eBay asked for it.

[pierrelebel]

When checking the dashboard, eBay provides information based on their new system,

They also ask if we have feedback for them.  They asked for it and this is what I told them (folks here know I am not shy and can be candid at times):

"Your whole new system is stupid, really stupid.  You are basically punishing sellers for delays by postal services which are totally beyond the control of sellers.

In the last seventeen years, I have had over 106,000 transactions on eBay - yes over 106,000 count them - and I have recently given up using eBay as a selling venue. You made life much too complex,  There was no need for that.

Get rid of it and DSRs (Yes I have always maintained 5.0 across the board, but that is not the point).  My extensive history on eBay gives me  credibility.  I know what I am doing.

Use the KISS system.  Go back to something simple: ask buyers to state of satisfied or not satisfied.  That's it. End of story."

[momcqueen]

Bravo! 

[anguscoinshop]

ebay is a business and they don't care. its all about making money.

They are big, they know it. They also know they can do whatever they want ( as long as its not criminal ) and get away with it.

They only have so many area they can use to make money. Tightening up there rules is one of them.

We the sellers will have to find innovative ways to keep our profit margin (??????)

[rose-dee]

And may I add that since eBay seems determined to proceed with these changes, there are some simple solutions to make this stupid idea far less painful for Canadian sellers.  These are ideas which eBay (or eBay.ca, not sure which) is apparently either unwilling or unable to institute.  These are -- for example -- 

• Allow Cdn sellers to upload to eBay a scan of a Post Office stamp or receipt (which Canada Post is already set up to do), as proof of acceptance; 
• Add extra time to the maximum delivery estimates provided by Canada Post -- don't ask us to pad eBay's problems with false handling times; 
• Remove "The Question" if a seller has provided free shipping. 

I'm sure there are other creative ideas to make this awkward and ill-conceived policy less punitive for Canadian sellers, although I agree that shelving it completely, in favour of a simple buyer satisfaction rating, would be better by far. 

Perhaps eBay will listen to you -- they don't seem to have heard any of the rest of us, despite soliciting our "opinions" earlier on these discussion boards.  

[anguscoinshop]

ebay listening is real wishful thinking.

[dutchman48]

Pierre

I have been telling them for years, on surveys,and tell us what you think and so far, it hasn't helped.

Maybe we should all buy a few shares and make a trip at their next annual meeting and address the senior management and board of directors and have some fun.

Not that they would listen or care but what the heck. At least they could not throw it into file 13.

Sure seems there are getting to be a lot of disgruntled old times on the .ca boards as well as the .com boards.

If every seller bought say 5 - 10 shares each, I wonder if someone was given all the proxies how much influence we would have at the meetings?

[jersey..authentix]

Sounds great, makes sense, but Im afraid it will fall on deaf ears.

Why does something so simple be so difficult?

[ricarmic]

One of the problems is that eBay is a big company.

If one of us decides to change something about how we sell, we decide, and we can often implement it within hours or days. Companies eBay size don't move that fast, more along a "geological" timeframe.....

If someone from "eBay" sees Pierre's suggestion and likes it, they have to:

-let someone know who has power to put suggestions for change in front of leadership

-get approval, write up the suggestion, the cost and impact

-go to meetings with perhaps a couple different levels of leadership

-leadership agrees that Pierre's suggestion is a good one

-the cost of the project to design, implement, communicate gets created

-the leadership reviews the related costs/benefits and decides to move forward

-the project team gets put together to design and implement

-the changes are designed, communicated and implemented

and it is two years later...... by now Pierre has made a couple more really good suggestions because the world/situation has already changed a lot.....

Perhaps eBay has a way to fast-track projects, but this situation probably isn't  "expensive" (as in costing or losing enough money) enough to warrant it....

Of course I could be wrong, but I have spent time within some large companies and nothing happens "fast"........ even things that would seem simple to us.....

My point is that "deaf ears" may in reality be the time it takes for even good suggestions like this to make it through the process to be implemented.....

[pierrelebel]

"and it is two years later......"

I remember the "good old days".  Back in 1998 I wrote to eBay's chairman and suggested a change to the listing page (instead of stating "price in dollars" state "price in US dollars" since many buyers use Canadian, Australian, Hong Kong and other "dollars").

The listing page (seen by all viewers) was changed within two weeks!

[jersey..authentix]

ah, the good old days. For me it was between 2003 and 2007. Those were great days.