eBay is changing its feedback policy for its eBay Motors site to allow services like the Better Business Bureau to rule on feedback removal decisions.

"Independent Feedback Review," currently available in vehicle categories on the U.S. eBay Motors site, allows buyers and sellers to hire a professional third-party dispute-resolution organization experienced in automotive matters to determine whether a feedback comment meets eBay's guidelines for feedback withdrawal; if it does, eBay will withdraw the feedback.

Buyers and sellers must pay a non-refundable fee of $100 to the third-party company, regardless of the outcome of the review. Feedback will be withdrawn if the independent feedback review determines that the member who seeks a feedback withdrawal has clearly and convincingly established one or more of the following:

• The member leaving the feedback did not make a good faith effort to complete the transaction. (Failure to pay for or sell an item, in and of itself, is not sufficient to meet this guideline.)
• The feedback was not submitted in a reasonable timeframe (30 days is usually an adequate period of time to allow for inspection or test drive).
• There is clear and convincing evidence that the transaction-related information contained in the feedback comment is factually inaccurate, even if the inaccuracy was the result of a misunderstanding or honest mistake.
• The member leaving the feedback did so because that member was seeking to receive more than what he/she was reasonably entitled to receive in the transaction.

When feedback is withdrawn, the feedback comment will remain but the positive, negative, or neutral rating associated with that comment will no longer show or count in the feedback score. Depending on the type of feedback withdrawn, the score will increase, decrease, or remain the same.

eBay will use the services of three third-party companies to provide the independent feedback review service: the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbbonline.org), SquareTrade (http://www.squaretrade.com) and NetNeutrals (http://www.netneutrals.com)

http://pages.ebay.com/help/feedback/motors-independent-feedback-review.html