eBay UK announced it was conducting a test in which 2 percent of users would be shown two different versions of the View Item page. The announcement stated, "We are testing alternative layouts to see which makes it easier for buyers to understand what is displayed and to find what they are looking for on eBay.co.uk. Depending on the test results and your feedback, these changes might be made available to more users."

AuctionBytes wrote about the testing on Tuesday http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y08/m02/i19/s01), and readers posted their reaction on the AuctionBytes Blog Many comments centered around a warning posted in the "Meet the Seller" section that said the seller had low ratings for Shipping Time. The warning appeared to be based on a Detailed Seller Rating of 4 out of 5 stars, which many stated was unfair since a 4 was considered "satisfactory."

One person who left a comment in the blog claimed she was the seller whose listing contained the warning, and was upset that it had been seen by so many users. The comment stated in part, "I have a 4 star shipping rating that by Ebay standards I have been led to believe is "satisfactory", yet this red flag was added to my listing without my knowledge, notification, or consent! I demand an explaination for this. My rights have been grossly violated. Ebay needs to reply to this with an explanation for the flagrant disregard for my reputation as a seller (which has now been irrepairable damaged)."

eBay did not respond to inquiries by press time.

http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2008/2/1203389859.html

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200802201722332.html