eBay Fall Seller Release: A Kinder, Gentler eBay?

by: blackmail

I think they are just going BEEP BEEP as they back up

as we all know it is all about the money, so what they say and what they do are completely different.

they are more than likely telling this to sellers in the hopes that there will be more sellers joining and or listing under their "free" listing one would have to literally make new listings each month and not re-list in order to receive the free listings,

I say it still is more than I am willing to do as their track record is not good and anti- seller policies just don't stop

this seems to be a desperate plea for help from sellers  

by: pace306

.... so far they both have said nothing.

Its encouraging that they realize that what they are doing ISNT working - but so far its all just corporate double speak.

If they have solutions, why arent they being fazed in sooner?

by: Rexford

While it sounds like a step in the right direction, I always wait to see what eBay actually do. eBay have conditioned me to have this response.

What I will say is that if Wenig is intent on making a "kinder and gentler" eBay, perhaps he really does understand a company needs to value and respect their customers.  Time will tell.  Of course, in eBay's current state, wrought by John Donahoe's years of "disruptive innovation" and what appeared to be total disdain for its sellers, does eBay really have any other choice?

by: Volvo351

feeBay has had the ability to do this for years. The data was available, but instead of using it they deliberately chose to allow the buyer to beat up on the seller. The Shipping Time DSR [ie. a metric] should be based on objective FACTS, not opinions. Worse yet, a scammer can "Ding" the DSR for NO reason at all, except as retribution or just plain malice.

The only FAIR way to address this problem is to REMOVE Shipping Time Ding's [1's and 2's] from all sellers' records.  But, as with all things feeBay, don't count on [mis-]manaagement to do the right thing. It isn't in their DNA..or DSR's either.

by: rhawk

Folks, the truth is this:

If ebay was serious, these changes could be worked in very quickly.  The changes would be BETTER for the sellers....and seller would not have to adjust to hardly anything.

Here is whats really going to happen:

SELLERS WILL GET SCREWED AGAIN. HARD.

by: Volvo351

@rhawk

Notehthis quote from the piece:

So, Chambes explained, eBay has developed a new way to measure sellers' on-time shipping performance.

New way? eBay already has the facility to link to tracking info. All that's needed is to simply sample two pieces of data retrieved from that inquiry: the shipping date, and the delivery date. If either date falls within its acceptable window, you get Shipping Time DSR locked out, with an automatic five stars.

So simple any competent programmer could do it in an hour or so.  Oh..wait..feeBay doesn't use competent IT talent..it uses hacks in the world's #2 Third World He// Hole.  

by: rhawk

@Volvo...

Yes, exactly.

Beneficial changes could happen overnite with no impact other than happier sellers.

Yet, ebay will not do it...Why?  because bigger and badder changes are coming that will leave us scrambling and very pissed.

They just gave us a little lubricating corporate speak for whats really coming.

by: OnlyPollyPocket

Although I am always hopeful, what Rexford said "I always wait to see what eBay actually do. eBay have conditioned me to have this response."  

I feel like Pavlov's dog.

by: Owen

Something doesn't seem right here. If there are positive things happening, why not implement them FAST?? We have all been waiting for some morsels of positive actions from eBay for so long. Putting positive things in place before the holiday selling season, would seem like the right thing to do.

I fear that what they have planned, will only be a token nod to the sellers, and will probably be balanced by some more negative type of seller measurement (torture) tools, although it is hard to imagine how they could be beating us up more than they have.

Sounds weasely to me. Kinder and gentler, I think not.

by: Shop and Ship

I'd opt for a ''competent, responsible, mature'' eBay before I'd go for ''kinda geekier''.

And they should take a full step in the right direction and remove Negative comments and low DSRs for ''late shipment'' when it's obvious that it was a ''late delivery'' due to unrealistic eBay projections at the time of purchase.

eBay has never done an adequate job of explaining the difference between ''Shipment'' time and ''Delivery'' time to Buyers when it encourages them to leave DSR ''Feedback''. On ''free'' shipping the Buyer did not pay USPS anything and has no business leaving the Seller DSR feedback on USPS performance.

One year later eBay still doesn't understand that USPS has reclassified First Class Packages to the PARCEL category. ''Parcel'' ranks below Priority Packages and First Class Envelopes and above Media Rate. Delivery is out to 10 Business Days so implying assured delivery in 3 or 4 Calendar Days is bogus. No one knows what USPS service is referred when eBay posts ''standard'' on a listing. Why does eBay not post that ''Free Shipping'' is USPS First Class PARCEL? It's not even possible to buy USPS First Class envelope postage using eBay labeling.

And here we are 3 or 4 YEARS after eBay labeling added USPS Priority REGIONAL RATE BOXES to Seller's options but it has yet to appear as a BUYER option.

eBay needs to clean up its own mess ASAP before it hands out any more blame to eBay Members for trying to Buy and Sell using their antiquated defective system.  

by: Map

Devil Weing has no love for small business sellers.

NEVER HAS NEVER WILL.

The ebay & Paypal board of directors and Corporate officers are only saying that they love us because it has to be all smiles & giggles because they are sucking up to a buyer of the ebay company.

