by Mille Tappe

Created on: May 31, 2008

Was this really the best they could do?

It's hard to believe that the new eBay feedback rules were the best solution to the problem. Correction. The new rules are not the best solution to the problem. What's hard to believe is that an internet giant like eBay, with a business model that is like magic mixed with miracles, could so casually float out such an obviously flawed policy.

eBay says the feedback system had become largely mutual/retaliatory (you leave me good I leave you good, you leave me bad...) rather than accurately informative, so they removed the ability of sellers to leave neutral or negative feedback. Yes, just sellers. eBay says that buyers had become afraid to leave negative feedback for fear of retaliation.

I think anyone who's sold or bought on eBay in the past couple of years will agree that the system wasn't doing what it was intended to do. But the discussion of what to do about that dates back to who knows when, and this was determined to be the best solution? Don't the problems with this just spring to mind unbidden (pun totally intended)? Let's see:

-there are as many problem buyers (slow pay, no pay, wrong pay, too stupid to read the plain language description of an item, certified insane, and on and on) as there are sellers. Ebay's "seller protections" are essentially too little too late. Too little because you have to be reeeeeally bad to be blocked from bidding. Too late because there's no meaningful feedback on buyers to guide a seller through the process of receiving and answering questions and so forth, and because you have to be really bad to be blocked from bidding.

-sellers are 50% of the equation that is eBay. Will this not result in the mirror image problem (now sellers are going to lose confidence in the system), in no time flat?

-buyers are still allowed to leave feedback of any sort! how weird is this? If the feedback system has demonstrated that the human tendency to manipulate, exaggerate, and so forth is alive and well, what about this new policy reduces that tendency?

Surely there is some way of actually solving the problem of meaningless feedback. I suspect once seller confidence dwindles as buyer confidence had, we will see some wiser minds at eBay go to work on this.

Whatever they come up with, at a minimum, it should be fair and equitable. As it stands, it's a buyer's market. But here's the catch: without revision to this policy, it won't be long before there's just not enough to buy in eBay.

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