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<\/p>\nThe world\u2019s biggest auction site has implemented a ratings system designed to promote high selling standards. Unfortunately, its effect is to punish good sellers as well as bad.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how it works. Buyers are invited to leave seller feedback after a transaction ends. They rate the transaction positive, negative or neutral, and then offer \u201cDetailed seller ratings\u201d. Buyers are asked to rate the transaction in four categories: description, communication, speed of dispatch, and fairness of p&p charges:<\/p>\n
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The difference between a four and five star rating is that for five stars the word \u201cvery\u201d is added. For example, for communication you could be \u201csatisfied\u201d or \u201cvery satisfied\u201d.<\/p>\n
What the buyer does not know is that if the seller gets an average rating below 4.1, they can no longer list items for sale. If they are below 4.3, their listings may be \u201cdemoted\u201d in search results. Here is the announcement from ebay.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n What happens to sellers who do not meet the DSR requirements by November 3, 2008?<\/b> Sellers caught out by this are furious, partly because a buyer who awards 4 stars in all four categories is likely under the impression that they gave positive feedback. After all, what is the difference between \u201cAccurate\u201d and \u201cVery accurate\u201d? I am likely to do this myself, giving four stars if generally satisfied, and five for exceptional service.<\/p>\n The possibility of a seller getting banned from listing with an average four-star rating would not occur to me.<\/p>\n eBay\u2019s intention seems to be to tilt the balance of its policies away from sellers and towards buyers. Another example of this is that sellers cannot give a fraudulent or unreasonable buyer negative feedback. However, it is the sellers who pay eBay\u2019s fees, not the buyers, and it risks losing the goodwill of its customers.<\/p>\n In eBay-speak then, \u201csatisfied\u201d means \u201cunsatisfied\u201d.<\/p>\n The world\u2019s biggest auction site has implemented a ratings system designed to promote high selling standards. Unfortunately, its effect is to punish good sellers as well as bad. Here\u2019s how it works. Buyers are invited to leave seller feedback after a transaction ends. They rate the transaction positive, negative or neutral, and then offer \u201cDetailed … Continue reading eBay reinvents English language, punishes good sellers<\/span> \n
Sellers with a DSR below 4.1 will be blocked from listing on eBay.com. Sellers with a DSR below 4.3 but higher than 4.1 may have their listings further demoted in search results. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nTechnorati tags: ebay<\/a>, feedback<\/a>, detailed seller ratings<\/a>, ecommerce<\/a>, online auctions<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"