eBay Director of Trust & Safety Brian Burke, who manages eBay's Feedback system, participated in an interview on the company's Chatter blog on Thursday. Burke answered questions about the recently announced Digital Download policy that requires sellers list ebooks and auction templates in the Classified Ad listing format, which costs $9.95, and goes into effect on March 31st. The new policy has been controversial among sellers of such products.

In answering the question, "Is Feedback Manipulation considered a greater risk than in the past," Burke said that "today less scrupulous sellers have more to gain from manipulating their Feedback and Detailed Seller Ratings, which are also an important factor in a seller's performance in Best Match and their eligibility for benefits (like PowerSeller eligibility and discounts). This makes feedback manipulation an even greater concern for the marketplace. Not only is safety and integrity of the Feedback system an issue, so is the fair administration of seller standards and rewards." The full interview is available on the Chatter blog.

eBay will hold a workshop covering the new policly on the Workshop Board on Friday, April 11 at 2 pm PT. Brian Burke and Jim "Griff" Griffith will be on hand to answer questions about the Classified Ads format.

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