eBay Product Reviews Can Reflect Badly on Good Sellers

by: Philip Cohen

"I did report the review via a little link and it was then unattached to some of the listings but not all of them."

Well, that's a better result than you will get when reporting blatantly obvious shill bidding fraud on eBay consumers—http://bit.ly/11F2eas

by: Clark

lol

by: Marie

It has been a problem since they started showing these reviews on Ebay.  Which is why I have always opt'd out of having them appear on my listings.  It can be too confusing for buyer's at times.

Sometimes the reviews are based in fact and sometimes they aren't.  Sometimes they are about the product and sometimes it's about where they bought the item.  Sometimes it a manufacturing problem that gets blamed onto the seller.  And the list goes on and on as to why it can be a very bad idea to have these appear on your listings.

by: David Steiner

@clark

Just curious, as an eBay employee, what is it about this person's story that you find so humorous?

by: candy7122

Marie,
How do you opt out?  I don't want reviews on my listings.

by: Ric

Thanks David, Nice out!!

by: Ric

Received this from eBay about the new review visibility...
BENEFITS TO YOU
AND YOUR BUYERS  
 

As a seller, you'll benefit from these updates, because product reviews:  
•  Give buyers deeper insight by letting other buyers of the product do the talking  
•  Clarify information about the product and reduce doubts or confusion  
•  Keep buyers on eBay, resulting in an average 18% uplift in sales*  

WHAT YOU
NEED TO DO  
 

Begin taking advantage of these benefits—opt back in to having product reviews included on your listings today.  
1.  Go to My eBay  
2.  Go to Account tab and select "Site Preferences"  
3.  Click Show under "Sell your item form and listings"  
4.  Click Edit for "Show product ratings on your listings, if available."  
5.  Select "Display product ratings on my listings, if available"  

Note: If you choose not to opt back in today, know that starting May 6, product reviews will be available for all eligible listings, and eBay sellers who previously opted out of product reviews on My eBay will be opted back into product reviews.


So apparently, opting out means nothing to this company, they appear to be ramming reviews down everyone's throat and plan to override opt out choices.

by: comet

@DAVID STEINER---Thank you for calling out the ebay "troll"---his opinion might have been interesting if he actually==had one.  

by: comet

I have not as far as I know had a "Product review"  on my listings (I sell a diverse group pf unrelated items mostly used)  and I don't think I have seen one either.  I would always want to KNOW if the product being reviewed--as in the OP case here---was FROM the actual seller.  I don't even like Amazon reviews where you don't KNOW WHO sold the product.  

I find it terribly presumptuous of ebay to over ride the CUSTOMERS preferences.  We don't have ANY control over what THEY post on OUR listings--yet surely this is driving OFF sales from some buyers--and who could blame them!---and it actually might be benefiting others if they show a GOOD review but have poor FB.  

Once again ebay slaps it's actual CUSTOMERS in the face with stupid and cruel policies that you have NO CHOICE but to accept.  

Why IS there NO other choice  out there?????

by: pace306

My friend Comet said (so well too) "I find it terribly presumptuous of ebay to over ride the CUSTOMERS preferences.  We don't have ANY control over what THEY post on OUR listings--yet surely this is driving OFF sales from some buyers--and who could blame them!---and it actually might be benefiting others if they show a GOOD review but have poor FB. "

Thats because TODAY (as apposed to some other day(s) possibly) eBay is a "managed marketplace" and NOT "just a venue" like the told the courts.

That and the verbiage in the TOS says they can do as they please.

The REAL answer is that Amazon has buyer reviews so eBay MUST do it as well.

You dont really think any of the lame brains in San Jose would have an original thought (or know what to do with one) in their thick skulls do you?

DW must feel like Butters in South Park - in that episode where he wants to do things but "the Simpsons did it". That line haunts him the entire episode.

When DW presents "an ORIGINAL idea", his people have to break it to him "Amazon did it!" .....

Hey, I get to pay 19.99 for this laugh factory every quarter ....... !


Lets ALL go sell some WINE!  (brilliant, just brilliant)

by: tango

the product reviews are to be about the Product, not the seller - If you see product reviews that are about a specific seller, do report them, they will be taken off. In your case, I do think the review sounds like it is seller specific - report it, give it some time - reasonable people will probably take the review off completely - good luck.

by: MainelyVintage

I too asked eBay CS about getting rid of an unhelpful product review to no avail. My issue was in the coins category. My items eventually sold.

