eBay Feedback Changes Seem Unfair
Occasionally, I buy and sell a few things on eBay. When selling, I always try to provide the best service possible and have until now maintained a perfect 100% feedback score. However, this week, eBay made changes to the way its feedback system works that seem to make the entire setup very biased in favour of buyers. The most important aspect of these changes is that sellers can no longer leave negative or neutral feedback for buyers. eBay claim that this will permit buyers to give fairer feedback without the threat of a quid pro quo negative/neutral strike being made against them should they leave it for someome else. However, I believe it will undermine the credibility of the feedback system for a number of reasons. First, I think seller feedback will be devalued; sellers, having been dictatorially stripped of any choice, may now leave positive or no feedback - where is the value in that? Second, a certain species of eBayer, often pedantic and overbearingly picky and previously kept in check by the possibility of receiving a reciprocal negative strike will now feel emboldened by his/her new found freedom and run around leaving negative strikes at will.
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Filed under: Miscellaneous
I actually relish this change. As a buyer, I’m absolutely tired of receiving reciprocal negative feedback in return for my honestly-left negative feedback of a seller. I also wish they’d get rid of the ability for a seller to respond to his/her own feedback. Apparently, the knee-jerk reaction when a bad seller gets negative feedback is to insult and discredit the buyer “OMFG BUYER DIDN’T PAY AND THREATENED TO SAW OFF MY FINGERS WHAT A PRICK” or some other hogwash that points the finger away from him/herself.
Geoff, thanks for the response. I agree with your underlying point that the feedback system is, sadly, used by various hotheads to let off steam however aimless an endeavour that seems. I still think eBay’s decision to create an imbalance in the feedback system (by denying the same feedback opportunities to both parties) is wholly unfair. Buyers now have less incentive to engage in sensible dialogue with honest sellers who attempt to solve problems amicably (since they know they can never receive a negative strike and now have eBay’s tacit blessing to leave negatives as and when they wish). Also, eBay has long played the card that they strongly encourage buyers and sellers to resolve their own disputes. Now, with a complete u-turn they have imposed themselves as sole arbiters on feedback issues since, if my understanding is correct, the only recourse a seller has against an unfair negative strike is that he/she go whimpering to eBay a little like a knock-kneed school kid reporting the playground bully to the headmaster. I suppose there is no ideal system, but the previous system seemed to work well for me as both a buyer and a seller.