Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:33:17 -0600, Ignoramus1782
wrote:

Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

So, no longer is it an advantage to maintain separate buying and
selling accounts?

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

ABOUT TIME! The feedback system has been broken for years. I don't even
remember the last time a seller didn't hold me hostage, demanding I leave
him feedback first. If I neg him, of course he will then neg me. Why should
I get a negative feedback? As a seller, my part is to furnish my shipping
information and to pay up. Period. Over time, the concept of feedback has
become meaningless, which has led to the general degradation of ebay itself.

This move is obviously done because ebay is desperately trying to regain its
former prominence. Only time will tell if they succeed. They have sucked so
hard for so long that it'll be really hard to get some people back into the
habit of listing items for sale there.

Grant

Ignoramus1782 wrote:

Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On 2008-01-29, Spehro Pefhany wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:33:17 -0600, Ignoramus1782
wrote:

Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

So, no longer is it an advantage to maintain separate buying and
selling accounts?


Good point, seems to be the case indeed. Note that the changes are not
in effect yet.

i

Ignoramus1782 wrote:

Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

But posters like you still get negative feedback for continually posting OT
here.


Nick
--
The lowcost-DRO:
http://www.yadro.de

On Jan 29, 11:33*am, Ignoramus1782
wrote:
Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* * * Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* * * Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* * * Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* * * When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* * * When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* * * Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* * * All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* * * Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

I find this very amusing considering the poor behavior I have had to
put up with from a number of Ebay sellers.

I note that Meg is leaving, Ebay is failing in China and now they are
dropping their listing fees to drum up business...all indicators that
Ebay is losing its luster.

Considering that buyers are the ones who supply the cash that makes
Ebay run, I look forward to their pain increasing.

TMT

TMT

On 2008-01-29, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Jan 29, 11:33*am, Ignoramus1782
wrote:
Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* * * Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* * * Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* * * Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* * * When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* * * When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* * * Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* * * All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* * * Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

I find this very amusing considering the poor behavior I have had to
put up with from a number of Ebay sellers.

I personally do leave negs as appropriate, as I buy from a buying only
account.

I note that Meg is leaving, Ebay is failing in China and now they are
dropping their listing fees to drum up business...all indicators that
Ebay is losing its luster.

I think that they want to make more money than they deserve, thus
making themselves look stupid and desperate.

i

Nick Mueller wrote:

Ignoramus1782 wrote:

Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

But posters like you still get negative feedback for continually posting OT
here.



Nick,

There are a lot of HSM machine tools purchased via Ebay sales in the USA and
Canada. Heck, even the shop owners making chips for a living keep there eye
of for deals on parts and other items.

Wes

Wes wrote:

There are a lot of HSM machine tools purchased via Ebay sales in the USA
and Canada.

And a lot even wear white T-shirts!


Nick
--
The lowcost-DRO:
http://www.yadro.de

On Jan 29, 11:33*am, Ignoramus1782
wrote:
Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* * * Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* * * Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* * * Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* * * When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* * * When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* * * Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* * * All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* * * Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

Ig, what do you think of this new change?

What is your overall opinion/experience of Ebay?

Your opinion matters.

Thanks

TMT

On 2008-01-29, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Jan 29, 11:33*am, Ignoramus1782
wrote:
Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* * * Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* * * Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* * * Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* * * When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* * * When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* * * Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* * * All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* * * Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

Ig, what do you think of this new change?

I think that this is not a great change, as it leaves sellers with no
chance to warn others about bad buyers. Some change was due, such as
calculating seller feedback for sold items only, but this one is off
the mark.

What is your overall opinion/experience of Ebay?

I deal with the business and industrial category 95% of the tie, and
like it a lot, was scammed or disappointed only very few times, and
had only very nice buyers.

i

Nick Mueller wrote:


And a lot even wear white T-shirts!

Not for long.


Kevin Gallimore

On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:32:37 -0600, Ignoramus6796
wrote:

On 2008-01-29, Too_Many_Tools wrote:


Ig, what do you think of this new change?

I think that this is not a great change, as it leaves sellers with no
chance to warn others about bad buyers. Some change was due, such as
calculating seller feedback for sold items only, but this one is off
the mark.

What is your overall opinion/experience of Ebay?

