In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From feedback to payment services, from fees to posting policies, AuctionBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air your views.

Send your letter to the editor by emailing ina@auctionbytes.com with "Letters to the Editor Blog" in the subject line. (Remember to include your name as you would like it to appear.)

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I read eBays information about the layoffs (link). And for the life of me, I have no idea what they said.

Let's say for the sake of example that I just totaled my car while speeding on my way to the local flea market to buy merchandise to sell on eBay. This is how eBay's execs would characterize it to the public and the stock analysts.

"In our ongoing efforts to bring you the best consumer experience in a timely way, we have rearranged our primary search vehicle completely. We and our partners (my insurance company, the hospital emergency staff, the police and the judge) have gotten together and suspended (my license) the outdated method of search. Shortly (when I’m out of jail), we'll roll out our new and improved search (a bicycle with carry carts on the sides). Please bear with us. We'll be testing it in the next few weeks (the handle bars are a little bent and the tires are flat). We have heard you. Griff will address this on the radio next Tuesday at 9:a.m."

For crying out loud! All I ever wanted to do was sell some interesting stuff to the highest bidder. How did it ever come to this?
Bill

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Dear Ina,
I think the time has come for auctionbytes.com to start a rating system for sellers using ebay, amazon, bonanzle, ebid etc.

We have ebay with the worst treatment toward sellers or their customers i have ever seen.

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Hi Ina;
I'm wondering if you can get to the bottom of Ebay's newest blunder. The Top Rated Seller program. This weekend it cost me a sell. I had a potential buyer email me that he really wanted my item but even tho' I have 100% feedback in over 7,000 transactions and DSR's of 4.9 across the board he only buys from Top Rated sellers. So, he ends up buying from a competitor that has a Top Rated seller badge yet has worse DSR's than me and 98.5% positive feedback (32 negatives in the last year).

You see, I am a Top-Rated seller according to the graphs Ebay has provided me yet I have no badge. I had a badge for the last 2 weeks of September then poof, it was gone. I received emails all summer that I qualified. I received 3 phone calls saying congratulations, you qualify - keep up the good work. I received a copy of the Power-Up newsletter.

My dashboard says I qualify yet I don't have that Top-Rated Seller badge. They said it would be October 1st, nothing. They said October 11th, still nothing. Now many they said would be getting it in October now say they won't get it till April 10. The problem I have with this is that really fair as now when you search for an item on Ebay you get Top Rated Seller thrown in your face including a pop-up to only buy from Ebay Top Rated Sellers and a way to search for an item with Ebay Top Rated Sellers only.

Again, Ebay has disappointed me. I've always gone out of my way to satisfy all buyers and was finally going to get rewarded for it even tho' I don't sell high dollar items with 100's of listings every week. We were finally going to be rewarded for providing exceptional service instead of how much we spend with Ebay in listings.

Ebay again has pulled the bait and switch on 100's of sellers like they did on Store Sellers 3 years back. You qualify, ramp up your listings for the Christmas selling season and then when all that qualified were supposed to receive the badge, they haven't. Instead, only current Power Sellers that qualify for Top Rated seller have received it and everyone else has not. Bonanzle is looking more and more better every day.

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Also visit the Letters to the Editor Blog, here are links to letters published from October 4 to present:

eBay Customer Service Uninformed and Unhelpful (October 17, 2009) - link

Received the eBay Top Rated Seller Invitation (October 15, 2009) - link

Did You Know about the Amazon Buy Box? (October 14, 2009) - link

eBay Needs Google Traffic (October 12, 2009) - link

No International Visibility on eBay (October 11, 2009) - link

eBay Glitch with Photos (October 8, 2009) - link

eBay System Miscounts Lead to Sales Decline (October 7, 2009) - link

USPS Click-N-Ship Tracking Problem? (October 6, 2009) - link

Long-Term Sellers Disadvantaged with eBay TRS (October 4, 2009) - link