Some major policy changes announced on ebay.com

[*wheels*]

http://blog.ecommercebytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2012/2/1330420188.html

There is good news and bad news with eBay's Spring Seller release 2012, which eBay will announce today. eBay will stop charging sellers for images (it will give them up to 12 free photos), but it will introduce additional "quality standards" for photos.

Sellers may not add text to their pictures, although watermarks for attribution purposes only will be allowed. And when listing a used item, stock photos may no longer be used as the primary item photo for the listing (with the exception of Books, Movies, Music, and Video Game categories).

eBay will roll out automatic 5-star DSRs on communication for transactions in which there is no communication between the buyer and seller (not counting invoices and invoice requests or Best Offers). However, sellers will not qualify for automatic 5-Star DSR ratings in Communication if they notify buyers of order status or delivery information. (eBay sends automated emails to buyers regarding order status and delivery information, so buyers will have to upload tracking information to eBay.) This provision is bound to be among the most controversial of today's announcements.

Sellers must also specify same-day or 1-day handling time and must upload tracking information by the end of the next business day in order to qualify for the automatic 5-star Communication DSR.

One change that is a long time coming: eBay will remove all feedback and DSRs for transactions in which buyers have an Unpaid Item record whether or not the seller is using the UPI assistant, as long as the seller required eBay Checkout, used an approved payment method, and local pickup was not offered.

We knew eBay was retiring 3-day and 7-day returns, and today it will announce that the change will take effect the first week of May. This will also be controversial, even though previously announced, particularly among sellers of clothing where sellers feel the policy may turn them into "rentals."

See today's EcommerceBytes Newsflash for more information. Sellers will want to pore over the changes in great detail - for instance, eBay is making item specifics and product codes such as UPCs and ISBNs more important in Best Match search.

[*wheels*]

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y12/m02/i28/s00

eBay will announce the first Seller Release of 2012 today, and fees and feedback are on the table. Some of the forthcoming policy changes are designed to encourage sellers to send items quickly and reward sellers for having no communication with buyers, and eBay is raising the bar for Top Rated Sellers who wish to receive the 20% Final Value Fee discount.

Fees
Beginning July 2nd, eBay will offer sellers free image hosting, and beginning in the fall, all listings will be required to have at least one picture - additional quality standards for pictures will also be in effect.

eBay will also raise the maximum Final Value Fee for auction listings to $250 for non-Store owners, which impacts auctions that close at $1,111 and above.

There are no changes to subscription fees or any selling fees related to eBay Stores - pictures are currently free for eBay Store subscribers, as well as in certain categories - Collectibles, Art, Pottery and Glass, and Antiques.

Return Policy
eBay will retire 3-day and 7-day return windows, and will retire "Merchandise credit" and "Exchange" refund options, starting the first week of May.

eBay will also launch a new optional return process that lets sellers manage returns according to their specified policies right from My eBay, streamlines returns and automatically refunding Final Value Fees.

Feedback
eBay is also making significant changes to its feedback policy, specifically to Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs): beginning in April, eBay will give sellers an automatic 5-star DSR for Communication for transactions in which there is no communication between the seller and the buyer - if the seller does the following:

    specify same-day or 1-day handling time;
    upload tracking information by the end of the next business day.

Sellers will not receive an automatic 5 star DSR for Communication if there is any buyer or seller initiated communication related to the transaction in the eBay messaging system or a request for contact information by the buyer or seller.

Operational emails such as invoices and invoice requests - even if they contain messages added by the buyer or seller - as well as Best Offer communications are excluded from consideration and sellers will not count as communication between buyer and seller.

And starting April 23, all Feedback and related DSRs left by a buyer for a transaction where the buyer had an unpaid item recorded, will automatically be removed, whether or not the seller is using Unpaid Item Assistant, as long as the seller required eBay Checkout, an eBay approved electronic payment method, and local pick up was not offered.

Finally, any feedback from international buyers that only reference customs issues will qualify for Feedback removal.

Best Match Search
Item specifics, product codes like UPCs and ISBNs, brand, part numbers and other descriptors will be increasingly important for getting a higher ranking in search.

[*smee*]

Thank you for that info

[*wheels*]

Auto 5 stars for the Communication DSR if sellers DO NOT communicate with buyers! 

They may as well remove the DSR ratings altogether. Or at least bring the AU requirements into line with the US site. The new AU Fast and Free system gives 5 stars for the Postage DSR based on delivery time whereas in the US it is based on shipping lodgement time.

[Liisa-Sx]

Ohhh Ebay... you've done it again! lol



BOHICA

[*Brum6y*]

Auto 5 stars for the Communication DSR if sellers DO NOT communicate with buyers! 