I deal with the business and industrial category 95% of the tie, and
like it a lot, was scammed or disappointed only very few times, and
had only very nice buyers.

i


I can't help feeling that the underlying problem has always been that people
(from day one) left positive feedback for ordinary transactions. If the
standard had been neutral feedback, with positive reserved for exceptional
performance, then feedback might actually be worth the electrons it was
written with.


Mark Rand
RTFM

SteveB writes:

Bottom line, it's not what it used to be.

It started when they got rid of email addresses.

"Ignoramus6796" wrote


What is your overall opinion/experience of Ebay?
i

First transaction, April 1, 2002. Was seller for years, and Power Seller
for many months of those years. Made a lot of money on ebay. Bought a lot
of good stuff on ebay. Sold a lot of things for good money on ebay that I
would have given away for a dollar or less at a yard sale.

And then it changed. More than half BIN. Lousy supervision of buyers and
sellers, even when there was solid proof.

And then I quit doing it, both buying and selling, as I had an industrial
injury, retired from work, moved, and got involved in some home projects.

Bottom line, it's not what it used to be. They don't do enough about EITHER
bad buyers or bad sellers. They had a "We don't give a **** attitude
because we don't have to". And they meant it. Now it has come back to bite
them on the ass.

Had they been stricter on some of the things that went on, I believe they'd
be cruising like they were when they were on top. Now, it would take a long
time for the public to trust them again. Their customer service was
laughable. It took outside suits such as the Tiffany thing to get them to
move at all. Lots of people lost lots of money where they shouldn't have.
In this newsgroup, there were hundreds of posts about look out for this one
and that one. Ebay had to know about it.

But still, you can get deals there, and sell stuff that you'd otherwise give
away.

Nothing lasts forever.

Steve

"Mark Rand" wrote in message
...

I can't help feeling that the underlying problem has always been that
people
(from day one) left positive feedback for ordinary transactions. If the
standard had been neutral feedback, with positive reserved for exceptional
performance, then feedback might actually be worth the electrons it was
written with.

Absolutely. eBayers who leave ridiculously positive feedback because the
transaction was completed without resorting to violence further ruined the
process.
I would like to see the feedback categories separated- I don't give a damn
about the positives or neutrals- let me quickly see the negatives (most are
petty whining) so I can decide whether or not to do business with an
individual.

-Carl

"Carl Byrns" wrote in message
news:wyQnj.4586$ar6.4134@trnddc07...

"Mark Rand" wrote in message
...

I can't help feeling that the underlying problem has always been that
people
(from day one) left positive feedback for ordinary transactions. If the
standard had been neutral feedback, with positive reserved for
exceptional
performance, then feedback might actually be worth the electrons it was
written with.

Absolutely. eBayers who leave ridiculously positive feedback because the
transaction was completed without resorting to violence further ruined the
process.
I would like to see the feedback categories separated- I don't give a damn
about the positives or neutrals- let me quickly see the negatives (most
are petty whining) so I can decide whether or not to do business with an
individual.

-Carl

And don't you love those that were made with all the symbols that looked
like ivy or some fancy design? Someone actually had the time to sit there
and enter all those things from a character map when they could have said
their piece in six words.

I'm with you. When I look over someone's feedback history, I scan 100 to a
sheet, and look to see what the negatives say. That's the only thing of
interest.

Steve

I can't help feeling that the underlying problem has always been that
people
(from day one) left positive feedback for ordinary transactions.

Definitley. Negative feedback is the only useful feedback.

I would like to see the feedback categories separated- I don't give a damn
about the positives or neutrals- let me quickly see the negatives (most
are petty whining) so I can decide whether or not to do business with an
individual.


Done.
http://www.toolhaus.org/
I don't buy anything until I have run the seller here. The new system will
foul that up.


--
Stupendous Man,
Defender of Freedom, Advocate of Liberty

On Jan 29, 11:33 am, Ignoramus1782
wrote:
Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

FYI...

TMT


EBay lowers some fees, raises others By AMANDA FEHD, Associated Press
Writer
Tue Jan 29, 6:16 PM ET



EBay Inc. is rejiggering its fees -- raising some, trimming others -- to
meet rising competition and maintain its share of the online auction
market it helped start a decade ago.

But those who keep tabs on the Web site, including its top sellers,
say the changes are a step in the wrong direction.

