It takes both buyers and sellers to make a market. But many experienced eBay sellers are up in arms this week over changes eBay has implemented to its feedback system that appear tilted heavily in favor of buyers, and perhaps also in favor of higher fees for eBay.
"I am so angry I am about to pop a vessel," wrote a reader whom I know to generally be rather unflappable. "This week eBay implemented chan
Since buyer fraud has always been a major problem for eBay, why would the company change the balance of power so radically? Many, including the reader, think it has everything to do with eBay wanting to improve its own bottom line. "I think there is great truth in reports that this dovetails with eBay's profit motives. The lower a Powerseller's score, the more eBay is freed from their promise to lower the fees levied against Powersellers based on high feedback scores. That's not a big consideration for me personally, but over the last few months I have watched my eBay fees rise from 15 - 18 percent of my gross sales to over 20 percent. And there are reports that, for some, eBay's fees are hitting 30 percent. It is reaching the point where a seller is really just working to turn all their margin over to eBay."
After all, perhaps eBay has simply made the calculation that this is something the market - or, more specifically, the sellers in eBay's market -- will bear. "I absolutely believe that eBay knows they have the critical mass of eyes on product, and sellers like me will be hard pressed to find another venue where we can achieve the sales levels for virtually anything that can be achieved on eBay. And they are using that sledgehammer. So
I think they knew EXACTLY what they were doing with this, and they just plan to take the heat until it simmers down, and life goes on, and they rake in ever greater portions of seller margins."
What's your feedback on eBay's feedback changes? Positive, negative, or neutral - all comments are happily accepted. Post them below or write me at Foster@gripe2ed.com.
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