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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Re: eBay Considering a Certified Seller Program

Hi, Ina -
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of spotlighting good sellers by using a certified sellers program, although I'd much prefer a higher gateway than 99%. I work hard to provide the best possible value and service, but you can't tell that unless you actually look at feedback in detail.

For the life of me, I don't see why a good seller would view this as a bad thing. And those who are unhappy because they don't have at least 99% positive feedback might do well to use a tool like toolhaus.org to look at all their negative and neutral feedback to see if they can pinpoint what they can do to raise their feedback scores.
Carol

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Re: "From the Editor" (April 19, 2009) (link)

Ebay has turned into the scum of the earth. How long will people put up with this? I joined in 96. This is sad.
David

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Hi Ina:
Why doesn't Ebay recognize FedEx?? We all know why - they aren't getting any money from FedEx. They should recognize all reputable shipping venues.
regards,
Martin

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Hi Ina.
Don't know if your interested or not. But US EBM searches from other eBay international sites return no US results. I have went to eBay Canada, eBay Ireland, and eBay UK and ran several searches for both vehicles and parts, there were a few listings on the eBay site I ran the search on, but enabling the search worldwide option returns no additional results.

It used to be using that worldwide option returned results on the old EBM. Now it does not seem to do anything. I was thinking there had to be a reason the exporters quit buying or at least inquiring. We have sold 1 car on EBM this whole year.
Ed

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Hi Ina,
I have been the unlucky victim of getting eBay BETA pages whenever I try to do something.

Currently, when I (as a BUYER) try to leave feedback for a seller, I am finding it extremely difficult to do so. The direct and prominent links to sell a list of ALL items that need feedback and ACTUALLY GIVE FEEDBACK ON THAT PAGE have virtually disappeared. You have to go to leave feedback for an individual item and then use a link to see (and give feedback for) "all" items.

I suspect that this is an intentional move. eBay has already destroyed the meaning of feedback. Seller's can't leave honest feedback for buyers anymore. The kind of buyers eBay is courting don't care about after-transaction stuff like feedback for sellers. I think they are on the way to eliminating feedback.
Jay

PS: Please do me a favor: Put on your thinking cap and find a different phrase to use than "eBay alternative site". That phrase belittles every other site and suggests that we are in an eBay-centric environment. Partly that is still true, but the shift away from eBay is quietly picking up steam at an accelerating rate - surely you are seeing that. Even though eBay's numbers are down most recently, even if they were up, there is still more business being done by "eBay seller types" OFF eBay than ever before.

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Hi Ina,
As a long-time eBay seller and a Gold Powerseller since the powerseller program was initiated, I am a little hesitant to add to the litany of negative comments regarding eBay. However, I have seen my eBay business steadily decline over the last year or two, and most recently, the decline has been drastic. I am an MBA with corporate experience, but decided to opt for the chance to be my own boss and work from home. It has been very difficult watching changes, some recent and some less recent, being instituted that were obvious errors in strategy, errors that most anyone with strategic business management training would not have made.

EBay had a unique model, well protected, due to early mass acquired on the Internet. Any business student will tell you that when you are differentiated, that you move to protect and further entrench your position, through innovation and enhancement of what sets you apart.

Instead, eBay's management has sought to weaken the original "community marketplace" model by trying to copy a competitor(s), instituting policies that favored fixed pricing and disfavored the use of auctions, and thereby becoming a second rate "wannabe", without the structures in place to compete with those other competitors.

One of the problems, as I see it, is a miscomprehension of what drives certain product classes. You cannot treat collectibles and antiques as you would new electronics, or for that matter, any newly manufactured item. In fact, observation of non-virtual practices explains in some part as to why antiques and collectibles are auctioned off by specialist auction houses and new merchandise is retailed at fixed prices in brick and mortar stores. Ebay has been instituting policies that just don't make sense for the used, collectible and antique markets, and why they didn't institute different policies for those categories, is puzzling, and I think belies a lack of understanding of the marketplace on the part of upper management. Even though they claim that people don't want to use the auction process any longer, I'm afraid that, in fact, their policies have largely created a situation of their own making, alienating a whole customer base, and creating expectations within the remaining customer base that have been artificially encouraged. In all of my years of selling, I have not received a single negative, despite well over 10,000 transactions, but I have noticed a definite change in attitude in the marketplace recently and not for the better.