"It's too little too late," said Steve Grossberg, one of eBay's top
100 sellers and the founder and president of the Internet Merchants
Association.

Grossberg, a Florida-based vendor of video games, spoke by phone from
a conference of 200 of North America's top eBay sellers in Washington,
D.C., where incoming CEO John Donahoe announced the fee changes
Tuesday. EBay makes 80 percent of its revenue from the top 20 percent
of its sellers.

"I think you are going to see a listing decrease, you are going to see
some sellers leave the site or pull back quite a bit and think of
other ways to make revenue, and it's going to backfire," Grossberg
said.

Listings on eBay's various sites in the fourth quarter rose 4 percent,
reversing two straight quarters of declines, the company reported last
week. The number of people actively using the site has stagnated,
rising just 2 percent from a year ago, while revenues have risen
modestly.

The price changes, which take effect Feb. 20, are complex. It will
cost 25 percent less to list an item for auction and up to 50 percent
less to offer something for a fixed price. EBay's commission on items
sold for fixed prices over $100 will also decline.

Its commissions on auction items selling for more than $1000 will
remain at 1.5 percent, while its commission on cheaper items will rise
as much as 67 percent.

Under the old rules, for example, a purse auctioned for $25 would have
cost the seller $1.91, including 60 cents for listing the item plus
eBay's commission of $1.31. Under the new structure, the seller would
pay $2.74, including 55 cents to list the item plus a higher
commission of $2.19.

"EBay does sincerely want to compete. They are reacting to the
competitive threat of Amazon," said Ina Steiner, editor of
AuctionBytes.com, a trade publication for online sellers.

Amazon already has "cherry-picked" a lot of eBay's high-volume
sellers, Steiner said.

Company spokesman Usher Lieberman said the company's internal pricing
experiments and number-crunching show listings overall will rise in
response to the changes.

"We've heard from our sellers for a long time that they've wanted us
to reduce their upfront cost and risks, and we've done that,"
Lieberman said. Lieberman predicted the changes will result in savings
for more than 60 percent of sellers.

EBay most wants to encourage growth in fixed-price sales, the area
where it sees the most potential for growth.

One of its main rivals in fixed-price sales, Amazon.com Inc., charges
no fee at all to list an item, though it charges a commission as high
as 15 percent.

Sellers told The Associated Press that Amazon is more straightforward,
takes less time and that they make more money using it, partly because
Amazon pays for payment processing.

Randy Smythe, a former eBay seller in Southern California, said eBay's
sellers take more risks than Amazon's because they have to pay before
an item sells.

Smythe sold music and movies on eBay for nine years, bringing in up to
$4.6 million a year. He stopped in 2006 because he saw increased
competition from those who were gaming eBay's fee structure, charging
less for CDs upfront but more on shipping. He found he was keeping
just 2 percent of his gross revenue, and he now blogs about the
industry instead.

"What's going to happen is it's still going to be too expensive to
sell on eBay and make good money," Smythe said.

Donahoe said eBay is at a crossroads. He told the sellers the new fee
structure will be driven by their success.

"To maintain our leadership position in e-commerce, we can no longer
afford to make incremental changes to meet our customers' needs,"
Donahoe said. "We need to redo our play book and we need to redo it
fast. We need to take bold actions to meet the expectations of buyers
and sellers around the world."

Donahoe said a majority of sellers will see their prices fall.

But sellers said the changes will increase their costs.

"I don't see any real incentive for the average seller to list more
with this new fee structure. I think their 'bread and butter' core
auction listings will continue to diminish as a result," said Bill
Hamilton, a Georgia-based top seller who specializes in collectible
gemstones.

The new fees affect only sellers in the United States. More changes
are coming in Britain and Germany.

The changes come as longtime Chief Executive Meg Whitman announced she
would retire at the end of March. Donahoe, president of eBay
Marketplaces, which encompasses its shopping sites and classifieds,
has said he will aggressively change eBay's product, customer approach
and business model.

Martin Pyykkonen, an analyst with Global Crown Capital, said eBay's
rising fees have in the past caused sellers to look elsewhere on the
Internet for places to practice the online skills they perfected at
eBay, whether it's their own Web sites, Amazon, or other shopping
sites.