I noticed that too .... what a corker.

[low-enghooi]

I am confused. What is wrong if there is no communication between a buyer and seller.

Buyer win and pay. Seller post. Buyer receive happily. Buyer may/may not leave feedback. Transaction done.

As a buyer, I don't usually want to communicate with the seller. I never expect a seller (unless someone whom I know well) to communicate with me, and they better don't.

If ebay don't automatically roll out 5 star, I will.

I learnt from some very smart people there are tones of gold in ebay. Perhaps for their stupidity people complaint.

Perhaps, I am as weird (or as stupid) as ebay.

Sellers will not receive an automatic 5 star DSR for Communication if there is any buyer or seller initiated communication related to the transaction in the eBay messaging system or a request for contact information by the buyer or seller.

EXACTLY what I want. The only time I contact the seller is when I think that is going to be a problematic transaction.

Now I am getting even more confused.

Perhaps, silence is golden. I shall zipped my mouth and move on.

[*Brum6y*]

Don't do that Low.

The practical situation that you describe is quite understandable and it's sometimes good to get a buyer's opinion on these things.

From the seller perspective, though, it does appear (on the surface at least) to be an absurdity that 'No communication' from the seller is worthy of an automatic 5 stars.

The one thing that troubles me in such an arrangement is that it is based on the fact that eBay will reliably send out the notifications they say they will ... and that is not an area in which some sellers I have come across seem to have a lot of faith.  The error in this equation is that, in the given circumstances, eBay will force the buyer to have to endure a 5 star DSR for communication IRRESPECTIVE of the quality of communication the buyer actually experiences.  One risk is that such an annoyance might be expressed in the feedback itself.

It is another example where - in the practical world - sellers are at risk from copping the blame if eBay fails in some way.

[*wheels*]

What concerns me is that eBay use the DSR ratings to award or remove TRS status (which can affect Best Match ranking) and even to suspend sellers. If eBay don't want sellers to communicate with buyers why ask buyers to rate sellers on communication?

As a buyer, the only communication I really want is to know that payment has been received if I've paid by bank deposit and that the item has been posted.

As a seller, we always send an email to let buyers know that items have been posted because I know that the eBay auto emails are not reliable. I have monitored through Selling Manager the number of auto emails sent and it averages at only 80%.

Also, if the same conditions are introduced on eBay AU if a buyer emails me to ask a question or just to say "Thanks" does that negate the auto 5 star DSR for communication?

[*Yibida*]

Who exactly is making these decisions ? they contradict and confuse, I blame Skynet it is aware and controlling Ebay  ! 

[*smee*]

They are Yanks .... Forgive them , they know not what they do

[low-enghooi]

If eBay don't want sellers to communicate with buyers why ask buyers to rate sellers on communication?

Hence the automatic 5 stars on communication for "no communication" transaction. Buyer don't have to rate. Make sense?

Why not just abolish this stupid thing?

From system perspective, it is a lot easier to just put perfect "5" in the database than putting a "null". Putting a "null" or "0" will affect other part of the system, particularly the DSR calculation unless ebay is planning a massive changes to the system.

[*Yibida*]

Low .... Ebay cannot help themselves ! 

If the system is working fine they are not happy

they must make sure they break it

If Ebay are not happy they want to make sure you are too !!

LOL

[*CountessA*]

Will this impact the willingness of sellers to reply to specific questions?

They may feel they'd rather not risk the automatic 5-star communication rating, even if it is NOT affected by questions and answers between buyer and seller (and it's by no means certain that it is not affected).

This is NOT good. I am NOT happy. I like communicating with my sellers - even a quick "Thank you - this is gorgeous!" or "Can you confirm the such-and-such is included" and so on.

[low-enghooi]

Will this impact the willingness of sellers to reply to specific questions?

They may feel they'd rather not risk the automatic 5-star communication rating, even if it is NOT affected by questions and answers between buyer and seller (and it's by no means certain that it is not affected).

This is NOT good. I am NOT happy. I like communicating with my sellers - even a quick "Thank you - this is gorgeous!" or "Can you confirm the such-and-such is included" and so on.

The moment buyer initiated communication (question, or quick "thank you", etc), the automatic 5 star rating is void. It is just business as usual. Buyer get the chance to rate on communication, ebay will not interfere.

I see the automatic 5 star rating on communication as ebay's quick fix of buyer don't have to rate seller on communication for no communication transaction. No more no less.

For seller, they have to do these things to qualify:
    specify same-day or 1-day handling time;
    upload tracking information by the end of the next business day.

If the seller is not happy with receiving automatic 5 star, then just don't do it.

I still don't see what the problem here.

