Tomorrow is the day eBay switches to a new feedback system in the US. Other international sites began rolling over to the new system last week, starting with Australia on May 12. We created a tool that shows your positive feedback percentage score under the current system and what it looks like under the new system.
The changes are quite significant. Under the old method, eBay counted only positive and negative ratings when calculating the positive percentage score. Under the new method, it counts positive, negative and neutral ratings. For example, if you have 95 positive ratings, 5 neutral ratings, and 0 negatives, you would have a 100% positive percentage score under the old system, but only a 95% positive percentage score under the new system. Note that eBay.com will remove feedback left by suspended members and will include repeat feedback as the changes roll out.
eBay's many changes to policies, fees, search technology and Trust & Safety are an attempt to make for a better buying experience. But change is never easy, and the numbers we obtained from research firm Nielsen Online show page views and number of unique visitors is down in 2008 compared to the same period in 2007 (http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2008/5/1210908126.html).
The transformation of eBay into a more "retail experience" has divided users into two camps - those in favor of the changes, and those vehemently opposed. There doesn't appear to be much middle ground in opinion. But have constructive ideas gotten lost in the uproar? With that in mind, we wanted to know what YOU would do if you were running eBay? David has made a blog post (with apologies to Dr. Seuss) called, "If I Ran the eBay Zoo," where he calls for useful suggestions for improving eBay. Let's hear your suggestions! (It's extra style points if you make them rhyme!) http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2008/5/1211029006.html
I'm eager to attend eBay Live next month in Chicago to hear what executives have to say about the state of eBay and their plans going forward. I also want to hear from attendees about what they like and dislike about the changes and how they are affecting their businesses.
In today's issue of AuctionBytes-Update, you can learn about some brand new sites that are attempting to become the "new eBay," but in their own unique way. There's also some other great content including an article about international shipping and an especially interesting This & That column!
Thanks for reading!
About the author:
Ina Steiner is Editor of AuctionBytes.com and author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). She has a background in marketing and research in the high-tech and publishing fields. If you have story ideas, comments or questions, send them to ina@auctionbytes.com.