"The more savvy sellers look at a multitude of options. It's not like
Amazon is taking market share from eBay in a big chunk, it's more of a
gradual shift. This commission going up will be a telling point over
the next months to see what kind of reactions it gets," Pyykkonen
said.

On Jan 29, 11:33*am, Ignoramus1782
wrote:
Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* * * Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* * * Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* * * Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* * * When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* * * When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* * * Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* * * All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* * * Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

Another FYI...

TMT

EBay adjusts pricing to encourage low-cost sellers By Eric Auchard
Tue Jan 29, 11:22 AM ET



Online auction leader eBay Inc (EBAY.O) on Tuesday introduced price
changes and tighter sales standards in a bid to retain quality
sellers, improve customer service and revive flagging growth.

In a speech to eBay's top store operators and market makers in
Washington D.C., CEO-in-waiting John Donahoe will set out a plan to
reward the company's best sellers with sales incentives and priority
ranking in search results for auction items.

Key changes involve lowering fees for listing items within auctions or
for independently operated stores run on eBay. It also involves
raising some of the fees sellers pay once sales transactions are
successfully completed. And eBay plans to raise minimum standards to
discourage abusive sales practices.

"Sellers that describe items accurately, ship on time, and ship at a
fair price will enjoy preferential pricing and discounts on eBay,"
Donahoe said in prepared remarks. "We're serious about making eBay
easier and safer to shop."

EBay is seeking to reverse slowing revenue growth in its marketplaces
business, which is roughly half the level of three years ago. The
company telegraphed that changes were in store last week when it
reported its 2007 year-end results.

The moves initially take effect February 20 in the United States
across both auction bidding and fixed price markets. In coming weeks,
similar changes will be introduced in Germany and Britain, eBay's No.
2 and No. 3 markets. Eventually, the pricing and other rules changes
will take effect worldwide.

In the United States, eBay plans to reduce insertion fees -- the cost
of listing new items -- by 25 percent on most auction items and by 50
percent on most store items.

The fee changes, which vary by country, are intended to encourage
sellers to list more items and use more pictures to illustrate
listings, moves designed to encourage shopping.

Final value fees, or the price sellers pay for successfully completing
a sales transaction, go down as the value of items go up. The pricing
changes lower the up-front risk if listed items don't sell. "Put
simply, we will make more of our money when sellers are successful,"
Donahoe said in a statement.

Long-serving eBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman said last week she
planned to step aside at the end of March and be replaced by Donahoe.

There were 532,000 stores operated with the eBay network in the fourth
quarter. The company no longer discloses the overall number of sellers
who participate in its auctions business. But it boasts 1.3 million
people make some part of their living selling goods or services on
eBay sites globally.

Along with fee changes, eBay is making its minimum standards more
stringent for anyone who sells on the site, primarily to discourage
behavior like charging excessive shipping fees or not describing
listed items accurately. Sellers with high customer dissatisfaction
ratings will be given lower priority in searches consumers perform on
eBay.

Analysts said the changes were welcome but that eBay has a lot more to
do to revive its growth in its auction business.

"While the moves are bold, I don't think they are going to change the
face of competition," Scot Wingo, chief executive of ChannelAdvisor, a
sales consulting group that advises online merchants who sell through
eBay and other sites.

But Wingo said eBay was headed in the right direction by cutting fees
that have pushed some merchants off of eBay, reversing a pattern of
fee increases seen in recent years.

Lower fees could help woo back sellers of books, music and videos --
items that typically sell for under $25, he said.

"These guys have had a very tough time as (auction listing) prices and
then store prices went up," Wingo said. "That drove a lot of selection
off the site," he said, both to rival Amazon.com and to Web sites
these merchants set up themselves.

Deutsche Bank analyst Jeetil Patel, one of two out of 27 analysts who
recommend investors sell eBay shares, has argued eBay must drastically
cut its sales commission structure in order to compete with Amazon,
which will require "hitting the Reset button on (its) business model,"
he wrote last week.

"We think the structural issues may take years to overcome, given the
economy, competition and financial impact," he said.

(Editing by Derek Caney)

On Jan 29, 1:41*pm, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Jan 29, 11:33*am, Ignoramus1782
wrote:





Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* * * Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* * * Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* * * Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* * * When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* * * When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* * * Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* * * All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* * * Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

I find this very amusing considering the poor behavior I have had to
put up with from a number of Ebay sellers.