If you like to contact your seller, please do so. You have the chance to rate the seller on communication. That is business as usual.

If you don't like to contact the seller and hopefully seller also don't disturb you, you have one thing less to worry, you need not rate the seller for communication. This is void. The automatic 5 stars is there to make it easy to calculate the DSR without massive code changes.

Now you cannot be someone who don't want to contact seller and never wish seller to contact you, to rate on seller's communication. I really thought this is very fair to seller.

[*wheels*]

The problem I see Low is if sellers are trying to improve their DSRs they may stop sending their usual emails to buyers. Then the communication is left up to eBay's unreliable auto emails. This could lead to buyers who haven't received any info from the seller and either not returning for repeat purchases or even leaving a neg for no communication. It becomes a vicious circle.

[low-enghooi]

Wheels, the seller can send emails to buyer. Then it is up to buyer to rate.

If seller go this way, I don't see how the new changes going to affect both the seller or buyer. That is business as usual.

[low-enghooi]

My understanding as shown in the flow chart

[*Yibida*]

Low you crack me up dude LOL

( your not related to Brumby are you ? ) LOL

[*wheels*]

That's correct. Great flowchart Low!

The problem that I have with the changes is that eBay is rewarding sellers for NOT communicating with buyers.

Sellers can do everything right - post immediately, upload tracking info, not send any emails.
But what happens when the auto eBay "Item posted" email fails to go through? According to our sales this is 20% of transactions.

The buyer emails the seller asking about shipping date = no auto 5 star for communication. They go to leave feedback and may leave a 1 or 2 low feedback because they'd had no prior communication from the seller.
Or
The buyer does nothing, is annoyed that they've had no communication from the seller but when leaving feedback they have no option as it is an auto 5 stars and do not return for repeat business.

If eBay want to control all communication they should just get rid of the Communication DSR altogether.

[*CountessA*]

The buyer cannot leave the DSRs they'd like to for communication - if eBay handles all the communication.

If the communication is not up to the buyer's expectation (if, for instance, eBay's automated emails have NOT gone through, or have been too many, or poorly worded), then the seller has an unhappy buyer who can't leave the stars they want to leave - i.e., a 3 or a 4 for communication, and 5 for everything else.

I know of all too many instances where the buyer will then - in that case - simply leave low stars for other fields, out of frustration. The seller could conceivably end up with 5 for communication (automatic), 5 for posting (automatic), and 1 for description and 1 for postage charge. The seller could still get an automatic 5 for postage charge if he decides to set up free postage in his listing, but that's not always viable, and it still leaves a frustrated buyer feeling he can't give ANY sort of realistic feedback through the DSRs except through item description.

Will the buyer then decide to give a negative plus a 1 for description...?

And will the buyer decide to buy from other sellers in future, avoiding that one where the buyer had virtually all the autonomy taken from his hands re the DSRs?

And will eBay ever decide to GET RID OF DSRs? (That would probably be the most sensible option, but as I understand it, too much of seller rating and discounts given to sellers are tied in with DSRs, so eBay can't really ditch the DSRs.)

[*Brum6y*]

No Yibs ... Low and I aren't related - other than having worked in IT.

Yes Low, the flowchart is simple and reflects the way it is touted to work - however, the difficulties arise when there is a failure in the process.  If (errr... when) that happens the buyer will seek an avenue to express their dissatisfaction - and it will be against the seller's ratings, by whatever means possible.  Either that, or the buyer will just throw their hands up in frustration and never return.

Why not just abolish this stupid thing?

Good question.

I will say, however, that when the DSR system first came in, I thought it wasn't a bad idea - but that was when it was purely an informational thing, when a seller could 'take it on board' and seek to improve their business or ignore them and just sway with the breeze.

It turned into a festering pustule when they then started penalising sellers on those figures.

[low-enghooi]

The buyer cannot leave the DSRs they'd like to for communication - if eBay handles all the communication.

YES, yes, yes. With the new changes, the buyer CAN leave DSR for communication.

Ebay doesn't stop seller or buyer to contact each other. If buyer use paypal, seller will even have buyer's email. Communication can take place anytime, anywhere, if both party really keen.

[pra666]

The buyer cannot leave the DSRs they'd like to for communication - if eBay handles all the communication.

YES, yes, yes. With the new changes, the buyer CAN leave DSR for communication.

Ebay doesn't stop seller or buyer to contact each other. If buyer use paypal, seller will even have buyer's email. Communication can take place anytime, anywhere, if both party really keen.

Seller can still get buyer's email address via Selling Manager. I find it very useful as I like to keep record of MY customers' details.

[***Mr Magoo 2U***]

My understanding as shown in the flow chart

??????????