I know that I am going against the majority here, but I actually like the system overall. Before I explain, I should note that I do not like the fact that I can't leave a negative or neutral for a buyer!In the past I have only left feedback for the buyer AFTER they left feedback for me. Some may refer to this as "feedback blackmail", but only the WORST sellers would use it in that manner. In fact, I have received "neutral but negative" comments where I still left a positive for the buyer because they were correct in having their opinion. Afterall, they did still pay immediately and didn't place any "lies" in their comments, just their opinions. The reason I have always waited to leave the feedback is not only so that I would know that the customer was satisfied with their purchase, but also to know that I actually got the payment. I say this because there have been a couple occasions where the buyers payment actually cleared PayPal and then got returned a day or two later as NSF or Account Closed (and if you remember the rules, if we accept PayPal, we have to accept ALL methods of payment through PayPal). If I had left a positive when the payment cleared and they refused to pay after it got sent back, I would have no recourse on the feedback. Sure I would still win the PayPal and unpaid item dispute and their negative (if they had left one) would be removed, but how would I warn other sellers (and buyers for that matter) about their "attempt to steal"! That said, I HATE the sellers that retalliate with negative feedback when the problem is their own fault (usually very poor packaging or a very bad attitude towards an honest customer).
BUYERS: Negative feedback should NEVER be left just for damaged or lost items unless it was the sellers fault (inadequate packaging, falsified customs forms, never sent, etc.) and they refused to fix the problem. If they still took care of your concerns and fixed their mistakes they should at least get a neutral if not a positive. NOTE: Always purchase insurance to protect yourself and contact the seller before assuming that they never sent the package.
NEW POWERSELLER REQUIREMENTS: I for one love the new requirements, even though they knocked me out of Powerseller status! Powersellers are supposed to be the BEST of all eBayers and for too long now that has not always been the case! It is also nice to see eBay giving some nice rewards for being the best (up to 20% off Final Value Fees + an additional discount on UPS). Afterall, how many buyers really pay attention to the little Powerseller logo anyway (except for us sellers that also buy on eBay). With no incentive other than the logo, I don't think that most eBayers really cared about being a Powerseller or not. I really only cared because it also usually meant that I was selling enough to qualify for a lower PayPal rate. I think eBay was smart with this idea, afterall, what better incentive is there for people to do better than by giving them MONEY!!!
DSR's: I love the DSR's, but HATE the way that eBay implemented them with the new Powerseller requirements and discounts. They should have started everybody off with a clean slate in April when they started the discounts. In other words, only take the DSR ratings since April 2008 into account when determining Powerseller elegibility! I'm at 4.34 on one of my DSR's, but it would take me hundreds if not thousands of 5-star feedback to get back to Powerseller status again after July. I've made changes to ensure 5-star feedback, but I'm beginning to think that it would be much faster to just start a new eBay account and wait the 90 days to become a Powerseller again instead of the 10 months that it might take me to get the 12-month rating up to 4.5!
HANDLING NEGATIVE FEEDBACK: File the appropriate complaints with eBay (feedback abuse, non-paying bidder, etc.) and leave a reply to the feedback. Unfortunately that is the only recourse! ***DO NOT leave a positive for the buyer with a negative comment!*** That directly violates eBays Feedback Abuse policy which states: "Feedback comments containing any of the following are not permitted:"..."Negative statements that conflict with a positive rating". Doing this could result in a ding on your policy compliance!
GOOD LUCK TO ALL WITH THE CHANGES, I think that in the long run it will all be for the better...I hope!!!