I note that Meg is leaving, Ebay is failing in China and now they are
dropping their listing fees to drum up business...all indicators that
Ebay is losing its luster.

Considering that buyers are the ones who supply the cash that makes
Ebay run, I look forward to their pain increasing.

TMT

TMT- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Remember what I said about their pain....

TMT

EBay is seeking to reverse slowing revenue growth in its marketplaces
business, which is roughly half the level of three years ago.

On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:41:28 -0800 (PST), Too_Many_Tools
wrote:

* * * Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

I find this very amusing considering the poor behavior I have had to
put up with from a number of Ebay sellers.

I note that Meg is leaving, Ebay is failing in China and now they are
dropping their listing fees to drum up business...all indicators that
Ebay is losing its luster.

Considering that buyers are the ones who supply the cash that makes
Ebay run, I look forward to their pain increasing.

TMT


Ebay is losing its luster, because of the greed of many sellers.

Im speaking of outragious shipping and handling fees.

Gunner

Nick Mueller wrote:
Wes wrote:

There are a lot of HSM machine tools purchased via Ebay sales in the USA
and Canada.

And a lot even wear white T-shirts!

Maybe this will help!

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-PACK-WHITE-TALL-PLAIN-T-SHIRT-NEW-LONG-TEE-BIG-3XL-3X_W0QQitemZ370017090447QQihZ024QQcategoryZ15687QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"That's a very elaborate story, but where have
you REALLY been the last three days?"

Jonah's Wife, sometime BC

Richard J Kinch wrote:

SteveB writes:

Bottom line, it's not what it used to be.

It started when they got rid of email addresses.

And got even more unseemly when they started hiding bidders names after
crossing the 200 buck mark.

Wes

Nick Mueller wrote:

Wes wrote:

There are a lot of HSM machine tools purchased via Ebay sales in the USA
and Canada.

And a lot even wear white T-shirts!


Nick


Nick,

I think something got lost in the translation there. Ebay was the pathway
for my Series 1 Bridgeport, the Clausing 6903, Troke 12" rotary table and a
variety of minor stuff. As much as I have issues with Ebay I doubt I'd have
a home shop without them.


Wes

On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:14:31 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm,
Gunner quickly quoth:

On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:41:28 -0800 (PST), Too_Many_Tools
wrote:

* * * Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

I find this very amusing considering the poor behavior I have had to
put up with from a number of Ebay sellers.

I note that Meg is leaving, Ebay is failing in China and now they are
dropping their listing fees to drum up business...all indicators that
Ebay is losing its luster.

Considering that buyers are the ones who supply the cash that makes
Ebay run, I look forward to their pain increasing.

TMT


Ebay is losing its luster, because of the greed of many sellers.

Im speaking of outragious shipping and handling fees.

That's because it costs more in eBay fees when the shipping is low and
the value of the item is high. I can understand why sellers moved to
that style of listing but can't understand why eBay let it happen.
I was going to switch to Online Auction, but they don't have the
volume, the selection, or the cheap vendors that are found on eBay.

I found a local lady who'll sell all my used books for me (200+ and
counting) so I don't have to bother. She's a PowerSeller on eBay.

Listing fees will be dropping but final value fees will be going up 3%
to pay for it. eBay won't be losing any money, I don't think.

--
My future starts when I wake up every morning...
Every day I find something creative to do with my life.
-- Miles Davis

Wes wrote:

I think something got lost in the translation there.

No, nothing. I don't have to translate what I read in English. Well, most of
the time.
The argument that eBay is on-topic here just because you can buy machinery
is as defunct as discussing here about white T-shirts because they can be
worn in a shop.

It was just an other winy Iggy-posting ...


Nick
--
The lowcost-DRO:
http://www.yadro.de

No matter how bad it is or how much worse it is than it used to be, it's
still the only game in town! It may be that it's no longer a place to
get rich, but that odd piece of stuff can still be sold there when the
local market (e.g., Craigslist) won't move it. And it's still a great
source for all kinds of stuff that the local market doesn't offer. Or
that you'd pay a lot more for.

Bob

On Jan 30, 9:20*am, Wes wrote:
Nick Mueller wrote:
Wes wrote:

There are a lot of HSM machine tools purchased via Ebay sales in the USA
and Canada.

