By Ina Steiner
EcommerceBytes.com
October 28, 2013
eBay surveyed sellers over the weekend about proposed changes to its feedback system, and many users are convinced it's just a formality before eBay rolls out such changes site-wide. The survey covered several main areas regarding its feedback system:
- eBay Feedback and Seller Standards systems;
- Shipping Charges Detailed Seller Rating;
- Two ideas eBay has for changing the feedback system;
- Buyer feedback.
For more: http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y13/m10/i28/s02
I found a link to the survey and did it. It was quite interesting. FB does not work. Has not really worked in 5-7 years. While most of us have BIN with IPR, researching buye4rs is a red herring. What good does it do after the sale and payment? All businesses have the odd bad customer. I think that sellers on eBay should grow a thicker skin and move on.
There was specific reference to a new grading system for sellers that would spread them out over a wider range with the elimination of 100%. The sellers that are only here as FB junkies will never accept that. Their self worth is tied to their FB score. That is scary on so many levels.
There will have to be exclusions on that as a lot of it is tied to on-time shipping, something no-one outside of the USA haqs any real influence on.
eBay is not really rolling out a lot of changes, suddenly. They continue to roll them out. Everything happening, now, I said back in the spring would happen. That which they rolled out in the spring, a lot was in the fall update in 2012.
They are set to de-emphasize FB, de-emphasize DSR, de-emphasize shipping costs. There was some hint of no FB being treated as a count towards no problems based on their new seller rating algorithm.
FB is completely worthless. I have fallen from 60% to about 30%. Buyers are just getting little tickee marks.
Wait for fall-out from the FB junkies when the new seller ratings hit, unannounced. I'm gonna have beer and snacks ready for that one.
Sometimes, the key to a successful relationship is being gone 24/7. Works great for me and the ex.
"acceptance scans and actual delivered time does not sound good for Canadians at all."
I totally agree.
However, we all know eBay Inc in San Jose does not think of Canadians when making policy changes on eBay.com.
@mr.elmwood wrote:(a) FB does not work. Has not really worked in 5-7 years. While most of us have BIN with IPR, researching buye4rs is a red herring. What good does it do after the sale and payment?
(b) There was specific reference to a new grading system for sellers that would spread them out over a wider range with the elimination of 100%. The sellers that are only here as FB junkies will never accept that. Their self worth is tied to their FB score. That is scary on so many levels.
(c) There will have to be exclusions on that as a lot of it is tied to on-time shipping, something no-one outside of the USA haqs any real influence on.
OK, Mr. Elmwood, I'm back to being 'rose-dee' again on this one. I must respectfully take issue with a couple of these points. 
(a) I do agree the FB system is almost useless now. But it did serve a purpose for those of us who use "Best Offer". I found it helpful to be able to vet an offeror before making a decision to accept, reject or counter-offer. I'll miss that capability. You keep forgetting that not all of us sellers are running the same sort of business.
(b) I don't argue that there aren't "FB junkies" on eBay, but when you're selling at a lower volume, with mixed prices (some quite low, some rather high), it's useful to be able to project your reliability to potential customers. My FB tells my buyers that they can count on getting good products and excellent service from me, not unlike those "BBB" signs B&M stores put on their windows. Since I don't have thousands of transactions a year, I can't afford to be unconcerned about my FB. (You can get out your beer and chips now)
(c) Well, we Canadians may say so, but I doubt San Jose will think so.
My own prediction is that eBay is weaning us off their "old" way of doing things, step by step, until they can essentially dump everything that used to define eBay. I don't think these changes have to do with improving the old, but getting us all accustomed to an entirely re-designed, re-conceptualized site. (IMHO).
All right, Mr. E., you can go back to disagreeing again...