I did find that wording in the title could sometimes get rid of it, but not always. Then you are getting into an issue of proper titles to draw in buyers and one cannot stray too far off in that, lol, either from a business standpoint, or eBay's...

eBay is trying to be like Amazon in this respect with product reviews. However, the way it is set up on eBay makes the reviews seem to be for the seller and not the item itself. Not helpful at all, unfortunately.

We still sell on eBay, but the least possible. Some items DO sell the best there but a lot of our stuff just sits.

Etsy still works the best for us, but it too has its issues... Still awaiting a better vintage selling venue... Takers, anyone??

by: Moonwishes

One of the worst things about product reviews and feedback is that so many buyers confuse the two. I've gotten feedback that was a neutral and it was just a book review and why they didn't like the book. That isn't feedback, that is a review. Then in reviews I have seen the type of comments like quick shipping. We have all seen this, which is why it is stupid for ebay to attach product reviews to seller pages. There is no control over them.

At least with Amazon the feedback is under the sellers name and the reviews are under the product that are being sold via that page. Some items are lousy and the public should know before buying, but as you look at feedback and reviews it seems pretty obvious that most don't bother reading them. Otherwise how can a seller achieve a 50% feedback because of not shipping products?

I do reviews for the Amazon Vine prgram and it is fascinating to see some of the reviews that are very complimentary and over the top and those of us that are more honest are giving 1-2 stars reviews because the product crumpled in our hands. One item in particular got so many bad reviews that one of the head honchos for the companies commented on our reviews and told us we had received prototypes of the products and to write our reviews as if we had gotten the real thing! I think not!! Yet at least two 'reviewers' had given these pieces of junk glowing reviews and about how they were so wonderful for professional artists. (It was an art kit). All I could figure is that some never even open the box and grab these things to resell which is against the rules of the Vine Program.

The most amazing review I saw was for a book. A 5 star review that the rest of us had given much lower stars as the author had fallen on their nose with the book, This 5 star review said "I haven't read the book yet, but I know it will be good because I like this author" !!!! If the review system could have some control so that things like that could be tossed, and if a feedback is written when it should be a review it should be tossed, or if a review is written as feedback it should also be tossed. But the big venues don't get that. The only venue that I know of that is great with unwarranted, stupid feedbacks is ecrater and they will willingly take down feedback that is inappropriate with proof.

by: smotty1

Hi,

I sent this letter in and asked a few in the ebay community to look at my listing and let me know if at a glance people thought it was one of my buyers - all thought it was.. until they looked very hard and found the user ID.  

Buyers will absolutely not realise it's not us and I am sure it will affect our sales.  

I have contacted manufacturer and asked for a list of their old EAN numbers which I will put against these items.  I am pretty sure the reviews are linked to EAN's so this should stop them.. I bet it wont get rid of what's already attached though.

To the ebay troll, well that is just what we have come to expect in terms of common sense responses! A good use of ''very small'' words and not much helpful content!

by: Randy

This has always been a problem on any web site. Some people don't know the difference between Product Reviews and leaving feedback for a seller.

by: toolguy

I'm all pro ebay but these product reviews are a serious threat to good sellers.

They can only help a bad seller and hurt a good one.

They need to be discontinued or changed so the seller of that item has that review.

Sometimes eBay does some really stupid stuff!

by: rapidreader

Perhaps the OP should contact an attorney. At the very least it appears to be defamation of character.  

In the January Newsflash article Ina linked in the story about the coin seller, I can even see a possible Libel/slander issue as well.

It appears that the only way Large Corporations, like Ebay, will make changes is if there is the threat of financial loss and embarrassing media exposure.

 

by: Bidonmine

I have never read a review on Ebay.

If I want a product review, I go to Amazon and read the reviews on the product I want to buy. Then I decide if I want to purchase the item on Ebay, Amazon or local.

by: Marie

@Ric

Thank you for the assist.  

by: Philip Cohen

There is a simple programming fix for listings with product codes:

If NEW product, show product reviews, else don't show product reviews ...

But I doubt that eBay is that smart; indeed, I know they aren't that smart; devious, cunning, you name it, yes, but not smart, and that's why their stock price is going nowhere no matter what spin they put on their poor business performance ...

The eBay executive suite—where the incompetent mingle with the disingenuous, the unscrupulous, the malevolent, the outright criminal, and the just plain stupid ...