And a lot even wear white T-shirts!

Nick

Nick,

I think something got lost in the translation there. *Ebay was the pathway
for my Series 1 Bridgeport, the Clausing 6903, Troke 12" rotary table and a
variety of minor stuff. *As much as I have issues with Ebay I doubt I'd have
a home shop without them.

Wes

I too have used Ebay to find items that I would never have gotten
otherwise...I do not have the time to atttend every garage sale,
auction or flea market in the country.

I have noticed that the selection of what has been offered on Ebay has
dropped significantly and the quality of the sellers along with the
selection.

One side effect that I have noted is at the pawn shops, garage sales
and personal offerings I do visit the sellers assume that an Ebay
price is the pricing floor to work from. As I point out to them, if
that is the case then go ahead and post it on Ebay and then I will
bid...and you get to take the risk and the additional cost of time and
money to do so.

At serveral surplus locations that I frequent, I note that there is
always a gathering of Ebayers who attempt to scoop up anything
saleable. They are not welcomed by the rest of those who are there to
reuse the items in their shops and more than once I have seen very
heated discussions concerning their practices.

TMT

On Jan 29, 11:33 am, Ignoramus1782
wrote:
Now sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/...tml?ov=004KM#2

Feedback Changes
The eBay Feedback system was designed to provide a simple, honest,
accurate record of member experiences. Focusing on customer service
includes doing everything we can to grow customer confidence in our
sellers.

* Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
* Positive repeat customer Feedback will count (up to 1 Feedback
from the same buyer per week.)
* Feedback more than 12-months old won't count towards your
Feedback percentage.
* When a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) process
the negative or neutral Feedback they have left for that transaction
will be removed.
* When a member is suspended, all their negative and neutral
Feedback will be removed.
* Buyers must wait 3 days before leaving negative or neutral
Feedback for sellers with an established track record, to encourage
communication.
* All Feedback must be left within 60 days (compared to 90 days
today) of listing end to encourage timely Feedback and discourage
abuse.
* Buyers will be held more accountable when sellers report an
unpaid item or commit other policy violations.

And yet another FYI...

TMT

EBay's tweaks to feedback worry sellers By AMANDA FEHD, Associated
Press Writer
2 hours, 44 minutes ago



EBay Inc. says it's changing its user-feedback system to keep buyers
from leaving, but the plan has sellers worried they'll no longer be
able to weed out untrustworthy shoppers.

Buyers and sellers have been able to rate each other at the online
auctioneer since its birth in 1995, when eBay founder Pierre Omidyar
envisioned a virtual marketplace built on trust among buyers and
sellers.

Come Feb. 20, a full spectrum of feedback is welcome from buyers about
sellers, while sellers can no longer give buyers negative star
ratings.

The shift was announced Tuesday among a complex series of pricing
changes and initiatives that eBay hopes will improve buyers'
experiences as it struggles with stagnant user numbers.

It's a fundamental change to create trust and tackle fraud in a
marketplace where buyers and sellers never lay eyes on one another.
Steve Grossberg, a Florida-based top seller of video games and
president of the Internet Merchants Association, said the ban on
rating buyers is a good thing.

"When the seller leaves a negative feedback for a buyer, it drives
them away from the site," Grossberg said.

But eBay needs to work harder to stop bidders who don't pay up, he
said. The site does not require immediate payment,and sellers complain
they are just as exposed to fraud as buyers on eBay.

Company spokesman Usher Lieberman said about 6 percent of auctions end
in nonpayment by the winning bidder.

Sellers can require payment upon checkout for fixed-price sales, which
account for 40 percent of eBay's business worldwide. But immediate
payment is not required on auctions because the buyers are not at
their computers when they win an auction, Lieberman said.

Sellers have long used feedback to alert one another about fraudulent
practices like nonpayment. Sellers earn good ratings by delivering
quality products and using timely and reasonably priced shipping
methods. Buyers earn poor ratings by not paying for an item or
threatening the seller with a bad rating if they don't lower the final
auction price.

Both buyers and sellers use the information to assess their trading
partners' trustworthiness. Buyers can decide not to purchase from
poorly rated sellers, and sellers can eject poorly rated buyers from
an auction, for instance.