These crooks are selling the company and leaving town.

They killed Omniture traffic reports like i said over two years ago that they would do this, and they did, because Omniture recorded their crimes of traffic manipulation where they sent customer traffic to their preferred corporate sellers while they butchered small business sellers and fleeced us out of money and destroyed untold thousands of our small business to silence us.

Devil Weing only has to say he is doing good and wall street & a corporate buyer of ebay will believe it.

WE KNOW DIFFERENT!

by: The German Plague

Excuse me if I see this from the german position again. ;)

Not to mention that I am glad to see your position too. There are differences but we have very much in common too.

Lots of sellers here use uninsured and non-trackable shipping methods because they receive their payments by bank transfer and not by PlayPal. (Ok, they do so too if they get paied by PrayPal but that's because they are idiots offering a self service for cost-free shopping...)

Most of the non-trackable shippings are slow because they are cheap. Or they are cheap because they are slow. Don't know exactly which way round. Anyway these shipping methods are very estimated by buyers who do not yet recognize that there is no such thing like "free shipping" in this world. But one thing I can take for sure. They like it because they are cheap. (or should it be "it is cheap" if I refer to shipping methods? ;) ) Not because it is slow.

This new rule means that every seller offering slower and non-trackable shipping is a creep. Even if he ships his items in time he can get a defect rate because he has no tracking information. So in the german market shipping costs will raise again after sellers have "fully integrated shipping costs". (integrating ebay's shipping commission - what else?)

Ok, let's ship trackable now. DSR for shipping costs do not longer count as a defect. That's fine. And the buyer pays another extra shipping cost. That's a fine. But not to me, I'm the seller and I say how much shipping costs are.

Ina, did You get informations too about the DSR for item as described?

At the moment a rating with 1 to 3 DSR is a defect. With one or two stars the buyer gets a dropdown where he has to answer why the item was not as described. If he leaves FB of 3 he is not asked why acceptable (that's it in german: akzeptabel) is a "defective" item. I know sellers where positive feedbacks like "Top!! A+ Super!!!!" goes along with a defect due to 3 DSR at item as described.

In german the defect rate is translated as Mängelquote. We usually call it Gängelquote (translate: spoon-feed rate) or Quengelquote (translate: whine rate). Sounds very similar and that's what this rate is no matter how you call it or on which basis it's calculated.

So the ebay Brain Trust's idiot store (aka: CEO & Cie) does no longer want to calculate defects on the buyer's opinions? Did anybody in their ivory tower recognize that "negative" is an opinion too? Do they also kill the complete feedback syetem now?

by: pace306

Well I guess the "street" isnt impressed in the mumbo jumbo either ...

$24.93

Change  -0.84 (-3.26%)

by: sasikat9

Just more ebay double talk. Ebay doesn't care about the seller and is just using smoke and mirrors to satifiy their own arrogance.

Tracking has been available to Ebay for years.  Everyone including Ebay knows that the post office is slowing down with their own problems.

If Ebay was serious changes would be implemented within 24 hours.

What is really needed is

1.  Buyer MUST contact seller before being able to open any case.

2. Fleecebay needs to do away with the estimate date of arrival as it is in most times not reliable. Ebay should stay out of the timetable until they start delivering the mail.

3.  All buyer feedback should be done away with.  Tired of having these buyers say " Look at my great feedback its 100 percent "  We all know the scammers, thieves, liars, users etc all have 100 percent.

4. Fleecebay needs to stay out of my business. I have been very successful with Amazon, Ecrater, Etsy and my own website without Ebay interference.

5. Ebay needs to move what they call CS to the United States.  Its really tough to converse with some idiot who doesn't even speak English.

6.  Fix the glitches that have been happening for years. Get rid the the IT people who incapable of doing the job.

by: brokentoys19

oh yeah sure... they can change some things like making listings invisible by a change to user agreement or wipe out combined shipping in entire categories in the middle of the night secretly, without explanation but then turn around and make vague promises that will take forever and a day to implement.

oh eBay! no one is a dumb as you must believe they are. zzzzzzzzzz....  


Going to look for the animated  thrash metal version of Tenacious D's " *Bleep* her gently" video.
geesh...  

by: Volvo351

@Onlypolly...

Pavlov demonstrated the phenomenon of "conditioned response" where dogs automatically salivated at the sound of a bell, which they'd associated with food.

On the other hand, feeBay sellers now automatically cringe in terror at the mention of "Fall/Spring Seller Update Announcement" - the expectation that one is in for a beating is fully justified!

by: Volvo351

@..Plague

A "3" for Item as Described DSR is now a DING?  You're kidding, right?

The beatings will continue until morale improves!

by: toolguy

eBay Fall Seller Release:

You can't read it until you agree to it. . .

by: Rexford

I think if eBay truly wanted to be kinder and gentler they'd be giving pink slips to Griff and Matsura.  Now that would actually send a message.

by: The End

AGAIN : Ebay is trespassing on the SELLERS' territory. Feedback is used for just this purpose.
Redundancy at Ebay is a HUGE problem.