ebay, over reaction?

Hehe, the seller says the feedback system should be abolished because it's "siding with the buyer", yet another seller who can't get it through their heads that the buyer takes the majority of the risk in that they send their money to a complete stranger and have to trust the seller! Seems like another seller who wants it all and sees any redress in the balance as "siding with the buyer"... How many sellers would routinely send their item to the buyer and then wait for the money I wonder?

I think we've been through this before Austin, it's all well and good wanting the feedback system to be "equal", but it never was, and the buyer was at a constant disadvantage. If I bought something from a seller and they sent the wrong item and refused to accept returns, I can leave them negative feedback, but increasingly sellers were waiting to see what feedback they got and leaving retaliatory feedback even if the buyer was in the right. So the seller first of all waits for the buyer's money before sending the item, then waits for the buyer's feedback and negs them if they don't like it. That's not equal by a long stretch and sellers bought the system change on themselves. This abuse of the feedback system was chronic and was preventing buyers from leaving truthful feedback as they feared retaliatory negs, and this corruption of the feedback system was the reason that it *had* to be changed as it was being hit from both sides, by sellers who were leaving retaliatory negs, and from buyers who were afraid to leave honest feedback if a seller was bad.

Personally I'd have preferred to see it changed so that the seller would not receive feedback until they had left it for the buyer, but such is life.

As for rogue buyers, they can be reported to ebay the same as rogue sellers, however at least the seller has the buyer's money, whereas the buyer ends up without their money and with substandard or missing goods.

Certainly, but when the abuse by sellers became so chronic that it ruined the effectiveness of the feedback system, action had to be taken. There's minor abuse that has relatively small effects, and major abuse that threatens the usefulness of the system, and retaliatory negs from sellers fell into the latter category due to its affect on the confidence of buyers, something that sellers never seem to care about.

I just looked this guy up on Toolhaus and he has loads of similar negative feedback already. So why get stroppy over this one?

Mike

Absolutely agree with that.

This abuse of the feedback system was chronic and was

Which is what I do; I've not had any problems so far, and I have left good feedback as the buyers have dealt quickly and fairly, but I've had no feedback at all off quite a few who can't be arsed, but, as you say, such is life.

I can't find out how to report a rogue seller, one in particular. A rare item that I needed and HAD to be bought caused me a problem. Not having enough left in my Paypal account, I sent a Postal Order, crossed in his confirmed name, and when I reminded him through Ebay mail that I hadn't received the item about ten days or so later, he immediately slapped a non payment notification on me. As I needed the item, and it would probably never come up again, I transferred money back into the Paypal a/c and paid again by that method as soon as it cleared and he then sent the item. I then wrote to the Post Office to report the lost postal order but they would not refund as they said it had indeed been cashed but did not say where or by whom which I thought was a bit odd. I subsequently e-mailed him to query this and the reply came back that he would refund the money if he found the item ??

I did consider asking the Post Office to come up with the answers I expected in the first place so I would definitely know but couldn't be arsed as he obviously either doesn't know where he's up to or is dodgy, time will tell, and next time I'm up Durham way I *will* call in.

Martin

A couple of negative feedbacks among loads of positives I could live with, but a court case against a buyer would instantly drive me well away.

Jon

I always felt that the feedback system was reasonably fair, nine times out of ten you could see who was retaliating (sp?). However since the changes to feedback I've had 3 attempts to reduce a final bid price with the threat of negative feedback - on items worth less that $50 go figure that one!!

The balance has been shifted - at one time you had a seller who wanted to sell and a buyer who wanted to buy and both had the ability to leave feedback, now only the buyer can leave feedback - which leaves the sellers open to buyers who part pay, dont pay, send emails telling you how much they will pay.......etc etc. There's no way to warn other sellers now of the rotten apples, and eBay dont give a shit, they just take their fees and get an autobot to reply to complaints.

I've now given up selling eBay, its all too hard, I sell on a couple of auction websites that have good security, require bank and government ID which has stopped all the drop kicks from registering.

Problem is that the feedback system was practically the buyer's only weapon against a dodgy seller, if you buy something from someone and they send you a crock of s**te, they've already got your money and you are faced with the hassle of trying to get it sorted out and the pathetic popgun of leaving negative feedback.

If a buyer offers to pay less for an item, or doesn't pay for it, then you don't send it, and as for negative feedback blackmail then there's not much that can be done about that, buyers have been suffering it for ages as sellers blackmailed them.

Heh, welcome to the world of the buyer. Warning others of poor sellers via the feedback system wasn't working due to seller blackmail.

(and yes I am a seller and a buyer)