But sometimes sellers retaliate for poor ratings by giving a buyer a
bad rating. Retaliatory ratings by sellers have risen fourfold in the
past several years, Lieberman said.

And that's turned off buyers, he said. Those who stop using the site
complain more often about retaliatory ratings than other factors, such
as not receiving items they've paid for.

Grossberg, the trade association leader, said eBay has no incentive to
stop nonpaying bidders, because it charges its fees and commissions
regardless of whether a transaction goes sour.

Sellers wrote this week in online forums that they worry what the
change means for how they do business.

"Most of the sellers are having a gut wrench about the feedback
changes. It's a very abrupt change to something that has always been
sacrosanct in the eBay world," Bill Hamilton, a top seller in Georgia
who specializes in collectible gemstones, said in an e-mail to The
Associated Press.

The company does not keep comprehensive fraud statistics since most
fraud occurs outside of the site -- when, for example, the customer
uses a nonsecure payment method.

In the first quarter of 2006, eBay's reported loss due to payments it
made to settle fraud claims was .06 percent of revenue.

eBay user base is stagnant, because all people who should have joined,
already joined. Maybe eBay leadership does not understand this
uncomplicated fact.

A while ago, a Wall Street analyst asked a Craigslist executive, what
plans did they have to maximize their profits.

The Craigslist executive's answer was, "we do not have any plans to
maximize our profits".

I found that a little refreshing. Not all companies are concerned with
making as much money as possible.


i

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

At serveral surplus locations that I frequent, I note that there is
always a gathering of Ebayers who attempt to scoop up anything
saleable. They are not welcomed by the rest of those who are there to
reuse the items in their shops and more than once I have seen very
heated discussions concerning their practices.

Well in addition to Ebayers there always seems to be those that are looking
for items for their permanent yard sales.

Wes

Mark Rand wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:32:37 -0600, Ignoramus6796
wrote:

On 2008-01-29, Too_Many_Tools wrote:

Ig, what do you think of this new change?
I think that this is not a great change, as it leaves sellers with no
chance to warn others about bad buyers. Some change was due, such as
calculating seller feedback for sold items only, but this one is off
the mark.

What is your overall opinion/experience of Ebay?
I deal with the business and industrial category 95% of the tie, and
like it a lot, was scammed or disappointed only very few times, and
had only very nice buyers.

i


I can't help feeling that the underlying problem has always been that people
(from day one) left positive feedback for ordinary transactions. If the
standard had been neutral feedback, with positive reserved for exceptional
performance, then feedback might actually be worth the electrons it was
written with.

I have always thought this too.
Way too many "Thumbs Up" and !!!!!s
Superlatives should be reserved for super service beyond the call.

Rex wrote:
Mark Rand wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:32:37 -0600, Ignoramus6796
wrote:

On 2008-01-29, Too_Many_Tools wrote:

Ig, what do you think of this new change?
I think that this is not a great change, as it leaves sellers with no
chance to warn others about bad buyers. Some change was due, such as
calculating seller feedback for sold items only, but this one is off
the mark.
What is your overall opinion/experience of Ebay?
I deal with the business and industrial category 95% of the tie, and
like it a lot, was scammed or disappointed only very few times, and
had only very nice buyers.
i


I can't help feeling that the underlying problem has always been that
people
(from day one) left positive feedback for ordinary transactions. If the
standard had been neutral feedback, with positive reserved for
exceptional
performance, then feedback might actually be worth the electrons it was
written with.

I have always thought this too.
Way too many "Thumbs Up" and !!!!!s
Superlatives should be reserved for super service beyond the call.


I use the feedback to judge if the seller is real and doing a credible job of providing
product to buyers without too much hassle.

Must always pay attention to shipping as many sellers are padding the cost of
shipping beyond anything that could be called reasonable. It's a charge that's
hard to complain of if the seller has stated what he will charge in the fine print.

Wes wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:

At serveral surplus locations that I frequent, I note that there is
always a gathering of Ebayers who attempt to scoop up anything
saleable. They are not welcomed by the rest of those who are there to
reuse the items in their shops and more than once I have seen very
heated discussions concerning their practices.

Well in addition to Ebayers there always seems to be those that are looking
for items for their permanent yard sales.

