posted on October 3, 2009 07:49:56 PM new
Interesting article but did you note the following. This is the first time I was aware that if a Buyer does not leave feedback it counts against us! Or does it?
"Additionally, the Top-rated seller program is based on the number of 1’s or 2’s left by U.S. buyers divided by the total number of transactions, including those in which the buyer did not leave feedback. In the PowerSeller program, scores were based only on transactions in which the buyer had left feedback."
posted on October 4, 2009 04:51:04 AM new
Actually that might not be too bad, say 1000 people buy from us but only 500 leave feedback. If I understand it right if a person leaves a 1 then it is only a percentage of 1000 and not 500.
posted on October 4, 2009 08:22:28 AM new
I suggest emailing the writer with your views about her article. There is an email link below her article.
Though she was articulate in her writing, but I don't feel like she gave a full picture of how it affects sellers. It was quite generic in that it strictly focused on what sellers have to do... almost like eBay wrote a press release and she rewrote it.
She should have soliticed sellers who have strong opinions of the constant changes, how the DSRs really affect sellers, and how all of these changes hurt sellers and ebay itself.
posted on October 4, 2009 09:08:34 AM new
Here is the email I sent her:
Hello. I am writing regarding your article in Internet Retailer.
Your article was well written, but I believe it fell short in casting light on the big picture. It was almost as if eBay sent you a press release and you rewrote it.
If you had included more input from sellers, you would find that a majority of sellers are quite dissatisfied with the "constant" changes eBay makes. Sellers find themselves spending more time keeping up with the changes when that focus could be spent selling more items. This in turn also affects the profitiblity of eBay.
Also, eBay used to be a place for sellers to sell directly to buyers. Though eBay claims they are protecting both sellers and buyers, this is hardly the case. eBay has only one interest... making money. They protect buyers too much, and leave sellers easy targets to fraud.
For example, eBay gives sellers the ability to choose whether they accept returns or not. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Paypal, a subsidiary and the dominant payment processor for eBay transactions. Paypal will force sellers to refund buyers money including the original shipping costs if a buyer files a claim against the seller. Unfortunately, Paypal won't investigate the claims made by buyers. Paypal simply sides with the buyer each and every single time (unless the dispute is regarding not receiving the item and the seller has proof of delivery).
Case in point: I sold a new jersey to a buyer. Item was described exactly how Nike describes it. It is the same exact item on the shelves of major retailers all over the USA. After I shipped the item, but before the buyer received it, the buyer emailed me that they changed their mind and would like a refund. I explained there were no refunds. They filed a claim with Paypal stating the item was not as described. Obviously, this was not true. It was simply buyers remorse. Paypal refunded the buyer ALL of their charges including the shipping charges I incurred to ship the item. I also lost the listing fees (that are non-refundable through ebay) and the Final Value Fees because in the eyes of eBay, the buyer paid for the item. Then there is the feedback and DSR rating left by the bidder. If they feel any resistence by the seller, they will most certainly leave poor ratings, which in turn affects the sellers ability to sell the item for a profit.
The other issue sellers have is the DSR ratings. The most obvious is the rating for shipping and handling fees. Sellers are already required to include the shipping/handling fees in their listings. A bidder has a choice at that point to purchase the item and pay the fees, or move on to another item. Why should they rate a seller on this when the seller has stated it in plain view for everyone to see? If you investigate this further you will discover that almost every seller on ebay will have their lowest DSR rating under shipping costs. As consumers, we already know shipping is expensive, no matter how you look at it. Shipping a shirt costs about $5.00, if it weighs 2 pounds it can cost me over $8.00 from the west coast to the east coast. It is a cost sellers have no control over. I have researched this and even find sellers who offer "FREE SHIPPING" will have DSR shipping fee ratings below 4.8. You will be hard pressed to find many sellers above 4.8 in that category. This only helps eBay by pushing sellers to meet stringent DSR requirements but fall short because of shipping costs. Only the highest volume sellers get significant shipping discounts from UPS and Fed Ex... which leads me to another issue.
eBay does not support all shippers. Their invoicing only allows sellers to offer USPS and UPS services. Fed Ex, a legitimate shipper, is left out in the cold. The problem here is that USPS Priority Mail is very expensive and not cost effective when it is over 1 pound and shipped across the country. Parcel Post is horrible. Shipments can take up to 3 weeks to arrive after handed off to the post office. USPS tracking is the worst of all. Information to sellers and buyers is very limited. Many sellers do not use UPS because they are notorious for mishandling packages, damaging goods in shipment, and then denying claims that were caused by their poor handling. In the meantime, the buyer is left wondering if the seller is blowing smoke.
I have been selling on ebay for 9 years and there are many other sellers like me who have made cuts to their overall selling on ebay. I used to sell over $100,000 a year on ebay. Now I sell $20,000. I list much less on ebay than I used to. I would have over 200 items running each week, now I average about 20. eBay has ignored sellers and their complaints for too long forcing many sellers to leave, offer limited listings, and create their own websites away from ebay.
If you are looking for a hard hitting article, you should follow up with the ugly side of eBay's changes and how it affects sellers, especially those like me who have been long time sellers and have proven themselves as good and honest. In case you are wondering, my DSRs are 4.9/4.9/4.9/4.7 on shipping/handling costs. Keep in mind, I don't sell new items. I sell vintage collectibles where description is subjective and honesty is required... yet I still receive a 4.9 in my description accuracy.
