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In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From feedback to payment services, from increased fees to posting policies, AuctionBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air your views.
You can also read the AuctionBytes blog, which has a place for reader comments under every posting (http://blog.auctionbytes.com).
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Hi Ina:
What's with the new Sort for ebay completed auctions? It's now listed as Price + Shipping - highest first. This brings an item listed at 9.99 with a shipping cost of $52 (obviously, it didn't sell) in between the items that sold for $50 to $60. Worse yet, it puts the items with shipping Not specified or See description at the BOTTOM of the search! This isn't so bad when your search only turns up 10 or 12 items, but what if it turns up 500???
Can we get any discussion on this?
THANKS!
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Have you heard about this new unadvertised policy from eBay? The complete direct transcript of tonight's chat session with Live Help attached. Only personal identifying information has been edited out.
They refused to say when or why or who to talk to about it. As you can see I got a bit frustrated after 2-1/2 hours on virtual hold, but this is a hidden policy change that needs to be exposed. They never did help or explain it.
I think this policy needs to be publicized.
Note from Editor: Here's the part of the transcript the reader is referring to:
"Let me inform you that if you don't have a credit card on file, you can only accumulate $200 plus some change in your selling fees. When you've reached this limit, your account will be placed on hold until a payment is received."
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Hi Ina,
There is an article that desperately needs to be written: "Are Ebay DSR Ratings Evidence of Overwhelmingly Positive Buyer Experience?"
The theme of the article is that maybe buyers are happier with their ebay experience than Ebay management believes they are. ("Are Ebay DSR Ratings Evidence of Overwhelmingly Positive Buyer Experience?")
Basically, ebay has spent the past 1.5 years harping on bad sellers and sellers causing bad buyer experiences. Sellers are being blamed for chasing off buyers because of high shipping charges, slow shipping, bad descriptions, etc.
However, the DSR ratings show that this is not the case. From Ebay's own published numbers, the overwhelming vast majority of sellers seem to be rated satisfied/very satisfied (4 to 5) in all of their DSRs. Even the bottom 10% of seller DSR ratings showed satisfied buyers.
These DSR ratings are anonymous ratings left by buyers with no fear of retaliation. There is every reason to give them as much credence as a buyer satisfaction survey.
I am afraid because ebay now plans to use these ratings to alter search, give powerseller status, determine non-performing sellers, etc. Yet the fact seems to be lost that EVEN THE BOTTOM 10% OF DSR RATINGS ARE 4+, in the satisfied/very satisfied range.
No sellers should ever be penalized or disadvantaged in any way by having buyers rate their experience as "Satisfied".
There is also speculation that Ebay is going to take steps to try to cause buyers to leave lower DSR ratings in order to create more of a spread.
I am hoping that one of your articles could wake people up to the truth. According to the DSR ratings, the overwhelming majority of buyers seem to be happy with their ebay transactions. Ebay needs to lighten up on decent sellers and focus their efforts on the real problems: counterfeits from China, obvious scam sellers, etc.
You are welcome to contact me for any reason and you are free to use anything I have written in your article, but please do not publish my name or e-mail address.
Thanks.
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Hi Ina,
Just thought I'd update you...Ebay has fixed the problems with TurboLister. Better late than never!
Jo
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Dear Ina,
met a dealer at a show ( and another Ina Steiner reader) we are doing and she is very savvy about Ebay, and when we read the area and reads comments about the new search programme I understood now what everyone is really saying.mainly that Meg Whitman seemingly want to get rid of all that cheap and nasty items on Ebay. I fear life may be doomed on Ebay for us small dealers-did well for two weeks and then bamm nothing.
Regards
Shirley
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Re: "eBay CEO Meg Whitman Sees Growth in Fixed-Price Listings"
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m10/i19/s01
Hi Ina,
Everyday I get more agitated with Ebay and these are my thoughts for today.
Well, Meg is doing it again. She's blowing smoke up the stockholders and financial analysts A**!
This is rich; She said Ebay wanted to make sure it had a great breadth of inventory and high-quality inventory. Is that why her head puppet Justus pointed out: What's more - get 50% off your insertion fees when you list for less than $1. You pay only 10 cents!
Makes me wonder what side of Meg's forked tongue was she speaking with last year when she complained about all the low price and junk that was being sold on Ebay? IT HAS TO GO!
What a wonderful invitation the 10 cent listing will be for the sellers that have caused the problem with the inflated shipping to begin with. They can have their last hurrah! What can anyone possibly sell for 99 cents? One shoe string?
The 99 cent listing fee should have been removed years ago. That's where the inflated shipping came about. Some unscrupulous seller's were jacking up shipping fees to make a profit, thus enabling them to by pass Ebay's inflated FVF's. Now Ebay blanketed all sellers with this outrageous star system feedback and the 90 day review to make up for their stupidity.
Meg has spent the majority of her tyranical Ebay reign finding ways to gouge sellers with increased fees so she never had the time to look at the whole picture. She was to busy patting herself on the back to the stockholder and financial analysts to see that the problem with a lot of Ebay buyers dissatisfaction was laying right at her feet. For years these 99 cent sellers were getting a way with inflated shipping and Ebay revenue was being lost.
Ebay always thinks it will build the better mouse trap. The stockholders better come up with one better and build a better rat trap and get rid of the CEO's and while at it do some serious management housecleaning.
Seems to me that Meg is being shallow when it comes to the fees that Amazon charges vs. Ebay. Like comparing apples to oranges about the only similarity is both are Internet auction venues.
Seems to me everytime Ebay does a push for the ProStores to get rid of the Basic Stores and the bait isn't taken, Ebay turns around and tells the sellers to drop their pants and bend over with more hoops in hand. As a matter of fact those ProStores must be another well kept secret of Ebay. I don't recall ever seeing one. The only time I find them to exist is when Ebay offers a discount to open one and explains how easy it is to move your items to Ebay. They hype the idea that your items can be sold on Ebay from you ProStore. You most certainly would be screwed if you were suspended since there is no visibility as what I can see. It's as though ProStores and PayPal stores are in cyber worlds of their own.
K
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They'll blow off the posting rules. This thread flies in the face of every posting rule imaginable. Yet despite numerous reports all the way up eBay's food chain, it remains and grows.
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000569387&tstart=0&mod=1191964213989
Perhaps eBay wants to let everybody see how it's keeping fraud off eBay.
Best,
Lisa
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