In an annoucement today, eBay have announced several significant changes to how defects related to the new seller standards are reported. It has also notably announced that DSRs (detailed seller ratings) will not longer be anonymous.
You can find the full announcement here.
It says: “We’re pleased to announce you’ll soon be able to run weekly detailed reports on your transactions to help you prepare for the new approach to seller standards on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie coming with the August 20 seller evaluation. These reports will show which of your transactions have defects, and the specific defects associated with each transaction.
Starting the week of April 16, you’ll be able to see which transactions have:
· Returns initiated for a reason that the item was not as described
· eBay Money Back Guarantee cases opened for item not as described or item not received
· Seller-cancelled transactions, and negative or neutral feedback”
Greater openness on seller performance is clearly welcome. But it is the changes to DSRs that will be of greater interested to sellers.
The announcement notes: “Starting in late April, the detailed rating system will no longer be anonymous, and you’ll also be able to see which transactions have low detailed seller ratings for item description and dispatch time.”
Do these changes give you greater confidence in the new eBay seller standards announced a few weeks ago?
38 Responses
For the DSR openness, it’s about bloody time. What was ever the point of anonymous criticism for which no improvement was ever going to be possible, since we were never told what was wrong. This change should have been made years ago, when we told them how stupid anonymous DSRs were. So now they make it look as if it’s their excellent idea!
I wonder if they will increase the size of the BBL to accommodate the new entrants…
bring back 2 way basic feedback as a minimum – that way we as sellers can tell other sellers that buyers didnt pay etc.
or somesort of buyer DSR – eg “paid promptly” metric, quick payer – 5 stars, non payer or slow payer 1 star.
and probably other metrics to rate buyers on too, but that one sticks out to me!
DSR move is good. As others have commented it was useless anonymously. Any Quality professional or experienced business person could tell you that, so rather amazing ebay made it anonymous in the first place. Just supports my view that ebay staff are not qualified to properly design the processes they operate – hence the constant problems.
But affect my confidence in the changes? No way. Until ebay change the basic definition of a defect my confidence will not change. It is against any ethical business principle to allocate a defect to a seller when a seller has done nothing wrong, and it is the buyer at fault or there has been no fault on either side – I previously gave a list of examples of this.
As it stands sellers will be guilty until proven innocent. Sorry, but I thought civilised society had left these medieval approaches behind centuries ago.
Could this be a step towards scrapping the current feedback system and just having DRSs instead?
There is now a buyer update:
Update to feedback will help us deliver the great service you expect***
24 March, 2014 | 04:10PM GMT
Hello,
Feedback is key to keeping eBay a trusted marketplace and a great place to buy. When you make a purchase, and then rate your experience in the areas of communication, dispatch time, postage, and item description, you’re helping your seller and eBay ensure your ongoing satisfaction.
While the current system of anonymous ratings provides sellers a general indication about their service, they need details to address any issues effectively. For example, if a seller’s ratings indicate their items take too long to arrive, it will help them take the right action if they know the issue is with posting to a specific geographical region.
Sellers will soon be able to get reports that provide this kind of detailed information. Starting in late April, detailed seller ratings will no longer be anonymous. Sellers will be able to run reports telling them which of their transactions received low detailed seller ratings.
With this change, sellers will be able to make much better use of the ratings to continually refine their selling practices – and deliver the great service you expect. So please continue to leave ratings and feedback that honestly and fairly reflect your buying experience.
Regards
The eBay Team
So what!
they have simply taken the blindfold off so you can see the firing squad, your still being shot
Whilst this is a welcome change, I can’t help but think it’s part of ebay’s distraction technique to get thoughts away from Managed Returns nightmares!
The feedback is farcical and of course so 1 sided.
I lost count of the number of customers that have told me “Oh you can trust me cos I have 100% positive”
I have yet to summon the courage to respond with ” well that’s because you can’t receive negative unless you are a seller”
I wish EBAY would look at some points that appear blindingly obvious to me:-
1) Change the item number to something like ASINS and then have feedback on the product.
