In this morning’s keynote speech from eBay Live, Lorrie Norrington promised that a new way for buyers to withdraw feedback left for sellers would be introduced by the end of this year. The announcement was exceedingly short on details of exactly how the new mechanism might work and the timing of its introduction: I rather got the feeling that eBay have decided that something will be done, but haven’t quite decided the details themselves yet.
Minutes earlier, the audience had booed Lorrie as she mentioned eBay’s most controversial change this year, the removal of sellers’ ability to leave non-positive feedback for buyers. Her reaction was upbeat – bring it on, we can take it – and her smile never faltered.
Lorrie revealed that the overall rate of combined negative and neutral feedback has not changed, though Brian Burke, Director of Global Feedback Policy, did say earlier in the week that the balance has changed: more buyers are now leaving negatives rather than neutrals. eBay cite this as proof that their categorisation of neutrals as ‘negatives lite’ is correct, in which case, that’s all the more argument for getting rid of neutral feedback altogether.
13 Responses
I got the impression today reading the various reports and tweets that it was a bit of a non event Sue , how did you find it?
OK, so you traveled how many miles to cover this 3 paragraph event?
How can Lorrie state “the overall rate of combined negative and neutral feedback has not changed”?
It has to have changed sellers cannot leave neutral or negative feedback anymore so either the rate has dropped or there is in fact up to 50% more neutrals and negatives now being left by buyers.
Lorrie promises feedback withdrawal for the holidays
my holiday is in July
The suspension of the negative or neutral feedback on sellers has opened up Pandora’s box for all kinds of coercion, Black mail and down right theft on the part of buyers. Ebay has always stood for the “bargain”. Well a bargain means a give and take arrangement. That arrangement has been short circuited because feedback is now only a one way street, even though it still takes two to make a sale. A seller can no linger defend itself against the things that I mentioned above.
eBay needs to rethink it’s new position on feedback lest it lose its sellers. In order to have an auction, you need a willing seller and willing buyer. Don’t lose that combination.
Sincerely, Rob Ross
Have to agree with John (#2) about this being a complete non-event.
Nothing of substance whatsoever.
Glad I didn’t waste my time and money attending.
“Lorrie revealed that the overall rate of combined negative and neutral feedback has not changed”
If changing it has made no difference, why did they change it in the first place?
Perhaps buyers were not as “scared to neg” as Ebay thought?
I will believe it when I see it.
I thought it was very deceiving the way they announced the end of MFW at the very last minute.
I have no doubt they were planning this in January and they thought it would be too much to announce the end of MFW *AND* the new feedback policies.
Instead they made a vague reference to it yet the CEO of ChannelAdvisor new about this change back in February.
This all sounds like typical Corporate twat, Say everything, BUT really say nothing.
#9 Did you mean “Twaddle” lol,, I see your no longer a 1/2, are you back in buisness? or am I thinking of something else completely 🙂
So basically the ebay management still haven’t got a clue what they’re doing.
#8 @david – david they did actually announce that the MWF would be withdrawn in the Jan announcement. see below:
https://pages.ebay.co.uk/businesscentre/2008bsrl/feedback-update.html
LOOK UNDER HEADER – Can Feedback still be removed via the Mutual Feedback Withdrawal system?
abs it says
“The guidelines for removal may change as we adjust eBay’s Mutual Feedback Withdrawal system during the second half of 2008.”
From my interpretation, I took that to mean that the Mutual Feedback Withdraw was going to change between July and December of 2008. Instead they got rid of it in May.
I admit they are pretty vague, but “adjusting it” might mean that they might make it so any positive feedback you left for the buyer stays, and the buyer has to provide a reason why the feedback is being withdrawn (IE: Refund, Misunderstanding, etc.)