Normally, when instituting "change", management should structure a "looped" feedback system, whereby they can measure the impact of change, both from a metrical perspective and a non-metrical or observational perspective. In this way, one builds flexibility into the strategic plan that allows management to make decisions in tandem with the feedback received. It was no surprise to me that eBay's Marketplace revenue dropped 18% in the first quarter of this year and it also was no surprise that management blamed the drop on the "macroeconomy" and the strength of the dollar.

In addition, when one reads the litany of negative comments rife on the Internet, it becomes obvious that eBay's strategy is not working; yet management appears to be ignoring any criticism, although that criticism appears somewhat unanimous in its view. In fact, it is difficult to find anything positive regarding eBay that is written on the internet, except for commentary from consultants and financial analysts who either echo the company line or don't know any better as they have no user experience of the site. Still, eBay's management continues to implement a program of "change" that appears to be in an alternate universe, floating on its own, and detached from any reality.

Ina, not all change is good change. EBay requires a true transitional figure, someone that really understands the business, and like Steve Jobs with Apple, can plan a future course for the company that encompasses a vision in keeping with the model that originally built the company.
Best regards,
Ron

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Re: eBay Delays Retirement of Old Search Technology Until June

Hi Ina,
This is a no brainer LOL ... the sales dropped so fast on motors with the crazy insane changes there, they couldn't risk having another real bad QTR so they put it off so now it will kill the 3rd QTR instead of the 2nd .. The real problem is that donahoe shot himself several times in the foot & instead of trying to heal it, he keeps picking at the scab leaving it a constant open wound & eBay will continue to limp through the internet until somebody does something real to heal the damage that has been done, Communication with the chief would be a good place to start instead of his constant arogant attitude he swaggers about ...
Allan

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This line in your blog really struck a chord with me:

If eBay is unwilling to give us more information or share their perspective on an issue, we'll take it as "business as usual." We'll break a story, eBay will scramble to put their spin on it, tell us that they take issue with our "tone" and the beat will go on. Our main consideration is getting timely information to the sellers who are most impacted by the news.

Last year eBay investigated several buyer accounts that were suspected of being used for the purpose of malicious bidding/feedback sabotage.

Upon the completion of the investigation it was determined by eBay's' office of the president and by Safe Harbor that the accounts were used in a way that violated community values and the feedback manipulation policy. Unfortunately, even though it had been determined that the accounts were being used in a malicious manner, the feedback associated with any transaction was still considered valid.

When I challenged eBay (all the way up to the office of the president) and demanded to know why the feedback would remain permanent after their own security team had determined there had been a breach, I was told that it wasn't an issue of policy violations, the feedback would stick because they didn't like my, "tone". In the same breath, I was also told that if I continue to challenge eBay on the matter, my account would be suspended because, "We have the ability to do that and we will do it".

Now Ina, I have never been able to locate in any eBay policy where "tone" is considered a reason for account suspension, nor have I ever been able to find in any eBay policy that eBay removes manipulative/malicious feedback only at will and (or) depending on the sellers "tone".

With this mechanism of control in place, it makes me wonder what else we aren't seeing. I'm sure there is more...
Kirsten

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Hi Ina,
Sponsored links are now appearing at top of search on eBay.co.uk, wondering how much lower eBay can stoop?
Regards
Richard

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Re: Bonanzle Sellers Fired up over Listing Counts

I wish we could get the top shelf decision makers at Bonanzle to start letting sellers post regular auctions there, The problem is that their listings set way to long with no activity and their categories could use a little spiffing up too, Auctions would build up immediate traffic, I believe, to get the ball rolling a little faster, It would also drive more sellers from eBay to them over nite and we all know many sellers are buyers .. Just my thought on the matter .. that was the magic traffic builder in eBay's beginning & many other successful e-commerce sites now (police auctions, auctions international, gsa, government liquidation, bargainland/bidtopia, Property room, bid4assetts & so on) ...

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Subject: even Americana Exchange is annoyed with eBay

Link
for you reference,
Joy