I can see the feedback of a company but it doesn’t tell me easily, the items that may have received negative , especially if the seller has that stupid PRIVATE on.
2) Changing a title once one item is sold. If it’s a BUY IT NOW, let me change it”. I can understand with auctions but for god’s sake, restrict it to auctions only.
3) ohh I’m flustered now…..B-)
does anyone know if this new announcement affects “item not arrived” cases that are closed successfully and amicably continuing to be defects?
this is an area which is seriously out of the control of sellers, as buyers are often blindly channeled into opening a case (or ,for various reasons, stupidly do it themselves when one is not justified )
this is the area of most concern to me and doesn’t seem to be mentioned in the announcement.
Interesting point here is that you can fully or partially refund a payment but if you don’t request a fee refund and no case is opened then there is no defect recorded. As long as ebay keep their FVF they are happy.
Is that really the case? I sell hair extensions and it is a high return business because customers get the wrong colour or just change their mind. I refund lots of customers and claim my fees back so does every instance of that cause a defect mark?
If this defect thing starts 20th Aug will they use the previous 12 month to start us off or do we start from scratch on 1st July raady for 20th Aug evaluation?
Any one know please.
At last I will be able to see what it is I need to correct! And report any that I feel are unjustified.
buyer initiated returns will not count as defect,
but that’s a case where buyer pays for return (IF specified by the seller – you can specify that seller pays both ways if you like).
on buyer opened returns you should be able to claim FVF back – for a simple remorse return etc.
the temptation for buyer to claim it’s not as described is high (especially when the managed returns come in – IF the managed returns slam the buyer with an excessive enforced postage amount)
– “but they’ll have to justify that not-as-described”. you can escalate if you feel foul play is at work, but if it goes against you it’s not good.
might reduce returns with honest buyers, might encourage fraudulent returns with dis-honest ones.
no retroactive look into anything before may 14 will count in this new regime, don’t worry about your past feedback
———– this is the way i’ve read it.
ebid
Today after talking to Ebay for a long time on the phone, I got this reply (see below)
As we all know, many buyers just open a “case” to ask where their item is instead of emailing us directly.
Now for every case opened, we will get a “defect” even though tracking is uploaded.
Can Tabebay push on to Ebay how unfair this is?
I have had 6 “cases” about item not received, most of the items were already at the Post Office awaiting collection.
I have NO bad DSRs in any area for the last 12 months, 100% feedback and ebay calculate that with the new standards I will not make Top Rated!!!!
This is just due to opened (and then closed cases by the buyer when they realize that they were not at home and were not notified by Royal Mail to collect their item)
Why should merely opened cases without any problems, with no ebay resolution, then be counted as a defect.
I feel now that it is better in future. to escalate each case to Ebay, as they will see tracking and then close the case. If the case is closed by Ebay in our favour, we do not get a defect.
Please see below:
(original message)
Hi Christian,
Lauren here from eBay Customer Support. We spoke earlier today about the new defect system and I advised I would get some clarification on one of the points you raised.
I asked : Will an Item Not Received case with tracking that a buyer closes because they are satisfied the item has arrived… Count against the member?
Please be advised our Support Specialist has advised of the following :
Yes, it will still count. If the seller really wants they could escalate the case after the 8 days and if it was found as no seller fault then the case would be descored. If a case is opened and closed without being escalated this will always count as a defect.
As promised on the call I will pass on the feedback in relation to how you feel about the above issue.
Many Thanks,
Lauren
eBay Customer Support
we have just had one gormless pillock
ask where an item is 4 weeks after it should have arrived,
royalmail don’t leave a card or have never attempted delivery ,plus the buyer has not the wit to enquire before it goes into royalmails return blackhole [auctioned in Belfast ]
yet were deemed defective by ebay
eBay are over complicating again by adding data upon data. However DSR can’t ever account for life’s flux. Buying and selling is simple, but eBay wish to change this for their control. DSR is pathetic and needs scrapping. My thoughts!