sell in a non-personal contact scenario.

If we compare our situation on eBay to that of a seller in a B & M store we have the following.

When someone walks into a B & M, a seller has an immediate view of the person by their personal appearance, by how they dress, and by what they say.... and all in relation to what they buy, or might want to buy.

On the internet we no longer have that personal ... face-to-face..... contact.

As sellers on the internet we have a non-personal view of each buyer...... Many sellers have used the data to determine the "character " of the buyer.....a character that was defined by what eBay has provided.

It would appear that much of that information is gone.

Was it a necessary part of selling on eBay?...

Based on the survey, it would appear to be so.

The survey did surprise me..... The survey was so direct and specific to keeping that information

Anonymous · ‎11-02-2013

Will eBay listen to this survey? Or just ignore it like they always do?

rose-dee · ‎11-04-2013

As a follow-up note on this subject, today I noticed that the details of purchases that I myself have made are absent from my own FB page, including the "View Item" feature.

Is it possible that eBay's computers cannot separate "own information" from "others' information" in the transaction details?

So now I have to go to my Purchase page to see full details -- it was easy having it all clickable in one place and recorded permanently on my FB pages. I could go back and find a seller I'd purchased from months ago in order to look at that seller's current items. I don't think the "Purchase" feature displays transaction details for more than a couple of months. Crikey. Make it all stop.