eBay Bans Negative Feedback For Buyers; Everyone Be Good Now
from the here-in-lake-wobegone... dept
eBay has been making some changes lately that aren't sitting well with eBay sellers. First, it announced fee changes that initially were promoted as "lower fees," but the details showed were only lower for goods that didn't sell. The fees on sold goods were actually higher. Now, the company has banned sellers from giving "negative" feedback on buyers. This is quite an interesting move. Years back, eBay was often held up as the epitome of user feedback/rating systems. However, over the years, problems have cropped up, leading to questions about how effective the system really is, as it's often been gamed. A specific complaint is that many buyers are afraid to leave negative feedback, as a seller can retaliate and provide a similarly negative response to the buyers. The hope, then, is that by not allowing negative feedback, buyers can start being more honest about sellers. Of course, from the sellers' standpoint, it also means it's much more likely that buyers can now be problematic, without worrying about a response. eBay claims that it will now personally handle complaints from sellers about problem buyers -- which seems like a pretty big undertaking for the company. Either way, there does seem to be something silly in having a company offer a feedback system if you can only say positive things.Filed Under: bans, feedback, negative feedback
Companies: ebay
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Negative feedback
I have left negative feedback because I believe it is important for the next buyer to know about a seller's history. The primary reason I have left negative feedback is when the item received has been inaccurately described or depicted. In these situations, before I leave negative feedback, I always notify the seller first and explain the problem. I also request my shipping fee back. If the seller refuses, which is often the case, I open a dispute and leave negative feedback. Importantly, I have always won the dispute because it has been obvious to E-bay that the item description was less than objective. However, inevitably, after I leave negative feedback, I receive nasty emails from the seller. This is unacceptable. So, I appreciate what E-bay has done.
Just an analogy - - when I buy on-line from a company, if there is a problem with the purchase which requires a return, the company typically assumes the cost of shipping BOTH WAYS. I think the same policy should apply to E-bay. The bottome line is that Ebay is a business, and as such, there needs to be accountability and it should be without fear of retribution.
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