Wes

People go to auctions to buy stuff. The high bidder gets it. What they
do with it afterwards is really nobodies elses business. If I am buying
something for my shop I spend more on it than I do if I am buying to
resale it. It seems that you are just mad because stuff is going higher
than you want to pay.

Bill

"Bill" wrote in message
...


Wes wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:

At serveral surplus locations that I frequent, I note that there is
always a gathering of Ebayers who attempt to scoop up anything
saleable. They are not welcomed by the rest of those who are there to
reuse the items in their shops and more than once I have seen very
heated discussions concerning their practices.

Well in addition to Ebayers there always seems to be those that are
looking
for items for their permanent yard sales.

Wes

People go to auctions to buy stuff. The high bidder gets it. What they do
with it afterwards is really nobodies elses business. If I am buying
something for my shop I spend more on it than I do if I am buying to
resale it. It seems that you are just mad because stuff is going higher
than you want to pay.

Bill

I thought auctions were a place where the high bidder got the goods.
Period. What's the difference what anyone does with the goods? The seller
gets his cut, the auctioneer gets his vig, the buyer pays top bid and takes
the stuff home.

What did I miss?

Steve

On 2008-02-01, SteveB wrote:
I thought auctions were a place where the high bidder got the goods.
Period. What's the difference what anyone does with the goods? The seller
gets his cut, the auctioneer gets his vig, the buyer pays top bid and takes
the stuff home.

What did I miss?

Nothing. People buying stuff for resale, make it more obtainable (easy
to find), at a somewhat higher cost. But they need to be paid for
their time moving all that machinery.

i

"Ignoramus18705" wrote in message
...
On 2008-02-01, SteveB wrote:
I thought auctions were a place where the high bidder got the goods.
Period. What's the difference what anyone does with the goods? The
seller
gets his cut, the auctioneer gets his vig, the buyer pays top bid and
takes
the stuff home.

What did I miss?

Nothing. People buying stuff for resale, make it more obtainable (easy
to find), at a somewhat higher cost. But they need to be paid for
their time moving all that machinery.

i

What? They don't do it all for free? ;-)

Steve

On 2008-02-01, Bill wrote:


Wes wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:

At serveral surplus locations that I frequent, I note that there is
always a gathering of Ebayers who attempt to scoop up anything
saleable. They are not welcomed by the rest of those who are there to
reuse the items in their shops and more than once I have seen very
heated discussions concerning their practices.

Well in addition to Ebayers there always seems to be those that are looking
for items for their permanent yard sales.

[ ... ]

People go to auctions to buy stuff. The high bidder gets it. What they
do with it afterwards is really nobodies elses business. If I am buying
something for my shop I spend more on it than I do if I am buying to
resale it. It seems that you are just mad because stuff is going higher
than you want to pay.

I didn't see anything in the quoted material to indicate that
this was an *auction*, just a "surplus location". There are surplus
locations which either have fixed prices on the items for sale, or you
bring them up to the checkout counter, and the person there decides on a
price. If it is too much, you don't buy some or all of it -- or try
haggling. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On Jan 31, 9:37*pm, "DoN. Nichols" wrote:
On 2008-02-01, Bill wrote:



Wes wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:

At serveral surplus locations that I frequent, I note that there is
always a gathering of Ebayers who attempt to scoop up anything
saleable. They are not welcomed by the rest of those who are there to
reuse the items in their shops and more than once I have seen very
heated discussions concerning their practices.

Well in addition to Ebayers there always seems to be those that are looking
for items for their permanent yard sales.

* * * * [ ... ]

People go to auctions to buy stuff. The high bidder gets it. What they
do with it afterwards is really nobodies elses business. If I am buying
something for my shop I spend more on it than I do if I am buying to
resale it. It seems that you are just mad because stuff is going higher
than you want to pay.

* * * * I didn't see anything in the quoted material to indicate that
this was an *auction*, just a "surplus location". *There are surplus
locations which either have fixed prices on the items for sale, or you
bring them up to the checkout counter, and the person there decides on a
price. *If it is too much, you don't buy some or all of it -- or try
haggling. :-)

* * * * Enjoy,
* * * * * * * * DoN.

--
*Email: * * | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
* * * * (too) near Washington D.C. |http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
* * * * * *--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

Don is correct....an example would have been the Boeing surplus store.

May it rest in peace.

TMT