Ebay changes: sellers can no longer leave negative or neutral feedback for buyers

[safari]

I sell stuff on eBay occasionally, so I was leaving feedback to a buyer today and noticed that I can no longer leave negative or neutral feedback for buyers. The only feedback I can leave is positive, which doesn't make much sense to me. They might as well completely remove the feedback for buyers, if that's the case. According to eBay, the recent change was implemented in order to encourage buyers to leave honest feedback without being afraid of getting negative feedback from sellers in retaliation. As a seller, I never had to leave negative feedback, but I knew that I had some protection from buyers. It also encouraged communication between buyers and sellers to find a mutually agreeable resolution in case there was a problem or some other misunderstanding. Now buyers are free to leave negative feedback even if they don't have a valid reason to do so, which is not fair to the sellers. I think this is a bad decision on eBay's part, as many sellers are going to leave eBay and sell their goods on other sites.

[irmanator]

wow! that was stupid on their part.

[poundwise]

eBay has made a series of bad decisions IMO. I think they need new leadership.

[cantretire]

This has been effect for months now. It's one of the main reasons why I, among many others, have left. I'm setting up a store on Ecrater now. Ebay is killing its sellers.

[Exile]

eBay.ph (Philippines) also stopped the sale of ebooks in April, including international transactions. That does not make me a happy camper.

[red92s]

I see your point. It really swings things in the favor of buyers. However, I had a recent transaction where I was glad it was in place.

I needed a microSD card for my blackberry before leaving for for an extended business trip. I specifically wanted to avoid buying from outside the US to receive the item before departing. The item I purchased had "item location: United States" listed in the auction.

After 2 weeks I contacted the seller informing them I hadn't received anything. The reply, in broken English, claimed that it was "in customs". After asking repeatedly where the item was shipped from they admitted "we ship from hong kong because no stock in US wharehouse. Please we dont want waste your time by informing you we need ship from hong kong".

The item arrived the day before my trip. I left neutral feedback stating that it arrived as described, but was shipped from abroad. The seller emailed me (repeatedly) asking me to remove it, and threatened to leave negative feedback for me if I didn't. I think that is exactly the kinda thing the new policies are targeted at.

All that being said, I can see how vulnerable this leaves an honest seller

[cschin4]

Yes, that sounds like a stupid move. The more information that both parties have, the better. Let the customers decide. If the customers don't like it, they can shop elsewhere. Same with the sellers. If the sellers don't like it, they can sell elsewhere. Instead, as is true of any large powerhouse, they can't leave well enough alone and will probably improve themselves right out of existence.

[sounderella]

I totally agree. That was totally stupid on their part. I mean if they're a compulsive deadbeat bidder you can't even warn someone. I know you get so many strikes doing that but still